These Crumbl Copycat Piña Colada Cookies taste like a vacation drink in sugar cookie form! Made with fresh pineapple juice, rum extract, and a maraschino cherry on top, these cookies are sure to please everyone.
Why I Love These Crumbl Copycat Pina Colada Cookies
I love these Crumbl Copycat Piña Colada Cookies because I love pina coladas, I love cookies, and I love to create my favorite desserts at home like my Caramel Filled Cupcakes! These cookies have a super soft sugar cookie base and are topped with a flavorful pina colada flavored buttercream frosting, toasted coconut, and a cherry on top.
Does anyone have the song in their head yet, "🎶 If you like Pina Coladas... 🎶?"
But seriously, if you love Crumbl Cookies as much as I do, or if you don't want to spend over $4 for a cookie, then you should definitely make this recipe. Don't forget to check out my other cookie copycat recipes like my Crumbl Cookie Copycat Recipe and my Birthday Cake Cookies.
Are these Pina Colada Cookies Kid-Friendly?
Yes! These Piña Colada cookies are completely kid-friendly. While the taste will remind you of a Pina Colada cocktail, there is no alcohol in these cookies.
Can I make these cookies with alcohol?
If you do want to make an adult-only version of these cookies, simply substitute the rum extract with your favorite rum! I would suggest starting with 2 teaspoons and adding more if desired. There won't be much alcohol, but they will taste amazing!
Ingredients Needed to Make Pina Colada Cookies
Making these cookies is surprisingly easy and you probably have most of the ingredients already. Remember the butter, vegetable shortening, sour cream, and egg should be at room temperature for the best results.
- Unsalted butter – Adds rich flavor and helps create a soft, chewy texture.
- Vegetable shortening – Helps the cookies hold their shape and stay tender.
- Sour cream – Adds moisture and a subtle tang to balance the sweetness.
- Egg (room temp) – Binds ingredients and contributes to structure.
- Pineapple juice – Gives a tropical, fruity flavor that pairs with coconut and rum.
- Rum extract – Mimics the flavor of rum without the alcohol.
*See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Crumble Cookie Sugar Cookies
Make and Chill the Dough
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl add the butter, shortening, and sour cream and cream together until nice and smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and extracts and mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 batches, mixing in completely after each addition. Form a loose ball with the dough and place it in a covered bowl in the fridge for an hour.
Create Cookie Shapes and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare the baking sheets.
- Scoop out ¼ cup of the dough and form a ball with your hands and place it on the baking sheet. You can fit 6 balls onto a baking sheet.
- Dip a heavy bottom glass or measuring cup in the powdered sugar to coat the bottom. Flatten each ball until it's about ½ in thick, gently rotating the glass in a circle.
- Bake the cookies one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Different Methods to Toast Sweetened Shredded Coconut
There are a few different ways to toast sweetened shredded coconut. My favorite method is in the microwave, but you can also get the same results on your stovetop or in the oven.
On The Stove
Cook the coconut over low-medium heat in a large skillet or cast-iron pan. Stir constantly until the coconut becomes golden brown.
In The Oven
Spread the coconut on a baking sheet in a thin layer and bake for 5-10 minutes at 325°F. Check and stir the coconut often so that it does not burn.
In The Microwave
Place the shredded coconut onto a microwave-safe plate and cook for 60 seconds in the microwave. Remove the plate from the microwave and stir the coconut. Put the coconut back into the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval to even out the cooking.
How to Make Pina Colada Buttercream Frosting
Place the room-temperature butter and shortening into a mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl and beat for a few minutes until nice and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, and mix thoroughly after each addition.
Add the pineapple juice, rum extract, and vanilla extract and mix until combined and creamy. Taste for any more flavoring needs, add more pineapple juice or rum extract if desired.
If you get a chance to make this Crumbl Piña Colada Cookie recipe, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes in your inbox.
Crumbl Piña Colada Cookies
Equipment
- heavy bottomed glass or measuring cup
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup sour cream, room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons confectioners powdered sugar (for pressing the cookies)
Piña Colada Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 3 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 2 teaspoons rum extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings
- toasted sweetened shredded coconut
- 14 maraschino cherries
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl add the butter, shortening, and sour cream (all at room temperature) and cream together until nice and smooth. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Add the sugar, egg, and extracts and mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 batches, mixing in completely after each addition.
- Form a loose ball with the dough and place it in a covered bowl in the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line your baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Once the dough has chilled, scoop out ¼ cup of the dough and form a ball with your hands. Place the ball on the baking sheet and repeat until the sheet is full (you will probably only be able to fit 6 balls).
- Dip a heavy bottom glass or measuring cup in the powdered sugar to coat the bottom. This will keep the glass from sticking to the dough. Flatten each ball until it's about ½ in thick, gently rotating the glass in a circle.
- Bake the cookies one pan at a time for 10 minutes. The cookies will spread and puff up a little but won't turn brown, so be careful not to overbake them.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Almond Buttercream Frosting
- Place the room-temperature butter and shortening into a mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat for a few minutes until nice and creamy. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time and mix completely after each addition. Add the pineapple juice and extracts and mix until combined and creamy.
- Once the cookies have cooled, add a generous amount of frosting to each cookie and spread out using an offset spatula or a butter knife. Immediately sprinkle with toasted coconut. If desired, you can gently press the coconut on top to ensure it sticks to the frosting. Add one maraschino cherry to the middles of each cookie and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before mixing the dough or frosting. This will ensure you get a light and fluffy cookie and smooth frosting.
- I would not recommend more than 6 cookies/baking sheet. They expand slightly and if you measure out ¼ cup of dough, they will be 5" in diameter once baked.
- I used a heavy-bottomed glass to smash my dough balls to get the shape of the cookies. If you don't have one, any flat-bottomed cup will work.
- Don't forget the powdered sugar before smashing the dough so the glass doesn't stick to the dough.
- These sugar cookies should not turn brown, so be careful not to overbake them or they will become dry.
- Store any leftover cookies in a sealed container for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Caitlyn says
Just tried this recipe and was pleasantly suprised! I used several substitutions to make this recipe "healthier" and they still came out very tasty. I agree with other comments that this doesn't necessarily have the strongest "pina colada" flavor and I actually noted a heavier almond flavor. But I'm sure some of that could be from the ingredient changes I made. Overall very tasty and would make again!
Emily says
Great feedback, Caitlyn, thanks for sharing. I'm glad they turned out they way you wanted them to 😁
jill says
I didn't get the pina colada taste from the frosting and I used almost 6tblsp of pineapple juice. What went wrong? The cookie itself was yummy.
Thank you.
Emily says
Hi Jill, it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong if you followed everything else. The rum certainly comes out more than the pineapple so if you are going to try again, use less rum extract. If you want even more pineapple, you could add some crushed pineapple to the frosting for added texture and flavor. Good luck!
Jen says
used 6 tablespoons of pineapple in the frosting, and did 1 teaspoon of coconut extract and 1 teaspoon of almond instead of two teaspoons of almond in the cookie dough and I absolutely love the flavor! I'm not a fan of almond extract in cookies but the way I did it really complimented the cookie amazingly! this recipe is great for someone who is just starting to learn how to back like me, would recommend 🙂
Emily says
Hi😊 Jen, thanks for trying my cookies and for sharing your experience. I'm so glad you liked them 😊
Lucy says
can I switch the shortening for butter instead?
Emily says
Yes, you can substitute butter for shortening. Enjoy!
Maggie says
These were yummy! The texture of the cookies reminds me more of a Lofthouse cookie. I didn’t get the pinã colada flavor like Crumbl, but maybe reducing some of the almond flavor and adding coconut extract instead would help, but they were still delicious! I’m definitely making these again.
Emily says
Hi Maggie, thanks for trying out the cookies and for sharing your thoughts. Great suggestion to replace the almond with coconut, I think I might give that a try next time! 😊