Transport your taste buds to the tropics with these irresistible frosted pineapple cookies! These soft, buttery drop cookies are bursting with sweet pineapple flavor and topped with a luscious pineapple glaze. No rolling or cutting is required, just simple drop-and-bake ease that delivers bakery-quality results every time.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The magic happens when crushed pineapple meets brown sugar’s caramel notes, creating tender yet perfectly structured cookies. Using both baking powder and baking soda ensures a light, soft texture, while reserving the pineapple juice for the glaze doubles down on that tropical flavor. The result is a cookie that tastes like sunshine in every bite.
Why You Should Make This Recipe For Pineapple Cookies
Pineapple cookies are commonly enjoyed around the holidays, but since their ingredients are so versatile, you can make them anytime. They are wonderful for parties or as a simple afternoon snack when you want something fruity yet straightforward.
These easy pineapple cookies are a breeze to whip up! You can mix and bake them within 30 minutes, and you’ll have an incredibly tender, sweet, and tangy treat in no time.
This pineapple cookies recipe is also nut-free, making it suitable for those with nut allergies, and it can easily be modified to fit other diets.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- Crushed pineapple – Provides natural sweetness and tropical flavor throughout each bite
- Butter – Creates rich, tender texture and helps cookies hold their shape
- Brown sugar – Adds caramel notes that complement the pineapple’s brightness
- Egg – Binds ingredients together and adds structure to the cookies
- Vanilla extract – Enhances overall flavor and adds warmth to balance the fruit
- All-purpose flour – Forms the cookie base and provides the necessary structure
- Baking powder – Creates lift for light, fluffy cookies
- Baking soda – Works with the fruit’s acidity for perfect texture
- Salt – Balances sweetness and enhances all other flavors
For the Pineapple Glaze:
- Reserved pineapple juice – Infuses glaze with concentrated tropical flavor
- Powdered sugar – Creates smooth, sweet glaze base
- Lemon zest – Brightens the glaze and adds citrus complexity
Ingredient Substitutions
To make this cookie recipe vegan-friendly, you can always swap out the butter for a plant-based butter substitute! As far as the egg goes, you can use many ingredient stand-ins, such as flaxseed or applesauce.
For thin, super crispy cookies, replace the brown sugar with equal white sugar and leave out the egg. Space these cookies further apart on the baking sheet to prevent them from spreading into each other.
If you can’t get a hold of crushed pineapple, no worries! You can always buy pineapple rings and chop the pineapple up yourself, which still ensures that you end up with perfect crushed pineapple cookies!
How to Make Pineapple Cookies
- Drain the crushed pineapple reserving the juice for the icing.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, pineapple, and vanilla.
- Beat until well combined.
- In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar and mix well.
- Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop cookie dough onto a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 325°F for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
- Place powdered sugar, lemon zest, and some of the reserved pineapple juice in a small bowl.
- Stir to combine. Add more pineapple juice, a little at a time, until it reaches a spreading consistency.
- Spread the icing on the cooled cookies.
How to Evenly Coat the Pineapple Sugar Cookies with Glaze
The pineapple glaze that tops these cookies is optional, but it’s so simple and delicious, there is no reason to skip it.
There are several ways to apply the glaze to the cookies, but the easiest way is to drizzle spoonfuls of the glaze over them. It might not look professional, but the cookies will still taste amazing, so who cares?
Another method is to pour the glaze directly over the cookies. Put the cookies on a wire cooling rack with a rimmed baking tray. Thin out the glaze with a tablespoon or two of warm water and pour slowly over each cookie. The results look amazing, but you will wind up wasting some glaze.
A compromise between the two methods is dipping the tops of the cookies into a bowl of glaze. It’s messy and tedious, but the results are pretty good.
Recipe Tips
- Let the pineapples VERY drain well. The drier the crushed pineapples are, the better the cookies will turn out.
- Remember never to pack your measuring cups. Do not use your measuring cup to scoop the flour from the bag. Doing this will pack down the flour, increasing the amount in the recipe, and you’ll wind up with dry cookies. Instead, sift your flour and then spoon it into the measuring cup.
Recipe Variations
- Decorate the cookies with garnishes. This recipe gives you the perfect opportunity to add other toppings since they’ll stick to the icing. Try adding sprinkles for a colorful twist or shredded coconut to pair with the tropical ingredients. Make sure to add the garnishes quickly before the icing firms up.
- Icing. If you are someone who doesn’t prefer as much icing, you can use a spoon or a piping bag to drizzle lines of icing across the cookies instead. It gives them a sophisticated look without as much sweetness!
- Add Nuts. To give your cookies added texture, try mixing in some nuts. You can include almonds, macadamia nuts, or even hazelnuts in the cookie dough! Just make sure to chop them into small bits first.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Freezing: Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then store in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Room Temperature Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days. After day 5, cookies may become slightly soft.
- Optimal Freshness: Place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
Christmas Cookie Recipe
Growing up, it wasn’t Christmas until someone in my family made Hello Dolly Bars, Chex mix, peanut butter balls, and pecan sandies. So for me, the holidays are marked by those recipes. It was hard to resist the urge not to pull from one of those and to try something new.
Check out our latest posts on Facebook for more great recipes!
Love pineapple desserts? Try these recipes!
- Millionaire Pie
- Orange Pineapple Cake
- Pineapple Angel Food Cake
- Pineapple Dump Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie
Favorite Cookie Recipes
- Cake Mix Cookies with Butter
- Chinese Almond Cookies
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- Cranberry Pecan Cookies
- Crispy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
- Keebler Shortbread Cookies
Check out my easy cookie recipes and the best Christmas treats recipes here on CopyKat!
Frosted Pineapple Cookies – Easy Drop Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Drain pineapple reserving 3 tablespoons of juice for the frosting.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg, pineapple, and vanilla.
- In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir or whisk until thoroughly mixed.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar.
- Grease a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop cookie dough onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. These cookies will spread.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden.
- Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.
- Place powdered sugar, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons pineapple juice in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Add more pineapple juice, about ½ teaspoon at a time, if needed to achieve spreading consistency.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies.
I keep making these. Keep coming back to this recipe. I keep eating them before I can ice or share. These darn things !!!
Just made these and they came out perfect. Adult, kid, and dog approved. I strained the juice off through a strainer and mashed the fruit against screen to get all the juice out. A new favorite.
I made the cookies according to the recipe and they came out perfect! Thank you soooo much you made everyone day.
This was too runny and flat
Just tried this recipe and my cookies also came out flat and crispy. The taste was good, but the dough was a little runny. I presume I didn’t drain my pineapple enough.
These are the best cookies. My husbands new favorite!
I used 1/2 cup more four than the recipe called for and chilled the dough before baking. This made for plumper cookies instead of flat
I wanted more of a pineapple taste but the texture was good. crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, I would make again.
It might be baker error but these were really dry & not very “pineapply” flavored. I got almost every drop of juice out of the can — did I squeeze too much juice out? Has anyone tried these w/ double the pineapple? The recipe definitely has potential, but as written it did not work for me.
I made these with fresh pineapple and they turned out wonderfully. I blended pineapple and let it strain through a mesh strainer just while I mixed other ingredients and got the pans ready. I’m really not a great baker, but somehow, these turned out perfect. Better than I thought. I spent a fortune on some pineapple themed sprinkles, so I threw those on top with the delicious frosting and they made an great gift for my sister’s birthday.
I am glad that worked out for you!
Will definitely have to try these. They look amazing. But yes, agree with Shannon below, pineapple must be drained properly or the juices will kill many things you cook with it 🙂
I have not made these yet, but I wanted to say in reply to the comment about there being too much pineapple juice in the crushed pineapple after being drained and the cookies went runny.
Yesterday I made a pineapple cake and needed to get as much liquid as possible out a can of crushed pineapple. I drained and squeezed all the juice out….and was very surprised to realize that one can of crushed pineapple was about 60 percent liquid, the can yielded probably less than a cup of actual pineapple.
I wasn’t going to try these cookies after reading the last comment, but now I think I will give them a try and not just drain the liquid, but also I will squeeze the heck out of it.
I understand your reservations. You can watch my video, I didn’t squeeze out the pineapple, and I did not add additional flour. They were more wet than other cookies but they baked up very well.
Need to squeeze liquid out of pineapple or add more flour. Cookies too runny and flat.
I am so sorry your cookies didn’t turn out as planned, I did note in the recipe instructions to drain the pineapple VERY well. I apologize if this wasn’t a good enough explanation.
Caution- I’m an experienced baker- but just made these and am afraid I didn’t drain enough juice from the pineapple. The batter is way too wet. The cookies baked paper thin and obviously not right. Just added flour and remixed, so I’m going for the second batch now- fingers crossed!
Shannon, I appreciate your suggestion. I have made these cookies this way several times. The dough is sticky, but baked up more cake like than a crisp cookie. To me it reminded me of a cake-like cookie. I hope you enjoyed your second batch.