Freshly Baked Coconut Nests
This is an easy, delicious, and flavorful coconut cookie for any occasion to enjoy with your friends with a cup of tea or coffee.
There are various names for this treat, i.e. Thimble Cookies, Bird’s Nest Cookie, Coconut Nests, Thumbprint Cookies, Coconut Thumbprint cookies, Birds Nest cookies, to name but a few.
What do you call them? Do you have a different name for this treat?
Freshly Baked Coconut Nests

Ingredients
- 1½ cup flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter
- Coconut for rolling
- Jam, Raspberry or Apricot
Instructions
- Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolk and mix well.
- Sift in the flour and add the salt and make it into a soft dough.
- Depending on the size of the egg and temperature, you may have to use more or less flour.
- Break into little pieces and roll the dough into 1 - 1¼ inch balls.
- Make a little indentation/hole in the center with the back of a wooden spoon handle or your finger.
- Dip each ball in egg white and roll in coconut.
- If you like you can color the coconut with food coloring for extra color.
- Place the nests on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 180C / 350F for 10-15 minutes until lightly colored.
- Allow cooling.
- Whisk the jam in a bowl to get a smooth consistency, and easy to pipe.
- You can also just scoop it with a teaspoon into the center of each coconut nest.
Notes
Prepared, tried and tested by Jennifer Govender Bisnath
Did you try this recipe? How did it go and what do you
think?
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 110Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 22mgSodium 59mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 1gSugar 5gProtein 1g
Please note, I am not a nutritionist. All nutrition information on this blog, EsmeSalon, has been calculated by using an online calculator and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, please be advised that you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
Some History on the Thumbprint Cookie
There is a considerable amount of dispute about the origin of these thumbprint cookies. It is believed that the Jews from East Europe invented them. However, the other belief states that these cookies were first produced in Poland. They have become extremely popular all over the world and make for a perfect snack item. These cookies were also known as birds nest cookies or butter balls.
Similar Recipes
Why not take a look and check out my Thumbprint Cookies
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Did you try this recipe? How did it go and what do you think?
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them!
Morning Courtney, Thank you for popping in and I truly hope you will try them and revert back to me and let me know how they turned out.
Looks delicious and I love desserts with coconut! I have to make this very soon, let you know how it went!
Would love to hear your feedback. Please join TRH https://www.facebook.com/groups/therecipehunter/ and share your own recipes with us. Would love to see what else you cook and bake.
These look delicious, Esme! I have made thumbprint cookies before, but never with coconut. I love that addition. I think I have to try them with some apricot jam. Yum!
Laurie, please do and I will be grateful for your feedback. Yes apricot jam will be perfect and go well with this treat