So, I fully intended to remake these cookies a lot sooner than this.  However between Christmas, a string of birthdays, and then Easter it’s kind of been dessert overload over here for the past few months.  Only now that most of the dessert baking occasions have passed did I really feel inspired to give these cookies another go.

If you remember from the original Test the Recipe post, following that recipe the cookies came out fine, but weren’t really very pineapple-y and the glaze was kind of a disaster.  So my mission was to bring more pineapple to the cookies while also improving the glaze.  Luckily this was kind of a two birds with one stone type situation.  So, what changes did I make?

I knew I wanted to add more pineapple juice to get more pineapple flavor, but I also knew if I just added pineapple juice the dough would get too wet.  So some substitutions were in order.  Taking a page from our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe I replaced the egg with cream cheese, and then added some pineapple juice.

You could in theory, instead of draining the pineapple and reserving the liquid to add separately just add in the whole can of pineapple in one go, but it’s hard to know exactly how much juice you’re going to get out of the can.  I had about ¼ cup and 2-3 tablespoons worth of juice after draining.  Since baking is more precise about measurements than just cooking is I just felt better draining and then measuring everything.

I also used my stand mixer for the whole thing, instead of using a hand mixer for some of it and then stirring in the flour by hand.  Didn’t make that much of a difference, but it was nice to be able to prep other stuff while the shortening and sugar were creaming rather than having to actively mix the stuff myself; and mixing in the flour was definitely easier.

The main change I made to the glaze was that I added more pineapple juice.  I more than doubled the amount of liquid that went in.  This made the glaze way easier to work with and made it more pineapple-y.  I also added some vanilla extract to help cut the sugar flavor a little bit.  You could also add coconut extract if you like pina colada flavor.

Look!  It actually moves!

Glazed Pineapple Cookies:

• 1 8oz can crushed pineapple (in pineapple juice, not syrup!)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 3 oz cream cheese
• ¼ cup pineapple juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup pineapple juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla or coconut extract

Drain the pineapple, saving the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your mixer, cream the shortening and the sugar until light.

Add in the cream cheese, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.

Add in the crushed pineapple.

Stir in the flour mixture until well combined.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

**While cookies are baking, make the glaze**

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and pineapple juice.  Stir until smooth.

Spread the tops of the cookies with the glaze while they are still warm.  Let cool fully and the glaze set before storing.

The cookies still aren’t the most pineapple-y things on the planet.  But the pineapple flavor has definitely been improved.  You don’t have to be told that they’re pineapple cookies to figure it out.  The substitution of the cream cheese for the egg also made the texture a bit better.  Not that it was bad the first time, but they’re just even more cakey and pleasant.  The glaze was the best part because it was so much easier to get them on the cookies.  None of them started to rip or anything.  And it didn’t get as hard and brittle as the cookies aged.  I definitely enjoyed eating these cookies more this time than I did the first batch.