Mango Cookies

These mango cookies have crispy edges and are chewy and soft on the interior. They have both freeze dried mangoes and dried mango pieces so there's a burst of tropical flavor in every bite. This is an easy, no-chill recipe that's full of sweet, fruity taste.

I love using freeze dried fruit to boost the flavor content of a recipe without adding additional moisture. I've always loved mangoes, so wanted to create a mango cookie that captures the flavor of this unique fruit.

After unsatisfactory cookie tests with fresh mangoes and a less than flavorful reduction of fresh mango puree, I fell back on a technique I first used in my strawberry shortbread cookies.

I ground freeze dried mangoes to a fine powder in my food processor along with the other dry ingredients. This added a concentrated punch of tropical flavor to the cookie dough. Diced dried mango pieces provide additional mango flavor and a satisfyingly chewy texture.

Butter and brown sugar combine with the sweet, fruity, floral notes of mango to provide a tropical twist to these easy mango drop cookies.

If you love tropical flavors, you might enjoy these coconut chocolate chip cookies, coconut mango cake, or fresh pineapple jam.

And for more fruity cookies, try these raspberry white chocolate blondies, lemon rhubarb bars and lemon drop cookies.

Ingredients

* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

Unsalted butter - Butter should be softened, but not melted.

Brown sugar - Brown sugar adds caramel flavor and extra moisture, which makes these cookies nice and chewy in the center.

Granulated sugar - Adding granulated sugar helps ensure the cookies develop a nice crisp exterior.

Freeze dried mangoes - Processing freeze dried mangoes to a fine powder adds concentrated mango flavor to the cookie dough without introducing extra moisture. Find freeze dried fruit near the nuts and dried fruits at your grocery store, or buy freeze dried mangoes online.

You can also purchase freeze dried mango powder if you don't have a food processor to pulverize freeze dried mango pieces.

Dried mangoes - Diced pieces of dried mango add chewy texture and extra mango taste. I buy plain, unsweetened dried mango slices and chop them finely with a large chef's knife.

You can purchase pre-diced mango bits, but I don't recommend them. They have lots of added sugar and don't have the same concentrated mango flavor.

Instructions

These photos provide visual cues. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card.

To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and freeze dried mangoes.

Process until freeze dried mangoes are ground into powder. Set aside.

Dice dried mangoes into small chunks and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until well combined, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Add vanilla, salt and egg, and mix on medium speed until homogenized. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Add dry flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just a few flour streaks remain. Use a spatula to scrape down the bowl and incorporate the last of the flour.

Variations

If you'd like to try a different twist on this easy mango cookie recipe, try these variations:

• Coconut - Add 30 grams (⅓ cup) shredded unsweetened coconut (desiccated) to the recipe after adding eggs.
• Macadamia nuts - Add 30 grams (1 ounce; ¼ cup) chopped macadamia nuts. For best flavor, toast them beforehand on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• White chocolate - Add 85 grams (3 ounces; ½ cup) white chocolate chunks or chips to these cookies when stirring in the dried mango pieces.
• Lime zest - Before creaming the butter and sugar, massage the finely grated zest of one lime into the granulated sugar.
• Chili lime - Replace the plain dried mangoes with chili lime seasoned dried mangoes. Dice and add to the recipe per the instructions.

Equipment

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Cookie scoop - To bake these cookies, I use a #40 medium cookie scoop which measures out 1½ Tablespoons of dough. It portions the dough uniformly , which also helps the cookies bake evenly.

Baking pans - I bake my cookies on rimmed half sheet baking pans (18 x 13 inches).

Parchment paper is great for lining the baking pan. The cookies won't stick at all if you use parchment paper underneath. Bonus: you don't have to use any grease, and can often simply wipe down the pan rather than needing to wash it after baking.

Round cookie cutters - Use a round cookie cutter or the rim of an upside down glass to swirl the cookies back into a round shape immediately after baking, while they are still hot and pliable. I've had this set for years, and I use it all the time.

More recipes

If you liked the tropical flavor of these dried mango cookies, here are a few more recipes you might enjoy!