Lightly toast the coconut in a small pan over medium low heat, stirring frequently until starting to turn golden. This will go from golden to burnt quickly so stir often until you get almost all the flakes toasted then remove from heat. Let cool before adding to the cookies. This can be done while waiting for the butter to get to room temperature. Once the coconut is cool, smash or crush into smaller pieces if desired.

In a stand mixer or a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy,  then add in the vanilla and mix for another thirty seconds. Add in the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix again until well combined. Add in the coconut and candied hibiscus pieces and mix gently to fold them in, you can use your hands for this part. 

Gather the dough and shape into a thick disc, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours up to overnight. 

When ready to bake heat oven to 350 Deg F, line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Let the dough thaw slightly then roll out to ¼” thick, no thinner, and cut out with a 3 inch heart shaped cookie cutter, or any shape you like. 

Place an inch apart on the baking sheets, and chill for 20 minutes. You can pop them into the freezer before baking too if you have the space.  Once firmed back up, bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in glaze. 

Whisk together the powdered sugar and hibiscus syrup until well mixed and thin enough to dip. Dip half the cookie into the glaze and set out to dry. These won’t dry as hard as royal icing does, they will remain a little tacky. 

These last a few days stored in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 months frozen wrapped in plastic and kept in a resealable bag or container.