Perfectly chewy coconut cookies make the perfect sweet treat when you want something light. With a tasty tropical twist, these delish bites are done in under 30 minutes!
These Coconut Cookies are soft, chewy and easy to whip up! For more tasty cookies try Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Monster Cookies, and Texas Sheet Cake Cookies.
Coconut-y Cookies
Our family loves cookies. They make great after-school snacks or easy family night treats. We love to sit at the table with a glass of milk with these warm chewy goodies and laugh and talk together.
Because they are done in under 30 minutes and only require a handful of ingredients, they are the perfect snacking treat when your sweet tooth is aching and you want something quickly!
These scrumptious coconut cookies are soft and chewy but filled with crunchy toasted coconut for lots of flavor and a nice play of textures.This is a delicious twist on the classic cookie (and very similar to our Oatmeal Coconut Cookies). Plus, they are so soft, chewy, tasty – it’s impossible to only eat one!
How to Make Coconut Cookies
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
MIX. In a small mixing bowl add the the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix and set aside.
CREAM. In a separate medium sized bowl add the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream them together until smooth.
COMBINE. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.
INCORPORATE. Add the flour, a little at a time, until incorporated. Mix in the coconut.
SPOON. Drop, 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet.
BAKE & COOL. Bake until lightly toasted, about 8-12 minutes. Move to a wire rack and cool.
Coconut Notes:
- I used unsweetened coconut because the cookies already have a lot of sweetness, but either type works.
- You can easily add or subtract the amount of coconut flakes to your preference without changing the other ingredients. Although, I would not add more than 2 cups of coconut.
- Using toasted coconut is a great way to add extra flavor. To toast the coconut simply spread shredded coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until mostly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. (If you don’t want to use all toasted coconut, you can mix the untoasted coconut into the dough then add some toasted coconut on top.)
Variations and Storing
Variations:
- Add a cup of chopped nuts for more flavor and texture. Almonds, pecans and macadamia nuts are great choices.
- Add a coconut glaze on top. Make the glaze by mixing coconut milk and powdered sugar.
- You can also use a chocolate drizzle or even dip half the cookie in chocolate and sprinkle more coconut flakes or sea salt on the chocolate.
- Add caramel chips to the dough
Freeze dough: Like other drop cookies you can freeze the dough to be baked later. Simply scoop the dough onto the baking sheet and place the sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is solid transfer them to a Ziploc. Freeze for 1-2 months. Bake according to the recipe adding a few extra minutes if baking from frozen state.
Storage: Serve warm or at room temperature. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Cookies can be frozen for up to 2-3 months separate layers with parchment or wax paper.
For more coconut recipes, try:
- Coconut Cake
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookie
- Toasted Coconut Cookie Bars
- Peach Coconut Banana Bread
Coconut Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c butter
- 1/2 c brown sugar packed
- 1/2 c white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 c coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C
- In a small mixing bowl add the the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix and set aside.
- In a separate medium sized bowl add the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream them together until smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, a little at a time, until incorporated. Mix in the coconut.
- Drop, 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake until lightly toasted, about 8-12 minutes. Move to a wire rack and cool.
Those look amazing!! I can’t wait to make them
Thank you!! I hope you do & like them!!
While we are a huge cookie family, we were unsure about the coconut…nevermind that! they were delicious! always, the flavors blended perfectly so it wasnt overbearing in coconut. highly recommend!
Yum, so delicious!
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you so much!
LOL…so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know what you thought!
these were delicious. So quick to make up too. Exactly what I was craving. I used sweetened coconut, since it was all I had and they were not too sweet. Will make again!
Glad it filled your craving 🙂 Thank you for sharing that!
I am not a huge coconut fan, but I wanted to try these. I made them this morning and they didn’t disappoint. Not to much coconut and really good.
Glad you still liked them 🙂 Thank you for giving them a try, even though you didn’t like the coconut!
Just mixing up the dough of this i knew it was going to be good! They are perfectly delicious! Chewy and crIsp. We Put mini chocolate chips in half of it and that did not disappoint. I enjoyed making these with my kids. They aren’t a fan of coconut and they loved these! My son said you can feel the coconut, but not taste it;) Win all around! I found the flavor delicious and light! NEXT TIME I’M GOING TO ADD CHOPPED MACADAMIA NUTS For even more flavor. Thanks for the great recipe! Its going in my recipe book!
Yay!! So glad everyone liked them!! Thank you so much!!
I made this Rerecipe today for my kids after school treat. It was a huge hit! We all loved them! They were a touch crispy on the outside And chewy on the inside, just like we like our cookies. Thanks for this recipe!
Chocolate is usually my choice, but these are so good!! Crisp, but still soft, my family loves these!
These were amazing! I added the caramel chips like you suggested and they were incredible!
LOVE these soft and easy coconut cookies! so delicious and all the kids love them.
These cookies were incredible, I love the flavor of the coconut. They were gone so quickly. I think I ate three in one sitting 🙂
Im so glad I grew out of my aversion to coconut. The flakes make this cookie so chewy and delicious!
The perfect litlle cookie if your lookiNg for something different than a chocolate chip cookie.
i love coconut, and just found this. looks great. just noticed you say to freeze ” Simply scoop the dough onto the baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven” Oven? i think you mean freezer?
Oops..yes, that is what I meant. Thank you for catching that. I fixed it 🙂
Delicious and easy – a keeper.
I am glad you think so 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing that!
These cookies are soooo good! Like eat the whole batch in one day good! Thanks for a super yummy recipe!
These were amazing. I toasted my coconut and it added great flavor. There are my new go to cookies. Thanks!
I am so glad they are!! Thank you so much!!
easy to make and delicious these cookies are so good
Glad to hear that! Thank you for trying them 🙂
Wonder recipe for coconut cookies!
Thanks for sharing it.
Glad to share 🙂 So happy you liked them! Thank you!
I loved these! Pretty much the perfect coconut cookie, thank you for the recipe!
You are welcome! Glad you liked them!
I made a batch and they were TO DIE FOR, so I made another batch to share. I used Almond extract instead of Vanilla (a hair more than a 1/2 tsp) which is the only change. This was so easy and quick! The recipe says is makes 18 cookies, but this batch easily made 24 cookies dropped from a tablespoon. Cookies are a good 2″ in diameter.
That makes me happy to hear! Thanks for sharing what you do. Great tips!
Delicious, chewy, and flavorful! Great recipe loved by my husband, my parents, and -most importantly- me haha. Thank you for a wonderful repeat recipe.
I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed them so much! Thanks for sharing!
These are the best coconut cookies I have ever had. I could taste the coconut, that I toasted and the butter, together they were fantastic. I also chose your recipe because I have a granddaughter named Luna. I will certainly make these again for my family. I will double the recipe next time, because they were devoured.
I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed these cookies. Luna is a great name. 🙂
I’m so excited to try this recipe, are the coconut flakes sweetened or unsweetened?
I used unsweetened in the recipe just because there is already a lot of sweetness, but either kind will work great. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Delicious! I made them with fresh coconut and the whole family loved them! I’ll definitely be using this recipe again, thank you.
Ooh fresh coconut sounds amazing. So glad to hear that you liked the cookies.
I’m not a big coconut fan but these were so GOOD. If i wanted to reduce the sweetness of the cookies, how much should I reduce the two sugars by?
I have not personally tried reducing the sugars in this recipe, so you may have to experiment. I’d say start by reducing it 25% and see how they turn out. Reduced sugar will compromise the cookie’s texture a bit… The less sugar in cookies, the less the cookie will spread/more dry or crumbly it can be. Another option is to use unsweetened coconut in the recipe rather than sweetened. You’ll have to let us know what you end up doing and how they turn out!
Very good cookie! I added pureed almonds and drizzled chocolate over the cookie. DELICIOUS!!
Ooh that sounds like a delicious addition to the cookies!
going to try these today,look yummy
Yay! Hope you enjoy them!!
Made these today. Followed recipe exactly. Fabulous
Thank you!! So glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies!
Really good cookies! Easy and fast to make, also!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them! I love a tasty dessert that can be whipped up fast!
These are amazing. So delicious even the batter is good before they are cooked! Will make for my girls again for sure.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! These are a favorite over here too. 🙂
Hi! Is it okay to refrigerate the dough for a couple hours before baking?
I refrigerated before baking because I do that with all of my other cookies, but these cookies spread way too much in the oven! But, I also used a 2 inch scoop for these so they may have just been way too big.
Thank you!!
I tried them a second time with a 1 inch scoop, toasted coconut, and refrigeration before and they still came out flat! I weighed the flour so I’m sure I’m right on quantity, but should I add more? Could it be the high humidity in my area?
I’ve never had cookies come out flat before! Help!
I’ll try them again without refrigeration before baking! I’m thinking it could be the butter melting before the coconut flakes spread??
Mine were flat too. And middles were doughy. Cooked for 10 minutes.
BUT I only used 3/4 cup coconut. I’m gonna try again following the recipe. If that doesn’t work I’ll add a touch of cornstarch.
Oh. I refrigerated too. I always do. Overnight usually.
Hi Helen! Just seeing these responses as well after responding to the first. It sounds like the refrigerating the dough didn’t help! I will say when I have baked the cookies, they do turn out a bit more flat in general. But, here are a few other tricks to try and help cookies not spread in the oven:
1-Line your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper (the baking mats are my favorite!)
2-Roll your cookie dough into tall shaped balls rather than perfectly circle so if they spread they won’t go out as wide
3-Using cool butter
4- Popping the cookie dough balls into the freezer while the oven preheats
Another would be to make sure you have the exact amount of flour, but it sounds like you did that. If it still is giving you trouble with spreading, you can add an extra 2 Tbsp of flour to the dough.
Different room temperatures, altitudes, humidity, and specific ovens can all have an effect on how the cookies bake, so sometimes it is a bit of a trial and error. Hopefully some of these tips may be helpful in getting these coconut cookies the consistency/thickness you are hoping for! 🙂
These are a thinner cookie than others. You can certainly try refrigerating before baking… it may help them to keep a thicker shape during baking. I usually use a small/medium cookie scoop. So the size could have played into them spreading? Not completely sure. But the colder the dough, the thicker the cookie. So refrigerating may help!
These cookies are awesome! The coconut was just enough to not be over powering but give them a delicious flavor and great texture. We used sweetened coconut because that’s what we had in the pantry and they turned out great!
Yay! So glad to hear that you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
These cookies are literally so good. Im screaming and practically eat half of them!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! That’s great to hear!
These coconut cookies are delicious. I decreased the sugars and it was perfect. I used 1/3 cup each of white and brown sugars with 1 1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes. I baked them in a 350 degree oven 7 minutes. They were chewy inside and a big hit with my family. I also dipped 1/2 of the cookie in melted chocolate for icing. Thanks for this fabulous recipe.
Oh that sounds amazing!! Dipping in chocolate…. I’ve got to give that a try! Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear the cookies were a hit!
These won me best in show at the county fair!
Hooray!!! That is awesome news. So exciting!
Love these but mine came out flat too- taste is delish ! I’ll try a little baking powder next time? I put a little in my almond cookies and they rise a bit.
Thanks for this recipe
You’re welcome. These cookies are a flatter cookie in general. You can always try chilling the dough too if you don’t want them as flat. But I’m so glad to hear the taste was yummy!
Hi Luna, I made these today. I read all of the reviews first. I used toasted sweetened coconut, reduced sugars to 1/3 cup, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp coconut extract, 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts, 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips. Baked 12 min. at 350. These cookies are so, so good! Great recipe that allows tweaking with no trouble. You can do what ever is your whim of the day! I will be back to your site! Thank you.
You’re welcome!! Thanks so much for sharing what you did. I’m glad the cookies were a success! Hope to see you back again. 🙂
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I typically use unsalted when baking goodies, but you could get away with either in this recipe. Whatever you have you can use!
Absolutely yummy! Followed the recipe except for 2 minor changes, reduced both sugars to 1/3 cup as dietary restrictions. They still spread out and fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing your love of cooking & baking with us all.
Aw thank you so much for your kind words and for giving the recipe a try!! Glad the cookies turned out too!
This is coconut heaven in a cookie!! So yummy and soft!!!
I’m an amateur baker and don’t have a mixer – Despite that, these came out flawless (the toasted coconut definitely adds!) and much to my surprise they were not even flat. Proud of these and appreciate the recipe! They’re a hit!
These cookies were something I found to use up a bag of unsweetened coconut. I rolled them into a ball and added a Hershey kiss on top. Wonderful blend of chocolate and coconut! Loved them!
These are absolutely delicious !!
Will become a Christmas tradition
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you loved the cookies. Thanks for sharing!
These are chewy & delicious! Perfect with a hot cup of tea!
Mmmm yes!! Thanks for the feedback!
So. Freaking. Good. Sharing this recipe with everyone!