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Chewy Coconut Cookies with a tropical twist, make the perfect sweet treat when you want something light. They whip up in under 20 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. A good cookie recipe makes 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 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 mixture, a little at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the coconut.
SPOON. Drop, 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. You can also line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
BAKE & COOL. Place the cookie sheet into the preheated oven and 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.)
- Use room temperature butter and egg as they will incorporate better into the cookie dough. Do not use melted butter otherwise the cookies will spread and be flat and crispy.
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.
- Add chocolate chips.
- The brown sugar adds moisture and creates a chewy cookie. If you increase the amount of brown sugar to ¾ cup and decrease the white sugar to ¼ cup you can make them even more moist and chewy.
- Add extra coconut flavor by substituting the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter.
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.
STORE: 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
- Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
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 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These cookies! As an Avid Baker, I must leave a review. The first time I baked them followed recipe exactly as written, cookies were “Phenomenal” baked for 11 minutes. My neighbor with whom is a “Cookie Monster” was taking down a whole cookie in one bite, commented that these could be “Addictive.”
One week later, I found that I had to bake again, with all “Due Respect” Kristyn, I did change extract to Almond. I baked for 11 1/2 minutes. This cookie is beyond delicious. Thank you for this fabulous recipe. I will definitely follow your recipes.
Oh I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for sharing what you did and I’m glad you found us here. Hope you enjoy more recipes too!
Amazingly soft and chewy! Definitely a do again!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
Do you think I could use lemon extract to go with the coconut?
You know, I haven’t ever tried it using a lemon extract in there. You could certainly add a splash and see how it turns out. You’ll have to let us know if you do and how the cookies turn out!
What is the serving size for these?
is it 1 cookie 9from 18) is 167 calories?
It kind of depends on how large you make the cookies. If you make 18 cookies with the dough, then it would be one cookie. But depending on the size of cookies, it could be 1-2 cookies as a serving size.
These cookies are the best coconut cookies I’ve ever made! I toasted 1/2 cup of the coconut and added it with the rest of the coconut and also added 2 cups of crushed rice crispies and about 1/4 top of almond extract. Also refrigerated the dough for 15-20 min and they didn’t turn out too flat! Big hit at my friend’s pool party!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you loved the cookies! Thanks for trying the recipe!
awesome easy recipe – I did add some crushed almonds and pecans to recipe – about 2 tablespoons – everyone loved these
Delicious and so quick to make. If your a coconut fan, make a double bath because the recipe doesn’t make many. Also, these are very rich and chewy. Yum.
I added lime zest had frozen. They are wonderful.
Wow! This is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing. Delish!!
You’re welcome!!
what size scoop did you use?
A medium-sized scoop. You can use a small scoop too, just will need to watch the baking time.