This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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 came out really good. Turns out our local store only carries sweetened coconut, and most recipes tend to be too sweet for me already so I always decrease the amount of sugar. We ended up cutting the amount of sugar in half. The cookies still came out very sweet (probably because of the sweetened coconut), but not too sweet; and because we halved the sugar, the cookies hardly spread while baking so they came out quite thick. We also added in some leftover nuts and chocolate chips that we had at home.
Next time I make these, if all I have is sweetened coconut, I’d probably like to add more nuts to balance out the sweetness a little bit more. Unfortunately we hardly had any nuts left at home 🙁 but they still came out great!
So so good! I love adding chocolate chips too, gives a yummy MOUNDS taste! 🙌🏻
These are the best!
These are wonderful! Definitely toast the coconut first. I used coconut extract instead of vanilla to kick it up a notch. I’ll double the batch the next time! Will be making these for the holidays.
Oh I’m so glad to hear these were a hit. I bet the coconut extract was yummy in them!
These cookies are so good!!! I used olive oil instead of butter and also added the zest of one lemon. Great chewy texture!
This was a quick and easy recipe and loved the outcome!! I did make different sizes and tried using different times all came out beautifully.
Kristyn I wish I could give you a hug, these cookies are incredible. I made them as written with a few extra tablespoons of coconut because there was a bit left in the bag. I also toasted the coconut, which made my house smell incredible. I printed this and will be adding to my recipe binder.
is it possible to use dessicated coconut instead?
This was a great. Soft and chewy cookie we both love them. Did try leaving in 12 minutes and still good crunchy
Hi, can I use fresh coconut ?
Thank you
You could certainly give it a try. I usually use sweetened coconut flakes, so I’m not sure how fresh will be. But if you give it a try, you’ll have to let us know how the cookies turn out!
I used freshly grated coconut meat and roasted the coconut before incorporating into the recipe. The cookies were amazing and they disappeared so fast. I was told to save the recipe. DONE