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Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are a deliciously tropical twist on the classic oatmeal cookie. They are so tasty, it’s impossible to only eat one!
Just a little bit of coconut really steps up the game on these cookies! If you enjoy the flavor and texture of coconut, you might like Coconut Cream Pie, or Coconut Cake as well!
A coconut-y twist
We love baking cookies in our home, like A LOT!! The kids love helping and we all love eating!!
One of our all-time favorites is this Oatmeal Coconut Cookies recipe (they’re different from our Classic Oatmeal Cookies recipe, which we love too).
I will admit that I was a little hesitant to try them at first because they seemed so plain, but they were good!! And what’s crazy is I do not think it’s possible to eat just one. Seriously!
There is something so addicting about these oatmeal cookies that it’s so hard to contain yourself and not eat too many. They’re soft, chewy and so flavorful!
We got the recipe from my mom’s friend, Pat, years ago and have been making them ever since. Yes, I understand that many like to have those extra ingredients like chocolate chips or M&Ms, but these Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are perfect as is.
These Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are simple to make too which makes them even more popular. 😉
How to make Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Like I said – they’re so easy!!
WET INGREDIENTS. Cream together butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
DRY INGREDIENTS. Mix all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
BAKE. Spoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
That’s it – simple and SO good. WARNING: Try not to eat more than 5! 😉
coconut cookie FAQ
If your cookie dough seems dry, add 1/2 tsp liquid such as applesauce, vegetable oil, milk or butter. Be very careful not to add too much.
Also, be aware that adding ingredients may cause a flavor change. Your best bet is to use an ingredient that is already listed in the recipe.
Sweetened or unsweetened coconut: The two are interchangeable. If a recipe doesn’t clarify which to use it generally means to use sweetened as it is more widely known and available.
However, if a recipe specifically calls for one or the other I would stick to their suggestion as the other ingredients may have been adjusted to take the coconut into account.
Oatmeal: Since quick oats are just smaller pieces of rolled oats you can use them interchangeably. Deciding which to use depends and what texture you are going for. You can even use half of one and half of the other.
Baking time: Every oven is so different, but it just depends on yours and where you live. Sometimes these cookies bake in 7 and sometimes 10 which is a huge difference, so you may just need to keep an eye on them until they are very slightly browned. 🙂
Storing Tips
Storing Cookie dough
STORE the dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To FREEZE, form the dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours. Then, transfer the dough balls into an airtight freezer safe container. You can freeze them for 3-6 months
STORE cooled cookies to cool and store in an airtight container. The cookies will keep for 3-5 days at room temperature or for 6 months in the freezer.
Let me know if you decide to try these coconut cookies out. Although there is a cup of coconut, it’s not super coconut-y. And they always turn out so soft!!
For more oatmeal cookies, check out:
- Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookie Energy Bites
- Two Chip Oatmeal Cherry Cookies
Oatmeal Coconut Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup coconut
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream together butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
- Mix all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
- Spoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. ENJOY!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made these Coconut Oatmeal Cookies tonight for my family! They absolutely loved them and is their new favorite cookie! Which is saying a lot because my mom makes homemade cookies all the time to ship off to my brothers at college, for every holiday. Absolutely delishhh! they actually tasted better cooked than the dough surprisingly. Were very soft, moist, and fluffy. YUM YUM YUM. <3
Do I use salted or unsalted butter?!!!
Hi there, I know this is a year after you posted that comment but I hope this helps.;-) when I use salted butter I usually leave out the salt in th recipe. So use whatever’s on hand I guess.:) I’m gonna try this things…we are coconut FREAKS:)
HELP! I was just wondering what kind of coconut to use!? Sweetened or Unsweetened? Thanks 🙂
Hi Natalie!! Now that you ask, I have no idea. I don’t have any on hand but I’ve always just bought the shredded coconut in a bag and didn’t even realize there was sweetened or unsweetened, but if I had to guess I would say sweetened. Sorry I’m not more help. :/
I made this after my daughter-in-law sent me this recipe and it was great. Made it exactly like the recipe and it made about three dozen cookies . I used sweetened coconut and the overall sweetness seemed perfect.
This is almost the exact recipe I make that my grandma made more than 50 yrs ago , I use unsweetened coconut as there is plenty of sugar in the cookies .
Made these cookies today for a BBQ. I used Regular oats (not instants/quick cooking). They tasted great and were a hit. However, mine were a bit crispy on the outside, to ensure they were cooked in middle. I was almost tempted to turn the temperature down to 350. I will try a sheet of them at the lower temperature next time I make them. Mine were not dry. I used 2 cups of flour. Thanks for the recipe.
Recipe calls for 350 oven . Not sure what temperature you were using .
So my recipe I printed on 9/5/2012 (yes, 9 years ago) shows 375! I am now looking at the website recipe in 2021, and it now shows 350. If you don’t believe me, happy to send you a copy of my recipe I printed in 2012. Glad I checked for an update today, but disappointed at snarkiness from some folks.
I looooove oatmeal cookies. So need to try these, SOON! Thanks for posting the recipe. Your cookies look like they are perfectly baked. They have that awesome chewy-soft look, like if you hold it in your fingers too long the cookie will slooooowly bend…
We LOVE coconut … I can’t wait to try these!
made these tonight! so good! thanks!
These Coconut Oatmeal Cookies look yummy. I can’t wait to make some. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hey girl, so I made these yesterday…super good, but didn’t turn out quite right texture wise. The batter seemed dry (I only did 2 c flour). They were perfect fresh out f the oven, but were hard the next day. What’s my deal?
I just made these tonight and thought the texture was dry also – my cookie didn’t look as pretty as your picture – It really looks dry. But – they do taste great. I am just hoping they won’t be hard in the morning like yours were Jessica.
My dough was extremely dry as well!! I saw a comment where someone added a bit of whole milk and they turned out good. I added milk to mine and the dough was much better. Waiting for them to cool to taste. The recipe also calls for 2 eggs….med? Large? Extra large? I used large and the dough still was dry.
What type of oatmeal did you use—regular, five minute or quick (one minute)?