These Coconut Cookies may sound ordinary, but they're absolutely not. They're soft and chewy, meaning the texture is spot-on, and the flavor is buttery and of course, they're filled with coconut. If you're a coconut fan, you need these cookies in your life!
Bold statement: these coconut cookies are my favorite cookies. I KNOW, what? How can I even say that? Out of all of my dessert recipes, I'm always stating that things are my "favorite", but these cookies are my favorite.
Ever since giving up chocolate, I've been searching for cookies that make my heart sing and that I simply can't resist. Well friends, these cookies are those cookies!
See, they're called coconut cookies because they have coconut in them, but they're not overly coconut-y. They're soft and chewy--the perfect texture--and they kind of taste like a sugar cookie with a hint of coconut, which is what a sugar cookie should actually be in my opinion.
Now, if you're looking for a healthier cookie recipe, you may want to check out my almond flour peanut butter cookies -- just FYI!
Recipe features
- Reminiscent of my coconut cake and coconut bread (two of my favorites!)
- Incredibly soft and chewy -- the perfect cookie texture
- Filled with coconut, though not overly coconut-y
- Can easily be made vegan (see "notes" in recipe card below)
Ingredient notes:
This provides further clarifications and substitutions for some of the ingredients. The full ingredient list is provided below in the recipe card.
- All purpose flour - can sub gluten free all purpose flour
- Shredded coconut - preferably sweetened
- Light brown sugar - cane sugar works too
- Unsalted butter - can sub dairy free butter
- Egg - can sub 1 flax egg (see notes section below)
- Vanilla extract - don't skimp on this! It adds flavor to the cookies. With that said, I do NOT recommend using coconut extract/flavoring because it gives the cookies a fake coconut flavor, which we don't want.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar. Use a stand or electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Then, add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and ½ cup of the shredded coconut together.
Step 3: Combine. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, then use a mixer to mix everything together. It may take a minute for things to come together, so be patient! If the dough still seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon milk. Then, stir in the remaining shredded coconut by hand.
Step 4: Bake. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper, then use an ice cream scooper to scoop cookie dough out onto the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges have set. You want them to be slightly underdone in the middle -- that's what makes them so soft and pillow-y!
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Wait 10 minutes for them to cool, then eat up!
FAQs and tips
- One of my favorite things about this recipe is that there's no need to chill the dough beforehand. Woohoo!
- After the cookies come out of the oven, make sure to wait 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Then, wait at least 10 minutes for them to cool before eating!
- Though these are coconut cookies, I don't recommend using coconut flour. It's completely different than all purpose flour and the recipe won't work the same.
- Want to take these up a notch? Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the batter!
- Storage: store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, you can place cookies in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 30 days.
- To freeze: wait for cookies to cool, then store then in a sealed freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
What kind of coconut should I use?
I tested these cookies multiple times--with unsweetened coconut and sweetened coconut--and found that using sweetened coconut is the way to go. Why? Because it has a more distinct coconut-y flavor, which is ultimately what we're going for.
Should I toast the coconut?
You can if you want to! I tested these both ways and love these cookies wither way. If you love toasted coconut, go ahead and toast the coconut for a few minutes before in a skillet, then wait for it to cool before adding it to the batter.
Are these cookies super coconut-y?
It depends. If you make them with brown sugar and real butter, then yes, they're fairly coconut-y. But, if you make the vegan version, they actually taste like sugar cookies with a hint of coconut, in my opinion.
Delicious both ways, but I believe the butter and brown sugar combination brings out the coconut flavor a bit more.
Can I make these gluten free and/or vegan?
Gluten free: To make these gluten free, simply use gluten free all purpose flour. Other than that, I haven't tested these with any other flours. If you do, please leave a comment and let me know how they turn out!
Vegan: For the vegan version, simply sub 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 2.5 tablespoon water) in place of the egg, and use dairy-free butter.
More tasty cookie recipes
- Buttercream Walnut Thumbprint Cookies
- No Bake Breakfast Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Chewy Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut toasted (optional, see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cream butter and sugar together; then add egg and vanilla and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and ½ cup of shredded coconut; then, pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and use an electric mixer to stir the batter. It may take a few seconds for it to come together, but if the dough still seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon milk and that should do the trick. Last, stir in the remaining coconut by hand.
- Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray (or use parchment), then use an ice cream scooper to scoop cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and wait 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
Ana says
Mine came out flat... I have no idea why (good thing they are just for me). I don't have an ice cream scoop bit I used a small laddle. I also have to wait until they cool completely but I couldn't... anyway, that's the only way I'll know what the final texture is. But the taste... wow... I think I'm in love... I'll keep on trying until they come out as yours. Thanks for the recipe
Erin says
I'm sorry that happened, though I'm glad you still enjoyed the cookies! There are several reasons why cookies can come out flat, including 1. the oven being too hot 2. the butter being TOO soft or even a little melted 3. not using enough flour... I'd say if the first two aren't the issue, you could try adding 1-2 more tablespoons of flour to see if that helps.
Ora Simpson-Sutton says
I loved this recipe and I doubled it,, Cookies came out delicious. I cooked them so they were crispy which is the way I liked them.
Erin says
I'm so glad you liked the cookies!
SA says
Hi,
Can the dough be frozen or chilled ahead of time before baking?
Thanks!
Erin says
Great question! I'd say refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes-24 hours should be fine, but I wouldn't freeze it (it might be ok, but I've never tested it). Let me know how they turn out!
Terr says
Amazing and thank you. I used fine shred coconut and they were wonderful.
Erin says
Thanks for the positive review -- happy you liked the cookies!
Tina says
Perfect! Made them today and they are yummy yummy good. Thank you!
Erin says
Thanks Tina -- I'm so glad you liked them!
Cindy Guerry says
These came out thin and under done, and we're very salty. I was careful to follow the recipe as I am new to baking. ( I even double checked my butter) Because of this, I don't know how to adjust a recipe. Any suggestions?
Erin says
Hi! I apologize for just now seeing this comment -- It's hard for me to know exactly what went wrong without being there with you, but I'm thinking maybe the butter was too soft before you creamed it, which can cause the cookies to turn out flat. Really not sure about the salty part though. Did you accidentally use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?
Charlotte says
Tried these today. I used a ice cream scoop and got some really big soft fluffy cookies. I did double the recipe and next time I’m going a scant less baking soda when doubling.
I’ll try them again next weekend and add chopped nuts and chocolate bits.
Thank you for the great recipe!
Erin says
Thanks for the comment, Charlotte -- I'm glad you liked them!
Anne says
This was a great recipe to try; however, the cookies spread so much and came out thin and crispy without chilling the dough. I was hoping for a thicker and softer cookie.
Anita Roberts says
These cookies sound delicious and I want to make them this weekend to take to a cookout; my question is this: do you add extra flour for baking at high altitudes ? My recipe that I use for oatmeal cookies has about 3 tbs of flour added to the recipe and another recipe that I use occasionally has me add extra milk.
Erin says
Hi Anita -- This is a great question; unfortunately, I'm not sure how these would work at high altitude. I'd follow this guide and see how they turn out: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Lauren says
These were delicious! They literally taste like a sugar cookie with coconut. However it wasn't enough coconut flavor for me. I think next time I will replace the vanilla extract with coconut extract to give the actual cookie a more coconut flavor. I used a cookie scoop instead of an ice cream scoop and got 20 cookies.
Erin says
So happy you enjoyed them -- let me know how you liked them with the coconut extract!
Whitney Wilson says
These were lovely! I decided to chill the scooped dough first, as I was making dinner at the time so no place to bake off, and they came out flat as a pancake and underdone. I will try them again without chilling. Incredibly tasty either way! Yummy!!
Erin says
Thanks for the comment, and good to know about chilling the dough. Glad you still liked them!
Teri says
Holy moly! Making these tomorrow!
Erin says
Let me know how they turn out!
Henry says
These cookies are in my top 5 cookies of all time, possibly - POSSIBLY - outranking Thin Mints.
Excellent soft and chewy texture and great flavor. The shredded coconut is key - adds just a bit of extra chewiness to what is a pretty soft cookie and the flavor integrates nicely with the regular sweet, salty, buttery flavor of the cookies.
Erin says
Thanks for the positive review, Henry!
Daniel Z says
These cookies are the perfect balance of melt in your mouth and satiating bite!
Sarah says
To die for!!!!! 🤤🤤🤤🤤
Shayma says
Hello Erin,
I have made those cookies today, I used brown sugar rather than light brown sugar so mine look darker than yours.
However, mine didn’t have the same texture, they didn’t crack. What possibly could be the reason?
Erin says
Hi! Not 100% sure, but a few things that come to mind: first, dark vs. light brown sugar shouldn't alter the texture, though dark brown sugar will alter the flavor a bit. For these cookies especially, I think it's best to use an ice cream scooper to scoop the batter onto the baking sheet, which should allow the cookies to crack on their own. If for some reason they don't, as soon as you take them out of the oven, slam the baking on the counter top a few times and that should do the trick.
Winni says
This is too awesome recipe. thank you so much for share with us.