These coconut cookies are soft, chewy and buttery with added texture and taste from shredded coconut. The perfect sweet treat for snacks and cookie cravings!
Cookies are one of my favorite easy desserts. Other favorites include oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, M&M cookies and chip-less chocolate chip cookies!
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Chewy Coconut Cookies
If you love oatmeal cookies, you will love these coconut cookies that taste like a cross between a sweet coconut macaroon, my chipless cookies and chewy brown sugar cookie!
I have yet to meet a cookie recipe I don’t love and this coconut cookie is soft, buttery hits the spot.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Best texture: Soft with chewy texture from sweet coconut similar to my coconut chocolate chip cookies but without chocolate!
- Easy to make: Made in one bowl with no chill time required and ready in less than 30 minutes qualifies these coconut cookies as one of my best cookie recipes!
Coconut Cookie Ingredients
How to Make Coconut Cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together butter and sugar then add egg and vanilla. Continue to add in dry ingredients and mix until it starts coming together before gently adding in coconut.
Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Press dough balls gently down with your palm. Bake 7 to 8 minutes at 350°F, or until golden around the edges.
Right out of the oven, the middle will be soft but will firm as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Toasted coconut: If you love a little crunch in your cookies, toasting your coconut adds both flavor and crunch!
- More coconut-y taste: If you love coconut recipes, use 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract instead of all vanilla extract.
- Add-ins: If you love a more loaded cookie, like my cowboy cookies, add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel chips or crunchy nuts.
- Room temperature ingredients: Softened butter is best versus melted. Melted butter will result in flat, crispy cookies. Room temperature egg incorporates fully into dough.
- Wait 10 minutes before eating. It’s tempting to eat one right off the pan, but they will be so soft when you take them out, it’s best to wait at least 10 minutes.
- Garnish: A sprinkle of toffee bits on the top really takes this coconut cookie recipe over the top! If you can’t find the bits, try a sprinkle of raw sugar. Add during last few minutes of baking.
You will also love these other recipes with coconut! Try coconut cupcakes, old fashioned coconut cream pie and the best coconut cake recipe!
More Coconut Recipes
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Coconut Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter , softened
- ¾ cup (130 grams) light brown sugar , packed
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ¼ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup white sugar. Mix in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Combine: Add in 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix just until it starts coming together and then add in 1 1/4 cup of coconut. Mix just until combined.
- Bake: Using a large cookie scoop (or 2 Tablespoons), scoop the dough onto baking sheets. Press dough balls gently down with your palm. Bake 7 to 8 minutes, or until golden around the edges. The middle should be soft and will firm as they cool.
- Serve: Let cool on baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Whether you use shredded sweetened coconut or unsweetened coconut really depends on personal preference. Sweetened coconut adds more of a coconut flavor to the cookie.
While I have not tested it, you should be able to substitute a gluten-free 1:1 all purpose flour blend. To make these dairy free, you can substitute melted coconut oil or a vegan butter.
This recipe for coconut cookies is a drop cookie, so yes you can freeze the cookie dough which is the best way to make them in advance. Flash freeze drops of cookie dough on a parchment lined pan and once frozen transfer to a freezer safe container and store up to 2 month. Bake from frozen increasing the baking time by a minute or two.
After cooling completely, store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover cookies for up to 3 months, although I prefer to freeze the dough and bake them fresh.
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Kid-Friendly, Reader Favorites, Snacks
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Oh my goodness, these cookies were everything that I wished they would be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
So glad you enjoyed these!
These cookies are so soft and chewy! We love these coconut cookies!
Glad to hear you love it as much as we do!
Delicious and easy to make! The texture reminded me of a chewy oatmeal cookie, but with a yummy sweet coconut flavor.
So glad you enjoyed them!