Coconut Pecan Cookies

These coconut pecan cookies are perfectly crispy and chewy at the same time. Packed with toasted coconut and crunchy pecans, they're the perfect, quick treat.

I must admit, I used to think that a cookie without chocolate chips was not a cookie at all. That was until I made my Brown Butter Pecan Cookies, and everything changed. Since then I've been on a cookie conquest to make all kinds of delicious cookie recipes, such as my Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies. The latest experiment was this coconut pecan cookie recipe, and it did not disappoint! I got the inspiration from the frosting that goes onto a traditional german chocolate cake.

These delicious cookies are a texture and flavor masterpiece, someone being both crispy and chewy simultaneously, and delivering a bouquet of flavors in every bite - sweet, salty, nutty, and buttery. On top of all this, they are incredibly quick and easy to make so can be whipped up effortlessly on a cold winter morning.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Cookies
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Variations
• Storage
• Summary
• Top tip
• Recipe

Why You'll Love These Cookies

• These coconut cookies taste like a coconut macaroon but with extra crunch and flavor from the pecans - the perfect sweet treat for this time of year.

• Super quick and easy to make with basic ingredients.

• One batch makes 24 cookies, which is plenty to go around!

Ingredients

• Butter - We will be adding salt to the cookie dough so I recommend using unsalted butter. Make sure the butter is at room temperature before beginning.

• White Sugar - This cookie recipe uses two types of sugar, the first is regular white sugar, make sure it is extra-fine (caster sugar in the UK).

• Brown Sugar - You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar for these cookies. I used light brown sugar, but for a stronger molasses taste, you can use dark brown.

• Eggs - Always use large, and try to use free-range eggs if you can. Make sure the eggs are also at room temperature before beginning.

• Vanilla - The vanilla really rounds out the base flavor of the cookies. Use a high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

• Flour - It's best to use all-purpose flour for these cookies (plain flour in the UK)

• Coconut - I used desiccated coconut (the finely grated stuff). But if you would like a chunkier cookie, you can use shredded coconut instead.

• Pecans - We'll be chopping the pecans up, so you don't need whole pecan halves for this recipe. It can be nice to save a few whole pecans for the top of the cookies though.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

• Start by preheating your oven to 350°F / 180°C and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. I like to use two cookie sheets as you'll need to bake these cookies in multiple batches, and this way you can rotate one sheet in the oven while the other is cooling.

• Cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric mixer, or you can just do this by hand with a wooden spoon. You don't want to overbeat the butter and sugars, just enough so they are creamed together and slightly fluffy.

• Add the eggs and vanilla and beat those in too until incorporated.

• In a separate, large bowl, combine flour with the other dry ingredients, including the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

• Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix together until a soft dough forms.

• Add the coconut and chopped pecans and mix them in until evenly distributed. The pecans should be chopped roughly and not too fine, as we want nice big chunks of pecan in the cookies.

• Take one tablespoon of cookie dough and quickly roll it into a ball in your hands. You could use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop for this, but make sure it's not a large cookie scoop as if you make the cookies too big then they will overbake on the outside before the center is baked.

• Roll the top of each cookie dough ball in coconut - this is going to add some amazing texture to the top of the cookies.

• Place the rolled cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet and then press a pecan half or some bits of broken pecan into the top of each one. Make sure the cookies are well-spaced as they are going to spread significantly in the oven. I usually manage to fit about 6 cookies on one large sheet tray.

• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the outside of the cookies are lovely and brown. (They will be a little darker than golden brown because of the lovely toasted coconut). The center of the cookies may look like they are not quite done yet, but that's okay as they are going to continue to bake on the hot baking sheet.

• Let your coconut pecan cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. This will allow them to firm up a little and bake completely in the middle. The cookies may still be fragile, so I like to use a cookie lifter to transfer them to the wire rack and avoid any breakage.

Note: I always recommend using a kitchen scale rather than a measuring cup to measure your ingredients, but my recipe card does provide quantities for both units of measurement.

Variations

While the original recipe makes a really good cookie, there are so many ways you can add to it to make many more delicious combinations.

Chocolate - If you want to carry on the Christmas 'coconut macaroon' vibe, try dipping or drizzling your coconut pecan cookies in some dark chocolate.

Spices - For some extra warmth, try adding ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger to the cookie dough for an extra 'cold weather' kick.

Oats - These cookies are also really delicious as an oatmeal cookie. Just add 1 cup of oats in at the same time as the coconut and pecans to make a more hearty cookie.

Storage

Store your coconut pecan cookies in an airtight container on top of some paper towels to soak up any moisture. They also fair very well in a traditional cookie jar, which lets just enough air in to stop them from going soggy. The cookies will be good in either container for up to a week.

Summary

This coconut pecan cookies recipe is sure to be a hit! With the wonderful chewy texture and delicious range of flavors, it's bound to be a new favorite cookie recipe in your house, as it is in mine. So grab yourself a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk and fill up a plate with a couple of coconut pecan cookies (don't kid yourself into thinking you'll just have one). Enjoy!

Recipe