Buttery, chewy Coconut Cookies! These cookies are made with flake coconut and (optional) caramel chips, then are dunked in dark chocolate and topped off with toasted coconut! These were such a hit with everyone who tried them — everyone was asking me for the recipe!
I always feel a liiiitttle bit guilty when I share a coconut recipe because I know that there are a lot of you out there who have made it pretty clear that you don’t appreciate coconut at all (Zach is one of you!).
I get it, not everyone likes the texture (Zach wouldn’t even taste-test my coconut macaroons for me!), but I love it and while I do try to limit the number of coconut recipes that I share, it’s been a while and we’re due for another one. Namely these buttery soft Coconut Cookies.
So, coconut haters, I’m sorry, and if you check back on Monday I promise there will be no coconut in that recipe, but for those of you on #teamcoconutcookies, let’s dig in to today’s recipe.
The texture of coconut cookies reminds me a lot of oatmeal, and I actually adapted my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe to make these.
Tips for Making Coconut Cookies
- Use unsweetened flake coconut for this recipe, it can usually be found right next to the sweetened variety in the baking section.
- Adding caramel chips is optional, but you should definitely add them! I can’t stress enough how tasty these were with little pops of caramel flavor in every bite. I used actual caramel chips and not caramel baking bits (the little balls made of caramel), I used Ghirardelli’s, which are sold (quite appropriately) in a caramel-colored bag. This combo of coconut, caramel, and chocolate reminds me a little of my favorite Girl Scout Cookie — the Samoa.
- I recommend adding the coconut extract, as instructed, for the best cookie flavor. The cookies will still be good if you leave it out (substitute for vanilla extract, if you do), but the flake coconut doesn’t do much to impart an actual coconut flavor into the cookies, and I liked the taste much better with the extract.
- Immediately after dipping each of the cookies in chocolate, you can sprinkle them with coconut. I chose to toast my coconut (I like the slightly crisp texture and the way it looks much better that way), so I’ve provided instructions in case you’d like to toast yours as well.
How to Toast Coconut
To toast coconut for these coconut cookies, spread 1/2 cup of flake coconut evenly across a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in a 325F (190C) oven for about 5 minutes or until the coconut is toasted lightly golden brown.
Allow the coconut to cool before sprinkling over dark chocolate, but sprinkle immediately after dipping in chocolate or it won’t stick, so if you plan to use toasted coconut make sure you have it ready in advance!
Just to be clear, I did not toast the coconut that went into the cookies, just the last 1/2 cup that I used for sprinkling on top of the cookies!
And that’s it!
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy!
Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature 216g
- 1 cup brown sugar tightly packed 200g
- 1/2 cup sugar 100g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch cornflour in UK
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes* divided
- 1 cup caramel baking chips Optional, but SO GOOD! I use Ghirardelli, they're sold next to the chocolate chips in a caramel-colored bag (170g)
- 10 oz dark chocolate melting wafers** optional (285g)
Instructions
- Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric beater) for about 30 seconds. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy (pause to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, if needed).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.
- Stir in vanilla and coconut extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so ingredients are well-mixed.
- Gradually stir in 3 cups coconut flakes and caramel chips until completely combined.
- Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
- Drop cookie by rounded 2-3 Tablespoon-sized ball onto parchment paper, spacing at least 2" apart (for very round cookies, briefly roll between your hands to form into smooth balls).
- Bake on 375F (190C) for 10-12 (edges should be slightly browned, centers may still be slightly underbaked but shouldn't be raw, they'll bake completely as they cool).
- Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before dipping in dark chocolate (if using).
- If dipping in chocolate: Prepare melting wafers according to package instructions, heating until melted.
- Dip cookies about 1/2-way into the chocolate and transfer to wax paper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut (if using) and allow chocolate to set before serving.
Celina Gray says
I LOVE Coconut! Will try this today. Thank you for the recipe
Sam says
Yay!! So happy to see another coconut fan! I hope you LOVE these, Celina!! 🙂
Mary says
I LOVE all things coconut! These look delicious! Pinned for later!
Sam says
I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one! I hope you love the cookies, Mary!!
Valerie L. says
Hi Sam, I love anything with coconut in it, so please keep those recipes coming 🙂 🙂 However, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about 2 of the ingredients that you have listed in this recipe. Would there be a problem using the regular sweetened coconut flakes instead of the unsweetened coconut flakes? Also, we are not fans of the taste of caramel, so could I substitute chocolate chips for the caramel chips? Thanks, Sam!
Sam says
I’m so glad that I’m not alone in my love for coconut!
For the coconut, I found that the cookies seemed to spread more and it made them sweeter if I used sweetened coconut (I’m guessing because there seems to be more moisture in the sweetened variety), so I recommend using unsweetened.
You can absolutely sub chocolate chips for the caramel, or you can just leave them out entirely 🙂
I hope you love the cookies, Valerie!! <3
Lisa Langston says
We LOVE coconut!!! These cookies need to be baked by me this weekend!!
Thanks!
Sam says
I hope you love these, Lisa!!!! 😀
Vanessa Kerwin says
Made these for my boyfriend and his dad for their birthday, both of them are huge coconut fans, they loved them! I’m not huge on coconut but I tried a small bite and thought they were good. I let my mom have a few, being the generous person I am, and she loved them as well, she’s also big on coconut! Thank you, Sam, for sharing such an awesome recipe!
Sam says
I’m so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed them, Vanessa!! <3
JoAnn says
Not sure what I did wrong, but they came out flat. I made the first batch and halved it and they spread like mad. But, they tasted really good.
Sooooo, today, I made another full batch thinking I didn’t let them sit in the fridge long enough, Nope!!! They spread out too!
Sorry, won’t be making this cookie again.
Sam says
I’m sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you JoAnn! You didn’t by chance use sweetened coconut, did you?
I know how disappointing it can be when a recipe doesn’t turn out, if it’s particularly hot/humid in your house they may also need a bit more chilling time.
Chris says
It could be the butter. Less expensive or lower quality butter has more water in it. I learned that recently at a cooking school
Sunny says
These were fantastic and a huge hit! <3
Megan says
I LOVE coconut, so this had me written all over it. Then to add in caramel, definitely a must bake! Unfortunately, out of 4 stores I went to in my town, nobody had caramel chips 🙁 Very sad. But I made these anyway. Some I have left plain by request, the others that I dipped in chocolate are now on the wire rack waiting for the chocolate to harden. I melted milk chocolate chips. I did try one and wow these are good and coconut-y! I want to hunt down the caramel chips and make these again. So far, even without the caramel, these are becoming a big hit. Thanks for sharing!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Megan! If you can’t find them in a store, can you find them on online by chance? They are definitely an awesome addition.
Jennifer says
I love these cookies!!! I made them with my son, and they turned out perfect. I only had sweetened coconut flakes so I omitted the white sugar and that seemed to do the trick. There wasn’t any extra spreading of the cookies. Also, we used the caramel bits instead of the chips because that was what I had available. They turned out great!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed them Jennifer! ☺️
Bonnie says
Coconut and chocolate is my all time favorite. These look amazing and I can wait to make them. Do you know if they will freeze ok? I like to get a head start on my holiday baking.
Sam says
I have not tried it, but I think they will do just fine in the freezer. 🙂