These Chewy Coconut Pecan Cookies are like a little vacation in your mouth with every single bite. With the distinct fruity and floral flavor of coconut and buttery, nutty crunch from the pecans, this flavor combo is utter perfection.
As a busy mom who loves to bake and never settles for boring flavor, I knew I wouldn’t complete this recipe until it met my standards of both delicious AND easy. So, I was confident I got it right when I achieved a soft and chewy cookie in just 20 minutes.
Like almost all of my cookies, this brown-sugar based cookie dough comes together in just one bowl and requires no chilling time.
These easy homemade cookies are packed with toasty coconut flakes and crunchy pecans for the perfect mix of chewy and crisp.
The outer layer is completely coated in coconut flakes that almost caramelize on the bottom while they bake. This gives you that sticky-sweet flavor and texture you get on a macaroon, making these cookies extra special. Let’s bake!
P.S. If you love pecans in your cookies, check out these Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies next.
Coconut Pecan Cookie Ingredient Highlights
Make sure you are using sweetened coconut flakes and pecan halves if you want your cookies to turn out just like mine.
I prefer using unsalted butter and adding my own salt, but you can definitely use salted butter and just omit the salt if you’d like. Regardless, make sure your butter is softened. For more info, check out How to Quickly and Easily Soften Butter.
Pecan Coconut Cookies Tips and Tricks
How I Make a Simple Chewy Cookie Dough
This super quick and easy dough comes together easily in a large mixing bowl with just a hand mixer. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl first and use the mixer on high to cream it together. This step is crucial to the best-textured cookie.
Take your time on this step, not moving forward until the butter and sugar is well-combined. Then, mix in the egg and vanilla extract, followed by the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Fold in 1 cup of coconut flakes and almost all of the pecans (I like to leave a handful out to press into the top).
How I Get the Most Flavor in My Cookies
Add about ¼ cup of coconut flakes to a shallow bowl. Use a large cookie scoop or 4 tablespoons of cookie dough to form your cookies.
One at a time, drop each cookie dough ball into the coconut, rolling and pressing into the flakes until the cookie is completely coated. Then, press in some of those reserved pecan chunks into the top of each cookie.
Place them on a lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room in between for spreading (I usually bake 6 to a sheet max, even when I’m using a large baking sheet as pictured).
How I Make My Coconut Cookies with Pecans
I typically just bake a few cookies at a time and freeze the rest of the dough so I can have a freshly baked cookie whenever I want! To do so, simply shape the cookie dough and coat it in the coconut flakes so it’s ready to bake.
Then, store your shaped cookie dough in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. You can just bake them straight out of the freezer, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
As for leftover baked cookies, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they’ll stay fresh for up to 3 weeks.
Pro tip: To keep homemade cookies soft and chewy, store a piece of bread with them (perfect use for the end piece!). The bread creates a humid environment that helps to keep your cookies moist.
You can also freeze baked cookies for up to a whole year and they’ll taste great when defrosted.
20-Minute Chewy Coconut Pecan Cookies
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Reusable Baking Mat optional
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer on high to cream together until well-combined.1 cup light brown sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again on high until combined.1 large egg, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix. Use a rubber spatula to scrape any dry ingredients stuck to the inside of the bowl and integrate them into the dough.1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Set aside a handful of chopped pecans. Add the rest to the cookie dough along with 1 cup of shredded coconut and fold to distribute. Add the remaining ¼ cup of shredded coconut to shallow bowl.1 ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut, ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- Use a large cookie scoop or 4 tablespoons of dough to form your cookies. One at a time, roll each cookie dough ball into the shredded coconut to coat them completely with an even layer.
- Line the dough up on your prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each cookie to allow for spreading in the oven (I usually do 6 to a sheet max). Push a couple of pieces of pecan that you reserved into the top of each cookie.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before diving in. Enjoy!
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