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These soft and chewy coconut pecan cookies are packed with flavor! Made with shredded coconut and chopped pecans, these cookies are ready in just 20 minutes. Plus, you can easily make them vegan or dairy-free!
There is truly nothing better than a warm, cozy cookie! These coconut pecan cookies are a serious home run and I cannot stop making them, especially on chillier days.
Made with simple ingredients, these coconut cookies are perfect for making as an after school treat, for a bake sale, or just because you really want some cookies. If you love pecans in cookies, you have to check out my pecan chocolate chip cookie recipe!
You can easily make these cookies vegan or dairy free, so they’re perfect if you have food allergies!
Why You'll Love These Coconut Pecan Cookies
- You only need 12 ingredients, and nothing too fancy! I bet you even have everything you need in your pantry already!
- These coconut pecan cookies take just 11 minutes to prep and there is no need to chill the cookie dough.
- These cookies are packed with coconut flavor thanks to shredded coconut.
- Keep the cookies extra soft and chewy by taking them out of the oven after just 7-10 minutes - no dry cookies here!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: you can use regular butter, or vegan butter if you’re vegan or dairy free.
- Egg: I’ve used a regular egg here, but if you’re vegan you can use a flax egg!
- Shredded Coconut: I recommend using unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Flour: I’m using all purpose flour, but you can swap it out for gluten free all purpose 1-1 baking flour if you’re gluten free.
- Spices: using some cinnamon and nutmeg is going to lightly spice the cookie dough!
Step by Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and egg.
Step 3: Add in the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix until just combined. Add the shredded coconut and chopped pecans and stir until combined.
Step 4: Using a medium cookie scoop or your hands, roll the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.
Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven one tray at a time for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges have set but the tops are slightly under-baked.
Step 6: Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
FAQs and Expert Tips
I recommend using unsweetened shredded coconut for this recipe! Check the packaging to see if it is unsweetened. You can use sweetened shredded coconut but it might make the cookies overly sweet.
The edges should have set and the middles will still be slightly pale and underbaked. You don’t want to overbake the cookies as they’ll get too hard and dry.
Sure! Swap out the pecans for walnuts if you prefer.
Expert Tips
- I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients, especially your flour! It is super easy to add too much flour, giving you dry cookies. If you’re not using a kitchen scale, then make sure to use the scoop and level method to measure out the flour.
- Want to make a flax egg to make these coconut pecan cookies vegan? Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to a small bowl and add 2 ½ tablespoons of water. Whisk and then set aside for 10-15 minutes or until very thick.
- I recommend taking the cookies out of the oven when the tops are still slightly under-baked. They’ll continue cooking on the baking sheet, which is what gives you super soft and chewy middles for days!
- Once my cookies are out of the oven I like to use a large biscuit cutter or a cup to gently shape the cookie into a perfect round shape. This is going to give you that bakery style look for your cookies!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store the baked coconut pecan cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. To freeze, place the baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag and defrost in the fridge before enjoying.
You can also freeze the cookie dough balls so you always have cookies on hand! Place the cookie dough balls in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. They may need an extra minute or two in the oven when baking.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Coconut Pecan Cookies
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened medium shredded coconut
- ¾ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a handheld mixer or standing mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy (around 1-2 minutes). Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda and mix until just combined. Add the shredded coconut and chopped pecans, then stir until fully combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to roll the dough into 1½ tablespoon sized balls and place on the baking sheet around 3 inches apart.
- Bake one tray at a time for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are set but the tops look under-baked still (top of the cookies should not be golden brown).
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Md
have made these 4 times already they are addciting
John
I'm rating this cookie on the idea alone! It looks delicious. But I'm curious. You give the good advice to weigh ingredients, but I couldn't find any weights attached to those ingredients. Is that something you might consider providing? Thanks for all your terrific recipes. (I'm bringing your Nutella blondies to Christmas dinner - best gift I could think of!)
John
Gabby
Hi John! You can see the metric measurements to weigh your ingredients by clicking on the "metric" button next to the ingredients section in the recipe box. Would love to hear what you think once you make the recipe 🤗
John
Thank you, Gabby. I did in fact discover that link a few days later. Between the two versions, I gleaned all the measurements I needed. I'm making the cooking tomorrow - can't wait!