Enjoy these soft, chewy coconut pecan cookies! Loaded with crunchy pecans and shredded coconut, these cookies are cozy and comforting. No chilling is required!
Our easy coconut pecan cookies are soft, chewy, rich, and nutty – a simple yet irresistible treat. Whether for dessert or a quick snack, they're bursting with great taste and texture. Share them with friends or keep them all to yourself; they're baked to satisfy your cookie cravings.
Try more great cookies: Sprinkles Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanuts, or Candied Ginger Cookies.
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🔔Why will you love these pecan coconut cookies?
- Irresistible flavor and texture: A delicious, sweet, nutty blend of pecans and coconut. Their chewy texture is hard to resist.
- Simple ingredients: Made with everyday pantry staples, the coconut pecan cookies recipe is easy to prepare without fancy or hard-to-find ingredients.
- Quick and easy: The chewy coconut cookies with pecans are straightforward and don't require extensive baking skills. All you have to do is stir the ingredients and shape the dough balls.
- They are great gifts! Package these cookies in a pretty box or jar for a thoughtful homemade present for loved ones.
📋Recipe ingredients
- Pecans: A type of nut with a rich, buttery flavor and a slightly sweet taste. They have a distinctive crunchy texture, making them a popular choice for cookies and pies. Try these Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies too!
- Unsweetened shredded coconut: Unsweetened coconut means it hasn't been treated with added sugar, allowing for more control over the sweetness of the final product. I strongly recommend using unsweetened coconut; these delicious cookies are super sweet as they are, and they don’t need the extra sugar.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter in baking; if salted, leave out the salt in the recipe. It is best to use real butter with a high-fat content (82% - European-style).
- Dry ingredients: Light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
- Other ingredients: One large egg at room temperature and vanilla extract.
- Equipment needed: Stand mixer with a paddle attachment OR a large bowl and an electric mixer, two baking sheets, and parchment paper.
👩🏻🍳How to make coconut pecan cookies?
Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add egg and vanilla extract and combine.
Add mixed flour, baking soda, salt, and about ½ of the coconut flakes.
Fold in the remaining coconut and the chopped pecans by hand using a spoon.
Form 12 cookie dough balls and place 6 on each prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Rest for 10 minutes.
🍫Variations
- Add about ½ a cup of chocolate chips to the cookie dough for a delightful chocolatey twist.
- Toast the coconut flakes and pecans before incorporating them into the cookie dough. Toasting enhances their flavors, adding a nuttier and richer taste to these chewy cookies.
- Nut variations: Replace the pecan pieces with other nuts or a mix of nuts like chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Spices: Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom to the dough for a warm, aromatic touch.
🔊Expert Tips
I recommend using a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). Although I have tested this coconut pecan cookie recipe using a measuring cup, I still feel that a scale yields the best results.
Room temperature ingredients: Bring ingredients like butter and eggs to room temperature before using. Room-temperature ingredients blend more evenly, resulting in better-textured cookies.
Mix the dough until the ingredients are just combined. Overmixing can result in tough cookies. When folding in the coconut flakes and pecans, do so gently to avoid overworking the dough.
Chilling: Although general chilling is unnecessary, keeping the “waiting” dough balls refrigerated while you bake the first batch is best.
Baking time and temperature: Keep a close eye on the pecan coconut cookies while baking. It's better to slightly under-bake than over-bake them. Remember that they will continue to cook slightly after removing them from the oven due to residual heat.
❓Recipe FAQ
Shredded coconut looks like small, thin strips ideal for baking, while coconut flakes are larger, thicker pieces commonly used as toppings. Shredded coconut is finer, while flakes are chunkier, offering different textures and appearances in recipes based on their sizes.
I don’t recommend it. Choosing unsweetened coconut keeps the cookie's sweetness in balance. The sweetened kind will make the cookies excessively sweet.
Sure, you can prepare it 2-3 days ahead. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. Let it come slightly to room temperature so you can easily shape the balls.
Yes. Shape the dough into balls, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the frozen dough portions into a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to bake, simply place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet and add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies can last up to a week. You can freeze the baked cookies for up to three months for longer storage.
🍪More cookie recipes
📖Recipe
The Best Coconut Pecan Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment OR a large bowl and an electric mixer
- 2 Baking sheets
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 112 g, Note 1
- ¾ cup light brown sugar 170 g
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 170 g, Note 2
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut 70 g, divided
- ½ cup pecans 55 g, Note 3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C (fan oven 330°F/ 165°C). Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. If using a fan oven, you will be able to bake two baking sheets of cookies simultaneously.
- Cream butter and brown sugar at high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter / 112 g + ¾ cup light brown sugar / 170 g
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir well to combine.1 large egg + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and about ½ of the coconut flakes in a separate bowl. Add them to the butter mixture and mix on low to medium speed for about 30 seconds.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour / 170 g + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + 1 teaspoon baking soda + ½ of ¾ cup unsweetened coconut
- Fold in the remaining coconut flakes and the chopped pecan by hand using a spoon. ½ cup pecans / 55 g
- Form 12 cookie dough balls (about 1.8 oz/ 50 g each) and place 6 on each prepared baking sheet (Note 4).
- Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Let them rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Butter: Unsalted butter with a high-fat content (82%).
- Measurements: It’s preferable to use a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results.
- Nuts: You can substitute pecans with walnuts, macadamia, hazelnuts, or almonds.
- Chilling: Although general chilling is unnecessary, keeping the “waiting” dough balls refrigerated while you bake the first batch is best.
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