Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Soft, chewy, and flavorful Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies are a fun twist on traditional oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. This version adds in flaked sweetened coconut and uses dark brown sugar for an ultra-rich flavor.

We’re obsessed with these Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies! Some other favorite cookie recipes: chewy chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies

Coconut is one of my favorite ingredients to add into recipes — sweet (coconut thumbprint cookies) OR savory (coconut curry chicken) so it’s about time I add it into my favorite cookie recipe. I love plain oatmeal cookies a ridiculous amount, but the coconut in these cookies takes them over the top!

While the coconut addition is subtle, it adds a great texture and mild sweetness. With melty chocolate, a rich brown sugar flavor, crisp edges, and chewy centers — these cookies might be my new favorite!

Let’s start by talking about some of the ingredients in these cookies.

Coconut-Oatmeal Cookie ingredients

• Dark brown sugar gives these cookies an incredible depth of flavor. While light brown sugar will work, I highly recommend the dark.
• Unsalted butter helps to perfectly control the amount of salt in these cookies. We do add salt to the batter, but with unsalted butter, you’ll know exactly how much salt will be in the cookies.
  • If you’re a salt lover, hit these up with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes after baking!
  • If using table salt, you’ll want to reduce the overall salt in these cookies. I use (kosher) fine sea salt.
• Old fashioned oats: It’s important to use old-fashioned instead of quick or steel-cut oats — each type of oat reacts differently in baked recipes.
• Shredded sweetened coconut: You don’t want coconut flakes or desiccated coconut (here are the differences).
• Baking soda: See if yours is fresh by using this quick test!

Tips for Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies

• Precise measuring: Too much flour will give you dense, cake-like cookies. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the flat edge of a table knife. If you have a food scale, use it! That’s how you’ll get the most precise measurement.
• Slightly underbake: This ensures the soft and chewy texture we all love! Over-baked cookies lose their delicious chewy texture and become less flavorful.
• Don’t overmix: If you overmix the batter, the cookies will become dense and chewy. This is because the gluten in the flour becomes activated.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner: I’ve tested these cookies on parchment paper and with a Silpat liner, and prefer the cookies baked on the liner. The bottoms always end up the best! If you don’t have a liner, parchment paper is still better than nothing.

Can I use quick oats in these cookies?

I don’t recommend quick oats for this recipe. Quick oats are so little that they act like additional flour instead of oats. This will make the cookies much drier and cake-like, which is not what we’re going for with these Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies. We want a bit more texture, which old-fashioned oats provide.

QUICK TIP

Are you confused about the various types of oats? It all has to do with how thin they are and how fast they cook. Steel-cut oats are cut 2 to 3 times with a steel blade (hence the name). Old-fashioned rolled oats are steamed and rolled into flakes. Quick-cooking rolled oats are rolled flatter and steamed even longer; Instant oats are rolled and steamed even more than that. Steel-cut oats require the most cooking time, and instant oats take just a few seconds. The other types fall in between those varieties.

Making Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies look pretty

I like to press additional chocolate chips on top of the cookies right out of the oven. While this is (of course) completely optional, it makes the cookies beautiful AND ensures you’re getting chocolate in every single bite! 

What chocolate chips to use

Use premium chocolate chips for the best possible flavor. I highly recommend Ghirardelli® or Guittard® chocolate chips. The flavor you get is up to you — any and all work in these cookies (white, semi-sweet, milk, dark, or bittersweet). My family’s personal preference is milk chocolate, but semi-sweet would be our next choice.

You can switch out chips for raisins or nuts! To add in raisins, make sure to soak them first in hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain and dry thoroughly before adding into the cookie dough. To add in nuts, make sure to coarsely chop them. I’d recommend pecans. (I do have an oatmeal pecan cookies recipe already on the site if you’d prefer to reference that recipe).

Freezing Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies

To freeze baked cookies: Place completely cooled cookies on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then place the cookies in freezer bags or plastic containers, layering parchment paper in between each layer of cookies. Freeze for up to 3 months. Note there is a slight loss of texture with freezing already-baked cookies.

To freeze unbaked cookies: Place shaped cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Place frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer bag or plastic container. When ready to bake, you don’t have to thaw the cookie dough. Simply place the frozen dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes longer than the recipe indicates.

More cookie recipes

• Thumbprint Cookies raspberry-almond flavored
• Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies reader favorite
• Lemon Cookies with a lemon glaze
• Oreo Balls dipped in melted chocolate
• Caramel Oatmeal Cookies with Rolos® inside!

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Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

4.87 from 15 votes

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Soft, chewy, and flavorful Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies are a fun twist on traditional oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. This version adds in flaked sweetened coconut and uses dark brown sugar for an ultra-rich flavor.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

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Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

4.87 from 15 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Soft, chewy, and flavorful Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies are a fun twist on traditional oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. This version adds in flaked sweetened coconut and uses dark brown sugar for an ultra-rich flavor.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword coconut oatmeal cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 9 minutes

Chilling Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 14 minutes

Servings 13 -15 large cookies

Calories 310kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar (light works, but dark is best!)
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• ▢ 1 cup + 2 tablespoons white all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• ▢ 1 cup chocolate chips (we like milk, but semi-sweet or dark work well too)

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• BUTTER AND SUGARS: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer), add the room temperature butter (not melted, not softened) and dark brown sugar. Beat at medium speed until light in color, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• BAKING AGENTS: Add in the baking soda and fine sea salt. Mix until just combined, about 20 seconds.
• FLOUR, OATS, AND COCONUT: Add in the oats, flour, and coconut. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
• CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Add in the chocolate chips and mix until ingredients are JUST combined. Do not overmix or overbeat. Overworking the dough will result in dense cookies.
• SHAPE TALL COOKIE BALLS: Shape the cookie dough into balls about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of dough (if you have a food scale: 49 grams; 1.7 ounces). Roll the balls higher instead of wider (see photo in post). Place them on a plate lined with parchment paper and cover gently with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and preferably 45 minutes to an hour. If you're in a rush, freeze the dough balls for about 25-30 minutes.
• BAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with Silpat liners (very important that the trays are lined, so the cookies don't burn on the bottom). Place 6 cookie dough balls per sheet pan (they spread a lot!), spacing them with plenty of room to spread. Bake for 9 to 13 minutes (mine always take around 11 minutes), remembering they're best slightly under-baked. They should look ever-so-slightly gooey in the center (they harden a bit as they cool) and should be lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let stand on the cookie sheet for 5-10 more minutes to firm up enough to remove to a wire cooling rack. Right out of the oven you can press a few more chocolate chips in the tops of the cookies if desired (makes them look better and ensures chocolate in every bite!).
• COOL AND ENJOY: Let cookies fully cool and set up before eating; they firm up a lot as they cool! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cookies are best when eaten within 2-3 days.

Video

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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