Make these easy Coconut Pecan Cookies with simple ingredients for chewy, buttery cookies with a touch of tropical flavor.
If you love coconut, be sure to check out our Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies with brown butter, Coconut Tartlets, Coconut Pie with crispy top, and Mini Chocolate Trifles with toasted coconut!
If you love coconut and you love pecans this is the cookie recipe for you! It's made super easy with just a few items that you probably already have in your pantry.
These cookies are the perfect addition to a holiday cookie tray, but we love them all year long. Just add a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk for a delicious treat.
If you're reading this you are most likely a coconut fan. Besides the usual desserts like coconut tartlets and crispy top coconut pie did you know that coconut can be amazing in other dishes?
We love the whole tropical vibe of this Grapefruit Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette and Old Fashioned Ambrosia is a true old-school southern recipe that you'll be crazy for. It may even bring back sweet childhood memories.
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Ingredient notes
We use self-rising flour for ease in these cookies and lots of recipes like our Banana Buttermilk Pancakes. If you don't keep it on hand you can always refer back to 3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits for the formula to replace self-rising flour. It's easy!
- Egg (large is standard)
- Brown Sugar - light or dark is fine
- Self-rising flour (see notes above)
- Cornstarch
- Butter - salted or unsalted is fine and it needs to be at room temperature
- Vanilla Extract
- Pecans - chopped pecans go in the cookie dough, but you can leave a few in halves for garnish if you like
- Coconut - sweetened coconut flakes
- Sugar - plain white granulated
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
How to make the cookies
- Toast your chopped pecans if you have time. This recipe can be made without toasting the pecans, but it really does give an element of flavor that's amazing. You can toast them in a small skillet on the stove top or in the oven, but stir them every few minutes for even toasting. The fragrance is the best way to tell when they're ready, but it should take no more than 8-9 minutes at medium heat.
- Mix the butter, sugars and vanilla together and then stir in the egg.
- Stir in the flour and cornstarch and then the chopped pecans and coconut.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Make cookie dough balls of about one and one-half Tablespoons and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Mash lightly with your fingers or a measuring cup and if desired, press a pecan half in the center.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or just until lightly browned.
- Cool on pan about 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to complete cooling.
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Pam's helpful tips
- It's always best to make baked goods with room temperature eggs. If you don't have time to set them out just put them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes prevents the cookies from spreading too fast in the hot oven and getting thin.
- Using a cookie scoop like this one gives consistently sized cookies.
- Lightly mashing the scoop of cookie dough with a glass or bottom of a measuring cup gives it a head start to being a nice round cookie.
- Take the cookies out of the oven when they are just lightly browned around the edges. They will still look a bit "gooey" in the center, but will cook slightly more after they come out. This results in a chewy cookie.
- A scoop this size makes cookies that are about 2.5". If you like a smaller cookie it will yield more total cookies. Just keep an eye on them in the oven as they will cook more quickly. Start checking at 8 minutes.
Variations
- Add about one half cup of chocolate chips to this recipe and you'll have awesome coconut pecan chocolate chip cookies!
- Use your favorite nut if you like, but around here pecans are king!
- Use almond extract instead of vanilla for a subtle flavor change.
- Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Everyone loves that salty/sweet contrast of flavors.
- If you love the flavor of browned butter you'll want to try Brown Butter Pecan Cookies. The recipe doesn't call for coconut, but you can certainly add it.
Recipes FAQ's
No secret here, but the ingredient we use is cornstarch.
The biggest factor here is cook time. Don't overbake your cookies. You should take them out of the oven when the edges are lightly browning and the center is still soft.
Most cookies, including this recipe do freeze well. Make sure they're completely cool and then seal them up tightly for freezing. They should be just fine for 2-3 months.
📖 Recipe
Coconut Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cup self-rising flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ cup chopped pecans + 20 halves for topping if desired
- ⅔ cup coconut flakes
Instructions
- Mix butter, sugars and vanilla. Stir in the egg.
- Mix in the flour and cornstarch until well blended. Stir in coconut and chopped pecans.
- Chill the dough for at least 30minutes.
- Make cookie dough balls about 1½ Tablespoons and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Mash the tops lightly and if desired, add a pecan half.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven when lightly browned on edges and centers are still moist.
- Cool on pan about 2 minutes and then move to a wire rack to complete cooling.
Notes
- Pecans can be toasted over medium heat on stove top or in oven about 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir several times to promote even toasting.
- Egg can be brought to room temperature by sitting in a bowl of warm water.
- Brown sugar can be light or dark.
- Butter can be salted or unsalted.
Nutrition
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K says
Looks delicious!