These chocolate chip coconut cookies have an irresistible chewy texture, chunks of gooey chocolate chips, and a little bit of desiccated coconut. This coconut cookie recipe is perfect for the huge coconut fan - drawing from the traditional flavors and ingredients of a classic chocolate chip cookie with coconut flavor.
⭐ For more chocolate chip cookies try our banana oatmeal cookies, classic chocolate chip cookies, and macadamia nut cookies.
Jump To
Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Butter - Softened butter at room temperature. Unsalted butter is best.
- Sugar - Brown sugar (light brown sugar or dark brown sugar) and white sugar. Coconut sugar could also be used as a substitute as it is often considered a healthier alternative to refined sugars.
- Eggs - Large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract - Almond extract can be used instead. Use pure vanilla extract and not the artificial kind (the flavor is different plus full of bad-for-you fillers).
- Flour - All-purpose flour or a gluten-free blend with xanthan gum. For this recipe I've also tried GF Flour Blend Schar.
- Baking soda - Check the expiry date of this ingredient to ensure a good rise in the cookies.
- Salt - Sea salt is great for sprinkling on the top of the cookies as well as being added to the dough.
- Unsweetened coconut - Use coconut flakes or shredded coconut (desiccated coconut). You’ll need more coconut shavings or shred for the tops of the cookies.
- Chocolate chips - Semi-sweet chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips can be used instead.
📋 Flour - You can use gluten free or regular wheat flour here. The results are very similar, it is hard to tell which one is GF. In the past I've made these cookies with my homemade gluten free flour blend and Schar flour. Both give delicious results!
Instructions
Cream together butter and sugars. Beat on low with an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Gradually add egg and vanilla. Mix on low until combined. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Whisk to combine and in batches, add to wet ingredients. Beat on low until just combined.
Fold in chocolate chips and coconut. Freeze the cookie dough for 30 minutes or fridge for longer until the dough resembles ‘’playdough’’.
The dough will be sticky in the beginning so we need to chill it first otherwise it is hard to form cookie dough balls and the cookies will spread too much.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Form about 1 ½ tablespoons sized cookie dough balls and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Don’t press down.
Bake for 10-12 minutes (the time may vary due to different ovens). Once the cookies are baked, press more coconut and chocolate chips on top (personal preference and only for visual).
The cookies will have a soft center inside with a slightly crisp exterior. Once they cool down they will set well and the texture inside remains soft, and buttery.
Let the cookies stand in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Recommended Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- Silicone baking mat or brown parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
- Mixing Bowls
- Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
Tips
- I recommend chilling the cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. This will reduce the sticky texture of the cookie batter and help the cookies to keep their shape and reduce spreading while baking.
- Typically, cookies with gluten-free flour will be more tender and softer than regular wheat flour cookies. This of course, will vary a bit with different flour brands. Only use GF flour from trusted, tested and popular brands for any GF baking recipe.
- I used dark sugar for a darker-looking and caramel-flavored cookie.
- Allow the butter and eggs to reach room temperature for easy mixing.
- The combination of white granulated sugar and brown sugar creates a crispy outer edge and a soft buttery center. Don’t omit the one sugar, as this will affect the taste and texture of these cookies.
- Cookie scoops are a great tool to use for creating uniform-sized cookies. A medium cookie scoop is a good size for these cookies.
- Unlike with my oatmeal pecan cookies, don’t press these cookies down - they will flatten naturally in the oven anyway.
- Only bake these cookies until they are slightly golden brown on the edges but still soft in the center. These cookies will look underbaked once taken out from the oven, let them cool and set completely on a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This will help prevent the freshly baked cookies from falling apart.
- Gently press extra chocolate chips and coconut flakes into the tops of the cookies immediately after they have baked while still soft.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store. These soft coconut cookies remain soft for several days. Cool the cookies before storing them completely. Store at room temperature for 2-4 days or refrigerate for longer.
- To Freeze. Let the cookies cool and store them in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- To Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough, roll it into balls and flash freeze on a baking sheet until the cookies become firm. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 months. When ready to bake, defrost in the fridge overnight, let come to room temperature and continue with recipe instructions for baking.
FAQs
The brown sugar in these cookies provides moisture which makes them soft with a chewy center while the white sugar helps the cookies to spread and crisp in the oven. Remember to store your cookies in an airtight container to keep them from drying out.
These coconut chocolate chip cookies contain softened butter, eggs, flour, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, unsweetened coconut, and chocolate chips.
Double chocolate chip refers to cookie dough made with chocolate chips and cocoa powder. While I’ve made regular chocolate chip cookies in this recipe with vanilla cookie dough, you could easily adapt these cookies to make double chocolate chip cookies by adding some cocoa powder to the raw cookie dough.
Remember that an additional dry ingredient added to this cookie dough may affect the moisture level in these cookies.
Easy Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
For all baking recipes, hop on to our Desserts collection.
💗I hope you'll enjoy this coconut chocolate chip cookie recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations! 💗
Happy Baking,
Love,
Julia
I would appreciate it so much if you left a comment about this recipe below! Subscribe to join the TYB newsletter and receive free recipes straight to your inbox! Let's connect via Facebook, IG & Pinterest!
Recipe
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 8 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar, see notes)
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg (room temp)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup flour (or GF flour blended with xanthan gum)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup coconut flakes or shredded coconut (desiccated coconut)
- More coconut shavings or shreds on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl combine butter and sugars. Beat on low with an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually add egg and vanilla. Mix on low until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Whisk to combine and in batches add to wet ingredients. Beat on low until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and coconut. Freeze the cookie dough for 30 minutes or fridge for longer until the dough resembles ‘’playdough’’. The dough will be sticky in the beginning so we need to chill it first otherwise it is hard to form cookie dough balls and the cookies will spread too much.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Form about 1 ½ tablespoons sized cookie dough balls and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Don’t press down.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes (the time may vary due to different ovens). Once the cookies are baked, press more coconut and chocolate chips on top (personal preference and only for visual).
- The cookies will have a soft center inside with a slightly crisp exterior. Once they cool down they will set well and the texture inside remains soft, and buttery.
- Let the cookies stand in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Enjoy a classic chocolate chip cookie with added coconut flavor!