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These coconut pecan cookies bake up chewy and dense with toasty coconut edges and plenty of roasted pecans. Melted butter keeps the mixing simple (no creaming step) while the brown/white sugar combo gives you crisp edges and a soft center. Top each cookie with a pecan half so they look as good as they taste.
If you like the pecan-and-coconut combo in these, my Cowboy Cookies are another great option with the same flavors in a heartier, loaded cookie.
Here’s Why This Coconut Pecan Cookie Recipe Works
Melted butter = chew cookies. It mixes fast and gives you a denser, chewier cookie than a whipped, airy dough.
Roasted pecans pull their weight. Raw pecans can taste flat; roasting brings out the deep, nutty flavor you actually want.
Coconut adds texture, not just sweetness. Sweetened shredded coconut gives chew in the center and toasty edges.
Brown + white sugar is the right balance. Brown sugar keeps them soft; granulated sugar helps the edges crisp and brown.
If you love these cookies, try my pecan tassies or my maple pecan cookies.
Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour: Flour is the backbone here, and too much of it is the fastest way to end up with dry cookies. If you aren’t weighing it, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off.
Baking soda: This recipe uses baking soda for spread and browning. Make sure it’s evenly mixed into the flour (and not clumpy). A little baking soda lump can leave a bitter bite in an otherwise great cookie.
Butter: Salted or unsalted is fine here. I’ve made them both ways. Just know that salted butter varies by brand so if your butter is exceptionally salty, cut back a bit on the added salt.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar keeps the cookies soft and adds that deeper caramel flavor.
Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar helps the edges crisp and encourages browning. Together with brown sugar, you get chewy centers and golden edges.
Pecans: Roasting the pecans brings out the nutty flavor and keeps the cookies from tasting flat.
Sweetened shredded coconut: Sweetened coconut adds chew and toasty edges, plus extra sweetness.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla rounds out the butter, sugar, and nuts so the flavor tastes fuller instead of just sweet.
Recipe Tips
Don’t pack the flour. If you’re not weighing it, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off. Packing flour is how cookies turn into hockey pucks.
Break up the baking soda. If it’s clumpy, strain it or whisk it aggressively into the flour. Bitter baking soda pockets are a real thing.
Damp hands, not wet. Damp helps you roll the dough cleanly; wet hands add extra moisture and make the dough slippery.
Pull them early. Take them out when the edges are browned and the centers still look soft. They finish setting on the pan.
I am sure you will love these blueberry white chocolate cookies too.
Pecan Coconut Cookies
These are the cookies you make when you want buttery, toasty, crisp edges, chewy-in-the-middle cookies. Make a batch, hide a few, and let everyone else fight over the rest.
If you want another dessert with pecans and coconut, but with a generous dose of chocolate, my Nanaimo Bars are the next thing to make.
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Coconut Pecan Cookies
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Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, 480 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, 200 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar, 100 grams
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans, roasted and chopped
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Sift or whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- Add the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed for 2 minutes, until well combined, stopping the motor and scraping the sides and bottom after 1 minute.
- Stir in the chopped pecans and the shredded coconut.
Shape and Bake:
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie. With damp hands, roll the dough into a ball and place it on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Gently press a pecan half into the top of each one.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes until brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; then transfer to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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You have just combined two of my favourites in these cookies. I need a few for my tea now :-))
Yes, these are perfect with tea 😉