These chewy coconut chocolate chip cookies are a brown sugar cookie dough packed with 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 1/4 cups of sweetened shredded coconut. They take about 27 minutes, and the recipe card counts 24 cookies. The edges toast where the coconut hits the hot pan, and the middles stay soft and bendy.
The trick is pulling them early. Take them out at 10 to 12 minutes, when the edges are golden and the centers still look pale. They finish setting on the warm sheet.
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- Oven: 350°F (175°C), two sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 10 to 12 minutes in the oven, about 27 minutes total
- Yield: 24 cookies by the card. A smaller scoop gives you more cookies, and those need about a minute less
- Scoop: a medium cookie scoop, or about 2 tablespoons of dough, set 2 inches apart
- Chew ratio: 1 cup packed brown sugar to 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Keeps: 4 days at room temperature, 3 months in the freezer (baked or as raw dough balls)
What Goes Into Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is a full butter dough: 1 cup (227 g) of softened unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) of packed brown sugar, and 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar holds on to moisture, and that is where the chew comes from. The white sugar helps the edges spread and crisp. When I tried versions with more flour and less butter, they came out cakey and dry, so this ratio stays.
Soft butter matters more than people think. It should press in easily under a finger but still hold its shape, which usually takes about an hour on the counter. Melted or microwaved butter gives you flat, greasy cookies. I use light brown sugar here. Dark brown sugar made the texture dense.
For the chips, semi-sweet or dark both work. The optional 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans adds crunch against the chewy coconut. For a nuttier cookie, mychocolate chip walnut cookies lean all the way into that.
Sweetened or Unsweetened Coconut for These Cookies?
Use sweetened shredded coconut if you can. It is moist and coated in sugar, so it keeps the cookies bendy and browns nicely at the edges. That toasted coconut edge is what makes these taste different from a plain chocolate chip cookie.
Unsweetened coconut works, but it is drier. Desiccated coconut soaks up moisture from the dough, so the cookies spread less and firm up faster. If that is what you have, use the same 100 g and check them at 10 minutes. They will taste a little less sweet and less caramel-like.
Want even more coconut flavor? Press a few extra flakes on top of each dough ball before baking. For a cookie that is mostly coconut, try my coconut macaroons or these softer coconut cookies.
Mixing and Scooping the Dough
Beat the butter with both sugars for 2 to 3 minutes, until it looks lighter in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Do not rush the creaming. Those few minutes of air give the cookies their lift and keep the centers soft.
Whisk the 2 1/4 cups (280 g) of flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add it to the butter mixture and mix only until you no longer see dry flour. Then fold in the chocolate chips, the coconut, and the nuts if using. The dough will be thick and stiff enough to scoop without slumping.
Spoon the flour into the cup and level it, or weigh it. Scooped and packed flour can add a few extra tablespoons, and that is the most common reason this dough bakes up cakey.
Scoop the dough onto the lined sheets, 2 inches apart. For the bakery look, press a few extra chips and coconut flakes on top. Bake on the middle rack. Baking two trays at once? Swap and turn them halfway so the coconut on top toasts evenly instead of scorching.
When to Pull Them From the Oven
Do not wait for the whole cookie to turn golden. By then they will be hard once cooled. Pull them when the edges are golden brown, the coconut on the rims looks toasted, and the centers are pale and slightly puffy. In my oven that is about 11 minutes.
Leave them on the hot sheet for 5 minutes. The centers settle and set during that time. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. If the first tray comes out too soft or too firm, adjust the next one by a minute.
Why Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies Turn Out Flat, Cakey, or Hard
- Flat and greasy: the butter was too soft or partly melted, or the kitchen is warm. Chill the scooped dough balls for 20 minutes and bake them cold.
- Cakey and dry: too much flour. Weigh 280 g or spoon and level it, and stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears.
- Hard after cooling: baked until the centers turned golden, or past 12 minutes. Pull them while the middles still look underdone.
- Coconut on top too dark: the tray sat on the top rack. Bake on the middle rack and rotate halfway.
- Thin dark bottoms: a dark pan with no liner. Use parchment or a silicone mat.
Keeping Them Chewy for Days
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The coconut keeps them moist, so they soften a little but hold their shape. To bring back crisp edges, warm them in a 300°F oven for 3 to 4 minutes.
For make-ahead baking, refrigerate the dough overnight and scoop it cold the next day. Or freeze the scooped dough balls on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes. Baked cookies freeze for 3 months too.
Coconut and chocolate also go together in homemade Bounty bars, chocolate coconut fudge, or the layered coconut dream bars. For chocolate cookies with coconut and no chips, see my chocolate coconut cookies.
Coconut Cookie Questions
What makes chocolate chip coconut cookies chewy?
More brown sugar than white (1 cup to 1/2 cup), moist sweetened coconut, and pulling them at 10 to 12 minutes while the centers still look pale.
Do I need to chill this dough?
No. The card bakes it right away. Chill the scooped dough for 20 minutes only if it feels soft or greasy, or your kitchen is warm.
Can I use coconut flakes instead of shredded coconut?
Yes. Larger flakes give more visible coconut and crisp up more on top. Chop them a little if they are very long so the dough holds together.
How is this different from a regular chocolate chip cookie?
The 1 1/4 cups of coconut adds chew, sweetness, and toasted edges. For a plain version, my best chocolate chip cookies are the place to start.
Pin this one to your cookie board so the chew ratio and bake time are there next time. If you swap the coconut or add nuts, tell me in the comments how it went.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These chewy coconut chocolate chip cookies are a brown sugar cookie dough made with butter, chocolate chips, and sweetened shredded coconut. They take about 27 minutes and make 24 cookies with toasted coconut edges and soft, bendy centers. The chew comes from 1 cup of packed brown sugar to 1/2 cup of white sugar and from pulling the cookies at 10 to 12 minutes, while the centers still look pale. Bake these chocolate chip coconut cookies for lunchboxes, cookie trays, bake sales, or gift jars, or add walnuts or pecans for crunch. Keep them in an airtight container for 4 days, or freeze baked cookies or raw dough balls for 3 months.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups (270g) chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark)
- 1 1/4 cups (100g) sweetened shredded coconut
- Optional:
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Extra shredded coconut or chocolate chips for topping
Instructions
- PREHEAT AND PREP: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGARS: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes using an electric mixer.
- ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- FOLD IN THE GOOD STUFF: Gently fold in the chocolate chips and shredded coconut. If using, add the chopped nuts at this stage. The cookie dough will be thick.
- SCOOP AND BAKE: Use a medium cookie scoop or two tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. For a bakery-style look, press a few extra chocolate chips or coconut flakes on top of each cookie before baking.
- BAKE: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look just set. The centers may appear slightly underbaked but will continue to cook on the baking sheet.
- COOL: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
Pull the cookies when the edges are golden and the centers still look pale; they finish setting during the 5 minute rest on the baking sheet. Spoon and level the flour or weigh 280 g; too much flour makes them cakey. Sweetened coconut keeps the cookies moist; if you use unsweetened desiccated coconut, check them at 10 minutes. If the dough feels greasy or your kitchen is warm, chill the scooped dough balls for 20 minutes. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To freeze, place baked cookies or raw scooped dough in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough directly from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 396Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 12gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 38mgSodium 173mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 3gSugar 29gProtein 5g
