These simple coconut sugar cookies are packed with toasted coconut! They have that classic soft and chewy texture and with no chill time needed, the cookie recipe is ready in 30 minutes or less.
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Whether it's cake, cookies or pie; coconut is a well loved baking ingredient {at least at my house!}
With decades of sugar cookie baking in my history, I know a thing or two about making them, like these sprinkle cookies or buttercream sugar cookies. This is a drop sugar cookie recipe, which makes them quick and easy to make. I debated making this into a roll-out, cut-out sugar cookie, but we are all busy and the ease of a drop cookie won out! No chilling needed, just mix, scoop and bake.
The texture of these coconut sugar cookies is the best! They are not dry or cakey, but soft with a chewy center and they have a rich, buttery and coconut-y flavor, much like my white chocolate coconut cookies. They look like they came out of a bakery, but are seriously easy to make!
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🥥 can I use unsweetened coconut?
Yes, if you prefer a less sweet cookie, unsweetened coconut flakes can be substituted for the sweetened version.
💬 can I bake this recipe with coconut sugar instead of white sugar?
Yes, you can do a direct substitution of coconut sugar for granulated sugar. Coconut sugar will add more of a golden hue to the cookies and it has larger granules, which may result in a grainier textured cookie.
🛒 ingredients and substitutions
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
Coconut ~ sweetened coconut flakes can be found in the baking aisle and add to the chewy texture of these sugar cookies. I highly recommend toasting the coconut flakes, which adds a nuttier and richer coconut flavor to the cookies, but you can leave it un-toasted if you prefer.
Sugar ~ this cookie recipe is an old-fashioned sugar cookie, so we are making these cookies without brown sugar. Use your favorite brand of granulated sugar.
Butter ~ I have tested this recipe with both traditional butter and European butter and my testers loved the extra richness with European butter. Since sugar cookies don’t have a lot of ingredients, this is a great time to splurge on butter!
Baking soda and cream of tartar ~ the combination of these two leaveners adds to the soft and chewy texture of the coconut sugar cookies. If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.
👩🏻🍳 how to make instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F {150°C} place sweetened coconut flakes on a baking sheet {I line mine with parchment or aluminum foil} and bake in a 300°F oven for 5-8 minutes or until browned to your liking. Stir the coconut every couple of minutes to encourage even browning. You can also toast coconut in a flat skillet on the stovetop. Use a medium-low temperature and stir frequently until browned as desired, about 3-5 minutes. Remove coconut from oven or skillet and set aside.
Adjust oven to 350°F {177°C} and prepare two baking sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, beat the unsalted butter, granulated sugar and kosher salt and beat until lighter in color and combined. Scrape up and down the bowl.
Add the eggs, vanilla and coconut extract and beat on medium until combined.
Now add the baking soda and cream of tartar beat on medium until incorporated. Then add the all-purpose flour and mix on low until some streaks of flour remain, scraping the bowl once, if needed. Add the toasted coconut and mix in with a spatula.
Use a #30 cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place on the prepared baking pans. Bake until the edges are set and the center of the cookies look slightly underdone.
If desired, cookie scoot the cookies when hot out of the oven {use a large biscuit cutter or glass/mug and circle it around the hot cookies, bringing them to a perfect circle}. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for 3-5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
🫙 how to store
Cookies stay fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Toasted coconut sugar cookies freeze well, in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. This is by far my favorite way to store cookies for freshness. The cookies will thaw at room temperature in about 30 minutes.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Chewy Coconut Sugar Cookies Cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Chewy Coconut Sugar Cookies
These simple coconut sugar cookies are packed with toasted coconut! They have that classic soft and chewy texture and with no chill time needed, the cookie recipe is ready in 30 minutes or less.
I highly recommend using weight {metric} measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted (120g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) place sweetened coconut flakes (1cup/120g) on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment or aluminum foil) and bake in a 300°F oven for 5-8 minutes or until browned to your liking. Stir the coconut every couple of minutes to encourage even browning. Coconut can also be toasted in a flat skillet on the stovetop. Use a medium-low temperature and stir frequently until browned as desired, about 3-5 minutes. Remove coconut from oven or skillet and set aside.
- Adjust oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, beat the unsalted butter (1 cup/226g), granulated sugar (1 ½ cups/300g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) on low - medium-low until combined, then medium (speed 4 on a KitchenAid) for 2 minutes until lighter in color and combined. Scrape up and down the bowl.
- Add the eggs (2 large), vanilla (1 teaspoon) and coconut extract (1 teaspoon) and beat on medium until combined, about 30-60 seconds.
- Now add the baking soda (½ teaspoon) and cream of tartar (½ teaspoon) beat on medium until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Then add the all-purpose flour (3 cups/375g) and mix on low (stir on a KitchenAid) until some streaks of flour remain, scraping the bowl once, if needed. Add the toasted coconut and mix in with a spatula.
- Use a #30 cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (about 40g per cookie) and place on the prepared baking pans. I put 12 cookies on each pan.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the center of the cookies look slightly underdone. (I bake one pan at a time). If desired, cookie scoot the cookies when hot out of the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for 3-5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
If you only have salted butter, leave out the kosher salt.
If you only have table salt, use half the amount.
Cream of tartar can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of white vingear or lemon juice.
Coconut sugar cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
26Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 65mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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