These soft and chewy oatmeal coconut pecan cookies are so dangerously delicious, you won't be able to eat just one! They're perfect for snacking or having for dessert. Enjoy them with the family, bring them to a party or bake up a batch (or two) for a bake sale.
Oatmeal with pecans. That’s what I eat for breakfast most weekday mornings as I sit at my desk preparing for the work day. It’s an easy and healthy breakfast to make at the office and it’s more satisfying than a cereal bar.
One morning, while I was enjoying my oatmeal and rummaging through emails, I thought how much more enjoyable oatmeal with pecans would be in the form of a cookie!
Time to begin planning my recipe!
I usually make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies instead of oatmeal raisin.
But I knew I did not want to add chocolate to this cookie. I wanted a different flavor, with just a touch of sweetness, but what could it be? I remember my father making oatmeal cookies with coconut and walnuts, but didn't have any walnuts in my pantry. But, i had pecans! so, an idea had formed! Lo and behold, the oatmeal coconut pecan cookie recipe!
So, once it was established that the cookies will consist of oatmeal, pecans and COCONUT, I was ready to begin.
Getting the correct measurements of the base ingredients is just as important as what’s being added to the cookie (i.e. raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.).
It can greatly affect whether your cookies are soft or crunchy or if they are light or dense.
The measurements were tested a few times until the Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Cookies came out absolutely perfect. The final result was soft, chewy and absolutely DELICIOUS!
How to make oatmeal coconut pecan cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 350º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients: Add butter, brown sugar, granulated or cane sugar, eggs and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
Use a spoon or an electric hand mixer to beat the wet ingredients until well combined.
3. Mix Dry Ingredients: In another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Be sure to use the spoon and level method to measure the flour.
4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
Stir to combine.
5. Fold in oats, pecans and coconut until well combined.
Use a cookie scoop (I used a slightly overfilled #40 disher) to scoop out dough.
7. Roll the cookie dough into balls and place the dough balls onto the baking sheet.
8. Baking Time: Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Enjoy!
How to make your oatmeal cookies soft
If your cookie dough seems dry, try adding in more wet ingredients such as ¼ tablespoon butter. You can also add 1 teaspoon applesauce.
How to make your oatmeal coconut cookies less sweet
Instead of using sweetened coconut flakes, substitute with unsweetened coconut flakes.
Can I make these vegan and gluten-free?
Although I haven't tried making this particular recipe vegan or gluten-free, I do have a similar cookie recipe that is both vegan and gluten-free. These oat flour cookies are made with chocolate chips, but you can swap out the chips for pecans as noted in the variations listed in the recipe card.
For another gluten-free vegan oatmeal cookie recipe, check out these peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed (can use organic dark brown sugar if preferred)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (can use organic cane sugar if preferred)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (can use unsweetened shredded coconut if preferred)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can grease the baking sheet with a little butter if preferred.
- Use a spoon or an electric hand mixer to beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated or cane sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
- In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Stir flour mixture into butter mixture, being sure not to overmix.
- Fold in oats, pecans and coconut.
- Use a cookie scoop (I used a slightly overfilled #40 disher) to scoop out dough. Roll the dough into balls and place the dough balls onto the baking sheet. Alternatively, you can scoop out with your hands and roll into balls that are between 1 ¼" and 1 ½" in diameter. If you find the dough is a bit sticky to work with, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes before scooping.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Heather
The best oatmeal cookies I have ever had! I added raisins too.
Shelby Stanczyk
Even the dough tasted so good can’t imagine how good they are going to taste when I can eat them out of the oven
Linda
I gave your cookies, a 10 They are the best tasting cookies I ever ate
Sireesha
Thank you so much for your kind review!
Kim
These cookies are too dry for my liking. Other than that, they are ok for me. May need to add a little more wet ingredients. I will try another batch at a later date.
Sireesha
Sorry to hear that! For your next batch, I suggest adding in dark brown sugar since it has more moisture than regular sugar. You can also try taking them out of the oven at the 10 minute mark so that they are little bit more soft and chewy. Let us know how your next batch turns out!
Penny Decker
These tasted wonderful. I added some leftover toffee pieces. These were definitely not dry as mentioned. I subbed a little more more sugar for the white sugar and would not have had to. I let them almost cool completely on rack.
Penny Decker
Don't know what I was thinking. Cooled on pan.
Claudia
This is one of my favorites for bake sales. Of course I have to taste each batch. 😃
Sireesha Atluri
Let me know how it goes!
Monique
Being gluten-free and dairy free often I have to adapt recipes so I made these delicious cookies with gluten-free flour (I like Pamela’s) and Becel vegan butter. When using margarine the dough is pretty soft so it’s better to cool down the dough before baking to prevent the dough from spreading out too much. These are amazing and I will make them again. Yummy!!!
Andi
These are swoon worthy! Perfect! Easy and made a ton! Most cookies are just too sweet. These are perfect.
Lisa
I toasted both the pecans and the coconut. Finally an oatmeal cookie I like!
Karen
These cookies are outstanding!! Everyone loves them! Addictive! I chose not to roll them into a ball after I scooped and they turned out perfect for me. This recipe is definitely going into my cookie rotation and favorite recipes book!! Thanks for sharing!! ❤️
Jenifer
Holy cow these are delicious! Thought I was a chocolate chip cookie kind of girl but these may be some of the best cookies I've baked. I only used half the vanilla called for, I didn't realize I was low on it but think the full amount would have made it that much better. Also used 1 1/2 sticks of butter and minute oats since that's what I had. So good!
Sherri Hall
Thank you so much, Jenifer! I am so happy you enjoyed these cookies and thank you for sharing your modifications! 🙂
Cheryl S
These have a great taste. Stay soft. The only sticking point for me is the oats didn't soft enough for my taste. I think next batch I will add the oats to the wet ingredients. I also used one stick of butter and a cup of applesauce. Really good cookie.
Nancy Sullivan
Followed the recipe exactly. Maybe a dash more vanilla because the bottle had less than a quarter teaspoon remaining. COOKIES ARE AMAZING. Thanks
Nadine Purvis Schmidt
Just made these today - delicious! I was craving something with oatmeal and pecans, but didn't want raisins or chocolate chips, and it's so hard to find oatmeal cookie recipes without those. I also really like the texture of old-fashioned oats, so these were perfect for what I was looking for! Thanks for a great recipe!
Sherri Hall
Thanks so much, Nadine! So happy you enjoyed the cookies! Have an amazing day! 🙂
Nicki
I just made these cookies. They are delicious! Nice and chewy and not too sweet. I'm in cookie heaven! (And really full now. ?)
Thanks for the recipe.
Sherri Hall
Thank you so much, Nicki! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Nan Meunier
I only have quick oats, have you tried that or absolutely necessary to use old fashioned oats
Sherri Hall
Hi Nan! Thanks for reaching out! I have not tried that; however, I do think it will work but it most likely will change the overall texture a little since quick oats are smaller. Hope that helps! 🙂
Pamela
That was also my question 🤔 because I only have a big container of the quick oats. I LOOOVE pecans and I have a good oatmeal cookie recipe, but these sounded good with the coconut. I certainly hope they will be great especially since we have to watch what we spend in this economy nowadays 😔.
Thank y'all so much!
JennE
These are OMG good! I used 3/4 tsp vanilla and 3/4 tsp coconut extract (because I had it and love coconut). No other changes except I did not roll them. I chilled the dough 30 minutes and used scooped them onto the cookie sheet. Maybe the best cookie I ever ate!!! Thank you!
Sherri Hall
Thanks so much, Jenn! That means a lot! So happy you enjoyed the cookies so much! Thank you for sharing and hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
Mike Sr
Hi, I have the last batch in the oven as I am typing this. The house smells terrific! We like coconut, pecans and oatmeal cookies individually so all these together is a match made in heaven. I do have one question........I did follow the recipe to a "T". The batter dough was very sticky and I was unable to roll into balls after scooping (I used a slightly over filled #40 disher as you did) so II just scooped and deposited the dough onto my parchment lined baking pans. I was just wondering is the 3 Tbs of vanilla correct? I usually do not see that much in a recipe this size and if it is in fact correct could some additional flour be added to stiffen up the dough so it can be scooped and then rolled as you direct? Otherwise a great cookie!
Sherri Hall
Hi Mike! So glad you like the cookies! 🙂 For the vanilla extract, it should be 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons)...is that what you used? And yes, some more flour could be added to fix it, but if it is sticky again next time, I would first recommend refrigerating it for about 30 minutes to firm it up. After that, if it's still sticky, then go ahead and mix in a little bit more flour. Hope that helps!
Mike Sr
I did use 1 Tbs of vanilla. I will chill the dough next time. We are enjoying them right this minute! It apparently did not effect the the flavor, the dough just could not be rolled as you suggested and they spread little too much. I'm sure next batch will be 100% instead of 99.9! Thank you.
Sherri Hall
That's great to hear, Mike! I am going to make a note about chilling them if the dough is too sticky in case anyone else comes across the same issue. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Happy Holidays to you and your family! 🙂
Gloria
Hi, has anyone made these ahead of time? Can they be frozen to later bake?
D. C. Washington
Made these for Mother's day and they were fantastic. The only thing I did different was use a scoop instead of making the balls. Cooking time was a couple mins longer and the yield was 2.5 dz. But the cookies were a huge hit.
Sherri Hall
Thanks so much for sharing, D.C.! So happy the cookies were a hit for Mother's Day...yay! 🙂
Dolores Anchando
S. Hall I love these cookies coconut pecan cookies but what can I do for the butter if I don’t have unsalted can I sub regular butter and omit the salt to still make them ? Thank you Dolores A.
Sherri Hall
Hi Dolores! Yes, you can use salted butter if you don't have unsalted. I've done it before and it still works. Baked goods usually require unsalted butter because brands use different amounts of salt in their butters, but it won't hurt anything to use the salted butter. I wouldn't omit the salt completely in the recipe though; you can keep it at 1/2 teaspoon or lower it to 1/4 teaspoon if you'd like. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the cookies. Have a great day! 🙂
bruce robinson
Haven,t made the cookies yet but an in the process as I write this. I so
much enjoyed reading the comments.Some really nice people out there.I like dry crisp cookis but may add a try amout of apple sauce.Keep cooking and hi to you
all for nice kind statements. Bruce
Sherri Hall
Hi Bruce! Hope you enjoyed them! Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Holidays to you! 🙂
Kathy
I also added finely chopped fresh cranberries. About a cup or so. They were delicious. You can't go wrong with coconut, pecans and cranberries.
Sherri Hall
That sounds fantastic, Kathy! Love the addition of cranberries! Thanks for the suggestion! Happy Holidays! 🙂
Sara Herr
I would love to make t his into a jar recipe. Any tips?
Sherri Hall
Hi Sara! I never tried it, but I'd suggest combining the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and then adding that flour mixture as the first layer of the jar. Then, I'd add the brown sugar, followed by the granulated sugar, then the oats, then pecans and lastly the coconut, firmly packing down each layer as you go. When you give the directions, I would change instructions #2-5 to say: "Use a spoon to mix together 1 cup softened unsalted butter, 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Add contents of jar and stir to combine, ensuring ingredients are well-incorporated but being careful not to overmix." Instruction #1 and instructions #6-9 can remain the same. Hope that helps and good luck! I'd love to see a photo when you finish if you'd like to share! Happy Holidays!
Pat McCall
GREAT IDEA ! ILOVE THIS COOKIE! FOODLION sells one
Made in the store so similar.. how great would it be to give this as a jar gift at Christmas time ! ??Pat Mc
Sherri Hall
Thanks so much, Pat! We don't have a Food Lion where we live, but if I ever come across one, I'll have to check it out. 🙂 And, yes that's a great idea for gifting! Hope you have an awesome day! ♥
Patty brandts
I am confused on the butter amount. 17 TBSP is 2cups of butter. Please clarify! Going to make them for tonite.
Sherri Hall
Hi Patty! Thanks for reaching out. Two sticks of butter (equivalent to 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) is used in the dough and the other 1 tablespoon is for greasing the cookie sheet. Hope that helps! Enjoy and have a great night! 🙂
Ashley
I can’t wait to make these! Could you use walnuts instead? Thank you!
Sherri Hall
Thanks Ashley! Yes, you can definitely use walnuts if you prefer them! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Patti Kessler
I made these tonight and they are delicious. A new family favourite.
Sherri Hall
Yay! That's awesome Patti! So glad your family enjoyed them! 🙂
Tamah DePriest
Hi! I pinned your recipe because I love the oatmeal and coconut combined. Then when I read through your post I saw your daughter's name, Jovie. My granddaughter's name is Jovie also, so we MUST try these cookies together. They look delicious!
Sherri Hall
Hi Tamah! That's so cool! We were inspired to name Jovie from the movie, Elf...not sure how your granddaughter was given the name, but I'd love to know! Please tell me how you and Jovie enjoy the cookies! I'm so happy you found us! 🙂 Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Tanya
HI!
I have a low fat diet and am wondering if you have tried substituting some of the butter with apple sauce?
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Tanya! I haven't tried doing so with this recipe. However, I've read that you can use half butter and half applesauce, so in this case, 8 tablespoons of butter and 8 tablespoons of applesauce. I know it will add additional moisture so they might be more likely to fall apart. If you do try it, let me know how it works. Thanks! Hope you have a nice weekend!
Lyd
Easy recipe, made them in a mixer. Next time, I will make them in a bowl with a spoon.
The taste was perfectly incredible, but the texture was a bit dry and crunchy for my taste.
The next batch I make by hand, will hopefully come out a bit softer and a little more chewier, perhaps I overmixed a bit. Great recipe overall!
Thanks for the generous Pin!
Watch Learn Eat
Thanks so much, Lyd! I'm glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Monica
I love your recipe and am going to try to make some i will let you know how they came out
Watch Learn Eat
Thanks Monica! Hope you enjoy! Have a great day! 🙂
Jaimee
If I leave out the coconut do I need to replace it with something else?
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Jaimee! You can use some more pecans (maybe another 1/2 cup) or another add-in such as chocolate chips or just leave it out. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
PAinAZ
Could be the way flour is measured...as in if you scoop your flour with the measuring cup, then level it off, it will have more flour than if it's spooned into the measuring cup then leveled off. I used to have the same experience with my cookies until I saw a tutorial by America's Test Kitchen that said it's important to spoon flour into the measuring cup, to not get too much flour in the recipe.
Kalyn Hardesty
I made these cookies today and decided to dip the bottoms in chocolate! So good!! Thank you for the recipe.
Watch Learn Eat
That sounds fantastic, Kalyn! Great idea! Thanks so much for making our recipe! Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Sue Cramer
How come these cookies never spread out like the picture. Put on cookie sheet in balls and they flattened a tiny bit but not like a cookie. Why. This isn’t the only cookie I have this problem with.
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Sue; I'm not sure why they didn't flatten as much as in the photograph; however, from my own experience, when the dough has been refrigerated or the butter was not completely softened, my cookies come out more puffy and less flat. The other thing you might want to try is pressing the dough balls down a little after you place them on the sheet before they go into the oven. Hope that helps!
Vickie
Have been making these very addictive cookies a few months now....my family loves them. Everytime we give them as a gift or take them anywhere people LOVE them! I just wanted to add that at Christmas time we made your recipe exactly and then threw in a handful of dried cranberries to make them festive! They turned out awesome! A huge success! (Sorry I do not have a more exact measurement. We just eye-balled it). Your recipe is such a keeper...thanks!
Watch Learn Eat
Thanks so much Vickie; that means a lot to us! Wow; adding dried cranberries sounds amazing - we will have to try them! 🙂
Tammy
Do you think raisins could be added successfully?
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Tammy, Yes, I think raisins can be added but you might want to use less coconut and less pecans to balance the flavor and sweetness. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy! 🙂
Kay
Hi! I want to make this recipe ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. Do you think it will be alright??
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Kay! So sorry for the delay; I was very sick this weekend and just saw your comment. Yes, you can definitely refrigerate it overnight. I would just leave it out for about 10 minutes or so before you use it, so it's not so hard to work with. Hope you enjoy!
Kay
These cookies are addictive. Making another batch for the family. Thanks so much for your help and I hope you are much better now.
Watch Learn Eat
Thank you so much Kay! I'm so glad you are enjoying them! And, yes I feel much better; thank you! Happy Holidays! 🙂
SYLVIAJ
I had these cookies at a church potluck and Had to have the recipe! They are delicious!
Watch Learn Eat
Thank you Sylvia! Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
shelley
Made these added chocolate chips for a variation on german chocolate cake, finger style. Yummy
Watch Learn Eat
Awesome, Shelley! Adding chocolate chips sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Susan
Would the oatmeal happen to be quick oats or old fashion ?? Thank for the recipe ..
Susan
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 The recipe uses old-fashioned oats. I'll make the change in the recipe card too. Thanks for asking and hope you enjoy!
Susan
Great cookies!!! The pecan flavor really come through. I added mini chocolate chips for a twist. Yum! Yum! Thanks!
Watch Learn Eat
Thank you so much, Susan! The addition of the mini chocolate chips sounds fabulous! So happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
Charles
Hey Sherri & Greg! Just wanted to drop a note to say hi and let you know I've adapted this recipe with a cuban inspired twist. Based in Miami at the moment and have been trying out recipes in the kitchen. I think I might have created a frankenstein but so far taste testers have loved it. Wanna say thanks for sharing this recipe. Absolutely grateful. I've linked back in my blog to this recipe too, just to make sure credit to given. Let me know what you think! =) Have a great weekend!
Here's the link to my adapted recipe,
http://www.aussieporean.com/main/2016/8/31/cuban-inspired-guayaba-cookies
Watch Learn Eat
Thank you so much, Charles! We are so glad you enjoyed it that much and are honored to have had it inspire you to make a new creation! We checked out your recipe and it looks so awesome! Love the Cuban flair you gave to it! Have a great weekend as well! 🙂
Roxie
I followed the recipe and my cookies came out flat. Any idea what went wrong?
Watch Learn Eat
Sorry to hear that Roxie. There are a number of reasons why cookies can flatten or spread, such as overmixing, the butter being too soft or melted or the dough being too warm. Other causes are a hot pan or baking at a high altitude. One way to fix this would be to refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes before using and continue to refrigerate in between baking rounds. You can also use two different pans to ensure the pan is not too hot before baking the next round. Instead of using melted butter on the pan, you can also use parchment paper if you want. Another trick is to try making the dough "balls" higher instead of perfectly round, but still using the same amount of dough per cookie. If you are at a high altitude, I would lower the amount of butter called for by 2 or 3 tablespoons.
I hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any additional questions and how they come out next time. Have a great day! 🙂
Leah
Hi. Love this recipe would like your permission to enter them in our local fair..?
Watch Learn Eat
Hi Leah! Thanks for reaching out and for your interest in my recipe! You have my permission to enter them into your local fair, and I wish you good luck! Please let me know how you do with your submission! Also, if the recipe is going to be featured in any publications, please have the publication credit Watch Learn Eat. Thanks again and best wishes!
BevLan
As I live in a metric country, I would need to know how many grams of butter you use in this recipe. Cups of butter would also be useful....but certainly not the measurement of '2 sticks of butter'. So, another search for a similar cookie needed. Too bad.
Watch Learn Eat
Hi BevLan! Thank you for pointing out this oversight. I have subsequently made the correction. Each stick of butter is 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup. Therefore, you would need 1 cup of butter. Again, thank you for noticing.
Mary
Thank you for sharing your recipe.. I just finished making your recipe and they are delicious my friend couldn't quit eating them. Delicious with a cup of coffee.
Watch Learn Eat
Thank you Mary! I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Beth
Very tasty cookies. I'm not much of a coconut fan but, these cookies don't overpower the tastebuds with coconut. They have more of a pecan flavor. Thanks for sharing.
Watch Learn Eat
Thanks Beth! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Your cookies look so crunchy and delicious Sherri. Love your cute helpers! So now I need about a dozen or so cookies and a glass of milk....little bed time snack. 🙂
Watch Learn Eat
Thank you so much Allie! They had a lot of fun making them!:)
Laura @MotherWouldKnow
Love the recipe, but honestly it's easy to find oatmeal cookie recipes. What's not so easy to find are photos that make one smile, like those of your daughter learning the joys of baking. Now want a photo of her eating the cookies! (Her smile is infectious:)
Watch Learn Eat
Thanks Laura! I'll try to get a shot of the kids chowing down! 🙂
Karen
I’ve pinned this recipe a while back. I made a batch for new neighbors, then again for other new neighbors. Someone commented at a gathering that these cookies are so good, they would consider moving again to get more! Delicious cookies. I get better results Baking on parchment paper. Thank you for sharing it.
Sherri Hall
Oh, that's wonderful to hear, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I really appreciate you stopping by and sharing! Hope you have an awesome rest of your week! 🙂