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.
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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 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!
Now my husband DOES NOT like raisins AT ALL, like ever, in anything. So, 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?
Then I had a flashback. Wooh, swirly lines, going back in time….
OK, so now we’re back in the 1980s in my parents’ kitchen and my father is making oatmeal cookies with walnuts and COCONUT.
Ahh..I remember the deliciousness of the coconut. Thank you time machine for that memory spark; now let’s get back to the present.
OK, thank goodness. I think my hair was getting too big in that dream sequence.
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
Preheat the oven to 350º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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.
In another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Be sure to use the spoon and level method to measure the flour.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
Stir to combine.
Fold in oats, pecans and coconut until well combined.
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.
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!
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.
Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Cookies
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.
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)
Suggested Equipment/Tools
Notes
Nutrition
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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! 🙂