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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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! 🙂
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! 🙂
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! 🙂
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! 🙂