Treat yourself with these golden brown Coconut Pecan Cookies! They are simple to throw together after a long day at work or if you have last minute guests coming over. These delicious coconut cookies with pecans will fill your house with an irresistible aroma of nutty, warm-spiced goodness in 30 minutes or less!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- It’s quick and easy with minimal equipment required so it's perfect to bake any day of the week.
- The coconut, pecans and brown butter create a rich, satisfying flavor combination with a crisp edge and great chew.
- This coconut pecan cookies recipe is foolproof, so once you’ve got the technique down, it is endlessly customizable with different add-ins!
- They're a great dessert to enjoy any time of year, but especially in the fall with their warm flavors - just like my maple pecan cookies and cowboy chocolate chip cookies!
Ingredients
- Cinnamon and cardamom are the spices that give these cookies their warm, fall flavor!
- Unsalted butter will be cooked over the stove until it gives off a nutty aroma which pairs so well with the pecans and adds even more warmth to these cookies.
- Brown sugar is my favorite to use in this recipe because of the extra flavor it has from the tiny bit of molasses. Light or dark brown sugar work so feel free to use whatever you have on hand!
- Unsweetened shredded coconut: Coconut flakes can also be used.
- Chopped pecans are the star of this recipe! These are typically found in the baking aisle of the grocery store.
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- These coconut cookies with pecans can be made in various sizes depending on the cookie scoop or spoon you use. Try making a mini version using a tablespoon size scoop and check the cookies after about 6 minutes of baking.
- Any kind of nut can be substituted for the pecans. I would recommend trying walnuts or pistachios for a fun twist!
- You can try other add-ins as well such as toffee bits or white chocolate chips.
- If you want to add even more coconut flavor, you can substitute ½ of the butter with unrefined coconut oil.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do replace any ingredients, please let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
Step by Step Instructions
Step One (Picture 1 above) - Cook the butter in a small saucepan on medium-low heat while stirring constantly. Once it starts to turn brown on the bottom and give off a nutty scent, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, stir together the brown butter and brown sugar well, then add the egg and vanilla.
Step Two (Picture 2 above) - In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Then mix in the coconut and pecans so they are evenly distributed.
Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Using a large cookie scoop, place coconut pecan cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet and bake at 350°F/177°C until edges start to tan (about 9-12 minutes).
Expert Baking Tips
Tip #1 - Weighing your dry ingredients using a kitchen scale is more precise than using a measuring cup and will lead to a more consistent cookie each time you make this recipe. If you don't have a scale, make sure you spoon your dry ingredients into the measuring cups and level off the top using a straight edge such as a bench scraper or the flat edge of a butter knife.
Tip #2 - Toasting your coconut and pecans will add an additional depth of flavor to your cookies. Place coconut flakes and pecans onto a baking sheet into a 325°F oven for 5-10 minutes, tossing once. Remove from the oven as soon as you smell the coconut and nuts to prevent burning.
Recipe FAQs
No, you can use room temperature or melted butter.
This could be because your butter is too warm. Make sure if you make brown butter to let it cool to room temperature.
This could be from using too much flour. I recommend using a food scale instead of measuring cups for accurate quantities.
Using non-stick cookie sheets will help prevent cookies from sticking to the pan. An alternative is to use a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet which also makes for easy clean up!
Storage
Room Temperature: These coconut pecan cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Refrigerator: Unbaked cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one day. You can scoop the chilled dough straight onto a baking sheet, or if the dough is too hard, let it sit at room temperature until soft enough to scoop.
Freezing Instructions:
Baked Cookies - Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer. When you are ready to eat them, allow them to come to room temperature on the counter or pop them in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds until warm.
Cookie Dough - Scoop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet and place into the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the frozen cookie dough into a plastic bag or airtight container. To bake, place the cookie dough onto a baking sheet while the oven preheats.
📖 Recipe
Coconut Pecan Cookies
Equipment
- Small pan for browning butter
- Baking sheet
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment optional
- Large cookie scoop
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter browned and cooled
- 1⅓ cups (166.67 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams (recommended) or spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (62 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup (72.67 g) chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small/medium non-stick skillet, cook the butter over medium/low heat while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. When it smells nutty and tan bits start to form on the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat.Transfer it to a large heatproof bowl and let it cool to room temperature (this can be sped up by placing it in the refrigerator, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't solidify).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
- Once the brown butter has cooled, mix in the brown sugar really well. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour streaks remain. Then, mix in the coconut and pecans.
- Place large scoops of cookie dough on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges start to tan lightly (9-12 minutes).
- Let the cookies cool on the pan until they're firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
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Renee says
Hi! Looking forward to making these coconut pecan cookies! In the section ‘expert baking tips’ you say, ‘weighing ingredients is a more accurate’ - -
So I looked for the the weight measurements for this cookie but I couldn’t find them. If I have overlooked them, please direct me to where I might find them. Many thanks!
Kayla Burton says
Hey Renee! Apologies for the confusion! The gram measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page if you click on the Metric tab 😊
Jacquie says
If i don't add coconut will the cookies be dry?
Kayla says
Hey Jacquie! I haven't tried this but I'd think they'd be slightly less dry without the shredded coconut. I'd love to hear how they turn out if you try it!