Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies – these soft and buttery cookies are loaded with both chocolate chips and sweetened coconut flakes. Every bite is heavenly!

I have always been a fan of coconut and chocolate together, so I love combining the flavors in baked goods. Almond Joy Cheesecake and Chocolate Dipped Macaroons are two of my favorites!

Traditional chocolate chip cookies are always well received, but sometimes I like to change things up a little. These coconut chocolate chip cookies were a tasty change of pace. 

They are nice and crisp around the edges, but soft and chewy on the inside. Not only do they have flakes of sweetened coconut, a bit of coconut extract gives them an extra boost of flavor. It really makes a difference in the taste, so for best results, don’t omit it.

I like using semi sweet or dark chocolate chips to offset the sweetness of the coconut, but you can use any type of chocolate that you like.

If you like chocolate and coconut together, you are going to love this recipe!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT COOKIES

Ingredients needed:

• butter, softened to room temperature (I use salted butter.)
• granulated sugar (regular white sugar)
• eggs (Always use large eggs for baking unless the recipe states otherwise.)
• coconut extract (Enhances the flavor of the cookies, they are definitely not as good without it!)
• all purpose flour
• baking soda and baking powder (Both of these help the cookies fluff up.)
• salt
• sweetened flaked coconut
• semi sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate if you prefer)

Just like regular chocolate chip cookies, for this recipe you start by creaming the butter and sugar. I like to use a hand mixer, but a stand mixer is fine too. Beat in the eggs and coconut extract.

Stir in the dry ingredients. (I think you get more tender cookies by stirring instead of blending the dry ingredients in with a stand mixer.) Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

Scoop dough onto baking sheets. I like to scoop the dough with a cookie scoop, then roll it into balls. 

Bake cookies at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes.

PRO TIPS:

-Make sure butter is softened to room temperature. It’s best to let it soften for a couple hours on the counter. The microwave tends to leave some parts cold and others melted.

-Don’t overmix the dough after adding the flour, it makes for tough cookies. To make sure my cookies are tender, I like to stir in my dry ingredients instead of using a mixer.

-To ensure that you get perfectly shaped cookies, use a scoop to make them the same size.  Then roll them into balls so that they turn out nice and round with even edges.

-For a pretty bakery look, set aside a few chocolate chips and press them into the tops of the cookie dough balls.

HOW TO STORE COCONUT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

These cookies will last for 3-5 days at room temperature if stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze them. I like to place them in heavy duty ziplock freezer bags. They will last frozen for 3-4 months. You can let them thaw at room temperature, or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds.

VARIATIONS:

-Change up the type of chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate, white chocolate, or a combination of different types. I personally love to use part semi sweet and part milk chocolate for most of my cookie recipes.

-Press the tops of the cookie dough balls into extra coconut before baking. It will toast slightly, giving the cookies a richer coconut flavor. It looks pretty too!

-Use chocolate chunks in place of chocolate chips. 

-For true chocoholics, you can drizzle the cookies with additional melted chocolate.

-Feel free to toast the coconut before adding it to the dough. Just make sure you let it cool first. I’ve also shared a recipe for Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, and you can find the instructions for toasting coconut in that post. 

 

MORE TASTY COOKIE RECIPES:

• Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Kit Kat Cookies
• Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Andes Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

MORE RECIPES WITH COCONUT:

• Orange Coconut Scones
• Easy Coconut Cake
• Coconut Pumpkin Bread

RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT COOKIES

(Originally published 4/8/2011, updated December 2019.)

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