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As the name says, these Crispy, Chewy Carolina Coconut Cookies have moist chewy interiors, crisp buttery edges and lots of fabulous coconut flavor for a delicious sweet indulgence!
To me, these Crispy, Chewy Carolina Coconut Cookies are a cross between a macaroon and a crisp traditional brown sugar cookie. The edges are crisp and buttery while the coconut-laden interiors remain moist and deliciously chewy unlike our Coconut Pecan Toffee Cookies that are equally as delicious but super crisp from edges to center.
Easy to throw together
It's a super easy one-bowl, no-mixer recipe although if you prefer a mixer, that will work too. It's a fun recipe to make with kids with it being so easy. When baking with younger children, I like to have the ingredients measured out in little bowls before getting started which makes the process enjoyable for everyone.
What kind of coconut should you use in these cookies?
I've used both sweetened and unsweetened coconut with good results for these coconut cookies. Sometimes I do half of each.
Double the recipe for lots of cookies!
The recipe makes 18-20 cookies, but if you're looking to feed a crowd, the recipe is easily doubled. I often double this recipe, not because I'm frequently feeding a crowd but because I can freeze the dough in scoops, then pull out exactly as many as I need and have that wonderful fresh baked cookie aroma wafting through my house anytime I please.
"Carolina" Coconut Cookies?
Why are these cookies called Carolina Coconut Cookies? Good question!
I mentioned in an earlier post that we have a little "school" here at The Café every Wednesday with Emmy and Hayes, two of our grandchildren that live nearby. They're still doing online school in the mornings so we decided last Fall to have our own little Woodlands Academy school each Wednesday afternoon. We pick them up around noon, feed them lunch and then study a different U.S. state each week.
It gives mom a nice break and the kids get to learn all kinds of new information about our great country. We cook something from the chosen state and try to revolve dinner that evening (with mom and dad) around popular recipes from that area of the country. This week, the kids chose our home state, North Carolina for our focus. We enjoyed slow-roasted, pulled pork, Carolina slaw on brioche rolls and these Crispy, Chewy Carolina Coconut Cookies.
The truth? I have to admit, these delicious cookies aren't a classic Carolina cookie. I call them that because it's my recipe, we were studying North Carolina this week and we made them in my little Carolina kitchen. So there you have it! If you want to sub your state's name, go for it!
A few grand helpers
Our little friends, Emmy and Hayes, were thrilled to help with the photo shoot for these Crispy, Chewy Carolina Coconut Cookies after we finished "school" on Wednesday afternoon.
And when we offered them a payment for their "help"... well, as you can see they were absolutely thrilled and gave the cookies a huge thumbs-up!
I think your family, friends, neighbors, etc. will give them a huge thumbs up too! Make a batch of these crispy, chewy cookies soon and serve them with plenty of cold milk. Don't be surprised if you get requests for them again and again!
Cafe Tips for these Chewy Crispy Carolina Coconut Cookies
- Because this is a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe, make sure that your butter is nice and soft. You should be able to push your finger into the butter easily without any resistance. That can be a little tricky, especially during the colder months. Here are a few tricks:
- You can soften the butter in the microwave on power level 10%. It works like magic. You’ll need to experiment a bit with your microwave though, as they’re all different. Start with 1 minute. Add 20 to 30-second increments until you learn how long your microwave will take to get the butter nice and soft, but not melted.
- Another technique I often use to soften butter is to put it in the microwave for a few hours with the light on. To keep the light on in the microwave I put a folded paper towel in the door.
- Boil a cup of water in the microwave for 3-4 minutes and get things nice and steamy. Leave the water cup in the microwave, add the butter and close the door. The warmth from the steamy water will help to quickly soften the butter. Sometimes I will even put a kitchen towel or several thicknesses of paper towels in the door so it won’t completely close and the light will remain on. The warmth from the light will also help soften the butter.
- Cutting the butter into small pieces helps it soften quicker.
- Place the hard butter on a small plate. Fill a bowl with hot water. Wait 5 minutes then discard the water. Put the warm bowl over the butter.
- Put the butter in the oven with the light turned on. This will take a few hours.
- The fastest way to soften butter is to put cold butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. Turn it to the opposite side and microwave for another 10 seconds. It might be ready at this point, but if it’s not completely soft, add one or two more 10-second stints.
- These cookies are delicious on their own but I like to top them with a sprinkle of toffee bits. Toffee bits can be found in many larger grocery stores in the same area as the chocolate chips. Super Targets and Walmarts carry them. If you can't find toffee bits, a sprinkle of raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara) is also delicious.
Thought for the day:
Let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
- ½ cup very soft butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups coconut flakes (divided) I've used both sweetened and unsweetened with good results
- toffee bits or raw, coarse sugar like Turbinado or Demerara for topping (I use about ½ cup toffee bits)
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Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
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Combine the soft butter, sugars and egg in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir with a sturdy spatula until nice and smooth.
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Add the vanilla and baking soda and stir to combine.
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Stir in the flour, a little at a time and the salt. Mix just until any traces of flour have been mixed in. Add 1 ½ cups of the coconut, reserving the other half cup in a small bowl.
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Scoop up the cookies in 2 tablespoon portions. Roll the tops and sides of the dough balls in the reserved coconut and place on the prepared sheet pans with 2 inches between each one.
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Bake for 12-16 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and top each cookie with 1-1½ teaspoons of the toffee bits. Alternatively, you can sprinkle each cookie with ½-1 teaspoon of Turbinado or Demerara raw sugar.
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Return the cookies to the oven and bake for another 2-3 minutes until nicely golden brown.
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Cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
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Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips.
Lisa Elliott says
Hi! I made these cookies today and they turned out great! I toasted unsweetened coconut and substituted regular flour with measure for measure gluten free flour. Delicious! I will definitely make these again, thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Lisa!
Kathleen says
Hi Chris,
I had left over coconut and found your recipe for these cookies. I love them! First they are so easy to make and I didn’t have to get out my stand mixer. The only change I made was that I added toasted macadamia nuts and omitted the toffee bits since I’m lactose intolerant. Though I did sneak some heath toffee mix onto my first batch for my husband. When I make them again I might try adding the coconut extract maybe. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m putting it in my recipe box as per request of my husband.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for letting us know, Kathleen! Macadamia nuts sound like a delicious addition.
Marie says
Delicious! I took these to church and people loved them.
I'm definitely making them again. I used unsweetened coconut which I hadn't used before. It worked great.
I also added a few drops of coconut extract that was mentioned in another comment. I will use that again.
Thank you for another great recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your results, Marie!
France says
I made these for my husband and he said they are amazing! I used Dermera Sugar since I didn’t have toffee bits They took longer to get nice and golden as previous comments. Beautiful to look at as well. Thank you Chris!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, France!
Payal says
Hi Chris,
If I wanted to make these gluten free, could I use almond flour instead of regular flour? Let me know and thanks!
Payal
Chris Scheuer says
I haven't tried these with almond flour, Payal, so I can't say for sure. If you try it, let us know.
Regina says
Hello Scott and Chris!🙂
These chewy crispy Carolina coconut cookies are everything you said and more. Absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! And beautiful, too. The ONLY thing that I did differently was I only used 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed. They turned out great and looked exactly like yours on your images. The next time I will add coconut extract to increase the coconut flavor. These cookies deserve more than 5 stars! Excellent! Thank you for this great treat! Take care. Be safe. Be blessed.❤️
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Regina!
Booge says
This made great gifts,May I have labels if any?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Booge, I don't have labels for these. But you're right, they do make great gifts!
Zee says
These spread quite a bit in the oven so I found 2 tablespoons to be a bit much. Great recipe though.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Zee.
Carolyn says
Hi there Chris. Firstly I enjoyed seeing your wee grandchildren, they are just so fortunate to have grandparents like you two, the biscuit looks bigger than little Hayes' hand lol. Chris I made the coconut biscuits (cookies) and they were SO DELICIOUS) they were so big they nudged each other so when they came from the oven I took to them with my cookie cutter and made perfect round shapes of them and they do look impressive I must say. The crumbs could be used for an apple crumble or to top icecream or just give them to your husband and the birds lol. I did enjoy this recipe so thank you for sharing.
I do hope you are managing to walk through your sister's passing at this stage
May God bless you Chris
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you for the kind words, Carolyn! 💕
Karen says
I am going to make these for MYSELF as soon as I get some coconut. I am the only one that loves coconut in my family. It doesn't make too many, therefore, I can bake some to keep out and freeze the rest and when I need a coconut fix, I can defrost. I sometimes just buy a slice of coconut cake at the grocery store just to have a taste of coconut. The slice is just mediocre, but better than nothing! I need to make friends with people that like this flavor, but since we are social distancing that will have to wait 🙂 Thanks for many great recipes, Chris. I have made many, many. Love the little smores tart! They always turn out right because I know you take pride in what you do. You can see it in many ways. Thanks again.
Chris Scheuer says
I hope you enjoy every one, Karen!
Melona says
I made these cookies tonight - again at midnight as I am a night owl. As I was half way through I realized I didn’t have enough white flour so I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and for the topping I used raw sugar as I didn’t have the other .... the cookies were a little flat but they tasted delicious ! I can only imagine what they would have tasted like if I had the proper ingredients. But they are so good ! Every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been top notch. I am so happy to have found Chris and her recipes
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Melona! 💕
Catriona says
Greetings from snowy Maryland, Chris! You asked me on Instagram to let you know what I thought of these crispy, chewy Carolina Coconut cookies once I bought coconut to make them. WOW!!! They are scrumptious!!! I packed them up (minus a few for us!) along with some decorated Valentine shortbread hearts to send to the grandkids in Georgia. There is a lovely pie shop in Gainesville and Atlanta called the Southern Baked Pie Company, and your yummy cookies reminded me of their French coconut custard pie which everyone adores, so I can't wait to hear what they think of the cookies! Thank you so much! Another winner! Happy Valentine's Day!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Catriona!
Judy says
Great cookies! I love coconut and these do not disappoint! I topped half with toffee bits and half with turbinado sugar. Both are great! I also used unsweetened coconut and they are plenty sweet. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Judy!
Marilyn says
Yes! These look delicious! Can’t wait to make them! In your photos you always have the most beautiful serving pieces! Can you tell us about the blue and white mugs shown with the cookies please!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks so much! I'm always on the lookout for blue and white and was so surprised to find these pretty mugs at Ikea! They're so reasonable too! Here is a link: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/entusiasm-tumbler-patterned-blue-10417244/
sally says
Madde these today! WHOA! They are terrific! I added Heath bar toffee bits to the top ( I didn't have plain toffee bits) and did not put the cookies back in the oven for their last 2 minute bake(afraid that the chocolate on the toffee would melt too much). They were really good. I have to say though I just liked the cookies plain( no toffee bits) the best! Great recipe, Chris!
Next time I will try unsweetened coconut or maybe half and half.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Sally!
Sally says
What do you think about adding chocolate covered toffee bits? Could I just add them to the cookies after they finish baking?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sally, I think that would be delicious!
De Ross says
Great recipe . Easy and delicious
Yum, this recipe is a keeper.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, De!
Petra says
Can I use dessicated coconut, instead of coconut flakes?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Petra, you could use desiccated coconut although the texture will be different and I'd probably use a little less as it's so fine.
Trisha Smith says
Hi Chris,
I made your cookies this afternoon. I didn't have any toffee bits and since we got a foot of snow last night and still snowing I wasn't going to go out. I decided to add some chopped macadamia nuts instead . They turned delicious! You are right that they are chewy on the inside but crunchy on the outside. I will be making these again.
Thanks once again for sharing your delicious recipes and helpful tips.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Trisha! Macadamia nuts sound like a delicious substitution.
Colleen says
My mom used to make cookies very similar to these called coconut chews, only hers had Rice Krispies added in them for the crunch, I guess. Hadn't thought of those in many many years. I should look through her old wooden recipe box and see if that recipe is still there. Thanks Chris!
Chris Scheuer says
Love that, Colleen!
Sharon H. says
What a great post. Such a wonderful activity to do with children...cooking through geography! Love it! Such sweet kids, how do you ever let them go home?
Looking forward to trying your Carolina Cookies!
Chris Scheuer says
We're having a wonderful time with them! Enjoy the cookies, Sharon.
Rose says
Chris, you’re killin’me! Another run to the kitchen when this came through. Wow, totally worth the sprint! These cookies are just delish! I used unsweetened flaked coconut and the whole cookie had just the right amount of sweetness for me. I did have to bake them longer than written to get the gorgeous golden brown of yours in the photos. I also like my cookies crisp throughout, so I probably kept them in the oven another four minutes or so. YUM!!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! You make me laugh, Rose! So happy it was worth your sprint! Thanks for sharing