Oh, there is nothing like a warm, soft cookie right out of the oven! We love our cookies! Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Snickerdoodles…shall I go on? I have to say, I LOVE baking cookies. I know for a fact, I bake at least 3 to 4 batches a week to feed my “Cookie Monster” husband, the troops at the USO and my coworkers. I think I have probably done this for most of my life. I just wish I would have kept track of how many dozens of cookies I have actually baked over the years. Maybe I will start tracking for a year and then just multiply it by the number of years I have consistently been baking. I know for sure there were the 30+ years in my past that I was baking for friends, neighbors, school events and any other excuse I could find to bake. That’s a lot of cookies! So, speaking of cookies, where did the inspiration for these Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies come from? I pretty much use one basic cookie recipe, but from time to time I like to mix up the add-in ingredients. So instead of just chocolate chips, I may add in toffee chips, or dried fruit or some other ingredient I think sounds yummy.
Well, this particular cookie came from the imagination of my daughter Alison. She is my youngest and quite often loved to join me in my baking adventures. So, this particular time, she had the idea to take my usual recipe and throw in some really decadent ingredients. Instead of just plain old semi-sweet chocolate chips, she decided to see what was in my baking stash in the pantry and add it into the batch of dough I had just made. So, we put in dark chocolate chips, YUM, white chocolate chips, double YUM, coconut, OVER THE TOP, and chopped pecans! STOP, can it get any better than this? Oh, yes. For the final touch she added in a teaspoon of cinnamon! Perfection! That is how this recipe for Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies…well, actually Coconut, Double Chocolate Chip, Pecan, Cinnamon Cookies came to be. You may not think that cinnamon and coconut would be a good combination. But, let me tell you again, it is perfection.
Baking has always been a fun past time in my kitchen. For me it is like therapy for the soul. Over the years I have loved sharing my passion for baking with my children. I truly instilled this love early in their lives and now I am able to share it with my grandchildren. There is something special about spending the time with my granddaughter and seeing her sweet face, as the creation she helped make, comes out of the oven, filling the whole house with its sweet aroma. And the hardest part is waiting for the cookies to cool!
I have always loved giving cookies to someone as a special gift. As a military family we often would take a plate of homemade cookies to a new neighbor, a friend at church or to the hospital where military members were staying. It became the heart and soul of my kitchen and a homemade gift that my children identified with. Now that my children are grown, I don’t have a lot of school bake sales or sporting events to bring cookies to. But, that doesn’t stop me. As I said, I love bringing dozens of cookies like these Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies to the USO when I volunteer or to work to share with all my friends.
I’d like to share with you some of the tips I have learned over the years for making the perfect cookie like these Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies. First, make sure that you use whole ingredients like butter, brown sugar and real vanilla. Mix with care. Don’t over mix your batter. But, do make sure you scrap the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or non stick cooking spray. This will ensure that your cookies don’t burn. I also love, love, love using Gold Touch baking sheets. You can find them at Williams Sonoma stores. I also bake my cookies at a lower temperature, 350 degrees. That also ensures that you will not burn them and ensuring that they come out a bit crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside!
So, thank you Alison for this incredible creation that I now a part of our cookie repertoire. I have always loved baking and cooking with you. Wish I could be with you on your birthday and give you a warm batch of these cookies to celebrate. Instead, I’ll be sending you lots of love! Everyone, bake up a special batch of these Chocolate Coconut Cookies for someone you love! It will be a gift from the heart! Happy Baking from The Memorable Kitchen.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2½ cups white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, white and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed with a mixer for one minute until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix for one more minute. Scrap sides of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds to insure all wet ingredients are combined.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to the wet ingredients. These can be combined ahead of time in a separate bowl and sifted if you like. I usually just dump them all in and mix them a little with a spoon before mixing.
- On low speed mix the dough until just combined. You can finish mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula to ensure all ingredients are combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips, coconut and pecans. Make sure to get down to the bottom of the bowl when stirring to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Drop onto prepared baking sheets with a medium scoop and place about 1 inch apart. On a half sheet baking pan, I usually place them 4 across and 3 down.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack. Repeat with the remainder of the dough. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
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