Pecan Cookies with Oats & Coconut

Last week, Andrew, being the sweet husband that he is, brought me home a surprise from work.  The gift shop inside the hospital where he works had cookies & he got a pecan coconut cookie for us to share after dinner.

I thought it'd be a nice little treat, but I did not expect it to be really, really good.  Y'all, this was one of the best cookies I've had in a long time.  Cookies are my favorite dessert & very rarely do I turn down a tasting opportunity...so I feel I'm a little bit of an expert on cookie goodness.

This gift shop jem was soft, bursting with pecans chunks & had just enough coconut to make it super moist & chewy.  Absolutely delicious.  I didn't want to share with Andrew, but since he was nice enough to bring it home...I had too.

Since I wasn't able to indulge in the whole cookie....or the 10 others I'm pretty sure I could've gobbled up, I set out to make a similar cookie from scratch.  I decided to start with a soft oatmeal cookie & fill it up with lots of pecans & some unsweetened coconut flakes.  

I think I did pretty well.  The cookie stays soft, & the coconut, pecan mixture sets in with the oatmeal to create a nutty bite that still has a touch of chewiness.  I made these Sunday & brought them in to work, where they were gone before lunch.

This recipe comes together in just a few minutes too, as long as you remember to soften your butter ahead of time. I always forget & have to delay my batch!

Pecan Cookies with Oats & Coconut

Makes about 4 dozen


1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together butter & both sugars.  Mix in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, vanilla & eggs.  Slowly add in flour.  Fold in oats, pecans & coconut, just until everything binds together, try to avoid over-mixing.

On parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheets, spoon out cookies using either a small scoop or two teaspoons, leaving an inch or so in between each cookie.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes.  Upon removing the cookies from the oven, leave them on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack.