The Best Soft & Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies -

The Best Soft & Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Course: Dessert

Keyword: chewy, coconut, cookies, oatmeal

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 10

Chill Time: 1

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: cookies

Calories: 135kcal

Learn how to bake the ultimate Soft and Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies! Packed with sweet coconut, warm cinnamon, and a hint of rich rum extract.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon rum extract or vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1½ cup rolled quick oats

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Instructions

Cream the Butter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), cream the room-temperature butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to low, add the egg and rum extract. Bring the speed back to medium and mix until the consistency is light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes).
Mix the Dough: In a separate bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter in the bowl and, with the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until just combined. Then, add the next third of the flour and repeat the process. Continue this until all the flour is incorporated. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make your cookies tough. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed evenly. Now, add the coconut flakes and quick oats to the dough, mixing on low speed. Mix only until combined. The dough will be very thick.
Chill the Dough: Remove the dough from the bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm the butter. (If you prefer thinner, crispier cookies, you can skip this step!).
Scoop the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop it using a small cookie scoop or a ⅛ measuring cup. Roll the scooped dough into round balls with your hands. Place the dough balls onto the tray, spacing them 2 inches apart to leave room to spread. Press lightly on the top of each ball with your index finger to slightly flatten them.
Bake and Flatten: Bake 1 tray at a time on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. (Oven temperatures vary; adjust bake time by 2 or 3 minutes if needed, but do not exceed 13 minutes for a chewy texture!) Immediately upon removing from the oven, gently flatten each hot cookie with the flat back of a drinking glass or a soup spoon.
Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack with a flat spatula to cool completely!

Notes

Why Use Room-Temperature Butter? If your butter is too cold, your dough will be clumpy. If it is melted, your cookies will spread into puddles. Softened, room-temperature butter allows you to properly whip air into the dough, giving your cookies that perfect volume! (Forgot to leave your butter out? Microwave it on the "defrost" setting for 10 seconds until it feels like a ripe peach!). For more helpful tips on how to bring dairy ingredients to room temperature quickly, read my post about it here.)

What type of coconut flakes should I use?

I highly recommend using unsweetened coconut flakes so the cookies aren't overwhelmingly sweet. However, if you only have sweetened coconut flakes in your pantry, you can absolutely use them! Just reduce the brown sugar in the recipe by scooping out 2 Tablespoons.

How do I make sure they are chewy, not hard?

The difference between a chewy cookie and a hard cookie comes down to two things: overmixing and overbaking. Once you add the flour to the bowl, mix only until you no longer see dry white streaks. The more you mix, the more gluten develops, making the cookie dry. Second, do not bake these past 13 minutes! They will continue to cook and firm up as they cool on the hot baking tray.

Why do I need to chill the dough?

Chilling the dough solidifies the butter. When cold dough hits the hot oven, the butter takes much longer to melt, meaning the cookie doesn't spread out as far. This results in a thick, chewy center! If you skip the chill time, the butter melts instantly, resulting in a thin, flat cookie.

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