Coconut Cookies

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I remember one of my first time making cookies from scratch. I’d heard it was super easy, only a few steps more than the mixes you can buy so I found a few recipes to try. I remember reading through them and one of the first things was to “cream” the butter.

Yeah, I had no idea what that meant! I called one of my good friends and asked her what that means, how to do it, etc. She went over some of the basics of baking, and surprisingly my cookies came out pretty good. Ever since then I’ve loved making my own cookies from scratch and have even ventured out and created some of my very own recipes. One of my very first cookies that I created on my own were these coconut cookies. I’m a huge fan of coconut and this is such a fun recipe for something different than your typical sugar or chocolate chip cookie. It’s also easy to dress up, you can add nuts, chips or dried fruit. They’re great dipped in chocolate or even with a pretty pecan pressed right into the middle.

Rather than choose one of those variations, I decided to just share the original coconut cookie recipe as is, how I fell in love with it. You can get fancy with it by adding any of the ingredients I mentioned, or even a few spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or anything else. It’s fun to customize baked treats to your tastes.

What’s also fun is finding new products for my favorite things (cookies) that also help make my life easier. I recently discovered Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets at my local Target store in the food storage section. The sheets are made out of parchment paper and are pre-cut to 12″ x 16″ and fit perfectly on my favorite cookie sheet. They lay perfectly flat on your baking sheet and are perfect for any of your cookie baking needs, but you can also use it when you dip fruits or cookies in chocolate and need to lay them on something nonstick so the chocolate to dry. I also used these sheets to line a cookie tin to gift a few of these cookies to friends, there’s just so many easy ways to use them!

My cookies came out just how I like them. The parchment sheets helped them to cook evenly and they didn’t stick at all on the bottom. Even better, there’s less of a mess to clean! During this time of the year I like to make a lot of different types of cookies for my family and also to gift to friend and coworkers of my husband and son. The easier the process, the better!

If you love coconut, these cookies provide just the right amount. They are made with brown sugar and sweetened coconut flakes, and I only use a quality, pure vanilla extract. In the past they have had a tendency to flatten, so I refrigerate them for a bit to let the dough cool and I’ve had no problem with flat cookies ever since. These would be great to have the kids help you make and then leave on a plate for Santa!

Ingredients for Coconut Cookies:

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

Begin by combining the flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and whisking together until combined.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter on a medium/low speed with a stand mixer or hand mixer. Once butter is smooth, add the sugar and continue to cream until whipped. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then slowly add in the dry mixture. Mix until just combined.

Add the coconut, mixing on low or by hand. Once coconut is just barely mixed throughout, cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for about 10-20 minutes.

While the cookie dough is chilling in the refrigerator, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line your cookie sheet with Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets. I love that they are pre-cut to fit my half sheet perfectly.

Once the dough has chilled sufficiently, using a cookie dropper measure out the cookie dough. Carefully roll into a ball and place on the Reynolds Baking Sheets at least 3 inches apart.

Sprinkle the tops with a little bit of extra coconut.

Then bake for 13-15 minutes, until entire cookie is golden. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 or 3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks until fully cool.

Serve on a platter to enjoy.

You can also line a cookie tin with the Reynolds Baking Sheets for a pretty presentation when gifting cookies.

Just fold the excess paper over the tops of the cookies before placing the lid on the tin.

Enjoy!

What are some of your beginner baking moments?

For more recipe inspiration you can get some recipe inspiration on the Reynolds Pinterest Page or follow along on Facebook or Twitter! I purchased my baking sheets at Target, but they are also available at Walmart as well as many other retailers nationwide.