Step up your oatmeal cookies with this version that includes coconut and toffee bits. These Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are the perfect family friendly cookie.
I love this version of oatmeal cookies! For more cookies with oats, check out these No Bake Cookies, Banana Oatmeal Cookies, or these Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
We can’t get enough of oatmeal cookies in our house. I actually think they disappear faster than chocolate chip cookies!
I recently re-made these Oatmeal Coconut Cookies, and I couldn’t believe how fast they disappeared. If you are an oatmeal cookie fan, you’ll love this upgrade. Lots of oats, sweet coconut, and toffee pieces that melt into the cookies.
I love this recipe makes a lot of cookies – great for giving some away, or freezing some for later. Or, if you are like my family, stealing them by the handful from the kitchen!
Ingredients
Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar. I’m sure dark brown would work, as well, giving the cookies a deeper flavor, but I have not tested it.
Butter and Shortening: This is a trick I’ve been using for cookies since before I really even knew how to cook. I love the flavor that butter gives to cookies, but they always tend to spread out and give you a flatter cookie. But shortening will help the cookies to keep their shape and stay thicker. So I do a half and half ratio, and end up with delicious cookies that are still thick and puffy. If you prefer a flatter cookie, you can do all butter.
Eggs: I use large eggs.
Vanilla Extract: I only use real vanilla extract!
Flour: You’ll need all-purpose flour. I like to use unbleached, but bleached will work as well.
Cinnamon: I always love cinnamon in an oatmeal cookie!
Baking Soda: This will help to give the cookies a bit of a rise.
Salt: Always important! Salt will help to bring out and balance flavors.
Oats: This recipe calls for quick cooking oats. I have not tested it with old fashioned oats, but they would probably work as a substitute. I would suggest pulsing them in a food processor a few times if you do choose to use old fashioned oats.
Toffee Bits: You can find these toffee bits at most grocery stores, or if not, online. If you want to, you can chop up toffee candy bars (like Heath Bar) but you will also get the bits of chocolate that way.
Coconut: I use sweetened, shredded coconut. If you want to cut back on the sweetness, you can use unsweetened coconut.
How to Make Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
1: Combine the brown sugar, butter, shortening, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl (a stand mixer will work the best here). Beat together until combined.
2: In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the bowl.
3: Mix until it is almost fully combined. No need to go crazy because you’ve still got more to add!
4: Pour in the oats and mix. It will be pretty thick at this point.
5: Add the toffee bits.
6: Then add the coconut.
7: Mix it all together. Some of the toffee bits usually fall to the bottom, so make sure everything is fully mixed in.
8: Scoop the dough out into balls. I like to use a cookie scoop. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
9: Bake the cookies until just set around the edges, about 10 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about a minute, then remove to let them cool completely.
10: Repeat with the remaining dough.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
These cookies stay soft for several days. They still were soft and tasted great on day 3! If making ahead, store in an airtight container.
This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so you can also freeze the dough or the finished cookies.
To freeze the dough, I like to fully make the dough and roll into balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer. When the dough is frozen, (this doesn’t take long), transfer to a ziplock bag to freeze. Dough can be frozen for up to 3 months without a loss in quality.
You can also freeze the baked cookies. This is great for if you want to just pull out a cookie or two. They will take a couple of hours at room temperature to thaw.
You can also check out my post for How to Freeze Cookie Dough for all the information about freezing cookie dough.
More Cookie Recipes
- Snickerdoodle Recipe
- The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Meringue Cookies
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Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 42 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Step up your oatmeal cookies with this version that includes coconut and toffee bits. These Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are the perfect family friendly cookie.
Ingredients
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 (8 oz) bag toffee bits
- 1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the brown sugar, butter, shortening, eggs, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until almost combined.
- Add the oats and mix to combine.
- Pour in the toffee bits, followed by the coconut. Mix until it all comes together.
- Make balls about 2 tablespoons each and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are just browned.
- Cool for 1 minute, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
Recipe Notes:
slightly adapted from Hershey’s
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use all butter instead of half shortening, but your cookies will probably spread more. You could also use unsweetened coconut to cut back on the sweetness a bit. Old fashioned oats can be used instead of quick oats, but they will change the texture of the cookies.
FREEZE: These cookies freeze well! To freeze, make the dough and roll into balls. Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Once the dough is frozen, you can take them and put them in a freezer safe container or a ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
STORE: Store the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 163
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg
Keywords: oatmeal coconut cookies
Brilynn says
I like to bake with toffee chips, but my problem is that I’ll just eat them out of hand and by the time I get around to baking with them there’s none left!
Deborah says
Oh, I have the same problem!! But I have that problem with everything – I never get all of the cookies made because I end up eating so much cookie dough!
Deborah says
I just have to add that I took the majority of the leftover cookies to work today, and they were gone within 15 minutes. That says a lot, because we constantly have goodies and food in the office, and usually nothing gets completely eaten. I’m gonna have to make these more often!
Mindy says
Just made these and they’re delish! Thanks for the recipe!
Deborah says
@Mindy, Yay! I’m so glad you liked them. We gobbled them up in no time flat!