Easy Coconut Pecan Cookies Recipe
If you love the combination of coconut and pecans then this cookie recipe is for you. They are a soft cake mix cookie loaded with sweetened coconut and chopped pecans. Although it is the cream cheese frosting that really makes Easy Coconut Pecan Cookies special.
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Tips & tricks to achieve the most delicious cookies of your life!
Why This Recipe Works
Starting this awesome and soft coconut pecan cookies with a cake mix keeps the ingredient list down. It also allows you to make them without chilling the dough just like this Twix Cookie recipe.
A bit of brown sugar brings out the flavors of the coconut flakes and chopped pecans in a wonderful way. If you love coconut and pecans you can also try this Cowboy Cookie!
You are going to love every single bite of this coconut and pecan cookie recipe. The cookie itself is big, so they make a wonderful snack.
Grab the ingredients and bake a batch for yourself. Their chewy texture and range of flavors makes this recipe amazing. You can also transform them into these adorable Bunny Cookies.
What goes into this Recipe
- Cake Mix- The perfect starting point for a delicious and soft cookie.
- All Purpose Flour- Adding a bit of flour to the cookie dough will help give the cookies extra structure.
- Corn Starch- A small amount of corn starch in the dough keeps them soft with a wonderful texture.
- Sweetened Coconut- The sweet flavor and texture of coconut is phenomenal.
- Chopped Pecans- They add so much texture and flavor to the cookie.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Optional Add-In Ideas
If pecans aren’t your thing or maybe you just want to add more flavor try an add-in. All of these ingredients would be wonderful additions to an already amazing cookie.
- Toffee Bits – The deep toffee flavor would go perfectly with the coconut and pecan flavors.
- Mini Chocolate Chips- Adding mini chocolate chips would keep all of the ingredients the same size and who doesn’t love chocolate? I also use them in these Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Dried Cranberries- Cranberry and coconut are a magical combination.
- White Chocolate Chunks- Chop a white chocolate bar and add a bit of flavor and texture.
- Coconut Extract- Adding a quarter to half teaspoon of coconut extract will up the coconut flavor if that is something you enjoy.
How to make Coconut Pecan Cookies
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk them together. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a hand held mixer {or by hand} until you have a thick cookie dough.
2. Add the sweetened coconut and chopped pecans, mix into the dough by hand until everything is evenly distributed.
3. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to measure out the cookie dough. Roll in your hands and form the cookie dough into a disc.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies are set and just starting to brown around the edges.
5. Top cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting.
6. Finish with more sweetened coconut and a pecan half. Eat and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip whisking the dry ingredients together. It is an important step to be sure that the brown sugar isn’t clumpy.
- For added flavor, toast the pecans before adding to the cookie dough. Toasting them for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees is magical.
- Use a 1/4 measuring cup to measure out the cookie dough. Keeping all of the cookies the same size allows them to bake evenly. This will create a big cookie which is similar in size to these Chilled Sugar Cookies.
- Do not over bake the cookies. Bake them until they are set and starting to brown around the edges but for no longer than 13 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet. This step helps give you a super soft cookie because the residual heat from the sheet will set up the cookies perfectly.
Recipe FAQs
The best way to store them is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The cream cheese frosting will keep better refrigerated.
These cookies will freeze well {without frosting and toppings} for up to 3 months. The cream cheese frosting will not freeze well, so I suggest adding it after the cookies have defrosted.
Desiccated coconut is dried without any added sugar while sweetened has sugar added. The addition of sugar keeps sweetened coconut softer even when dried.
Absolutely. Use a medium cookie scoop, form the dough into discs and bake for 8-10 minutes. This recipe will yield about 22 smaller cookies.
Do you love big and soft cookies that are easy to make? Try these awesome recipes…
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Easy Coconut Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 box white cake mix {15.25 ounces}
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup butter {melted}
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- ½ cup sweetened coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese {softened}
- ¼ cup butter {softened}
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3½-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
Toppings
- ⅓ cup sweetened coconut
- 12 pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Combine cake mix, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add eggs, melted butter and sour cream and mix using a hand held {or stand} mixer until you have a thick dough.
- Add the sweetened coconut and chopped pecans to the cookie dough and mix by hand until everything is evenly distributed.
- Using a 1/4 cup, measure out 12 cookies. Roll the cookie dough in your hands and form into a round disc. Bake 6 cookies at a time. Place the cookie on a silicone mat {or parchment} lined baking sheet for 11-13 minutes or until set and the edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- For the cream cheese frosting, combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a hand held mixer until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to mix. Add enough milk to get the consistency you want.
- Add a heaping tablespoon of frosting to the top of each cooled cookie and spread out. Top with sweetened coconut and a pecan half in the middle of each cookie. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Unfrosted cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Don’t skip whisking the dry ingredients together. It is an important step to be sure that the brown sugar isn’t clumpy.
- For added flavor, toast the pecans before adding to the cookie dough. Toasting them for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees is magical.
- Do not over bake the cookies. Bake them until they are set and starting to brown around the edges but for no longer than 13 minutes.
