These amazing brown butter coconut cookies are a chewy cookie made with brown butter for a rich nutty flavor. Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, the perfect cookie for a coconut lover.
I’m sharing one of my favorite cookie recipes, not chocolate chip or peanut butter but a coconut cookie made with brown butter. I can never get enough coconut and now that my husband will eat desserts with unsweetened coconut, I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of desserts.
These cookies, which are mostly brown butter and coconut with just enough flour to hold them together are worth a try, even if you’re not a coconut lover. Some people think they don’t like coconut because all they’ve tried is the sweetened version. Unsweetened coconut allows the coconut flavor to come through and not just sugar.
These look kind of plain, just brown with some bits of coconut showing through here and there, but don’t let looks deceive you. If biting into a buttery cookie is what you’re craving, then this coconut cookie recipe is going to be your new favorite.
I think you’ll be surprised at how adding brown butter to cookie dough changes everything. It’s what makes my chocolate chip cookies the best you’ve every had. It turns a good cookie into one that you can’t put down. Perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.
While coconut cookies aren’t flashy, there’s no peppermint, white chocolate, dried apricots or pistachios, just butter and coconut, but when combined it create a simple but divine cookie.
What you’ll need
- Unsweetened flaked coconut – don’t use sweetened coconut, it will be too sweet for these cookies.
- Butter – a whole cup or two sticks of unsalted butter.
- Pantry staples – sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, an egg and vanilla.
How do you brown butter
If you’ve never made brown butter, I’ve included a video so you can see the progression from start to finish. Here are some tips:
- Stand right in front of the stove and don’t leave. Once it starts turning brown, you only have a few seconds before it burns.
- The butter will have to foam before it starts to brown, the whole process can take between 1 and 3 minutes depending on how high the heat is.
- As soon as it turns brown, remove the butter from the pan into a glass bowl. It will continue to cook in the pan even when removed from the stove, so make sure you take it out of the pan to cool.
How do you make coconut cookies
Step 1: Brown butter and refrigerate. You want it to be softened but not liquid. This will take about 2 hours. You can speed up the process by putting it in the freezer.
Step 2: Add softened brown butter to the the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the sugars until fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla then the dry ingredients. Add coconut once the dough has formed.
Step 3: With an ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough onto a baking sheet and flatten slightly with your hand and bake.
FAQ’s and tips
When making brown butter, remove the pan from the stove as soon as it starts to turn brown and pour it into a glass bowl so that it does not continue to cook in the pan.
Sweetened coconut will give you very sweet cookies, so make sure to use unsweetened coconut.
More cookies you’ll love
- Pistachio shortbreads will melt in your mouth
- Try a simple oatmeal cookie with white chocolate chips
- Take an extra step and make a carrot cake sandwich cookie
- If your craving something salty, potato chip cookies are yummy
- For chocolate lovers, double chocolate cookies are the way to go
- Add dried cherries and chocolate in these crinkle cookies
Brown Butter Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 4 cups flaked coconut unsweetened
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir frequently unit it just starts to turn brown Remove from heat and place in a glass bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours or place in freezer, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scrape browned butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined, then add vanilla.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Pour half into butter mixture and mix until combined, then add remaining flour and mix again. Add coconut and mix until combined.
- Scoop onto baking sheet, flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. If they don’t flatten as much as you like add 1-2 teaspoons of water to the rest of the dough. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Watch the butter closely and remove from the pan as soon as it turns brown. It will continue to brown in the pan otherwise and burn.
- You can place the brown butter in the freezer to cool it down, just stir it every once in a while.
- Make sure the butter has solidified before making the cookies.
- You can use kosher salt instead of flaky sea salt.
- These cookies freeze and ship well.
Nutrition
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I’m making these cookies right now. You are so right about browning the butter. It is so aromatic and flavorful! I added a few teaspoons of whole, organic milk to the dough and a few sprinkles of warm water to make it more workable. I also transferred the brown butter to the freezer and it took about 40 minutes to become softened butter.
I love brown butter in everything!
I believe you are on to something wonderful! Thanks for the insight!