Coconut Cookies

Written by
Kristina Vanni
An internationally recognized culinary authority, Kristina Vanni is well-known for her recipe development, food photography, and experience as a TV show host.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Kristina Vanni
Updated 09/13/19
Coconut Cookies

Kristina Vanni 
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 18 servings

The next time you are looking for a light and crisp sweet treat, try this recipe for coconut cookies. They are made without any flour so they're a great treat for anyone who needs to eliminate wheat products from their diet.

The secret to these cookies begins in the first step. Instead of using one whole egg, the egg is separated and the whites are whisked with part of the sugar until soft peaks form. Then the yolk is blended separately with the remaining sugar. Eventually the egg white meringue is folded into the cookie batter to create a light as air dough resulting in a crisp and airy cookie.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg, separated
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    coconut cookies ingredients
    Kristina Vanni

  2. Heat oven to 325 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni

  3. Separate the egg and place the white and yolk in different bowls.

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni 

  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, beat egg white until foamy-white and double in volume. Beat in 3 tablespoons of the sugar, 1 at a time, until firm peaks form.

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni 

  5. Beat egg yolk well in a medium-size bowl; beat in the remaining sugar until fluffy and light.

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni

  6. Stir in baking powder, salt, vanilla, rolled oats, coconut, and melted butter. 

    coconut cookies
     Kristina Vanni

  7. Fold in egg white meringue.

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni

  8. Drop by small spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, at least 1 inch apart. Cookies will spread.

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni 

  9. Bake 15 minutes or until firm and lightly golden. Remove from cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. 

    coconut cookies
    Kristina Vanni

  10. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

What To Buy

Oats

For the oats, use quick-cooking rolled oats or old-fashioned rolled oats. Just be sure not to use a packet of instant oats. This product is pre-cooked and dried, therefore won’t work in this recipe.

Coconut

Simply pick up a bag of sweetened shredded coconut. Avoid desiccated coconut which is ground rather than shredded. Also, the long, wide pieces of flaked coconut are also not what you are looking for here. The moist, sweet texture and flavor of sweetened shredded coconut is best for this type of baking.

Vanilla

Whenever you are baking, be sure to use high-quality pure vanilla extract. Even though you use just a small amount, the quality of vanilla makes a huge difference in the final product. Of course, read the labels carefully to make sure you are purchasing pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation vanilla extract.