Chewy Coconut Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Everybody who knows me knows of my unapologetic love for things chocolate, so the following statement will certainly come across as surprising, maybe even earth-shattering, if we’re feeling a bit melodramatic (and who isn’t these days?): These Chewy Coconut Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies, sans chocolate, may just be my favorite cookie ever!
It’s the honest truth!
There’s not a speck of my beloved cocoa bean anywhere and yet I ❤️❤️❤️ these cookies so much!
First off, as the title leads with, they are chewy. Not just kinda chewy, but the chewy where you actually feel the chew when you break a cookie in half! Totally irresistible!
Then, there is the very exciting reality that these babies are just loaded with texture—crispy coconut, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and crunchy oatmeal! The joy is hard to put into words, lol!!
Plus they’re huge! Even more to love!
And we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet: the taste! These are buttery and brown sugar caramelly goodness where the tartness of the cranberries balances out the sweetness of the coconut along with that earthy crunch that only pecans and oatmeal can deliver.
Literally, every bite is swoon-worthy!
Of course I’ll never abandon my true love but it’s clear that it’s got some serious competition…
Chewy Coconut Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 18-20 large cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 15-17 minutes
Ingredients
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
¼ cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup toasted pecan pieces
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
The Recipe
1. Make sure rack is centered in oven and preheat to 325ºF. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium speed, for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Add the egg, corn syrup and vanilla and beat again for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides. Add half of the flour and beat in at low speed until well mixed. Add the other half of the flour and beat briefly just to mix. It’s ok if you can still see some. Sprinkle the cake flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl and beat on low speed, until you can’t see any dry ingredients and dough looks cohesive. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula to mix in the cranberries, oats, pecans and coconut.
3. Scoop out 2 ounce pieces of dough (just about ¼ cup) and position them at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and use your hands to flatten them out just slightly so they measure about 2 inches in diameter and are about ½-inch thick—if you measure one with a ruler, you can just eyeball the others.
4. Bake the sheets one at a time, turning the sheet front to back at the midway point, about 15-17 minutes, until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are golden brown and tops are just beginning to turn a very light golden color and feel dry to the touch—they will seem too soft but you want to under bake these just a drop so they maintain that chewy consistency that is so addictive.
5. Let cookies cool on the sheets on a wire rack for a few minutes and then transfer to the racks to finish cooling completely. It’s rumored that these will keep about 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature. Ha!
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from an old issue of Fine Cooking. I didn’t toast the coconut and subbed in extra dried cranberries for the white chocolate. These would also be great with chocolate chips—just cut down on the cranberries.
