Toasted Pecan Coconut Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links.
These hearty Toasted Pecan and Coconut Cookies are packed with dried cherries, oats, and chocolate chips. They’re the perfect afternoon snack!
Okay, before we get into these crazy good (and obnoxiously long-titled) cookies, let’s talk about Inside Out. I’m talking about the movie, not the state that allll your husband’s t-shirts are when they go into the wash. That’s another argument story for another day.
Anyway, a few weeks ago the Mr. and I went to see Inside Out. We are huge Pixar fans, and even though the trailer didn’t look that interesting to us, we figured they wouldn’t let us down.
Holy cow. By about 15 minutes in, I’m pretty sure I’d already laughed out loud, grabbed the Mr.’s hand for a sentimental squeeze, and cried big fat alligator tears. How in the world do they do it? It’s a cartoon for goodness sakes! But somehow, Pixar always manages to get me with ALL THE FEELS.
And I know it wasn’t just my pregnancy hormones talking this time. I definitely caught a sniffle or three from the seat beside me, too.
I’ll spare you the details of the movie, but suffice it to say, you should see it. Bring tissues. If you’re pregnant, bring the box.
Like Inside Out, the trailer version of these cookies may not look like much, but MAN do they pack a punch. I know the title got out of hand, but my brain is filled up with thoughts about bringing a human into the world (GAH!), so coming up with a better title simply wasn’t an option. These cookies are actually an adaptation of the copy cat Gaia Cookies from Shauna Niequist’s book, Bread and Wine. Apparently these gnarly cookies were made famous by The Gaia Cafe, a vegetarian cafe in Grand Rapids.
I’ve never been to The Gaia Cafe, so I can’t speak to how closely these resemble the original, but I can say they are extremely tasty. The cookies are packed with just about every odd and end you have in your kitchen pantry. Toasted pecans and shredded coconut, semi sweet chocolate chips, dried cherries, and oats are all wrapped up in a buttery cookie dough. They’re sturdy and a tad hearty. I won’t call them healthy, but if you wanted to eat them for breakfast I wouldn’t judge.
The best thing about this recipe is how versatile it is. You could easily try different kinds of nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate to get your perfect combination. I think I’ll be trying a milk chocolate version next!
More Coconut Cookie Recipes
- If you’re a coconut purist, try these buttery Coconut Cookies.
- We love making Toasted Coconut Shortbread Wedges for the holidays.
- Want a super chocolatey option? These Almond Joy Cookies are for you!
Toasted Pecan Coconut Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened (16 Tablespoons )
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cherries (or try cranberries, dates, or raisins)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the coconut and pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6-8 minutes, stirring once, until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Stir in the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined.
- Stir in the coconut, pecans, chocolate chips, and cherries until well distributed.
- Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight or if you're in a hurry, drop Tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
- When ready to bake, drop Tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until cookies are golden on the edges and mostly set. Remove from the oven and allow to set up completely on the baking sheet. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Any dried fruit is great here, and you can mix up your chocolate types for new combinations!
I made these with my niece Evie last night! They are sooo good! Is it really supposed to be 2 Tbs vanilla? We followed the recipe and it was SO tasty, but it felt like a lot of vanilla to me.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked them. You know, it’s been awhile since I’ve made these, so I’m not positive, but I do LOVE vanilla. And if they tasted great, I’m going to say YES to 2 Tablespoons!
I saw this on Food Gawker and had to stop by to say – looks SO good! Pinned!!
Thaks Marly! They’re a little bit everything!
AHH I’m so glad you started off this post talking about Inside-Out, I’ve seen that movie three times (oops?) and we’re still counting on more rewatching sessions. So much laughing and crying, I love it. AND I love these cookies. Um, yesssss please??
I’m a huge sucker for cookies like these so I’m going to try them when the temps get down to under 90 degrees. But more importantly, my Mr and I went to see Inside Out too All 4 of us – another couple too – needed tissues and we’re still talking about it weeks later.
Ahhh…so good! I’m glad I’m not the only one who was a mess during the movie!
Hi Courtney, I would love you to stop by Food on Friday: Coconut over at Carole’s Chatter to add this to the recipe collection! Cheers!
PS If you would like to be part of the Food on Friday group, just put a reminder
in your calendar this time each week to check out the new theme or email me if
you would like a reminder by email. You can also see the themes coming up in one of the tabs at the top of my home page
These cookies are everything I love <3 I really want to see Inside Out- glad to hear your glowing review 🙂
Sues
It’s definitely worth seeing! I hope you love it!