Toasted Pecan Coconut Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

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!