These cookies have a lot of coconut in them. They were the perfect reason to use up the shredded coconut in my pantry, and also because I am on a coconut kick at the moment. Coconut just… keeps sounding good. Not sure why, but no point questioning it. Coconut is good. Brown butter is good. Cookies are good. Is my coconut craving tied with the arrival of Spring? Maybe. Or perhaps it’s just totally random.
I made these before my parents came into town, which was a good call. Both because it made far too many cookies for just me to eat, and also because my mom likes coconut. It is great to bake when you know you have an audience.
I only added chocolate to the second tray of them because I realized it would probably taste good. I was correct, unsurprisingly, but I also think these cookies are good without the chocolate! And sometimes, as much as I love chocolate, I’m all for a treat that doesn’t rely on it. Like, of course a chocolate dessert is going to be good. Let’s try to do something a little surprising for once.
Brown butter and coconut feels like an obvious pairing in retrospect, but I might not have necessarily paired them together. But now it feels obvious – the nutty flavor of brown butter is reminiscent of caramel and shortbread. And coconut caramel shortbread is one of the most popular Girl Scout Cookie flavors ever. So, of course brown butter coconut works.
So perhaps your Girl Scout Cookie stores are running out already. Or maybe you missed the scouts this year. Or you just don’t like highly processed store bought cookies and would prefer to make your own treats. No matter the motivation, I highly recommend these cookies.
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PinIngredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Slightly heaped 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as it seems to take forever (more than 5 minutes) but then turns dark very quickly. Once it is a deeply fragrant, almost nut-brown color, remove from heat and pour butter and all browned bits at the bottom into a measuring cup. Chill browned butter in the fridge until it solidifies, about 1 to 2 hours. The butter won’t get as solid as it is when it’s not browned, but it should be firm and no longer liquid.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Scrape chilled browned butter and any bits into a large mixing bowl. Add both sugars and beat the mixture together until fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed, then vanilla. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Pour half of flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined, then add remaining flour and mix again, scraping down bowl if needed. Add coconut (and chocolate, if using) in two parts as well.
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls and arrange on a baking sheet, allowing room for them to spread. Bake for 12-14 minutes. They’re done when they’re golden-brown.
- Cool cookies on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cookies keep for up to one week at room temperature. Extra dough can be stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for a month or more.
Notes
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen