My grandma has long practiced what we call “cookie diplomacy.” She keeps a regular supply of home-baked cookies on hand so that she can gift them to her hairstylist, her doctor, her butcher, etc.* While I have yet to reach a first-name basis with anyone at the grocery store, I do share with my grandma a firm belief in the power of cookies to say “thank you.”
When the fiancé and I took a day trip to Holland, Michigan, to see the tulips last spring, our friends were nice enough to look after Phoebe (who happens to be celebrating her fourth adoptiversary today!). As a thank you, I decided to bake them some cookies, but unfortunately, my first attempt at these chocolate chip coconut oatmeal cookies produced cookies so hard that the fiancé claimed he nearly cracked a tooth on one. Since they would have been more of a punishment than a thank you, I tried again, working from a different recipe. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait for the third time to be the charm, because the second recipe (from Quaker Oats, with small modifications) created the marvelously chewy cookies I had envisioned! In addition to using chocolate chips and coconut in place of raisins, I also reduced the amounts of butter and sugar slightly.
These chocolate chip coconut oatmeal cookies are a nod to Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars, some of my all-time favorites. They’re chewy and subtly sweet, with an amount of chocolate chips that borders on the obscene. There was one cookie that I swear was about 75% chocolate by volume. And hey, what better way to say thank you than with loads of chocolate?!
*I should note that my grandma practices “cookie diplomacy” in addition to, rather than in lieu of, actual payment.
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups oats
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a mixer and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add these ingredients to the mixer bowl and stir until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the oats, chocolate chips, and coconut, and mix until combined.
- Scoop the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies have turned a light golden color. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
apron says
A solution to my quandary: will I have an oatmeal or a chocolate chip cookie? These wonderful cookies have both:)
CakePants says
I’m a big fan of putting chocolate in my oatmeal cookies. I hope you get a chance to try these!
apron says
That would be great:)
Cake Lover says
“Cookie diplomacy” – ha ha! Who came up with that term? These cookies sound delicious. I will have to try them sometime. Thanks for always sharing your recipes with personal anecdotes – it makes your blog so fun to read!
CakePants says
Now that you mention it, I’m not sure who came up with the term! I’m glad you enjoy reading the anecdotes 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
These look delicious! I love chocolate and coconut together! I need to start practicing cookie diplomacy–I certainly have enough baked goods on hand all the time :).
CakePants says
The world would be a more pleasant place if more of us practiced cookie diplomacy, even though it does feel a bit dated in this day and age 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Patty K-P says
I enjoy raisins in my cookies, but something tells me I won’t miss them very much in these! Almond Joys are one of my faves and to have them in cookie form? PURE HEAVEN!
Your grandma is a wise woman. We would be prudent to follow in her footsteps 😉
CakePants says
Now that I think about it, I’m not sure why I didn’t add chopped almond to these cookies too. Gosh, hindsight! I hope you get a chance to try these sometime!
David | Spiced says
Hahaha…that line about your Grandma practicing cookie diplomacy instead of actual payment totally cracked me up, Mara! I can literally picture your Grandma going around town with a tin of cookies…and it reminds me of my own grandmother. So I think chocolate is an excellent way to say thank you, and I happen to love chewy oatmeal cookies. This is one awesome recipe, my friend, and I think I need these cookies to make their way into my kitchen ASAP. If your Grandma happens to be passing through upstate New York, perhaps she can drop some off? 🙂
CakePants says
Oh she does still pay, but in some cases, I think she may have obtained discounts through cookies 😉 I hope you get a chance to try these sometime! With the end of the semester drawing near, I think I need another batch myself…
Lauren @ Free Your Fork says
YUM – Can I call dibs on the one that is 75% chocolate?? I love Almond Joy bars, the coconut sounds like a delightful addition to these childhood favorites. Wish I lived closer to you so I could 1) puppy-sit Phoebe & 2) be the recipient of this kind of cookie diplomacy!
CakePants says
Haha sorry, that one cookie is looong gone! Phoebe is an especially great house guest if you cook a lot – she’ll clean up anything you drop on the floor 😉
aerofoodie says
Mmm well done! I have been craving cookies so I’ll have to make a recipe later this week.
CakePants says
Thanks! Let me know how it goes if you make them 🙂
munakenny says
You have combined everything I love in a cookie! You are genius 🙂 … These cookies look amazing.
CakePants says
Haha I don’t know about genius, but thanks for the compliment 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try these sometime!
Jhuls says
Good timing – I have coconut, but the desiccated one. Can I use that? I give baked goodies, too, when I want to say ‘thank you’. I bet these taste amazing! Thanks for sharing, Mara!
CakePants says
I have to admit that I’ve never baked with desiccated coconut, but my guess is that it should be fine. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Jhuls says
Oh, yes! I will let you know. Thanks, Mara!
elizabeth959803 says
Oh, honey. Yes, please. Pinning straight-away. #WelcomeHomeWednesdays
CakePants says
I’m glad this caught your eye! Thanks for pinning 🙂
Mary Ann @ thebeachhousekitchen says
Love the added coconut Mara! Need to bake up a batch soon!
CakePants says
Thanks, Mary Ann! I like that the coconut gives the cookies a bit of a spring-time feel. Thanks for stopping by!
FrugalHausfrau says
Allright, I’m wondering now how I missed these on my last visit!! What a great flavor combo and such big scrumptious cookies!!
CakePants says
That’s exactly the plight of oatmeal cookies – they so often get overlooked! I’m glad these caught your eye, even if belatedly 🙂
heartandsoul974 says
Yummy…how can you go wrong with chocolate, oatmeal and coconut?😉
CakePants says
I agree! It’s a winning combination. Thanks for stopping by!