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    Home » Recipes » Cookies/Bars

    Walnut Coconut Cookies

    By Nancy Mock December 25, 2020 Updated December 4, 2021 4 Comments

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    Brown cookies on a dark plate
    BRowned coconut cookies next to a white and red fringe cloth

    A soft cookie with sweetened coconut and a little crunch from toasted walnuts. It's an easy-to-make and yummy cookie.

    Plate of small cookies next to a white and red towel
    → Jump to Recipe

    Not too long ago, I shared a recipe from my grandmother Riley, for chocolaty Wacky Cake. Now I'm sharing a recipe from my other grandma whose name I share, Nancy Frechette! Years ago when I was making a family cookbook for my sister, Gram Frechette gave me this recipe for Walnut Coconut Cookies.

    black and white photo of a young woman on a lawn
    My grandmother, 1944

    Our grandmother has always been a prolific baker, especially of pies. Every Thanksgiving she hosted an enormous dinner for family, one that grew in size every year as new husbands, wives, and grandchildren joined the gang. In addition to the huge dinner, Gram would make around 20 fruit pies: raspberry, apple, blueberry, cherry, and lots, lots more.

    black and white photo of a small kitchen
    My grandmother's kitchen

    And all of this she did by herself (believe me, we tried to help but she insisted on doing it all!) Gram made this feast in the same, small but cozy kitchen for decades. All this, plus daily shopping and meals for her family, watching her grandchildren (she instilled a lifelong love in me for Bob Barker's The Price Is Right!), and a fulltime, second-shift job as a registered nurse.

    Grandmother with granddaughter in a wedding dress
    My grandmother with me on my wedding day

    Gram doesn't get to bake these days like she used to, and I'm sure she misses it. But she continues to impress all of us with her strength, perseverance, sense of humor, caring nature, and most of all, her love for her family.

    Dark plate with brown cookies and a handwritten recipe under the plate

    Why you'll love these cookies

    I run hot and cold on walnuts, and on nuts in baked goods in general. However, I found that when chopped and toasted, walnuts are really tasty in these soft, coconutty cookies.

    It's a really easy recipe to pull together and bake, making it a super choice for cookie exchanges, work parties, or just to make a treat for yourself and the fam.

    The flavors of toasted walnuts, coconut, and a touch of rum extract are so delicious together. Set these cookies out with a pot of coffee or hot tea - YUM.

    Sour cream, butter, coconut, and walnuts

    🔪 How to make this recipe

    Step 1: Toast the walnuts

    Walnuts in a small skillet with a green spatula

    Put the walnuts in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes, until the walnuts are nicely toasted.

    Step 2: Make the cookie batter

    Cookie dough in a small red bowl.

    Cream the butter and sugar together, and add in the eggs and flavorings. Whisk together the dry ingredients with the cooled walnuts and coconut. Then stir this dry mixture together with the wet mixture and the sour cream.

    Step 3: Bake!

    Scoops of cookie dough on a lined baking sheet

    Scoop the batter onto a lined baking sheet, and bake them for about 15 minutes. Let them cool, then enjoy!

    Notes:

    • Don't skip the step of toasting the walnuts! It only takes a few minutes and adds so much more flavor to the the finished cookies.
    Plate of coconut cookies on a wood surface

    Find the recipe for Walnut Coconut Cookies below, and a few other sweets you should try, too!

    Sugar and Spice Candied Ginger Cookies
    Beautifully fragrant, they're perfect for holiday time or any old time! Sugar and Spice Candied Ginger Cookies are loaded with warming spices and lovely sweetness.
    Take me there
    Round ginger cookies on a black plate
    Lavender Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe with Toasted Walnut Streusel
    Loaded with juicy blueberries and soft floral notes. Make this Lavender Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee cake for home or a potluck. A walnut streusel topping gives it a little crunch!
    Take me there
    Blueberry coffee cake slice on a white plate.
    Peanut Butter Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Bottoms
    Sweet and coconutty macaroons are even more sublime with peanut butter - and a chocolate dipped bottom of course!
    Take me there
    Coconut scattered over blue plate holding macaroons

    💬 What do you think of these soft, little cookies? Leave a comment and a star rating below!

    PIle of lightly browned cookies on a black plate

    Walnut Coconut Cookies

    Nancy Mock
    A soft cookie with sweetened coconut and a little crunch from toasted walnuts. It's an easy-to-make and yummy cookie.
    4.5 from 6 votes. Tap stars to vote
    Print This Recipe Pin This Recipe
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Christmas, Cookies, Dessert
    Servings 36 cookies

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ⅔ cup chopped walnuts
    • ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon rum extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
    • ½ cup sour cream

    Instructions
     

    Toast the walnuts

    • Pour the chopped walnuts into a nonstick skillet. Toast the nuts over medium heat, stirring them often, for several minutes until the walnuts are fragrant and toasted. Remove the nuts from the heat and let them cool.

    Make the batter

    • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, for 5 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
    • Blend in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and the rum extracts.
    • Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir the walnuts and the coconut into the flour mixture.
    • Add the dry mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the sour cream. Do not overmix: pulse the mixer as you add in the ingredients, and finish the mixing with a wooden spoon.

    Get ready to bake

    • Scoop the batter in 2-teaspoon sized scoops and place them on the prepared baking sheet, about two inches apart.
    • Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, until they're puffed and lightly browned around the edges. Move the cookies to a cooling rack.
    • Store the cookies in a sealed container for up to one week. Makes about 36 cookies.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookieCalories: 136kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 89mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 140IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment, tell me what you think!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kat

      August 31, 2021 at 5:55 pm

      Had to leave a comment to let you know that I have made these cookies three times in the past week, they are that good. I used gluten-free flour and erythritol because that's how I am, and the recipe adapted wonderfully. So good that I crave them and am literally making another batch right now. Just wanted to thank you.

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        September 02, 2021 at 5:34 pm

        Kat, thank you for this - you really made my day! I'm thrilled that you love this recipe, and that you were able to adapt it with alternative ingredients. This is my grandmother's recipe, and she will be so happy when I share this with her. 🙂 Thanks, and have a wonderful day!

        Reply
    2. Heidi

      December 26, 2020 at 8:16 am

      5 stars
      This sounds like a tasty recipe, Nancy! Love the photos you shared in this post, and the snowflakes falling, too! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas!

      Reply
      • Nancy Mock

        December 26, 2020 at 12:08 pm

        I love these photos too, especially of the 1950s kitchen. I will always be astounded at how much food my grandmother created in that kitchen, which is about the size of an RV kitchenette! Thanks Heidi, and Merry Christmas to you and your family!

        Reply

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