These Coconut Cookies are more than just a treat — they’re a cherished family tradition. My mother-in-law baked these every Christmas, an I’m keeping the magic alive! Bran Flakes cereal adds an irresistible crunch that makes these cookies a year-round favorite.
These irresistible cookies are sweet and chewy, perfect with your morning coffee, a sweet treat, or even dessert.
Jump to:
🗝️ Recipe’s key points
- Enjoy these coconut cookies for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert!
- They’re crispy, sweet, and require pantry staple ingredients. Even better is the fact that you don’t need to chill the cookie dough before baking these cookies.
- The bran flakes and shredded unsweetened coconut add fiber to these cookies. This makes them a healthier choice while still satisfying your cookie cravings!
These coconut cookies may appear to be unassuming, but they’ll impress you with their flavor and irresistible chewy texture. Whip up a batch in less than 25 minutes!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the cookies, helping to create a tender, soft texture when creamed with sugars.
- Granulated Sugar: This sugar provides sweetness and helps create a crisp edge in the cookies. It also aids in browning during baking.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and depth of flavor due to its molasses content. It contributes to a chewy texture in the cookies.
- Egg: Eggs act as a binding agent, helping to hold all the ingredients together. They also provide structure and moisture to the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract: This ingredient enhances the overall flavor profile of the cookies. It adds a sweet and aromatic essence that complements the coconut.
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour provides the structure needed for the cookies. It allows them to rise and gives them their shape.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps the cookies rise. It creates a light and fluffy texture.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda also acts as a leavening agent. It reacts with the acids in the dough, creating bubbles that help the cookies expand.
- Kosher Salt: Salt enhances all the other flavors in the cookies. It balances the sweetness and brings out the richness of the butter.
- Bran Flakes: Bran flakes add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor. They increase the fiber content, making the cookies a healthier option.
- Semi-Sweet Coconut: Shredded coconut adds a tropical sweetness and chewy texture to the cookies. It enhances the coconut flavor and complements the other ingredients.
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Cream the butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add in both sugars, the egg, and vanilla.
- Beat until fluffy. Set the bowl aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
- Beat together until well combined.
- Add the Bran Flakes and coconut to the cookie dough mixture.
- Mix well.
- Shape the cookie dough into small balls using a cookie scoop and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Flatten the cookie dough balls by applying gentle pressure with a fork.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated 350℉ oven for 12 minutes.
- Let the cookies rest for 1 minute on the baking tray and then transfer them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
🥫 Storage
Store these coconut cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
📚 Variations
- Add-ins: Omit the coconut if you aren’t a fan. Chopped nuts, chocolate chips and caramel chips are delicious additions to most cookie recipes, including this one.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free baking flour if you want these cookies to be gluten-free. Keep in mind that this ingredient swap can alter the taste and texture of the cookies slightly. You will also need to use gluten-free bran flakes.
- Cereal: Use a different cereal if you don’t enjoy bran flakes. Cornflakes are a great substitute.
- Topping: Dunk these bran cookies into melted chocolate and sprinkle coconut over for extra decadence.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- You don’t need to chill the cookie dough before baking these cookies. Feel free to chill the dough if you want to prepare the dough ahead of time. I suggest adding the crunchy bran flakes to the dough right before you bake the cookies. This way, the cereal will keep its crispy texture.
- The use of both brown and white sugar in this coconut cookie recipe helps to provide sweetness and a chewy texture. I don’t recommend using just one type of sugar.
- Feel free to toast the shredded coconut for a deeper flavor. Spread shredded coconut over a parchment-lined baking tray and toast in the oven at 325 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes. Stir the shredded coconut every 2-3 minutes to ensure an even toasting.
🤔 FAQs
If you use coconut oil instead of butter, especially unrefined coconut oil, the cookies will taste more like coconut. However, that shouldn’t be an issue since these cookies are all about coconut!
Coconut cookies are made with similar ingredients found in most other cookie recipes. They may be slightly healthier than more indulgent cookies, but they aren’t considered a “health food”.
The right amount of fat content and moisture in cookie dough will always result in soft cookies. These coconut cookies are made with butter and brown sugar – the perfect combination of ingredients for soft cookies.
A bran flake is a type of breakfast cereal. It’s very similar to a cornflake. Bran flakes are made from toasted flakes of wheat or oat bran together with other binding agents to form shape.
- Holiday Macadamia Coconut Bread – Ditch the Christmas fruitcake and enjoy a slice of this moist and sweet holiday quick bread. It’s loaded with coconut flavor for a Caribbean-inspired sweet treat!
- Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon – What could be better than the combination of chocolate and coconut? These chocolate dipped coconut macaroons will satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth.
- Coconut Pineapple Delight – This sweet and tangy tropical dessert is perfect for summer, although I often indulge throughout the year! The Graham cracker crust is filled with cream cheese and pineapple. It has whipped topping, toasted shredded coconut, and extra Graham cracker crumbs!
🍽 What to serve with Coconut Cookies
Enjoy these bran cookies as a breakfast treat or afternoon snack alongside a mug of hot coffee or tea.
Need inspiration for a quick dessert? Add a few coconut cookies to a bowl of homemade ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce and a sprinkle of toasted shredded coconut.
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Electric mixer
- Dry measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Cookie scoop
- Baking trays
- Parchment paper
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
I can’t help but reminisce about the cherished memories these coconut treats bring. For our family, these cookies have become a beloved tradition during the Christmas season. Every year, our gatherings wouldn’t feel quite right without a batch of these sweet, crunchy delights on the table.
The lovely thing about this recipe is that it was gifted to me by my mother-in-law, who made these cookies for years. She taught me the secrets to getting the perfect mix of flavors and textures. I could almost hear her cheerful laughter while she baked in her kitchen. It’s now become my way of passing down that love and tradition to the next generation.
These biscotti (cookies) are always popular. We enjoy them during holidays, family reunions, and sunny Sundays. Their irresistible coconut flavor, combined with the wholesome goodness of bran flakes, makes them a hit with everyone! So, as you embark on your own baking adventure, I encourage you to make these cookies a part of your special moments too.
Buona cottura (happy baking), and may your kitchen be filled with amicizia e gioia (warmth and joy)!
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What’s new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We’ll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make
cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Grandma’s Coconut Cookies (with Bran Flakes cereal)
Grandma’s Coconut Cookies are sweet and chewy, loaded with crunchy bran flakes cereal and shredded coconut! Perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 126kcal
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups Bran Flakes
- 1 ½ cup semi-sweet coconut
Instructions
-
Cream the butter until smooth.
-
Add both sugars, egg, and vanilla, and beat until fluffy. Set aside.
-
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the butter mixture.
-
Add the Bran Flakes and Coconut. Mix well.
-
Shape into small balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the balls with a fork.
-
Bake in a preheated 350℉ oven for 12 minutes.
-
Let cookies rest for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack.
Nutrition
Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Sign up for the emails and never miss another recipe!!
We’ll never share your email or send you spam. Promise