These gluten-free thin and Crispy Salted Coconut Cookies have only four ingredients and are super easy to make. They’re always the first to disappear from the cookie tray!
It’s a cookie-baking weekend! I’ve suddenly been asked to make 6 dozen cookies for a bake sale so I’m considering all the options. This recipe for Crispy Salted Coconut Cookies is high on my list. Why? It’s quick and easy and these cookies have always been the first to disappear from the cookie tray. They’re perfect for those on a gluten-free diet, too.
To make these Crispy Salted Coconut Cookies
all you’ll need is:
- melted butter
- coconut
- eggs
- sugar
- and a few pinches of flaky sea salt
These thin salted coconut cookies are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, just like prize-winning cookies should be. They also take top honors because they have that tiny hint of salt that cookie-lovers crave. Not only that, they’re gluten-free, making them definite winners in my books. Bake ahead and freeze.
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded/dessicated coconut
- 1 large egg, or 2 medium
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 - 1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt like Fleur de Sel for garnish
- Heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add the coconut. Mix well by hand until the coconut is well coated with the butter.
- Beat the eggs with a mixer on medium speed just until blended. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high until the mixture is light-colored and fluffy. Combine the butter-covered coconut gently with the egg mixture and mix well.
- Drop the batter by small spoonfuls about 1 1/2 inches apart onto the parchment-covered baking sheets and press down evenly to flatten.. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden. Watch carefully as they will burn quickly.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt so that it will stick. Slide the entire sheet of parchment with the cookies intact onto a wire cooling rack so that the heat from the baking sheet won't continue to brown the bottom of the cookies.
- As soon as they are cool, place in an air-tight container to maintain their crispness. These cookies freeze well.
Be sure to use shredded/dessicated coconut. Desiccated coconut has been dried so it contains much less moisture than flaked coconut. It will absorb more moisture than flaked coconut. Using flaked coconut in this recipe will not produce a crisp cookie.
hmmm…..I had so much hope for these and followed the recipe exactly. They wouldn’t come off the wax paper like “cookies though”. They were all crumbly, gooey and a big mess (tasted good though!)
Hi Laurie,
Oh no! How disappointing for you. I’m stymied as to what might have gone wrong. This has been a super popular recipe with my readers for over a year, so I’m just not sure what to tell you. The one time I had a batch that didn’t turn out perfectly was when I added 2 cups of coconut instead of 2 1/2 cups. There was just too much egg in the batter and it leaked out around the cookies. I’ve never used wax paper before–I always use parchment paper to avoid sticking. That’s the only thing I can think of to help you out!
These are amazing! Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Beth,
You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting!
Made this recipe last night! Came out so well. So yummy.
Melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips, filled an icing bag, and zig zagged across the cookies. Looked beautiful and tasted amazing!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for letting me know! What a great idea to add chocolate! We can never have too much chocolate, right?
This is exactly what I need: not too sweet and easy to make. Thank you!
Thanks! I love the sweet and salty contrast in these. So glad you like them too. Thanks for letting me know!
Help. Beat eggs and sugar for 11 minutes and it’s still soup. Room temp eggs.
Oh that’s a bummer! I think the problem might be the type of coconut you may be using. I use shredded/desiccated coconut which absorbs much more liquid than flake coconut. Desiccated coconut is drier and the pieces are much smaller than flakes, it has more surface area, so it will absorb more liquid.
I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out for you, as it’s a popular one on my blog! I am making a note in the recipe so others won’t have the same problem. Thanks for commenting!
Would coconut oil instead of butter work to make these dairy free?
That is such a great question–I wish I had a definite answer! It should work, because both butter and coconut oil are solid at room temperature. If I wasn’t heading out on a trip, I’d make a batch with coconut oil to find out and let you know! I think it would taste really good. If you do try it, let me know! Thanks for your question.
super hard to get right
That’s too bad that you had trouble with this recipe. I’m not sure what went wrong, but it may be the type of coconut you’re using. I have found that desiccated or shredded coconut absorbs more liquid than flaked coconut that is more commonly sold in the US.
Hi, quick question about baking ahead and freezing – how long do you have to defrost them before serving? These sound delicious but my hubby is not a coconut fan, so figured I’d bake and save for friends and family visits! Thanks in advance!
Hi Mel,
These thaw in just a few minutes. I’ve baked and frozen them successfully for a few weeks. You might also like my latest recipe where I took the same cookies, omitted the salted tops and dipped and drizzled them in chocolate. Check it out here Thanks for stopping by. Happy baking!