Chocolate Chunk, Coconut and Cashew Cookies
These chocolate chunk, coconut and cashew cookies are absolutely stuffed with ingredients I love. Brown butter takes this recipe to another level.
Cookies are one of life’s little pleasures, don’t you think? A great cookie is hard to beat, but I don’t know anyone who agrees on what exactly makes a good cookie. My description includes a big cookie full of chopped chocolate (for better texture) and lots of nuts. Throw some brown butter in there, and you’ve practically sold me. Really, the more stuff that’s in the cookie, the better, as far as I’m concerned. That’s why I took this recipe for chocolate chip cookies and added cashews and coconut.
These chocolate chunk, coconut and cashew cookies are full of different textures. You get a bit of chewiness from the coconut, crunch from the cashews, and pockets of chocolate. A bit of coarse salt sprinkled on after baking adds that special something that really makes these cookies shine, and the brown butter adds a wonderfully nutty flavor and depth.
I typically bake cookies on a whim since they’re so quick to mix up, but I made these cookies with a specific purpose in mind. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that food is one of the ways I show love. New baby? I’ll bring food. Going through a rough time? Again, food. There have been plenty of times in my life that I felt words couldn’t truly express my feelings. When I can’t find the words to say, food says what I can’t. It shows someone that I care. Food is something we eat to nourish our bodies, but it can also be so much more than that, as is the case with these cookies.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and I’m dedicating this post to OXO’s Good Cookie Campaign to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. For each post, OXO is donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Additionally, specially marked OXO products are available for purchase, with 25 cents of each sale being donated in support of pediatric cancer research. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease of children in the US, but less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget goes to all childhood cancers combined. So you can see why I was eager to participate in this campaign to help bake a difference.
Sometimes a cookie is just a cookie, but sometimes it’s more.
Full disclosure: I received OXO tools in order to make these cookies, but all opinions expressed here are, as always, my own. For every stickered item sold, OXO will donate 25 cents in support of pediatric cancer research as part of its $100,000* pledge to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Look for specially marked OXO products at participating retailers in September.
* In 2014, OXO will donate up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer through specially marked baking tools, bake sale matches and other fundraising efforts. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.
- COOK TIME:
- YIELD: about 28 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1¼ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 cup sugar
⅔ packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup finely chopped cashews
1-1½ cups chipped coconut
- 1
Heat oven to 375º and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
In a small skillet, add one stick of butter. Melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter stops foaming, carefully watch for it to take on a darker color, stirring as needed. The butter should be a darkish color and have a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl and allow to come to room temperature.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the sugar, brown sugar and cooled brown butter and continue beating another 1-2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in three additions.
- 3
On low speed, or by hand using a sturdy rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate, cashews and coconut. Using a 3½ tablespoon scoop, measure out the dough and place, at least 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the edges are brown and the center is golden. They may be slightly soft in the center, but they will set up as they cool.
- 4
Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on it for 1 minute, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Have another sheet ready to go in when the first batch comes out, and repeat with the remaining dough.
Alternately, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or portion out dough balls to freeze and bake directly from the freezer. If you refrigerate the dough, I recommend setting it out while your oven heats (it makes it easier to scoop). If you bake from frozen, simply add a couple minutes to the original baking time.
Food definitely brings people together and can say things that words just can’t! Cookies especially. Love just how stuffed these are with all the good stuff!
I make a very similar cookie. I can verify that these babies fly off the plate.
Oh my gosh! I think these are almost the best cookies I’ve ever made… there’s a bit of confusion in the recipe though… doesn’t say that to do with the white sugar… I just beat it in with the butter and it all turned out perfectly. I would likely use unsalted cashews next time (or leave out the extra salt) … great recipe!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And thank you for catching that accidental omission! I just updated the recipe so that doesn’t happen to anyone else.