Brown Butter Fruit and Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut, finished with Smoked Salt
Unbelievably delicious oaty cookies, fully loaded with chunks of fruit and nut chocolate, desiccated coconut and smoked flakes of sea salt, guaranteeing the perfect balance of sweetness, nuttiness, and savoury kick. Unutterably irresistible, the brown butter adds a rich, caramelised, nutty unami to the cookies and a unique depth of flavour that complements the other ingredients perfectly. The chocolate, chopped in varying sizes, ensures a delightful surprise and a burst of chocolatey goodness in each and every mouthful. Coconut and oats, not only contribute to the flavour, but also provide a satisfying texture to the cookies.
Lastly, the smoked sea salt adds a unique element and is the crowning glory that elevates these cookies to another level. Its smoky, savoury contrast provides a delightful counterpoint to the sweetness of the cookies, and the slight crunch it offers, is the perfect finishing touch.
How to make Brown Butter Fruit and Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut
This recipe is based on my Chocolate Chip Cookies – Core Recipe. The changes I made were to:
- reduce the flour and add oats and coconut instead.
- brown the butter and add a little milk to compensate for the liquid lost when browning.
- add smoked sea salt
Collect all your ingredients together:
For the cookies:
- unsalted butter
- fruit and nut chocolate, chopped (I use Cadburys)
- fine salt
- soft brown sugar
- caster sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract/paste
- milk
- plain/all-purpose flour
- porridge oats
- desiccated coconut
- baking powder
- flakes of smoked salt or sea salt, optional
How to make these fabulous oaty cookies:
- Brown the butter: chop the butter into squares and place in a saucepan. Heat over a moderate heat, stirring from time to time, until the butter turns brown. Decant into a mixing bowl (large enough to make the cookies) to prevent further browning, and set aside to cool. To read more about browning butter, please see here.
- Chop the fruit and nut chocolate into chunks of differing sizes.
- Make the cookie dough: add the salt and sugars to the butter and, using a balloon whisk, mix thoroughly.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract/paste and milk and mix in well.
- Fold in the flour, oats, coconut and baking powder into the butter mixture.
- Fold in the chopped fruit and nut chocolate until evenly mixed throughout. The dough will be quite soft and sticky at this stage. (NB hold a few chunks of chocolate back, just 4-5, to add into the last cookie.) Leave to sit for 5 minutes and the dough will thicken a little as the oats absorb the liquid.
- Divide the dough into 16 x 50g balls. I use an ice cream scoop. Add the 4-5 remaining chunks of chocolate to the final cookie, if necessary. (If not, eat them – cooks prerogative!) Roll gently into a neater shape and place spread out on a baking sheet – I get 4 per sheet depending on the size of the baking sheet.
- Flatten each cookie into a disk shape roughly 1cm – 1½ cms thick. Sprinkle over a little smoked sea salt or ordinary sea salt, to taste. Gently press into the tops of each cookie.
- Baking one tray at a time: bake for in the centre of a preheated oven for 12 – 14 minutes. (I cook mine for 13 minutes.)
- Baking two trays at a time: add one minute to the total time to cook. Bake for half this time and then quickly swap the trays over i.e. put the top tray on the lower shelf and the tray from the lower shelf and on the higher shelf and cook for the remaining time. (So, for one tray I cook for 13 minutes and 2 trays for 6½ minutes, swap the trays and then another 6½ minutes = 13 minutes on total.)
- The cookies are cooked when: they have spread out, are starting to brown on the edges and look ever so slightly underdone. They should still be soft in the middle. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Basic cookie ingredients 
Additional ingredients 
1 Brown butter 
2 Chop chocolate 
3 Butter, salt sugars 
4 Egg, milk, vanilla 
Mix well 
5 Flour, bp, oats, coconut 
Fold in 
6 Fold in chocolate 
5 mins 
7, 8 Divide, flatten 
9 Bake 
10 Cool 
Serve
Made this recipe?
If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.
Brown Butter Fruit and Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut, finished with Smoked Salt
Unbelievably delicious oaty cookies, fully loaded with chunks of fruit and nut chocolate, desiccated coconut and smoked flakes of sea salt guaranteeing the perfect balance of sweetness, nuttiness, and savoury kick. Unutterably irresistible, the brown butter adds a rich, caramelised, nutty unami to the cookies and a unique depth of flavour that complements the other ingredients perfectly. The chocolate, chopped in varying sizes, ensures a delightful surprise and a burst of chocolatey goodness in each and every mouthful. Coconut and oats, not only contribute to the flavour, but also provide a satisfying texture to the cookies.
Makes 18 x large 50g cookies
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter
- 300g fruit and nut chocolate, chopped (I use Cadburys)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 75g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract/paste
- 20ml milk
- 125g plain/all-purpose flour
- 75g porridge oats
- 25g desiccated coconut
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- flakes of smoked sea salt or sea salt, optional
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 (fan 160°C) and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
-
Brown the butter: chop the butter into cubes and place in a saucepan. Heat over a moderate heat, stirring from time to time, until the butter turns brown and smells nutty. Decant into a mixing bowl (large enough to make the cookies) to prevent further browning, and set aside to cool. To read more about browning butter, please see here.
-
Chop the fruit and nut chocolate into chunks of differing sizes.
-
Make the cookie dough: add the salt and sugars to the butter and, using a balloon whisk, mix thoroughly.
-
Add the egg, vanilla extract/paste and milk and mix in well.
-
Fold the flour, oats, coconut and baking powder into the butter mixture.
-
Fold in the chopped fruit and nut chocolate until evenly mixed throughout. The dough will be quite soft and sticky at this stage. (NB hold a few chunks of chocolate back, just 4-5, to add into the last cookie.) Leave to sit for 5 minutes; the dough will thicken a little as the oats absorb the liquid.
-
Divide the dough into 16 x 50g balls. I use an ice cream scoop. Add the 4-5 remaining chunks of chocolate to the final cookie, if necessary. (If not, eat them!) Roll gently into a neater shape and place spread out on a baking sheet – I get 4 per sheet depending on the size of the baking sheet.
-
Flatten each cookie into a disk shape roughly 1cm – 1½ cms thick. Sprinkle over a little smoked sea salt or ordinary sea salt, to taste. Gently press into the tops of each cookie.
-
Baking one tray at a time: bake for in the centre of a preheated oven for 12 – 14 minutes. (I cook mine for 12 minutes.)
-
Baking two trays at a time: add one minute to the total time to cook. Bake for half this time and then quickly swap the trays over i.e. put the top tray on the lower shelf and the tray from the lower shelf and on the higher shelf and cook for the remaining time. (So, for one tray I cook for 12 minutes and 2 trays for 6½ minutes, swap the trays and then another 6½ minutes = 13 minutes on total.)
-
The cookies are cooked when: they have spread out, are starting to brown on the edges and look ever so slightly underdone. They should still be soft in the middle.
-
Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- Saucepan to brown the butter
- Balloon whisk and mixing bowl
- Chopping board and knife
- Baking sheets lined with baking parchment
Weighing the ingredients:
You can either weigh your ingredients and then add them to the mixing bowl or you can weigh your ingredients directly into your mixing bowl. Simply put the bowl on the scales and zero the scales. Make sure you remember to zero them in between adding each new ingredient.
Can I bake these cookies directly from the fridge?
Unlike many recipes, these cookies do not have to be chilled prior to baking. They can be cooked as soon as they are made. However, if you want to prepare the dough ahead of time, simply store them covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and then bake them, directly from the fridge, when you are ready.
What is the best way to store these cookies?
When you store cookies, it is important to cover them and store in an airtight container. They keep well for 3 – 4 days at room temperature or 5 – 6 days in the fridge. However, if you are storing them in the fridge, remember to take them out to warm up to room temperature before you serve them.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes you can! You can freeze the cookies prior to cooking and after cooking.
Freeze prior to cooking:
One of the wonderful things about this recipe (and most cookies in general to be fair) is that you can make a big batch and freeze them uncooked, but oven ready. To freeze, place them on a baking parchment lined board or baking tray, cover with cling film and place in the freezer until solid. As soon as the dough balls are frozen, they can be transferred into labelled freezer bags or containers. They can be cooked directly from frozen. Freshly baked warm cookies on demand – what is not to like?
Cook directly from the freezer:
Bake directly from frozen, as described in the recipe. Simply allow 1 – 2 extra minutes bake time.
Freeze after cooking:
These cookies can also be frozen after you have cooked them. Freeze in labelled or sealed containers/bags for up to 3 months.
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