oatmeal cookies get a bad rap— beyond the endless internet memes, people sometimes think of them as the boring cousin to the beloved chocolate chip cookie. though we are devout fans of our oprah-famous nutty chocolate chip cookies {and ship boxes of our famous cookies nationwide!}, we can’t help but have a soft spot {see what we did there?} for anything oatmeal. brown sugar creates a caramelized flavor while rolled oats add a perfectly chewy touch. what’s not to love?

most oatmeal cookies lend themselves well to fall flavors— think cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, you name it. but with summer just around the corner, we wanted to create a seasonal spin on the bakery classic that would transport us all to the  beach {no PTO required}. enter the tropical coconut oatmeal cookie: we folded dried pineapple and coconut flakes into our classic cookie dough recipe to create a deliciously indulgent and utterly swoon-worthy cookie. better yet? The recipe included below is a riff on the vanilla oatmeal cookie that’s featured in maman’s bestselling cookbook, and is an at-home version of the oatmeal cookies featured in our bakeries.

we recommend using unsweetened, dried pineapple for this recipe and chopping it into bite sized pieces for an optimal mix-in to cookie dough ratio. don’t have any pineapple on hand? experiment with different dried fruits, whether it be apricots, currants, or dried mango. get creative and put your own spin on it! 

to maintain the shape of your cookies & achieve a cakey texture, we recommend chilling the dough for at least an hour {and preferably overnight}. this also allows the flavors to develop & intermingle, creating a nuanced and complex cookie. trust us, patience pays off here!

tropical coconut oatmeal cookies

{recipe adapted from maman : the cookbook}

ingredients:

• 1 1⁄4 cups (140 g) old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup coconut flakes
• 1 cup (145 g) all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup (73 g) dried pineapple, cut into pebble sized pieces
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces / 113 g) unsalted
• butter, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup (90 g) packed light brown sugar
• 3⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

method: 

• in a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, pineapple chunks, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt.
• in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat on medium, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until fully combined, about 3 minutes. with the mixer running on low, add the egg and beat until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no flour is visible, about 1 minute. cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. (if the dough is refrigerated for longer than 1 hour, let it stand for 15 minutes before scooping.)
• set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°f (180°c). line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the parchment-lined sheet pans, spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart. transfer one sheet pan to the oven and bake, rotating the sheet pan as needed for even baking until the tops start to turn golden but the centers are still a little gooey, 10 to 12 minutes. let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. repeat to bake the remaining cookies.