Looking for the ultimate Coconut Biscuits Recipe? That was me, too. Until I found this one!
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The (perfect) recipe for Coconut Biscuits
I have to admit my expectations weren't high when I first found this recipe in Nana Ling's handwritten cookbook. It just seemed too simple. Way too easy.
But these biscuits blew me away!
Yum!
- The recipe produces a sweet biscuit with a crunchy shell, chewy centre and plenty of coconut goodness.
- You'll also love this recipe because it's super easy, takes just 5 minutes to whip up the mixture and the baking time is just 15 minutes.
If you're a fan of coconut biscuits, it's definitely worth investing 20 minutes of your day to create a batch of Nana Ling's old fashioned coconut biscuits.
Okay, have I sold you?
Let's get going with the recipe.
Pictured above is Nana Ling's easy 3-ingredient recipe. I've made a few tiny tweaks, including the oven temperature, so keep scrolling to find the recipe card at the bottom of this post rather than relying on the original recipe pictured below. Plus you'll find plenty of useful tips in the updated recipe.
Ingredient notes
The ingredients you'll need are:
- desiccated coconut – the unsweetened variety
- caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar
- eggs – fresh is best and always try to use eggs at room temperature when baking.
That's right. This is a 3-ingredient recipe!
The ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
(No coconut in the cupboard? Make Meringue Kisses instead with just sugar and egg whites.)
How to make Coconut Biscuits
The method is simple. Super, super simple.
It's all in the recipe card below.
But I'm going to run through it all here too in detail (there aren't many!)
Prepping
Pre-heat the oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius/355 degrees fahrenheit).
(Yes, Nana Ling's original recipe says bake in a hot oven but I found a hot oven burnt the biscuits. Moderate is perfect.)
Grease the baking trays. You'll need two of them.
Mixing
Place the coconut and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk together to combine well.
Beat the eggs lightly and add to the mixture.
Mix well with a wooden spoon to form a soft, dough-like consistency.
Spoon out the mixture (about a tablespoon) and shape into small balls.
TIP: If the mixture is too soft to form balls, add a little extra coconut or place in the fridge for 15 minutes before attempting to roll again.
You should end up with about 18 balls in total.
Place at least 5cm apart on the baking trays. This leaves room for the biscuits to spread.
Baking
Okay, into the pre-heated oven they go.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Allow these biscuits to cool completely on the trays.
TIP: Use a spatula to gently lift the biscuits from the tray if necessary.
Variation ideas
This is absolutely my go-to recipe. It's quick, easy and the results are excellent.
It reminded me of a principle one of my first bosses used to remind me of regularly, the KISS ("Keep it simple, stupid") principle.
It really does pay to cut out unnecessary complexity and do it the simple way.
However, if you do want to switch things up a bit, here are some ideas for how you can adapt this recipe:
- Substitute the sugar with a sugar sweetener. I haven't tried this myself, so I'd love to hear from you in the comments below if you do try this substitution.
- Add some lemon zest when adding the egg for lemon coconut biscuits.
- Drizzle some melted chocolate over the biscuits once they are cooled for some added indulgence.
Recipe FAQs
Store biscuits in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freeze biscuits for up to 3 months. Make sure biscuits are completely cooled before wrapping individually and freezing in an airtight container.
And if you love this recipe, you might also like one of these recipes: Coconut Ice, Coconut Cake, Mars Bar Slice, Jelly Slice, Chocolate Ripple Cake, Cornflake Cookies, Cream Scones, Iced Vovos and Honey Joys.
Coconut Biscuits
Equipment
- 2 baking trays
Ingredients
- 125 grams desiccated coconut (unsweetened) (1 ½ cups)
- 215 grams caster sugar (superfine sugar) (1 cup)
- 2 medium-sized (60 gram) eggs (100 ml whisked egg)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius/355 degrees fahrenheit).
- Grease baking trays.
- Place coconut and sugar into a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Beat eggs lightly and add to the mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon to form a soft, dough-like consistency.
- Spoon out mixture (about a tablespoon) and shape into small balls. (See tip 2 below if your mixture isn't holding together.) Place at least 5cm apart on baking trays.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Allow to cool completely in trays.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you use unsweetened desiccated coconut rather than shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
- If mixture is too soft to form balls, add a little extra coconut or place in the fridge for 15 minutes before attempting to roll again.
- Use a spatula to gently lift the biscuits from the tray if necessary.
Kellie
I put a little bit of jam on mine, and the house smells amazing
Libby
Amazing 🙂 And a lovely idea 💕 Happy cooking Kellie!
catherine
These are delicious. I also had a problem with the consistency of the dough. It was much too runny to make into balls. But I simply added more coconut, and more sugar, and they turned out great. I think the problem was that I used large eggs (I don't think my store even has medium eggs). They are light and airy, and really really easy!
Libby
Hi Catherine. Thanks so much for the feedback and 5 star rating - it's much appreciated. I'm going to make these up again and measure the eggs and add a note about adjusting the amount of dry ingredients if you use larger eggs. Thanks again and so glad you love the recipe 🙂
Sarah
I'm dieing to make these but only have brown sugar....
What do you suggest?
Libby
Hi Sarah. You can generally substitute 1 cup of brown sugar for 1 cup of caster sugar. I haven't tried it with this particular recipe but now that you mention the idea I think it might work well! Good luck!
Lulu
My batter/dough was wet and didn't roll into balls—so I added a few handfuls of corn flakes, sprinkled medium-coarse Himalayan salt over the drops, and ended up with tasty macaroons. I weighed shredded (dried) coconut and organic cane sugar and used two medium-ish eggs. Maybe one less egg in the future?
Libby
Hi Lulu. The recipe uses desiccated coconut rather than shredded coconut. I suspect this may be the issue. I'm also going to clarify in the recipe that it's caster sugar that I use. Sounds like you rescued these and made something lovely in any event! Thanks for your comment and hope this helps 🙂 Libby
Gloria Webber
@Libby, I thought desiccated coconut actually was Shredded coconut???
Libby
Gloria - they are different, desiccated is finely ground coconut rather than bigger strips, and is drier.
Denise Browning
I have to try these coocnut biscuits, So yummy looking!
Libby
They are indeed yummy and so, so simple! Enjoy 🙂
Libby
Hi Maureen. Sorry you had this problem. I'm going to revise the recipe to show a picture of the uncooked balls on the tray. The mixture should hold together well and then only spread into a nice cookie shape. Did you use dessicated coconut? Did you use medium-sixed eggs? (I'm also going to update the recipe to clarify that dessicated coconut and medium-sized eggs should be used.) You could also try using a baking tray lined with baking paper rather than a greased tray to prevent the spreading. Chilling the mixture in the fridge before rolling them out into balls may also help.
Tisha
Love finding hand written recipes that are passed down! These sounds delicious!
Adrianne
These sound simple but I bet they taste delicious!! I can't believe they are only using 3 ingredients. Yum, can't wait to try them out!!
Tilly
I'm a sucker for anything coconut and anything this easy!
Samuel Kydd
Really Nice! I used half a cup of sugar.
Libby
Excellent news! I'll have to try them with 1/2 cup sugar, too.
Amanda
I used Natvia
Libby
Nice! Did they work well? Thanks for sharing 🙂
Cathy
These look delicious and scrumptious! Wish I had these and a cup of coffee right now!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks for your step by step easy method to doing these tasty biscuits. Great option to gift friends and family.
Awanthi Vardaraj
I love anything to do with coconut; what a delightful recipe. I really must try it soon.
I love the premise of your blog!
Libby
Hi Awanthi. It's definitely one worth trying if you're a coconut fan. There are quite a few other recipes with coconut in the book - I think my great Nana Ling must have loved coconut too! Thanks for your lovely comment.
Pete
should have read " hint 2" before cooking, they spread, but, for the first effort 99%✓ for trying. This made them last longer as they took longer the extract from the tray!🫡🤗 But very enjoyable.