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Soft, thick, and chewy Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies made with rich caramel, sweet coconut flakes, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Here are all of the secrets for making caramel coconut chocolate chip cookies at home.
Oh, you know how much I love Levain Bakery cookies. As soon as they release a brand new seasonal cookie flavor, I receive so many messages requesting the copycat recipe.
I get to my test kitchen as quickly as possible to start creating the recipe for you! When I was recently in New York City and Washington DC, I was analyzing and studying every aspect of the cookie.
Some cookies are good. And then there are Levain Bakery cookies, which occupy an entirely different category. If you’ve never had one, imagine a cookie that’s three times the size of a normal one, golden and slightly crispy on the outside, soft and almost underbaked in the center, and so packed with coconut, chocolate, and gooey caramel that every bite is different from the last. These Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies are a copycat of one of Levain’s most iconic flavors, and once you try them, you’ll understand why people fly to New York just for a bag of cookies.
Levain Bakery just released its new Spring cookie flavor and it is insanely good. As soon as I saw that it was a Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie, I rushed to the store to pick up the ingredients. That is one heavenly combo! All of my recipe testers went crazy over these cookies, and I couldn’t wait another minute to get this recipe out to you.
These Carmel Coconut Chocolate Cookies are perfectly soft, thick, and chewy with bits of soft caramel, sweet and chewy coconut, and decadent chocolate throughout the cookie.
You can find more Levain Bakery copycat cookie recipes below. I have knocked off every single of their cookies and the very first recipe I ever posted was my recipe for Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bakery-thick texture at home. The combination of cold butter and two types of flour gives these cookies that signature Levain height and chew that you just can’t get from a standard cookie recipe.
- Gooey caramel in every bite. Soft caramel pieces (Werther’s or Kraft work great) melt into the dough as they bake, creating little pockets of warm, buttery caramel throughout the cookie.
- The coconut makes them next-level. Sweetened flaked coconut adds a subtle chewiness and tropical sweetness that balances out the rich chocolate and caramel perfectly.
- No chilling required. Unlike many thick cookie recipes, this dough uses cold butter as the structural foundation, so you can go from mixing bowl to oven without waiting for the dough to chill.
- They stay soft for days. The cake flour and cornstarch keep these cookies soft and tender long after they come out of the oven — if they last that long.
- Seriously impressive. These cookies look and taste like they came from a bakery. They’re the kind of thing you bring to a party and suddenly everyone wants the recipe.
Ingredients
If you are familiar with my Levain Bakery Cookie recipes, you know they are unique and different. A few ingredients tweaks, oven temp, and a few tips and tricks make all of the difference.
- Butter — use cold butter cut into cubes. This helps the cookies keep their shape while baking and allows you to skip the chilling step.
- Brown Sugar — makes the cookies extra chewy.
- Sugar — gives the cookies crispy edges and helps to brown the cookies.
- Eggs — use large eggs in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract — this is an optional ingredient as Levain Bakery doesn’t use vanilla in their recipes. I do like the flavor it adds to the cookie dough.
- All-Purpose Flour — I love to use a mix of all-purpose flour and cake flour. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use only all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Cake Flour — helps to create a soft, tender texture in the cookies.
- Cornstarch — helps to thicken the cookies while still keeping them soft. Cornstarch helps to keep the cookies softer for longer.
- Baking Soda — helps the cookies to rise once they hit the oven.
- Salt — is a flavor enhancer and a must in all baked goods.
- Sweetened Coconut Flakes — use soft, sweetened coconut flakes, like Baker’s coconut in this recipe.
- Soft Caramels — use soft caramels cut into pieces or caramel bits.
- Chocolate Chips — I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate chips but you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate too.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
Instructions
- Start by creaming together cubed butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in all-purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, just until combined.
- Fold in coconut and chocolate chips.
- Weigh the cookie dough into 6-ounce balls.
- Cut the soft caramel into small pieces.
- Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I suggest using a light colored baking sheet.
- Place the caramel pieces in the center of the cookie dough ball. It is important to keep the caramels in the center of the cookie or they will spread on the sides of the cookie and stick to the pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden color. Remove from the oven and let set up for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.
Substitutions
What if I don’t have cake flour?
If you don’t have cake flour, you can use 3 cups of all-purpose flour.
What types of caramels should I use in this recipe?
I used the Werther’s Originals SOFT CHEWY caramels. Don’t use hard caramels in this cookie recipe. You can also use Kraft caramels or caramel bits.
Baking Tips:
- Don’t skip the cold butter. This is the single most important thing about this recipe. Cold butter is what keeps these cookies from spreading flat. If your butter warms up too much while you’re mixing, put the dough in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes before baking.
- Use a light-colored cookie sheet. Dark pans absorb more heat and can cause the bottoms of your cookies to overbake or burn before the centers have a chance to set. A light-colored, shiny aluminum baking sheet reflects heat more evenly and gives you a much better bake — especially important at the high 410°F temperature this recipe calls for.
- Try a higher oven rack. Placing your cookie sheet on a higher rack moves the cookies closer to the top heating element and away from the direct bottom heat, which helps the tops and centers bake more evenly without over-browning the bottoms. This is a great trick if you find your cookie bottoms are getting too dark before the centers are done.
- Use a kitchen scale for portioning if you have one. Weighing the dough balls ensures consistent sizing and even baking. Aim for 5–6 ounces per cookie.
- Keep them rough on top. Resist the urge to roll the dough into perfect smooth balls. A rough, craggy top creates those beautiful golden peaks and gives the cookies that bakery-style rustic look.
- Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies out when they still look slightly underdone in the center — glossy and soft-looking. They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan for several minutes after you remove them from the oven, and the center will set up perfectly as they cool.
- The high oven temperature matters. Baking at 400-410°F (rather than the standard 350°F) sets the edges and outside quickly while keeping the interior soft and gooey. Don’t lower the temperature — it changes the texture.
- Cut the caramels small. Larger caramel pieces can create very large pockets of caramel that bubble out and burn at the edges. Cut each caramel into at least 4–6 small pieces for better distribution and cleaner results.
- Bake one sheet at a time in the center rack of your oven for the most even bake. If you bake two sheets at once, rotate them halfway through.
- Let them rest. These cookies are very soft and almost undone-looking fresh out of the oven. Give them a full 10 minutes on the pan before moving them — they need that time to firm up enough to hold together.
Storage
These Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies store very well. I suggest keeping it in an airtight container. The cookies will stay fresh for a few days.
If you would like to freeze these cookies, place them in a Ziploc freezer-safe bag.
More Levain Bakery Cookie Recipes:
Here is a collection of 15 Levain Bakery copycat cookie recipes…
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Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (cold, cut into cubes)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour *
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Sweetened Flaked Coconut
- 2 cups Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- 16 Soft Caramels (Werther's or Kraft, cut into small pieces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in all-purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in coconut and chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough into 6-ounce large balls. Place on a parchment paper lined light colored baking sheet.
- Cut the caramels into small pieces. Place the caramels in and around the center of the cookie. This is important so the caramel doesn't get close to the outside of the cookie which may result in the caramel sticking to the pan.
- Space the cookies apart with only 4 or 5 on each baking sheet. Bake for 8 1/2 – 10 minutes or until a light golden color.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to set up for about 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In the video they state that they use fresh, unsweetened coconut. I think they mean not desiccated.
Also, you can see the caramel chips they use, not carmels. I find carmels tricky to bake with. And once they are cool can be hard, chewy.
I have probably said the name of your website, “It’s from Modern Honey!”more than any other website, because I’m always telling people what great recipes you have.
Can I freeze the dough?
These were delicious! We were just at Levain a few weeks ago and were craving these again. Followed the recipe exactly as written. Theses were similar but next time I would add more coconut to get it closer to the original. My first batch burned on the bottom and was raw inside at 410 so I did turn down to 350 and those came out much better.
These look great! Do you chill the dough prior to baking?
Hi Melissa
Would desiccated coconut work for this recipe?
Please let me know.
Thanks
Hello Meli,
I am Vanessa from Argentina.
I wanted to know, 1 cup is equal to how many grams?
thank you
I made this recipe and my family loved them so much! They are big cookies, but we just cut them in half. So my cookies are uniform, I always weigh the dough and divide by the number of cookies.
I used the caramel bits (about 2/3 cup for full recipe) and was able to add them in the dough when adding the coconut and chips. Because they are small, I had no issue with it oozing out. My oven needed 13 minutes so they weren’t raw on the inside.
This will become a staple in my cookie rotation for sure! Everyone loves all of the Levain cookies – thanks for all the specialty ones too!
I will definitely be making these again! These were perfection!
These cookies WIN! Some of the best cookies I have ever had.
These are incredible! I will be making these again.