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I came across this recipe for Old-Fashioned Wheaties Coconut Cookies in a little cookie recipe booklet from 1965. It’s the first recipe in the book and is credited to Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, wife of the President of United States, at the time.
It immediately caught my eye, because I love love love all things coconut, including coconut cookies.
I made these Wheaties coconut cookies lighter by cutting the butter and sugar called for in the original recipe in half.
They may never be considered Weight Watchers diet food. But when you want something sweet, crispy, chewy and delicious, these cookies will definitely satisfy your craving!
I love old cookie recipes and have fun exploring ways to make cookies a little lighter and healthier without sacrificing flavor and texture.
One nice thing about old cookie recipes, like this one for Wheaties Coconut Cookies, is that the suggested cookie size is a lot smaller – perfect portion-control for those of us watching our weight and trying to eat better ?
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Coconut Cookies?
According to my calculations each cookie has 70 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, click here to track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
4 SmartPoints (Green plan)
4 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
4 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
2 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Baking Notes and Recipe Variations
Like so many old cookie recipes, this one calls for a mixture of butter and other shortening. When old cookbooks say “shortening,” they are referring to all fats including butter, margarine, lard and vegetable shortening. I prefer to use mostly butter in my cookies, but sometimes use a non-hydrogenated shortening—like the one from Spectrum. Use whatever you like best.
I think cornflakes, bran flakes, crisp rice cereal or some other kind of whole wheat flakes would all work well in place of the Wheaties.
Substitute all, or part, of the all-purpose flour with white wheat or whole wheat pastry flour.
To turn these into Ranger Cookies, decrease the coconut to 1 cup and add 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats.
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Wheaties Coconut Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter or vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 2 cups Wheaties cereal
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat oven to 375F degrees. Lightly grease your cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl (affiliate link) whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder until well blended.
- In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer (affiliate link) until creamy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.
- Stir in the coconut until well distributed throughout the dough.
- Stir in the flour mixture just until well blended.
- Stir in the Wheaties cereal, mixing just until blended.
- Roll the dough into walnut sized balls spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake, one cookie sheet at a time, in the center of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for a minute and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining dough, being sure to allow cookie sheets to cool completely before using them again. (I often rinse the backsides under cool water to speed up the process.)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A note about WW Points
If you're following Weight Watchers, all the recipes here on Simple Nourished Living have been updated for the new WW program, with points displayed in the recipe card. The Check the WW Points link in the recipe card takes you to the Weight Watchers App where you can edit it using the WW recipe builder or add it to your day.
(Must be logged into WW account on a mobile device, such as smartphone or tablet).
Taste great! I got 60 cookies out of the recipe. My cookies didn’t spread, they stayed in the shape of a walnut sized ball, but it didn’t effect the taste. I used vegetable shortening instead of butter, maybe that’s why. I could always flatten them next time I make them.