Well, min has no coconut, but it ALWAYS makes chewy cookies that don't flatten and burn on the edges. The only thing I don't like is that sometimes I wish the main dough was a little cakier and a little less sweet. I make them with all chocolate and no nuts. The secret is in the high moisture content of the brown sugar and the higher melting point of shortening. Here goes (unfortunatly, the measurements are not weighted, so I don't know how it would work translating to that way of measuring).
1 c = 8 oz
T=tablespoon
t=teaspoon
1 T = 3 t = 45 mL (I think?)
*there is a nifty measurement converter on recipezaar.com. Just scroll down and look on the right side.
3/4 c. shortening
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c flour
1 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I use semisweet or bittersweet)
1 c. nuts (or omit nuts and use and extra 1 c. chocolate chips, or just use 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips)
Cream shortening and sugar, add milk, vanilla, and egg. In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mix to shortening mix until just combined (i.e. all flour particles are absorbed; the more you overmix, the flatter and less tender your cookies are). Fold in chocolate chips and/or nuts. Place by tablespoon-full 2-ish inches apart on a cookie sheet (silpat lined or greased) and bake in centre rack of a 375 F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the centers are no longer shiny. They should look a bit underdone, but after they cool 2 minutes and are transferred to a wire rack to cool completely they will firm up and be nice and chewy
Good luck!