Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coconut-lovers, gather ‘round. Chocolate chip cookie-lovers should come on over, too. Today’s recipe is for a chocolate chip cookie like no other. Made with coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut milk, and shredded coconut, these bring quite the haul in the coconut department. Who would’ve guessed, right? Hah. Although you have the option of using other ingredients in place of some of the coconut ones, all the different coconut-based components come together into a cookie that’s amazingly soft, chewy, and packed with that sweet, tropical flavor. And did I mention they’re grain- and gluten-free?!

Don’t be expecting your average butter-flour-and-sugar-based chocolate chip cookie to come out of this recipe…these Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies have a taste and texture unique to themselves. Funnily enough, both my dad and my brother described these as being “like a cross between a coconut macaroon and a chocolate chip cookie” without any idea that the other had given the exact same description. I guess that means it must be pretty spot-on! With coconut flour as the only dry ingredient (minus the salt and sugar), the cookies are super moist and chewy, and combined with the texture of shredded coconut and the subtle flavor of coconut milk and coconut oil, the macaroon aspect of these cookies really takes off. A dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a generous dose of semisweet chocolate help balance out all of that coconut, creating a wonderful new variety of chocolate chip cookie.

Be aware that coconut flour works very differently than most types of flours. It loooves moisture, and too much coconut flour can make baked goods dry and dense. However, if combined with the right amount of wet ingredients, coconut flour will provide a wonderfully moist, chewy texture as well as a slight coconut essence in the finished product. The two large eggs and the coconut milk in this recipe give the coconut flour all the moisture it needs to make the cookies soft and light rather than heavy and dry. At first it may seem like you’ve done something wrong—the dough will be very runny, more like batter than dough, but if you let it sit for about 10 minutes the coconut flour will work its magic and soak up all that liquid. It kinda makes you feel like a talented scientist, doing all that tricky chemistry. Or maybe that’s just me.

If you love coconut, make these cookies! If you love chocolate chip cookies, make these cookies! If you’re on a gluten-free diet, make these cookies! If you’re a human being with functioning taste buds, make these cookies! They’re macaroon-slash-chocolate-chip perfection.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: about 20 cookies

2 large eggs

1/4 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1/2 cup coconut milk (or almond milk, soy milk, etc.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

2-3 tablespoons shredded coconut, if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with baking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the coconut flour, chocolate chips, and coconut until combined. The dough will be quite runny.

Let the dough sit for 10 minutes or until it has thickened to the consistency of more traditional cookie dough (it may still be soft). Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and just turning golden-brown.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

(Recipe adapted from The Lemon Bowl)