I have been searching for my trademark chocolate chip cookie recipe for years.
My dad had his favorite recipe, which he made dozens upon dozens of times for our family when we were growing up. His mom, my grandma, had her favorite recipe, which she actually called “chip chocolates” and always served to her grandkids frozen and hard as rocks (so good!). But I always thought it would be fun to have a recipe that was all my own.
So this past week when my sister was in town and we were cooking up a storm, I decided to experiment with a new recipe to serve as a little “treat” after our hours of cooking. Sarah was a little skeptical as she mixed up the dough. But once we pulled these babies out of the oven and took those first warm, soft, chewy, and chocolate-y bites, she said — and I quote — “these might just be the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had”.
Agreed.
And it’s all thanks to that magical ingredient that we now know and love: coconut oil.
I have actually had coconut oil chocolate chip cookies on my “must-try” list since holiday baking season. But somehow I didn’t get around to it until this past week. Once we made that first chewy, delicious batch, though, you’d better believe I made a second batch two days later. I mean, a food blogger’s gotta test those recipes, right?
Sure enough, these were just as amazing on Round #2. As I’m pretty sure they will be when I make them again on round #22. And #222.
To be sure, this is in part thanks to a few cookie tips I have learned over the years, like adding cornstarch for extra chewy-ness, and using a good brown/white sugar ratio, and chilling the dough balls in the fridge before baking. (That last step is a definite “must” when using coconut oil, since it is not as solid as butter or shortening at room temp. And it takes at least an hour, so plan in advance!)
But I have to say that the extra flavor note of the sweet coconut was my favorite part! To be sure, the coconut flavor in these is super subtle. I had a few friends try these, and they couldn’t even taste it. But what everyone agreed was that the coconut oil brought out a little extra sweetness in these cookies. And also made them wonderfully chewy and thick. And well, just crazy good.
The ingredients for them were standard, with the exception of coconut oil in place of any other fats.
Just whip up the dough…
…then create your big dough balls. (I used a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, and shaped them slightly tall so that they wouldn’t spread as much when cooking.) Then cover the sheet with plastic wrap and chill them in the fridge for an hour or two until firm.
Then pop them in the oven….
…and this will be the result.
They’re big. They’re perfectly flavorful. They are overflowing with chocolate chips. And good grief, are they GOOD.
I’m pretty sure you should make a batch right now just to see for yourself. ;)
Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: About 12 cookies 1x
Description
These coconut oil chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy, soft, chocolate-y, and absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened but not melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream together the softened coconut oil, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Fold in (stir in) the chocolate chips by hand until just combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop (equivalent to 3 tablespoons) or a spoon to shape the dough into balls, and place them on a large plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough balls for at least 2 hours.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chilled dough balls at least 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Or a baking sheet that has been covered with a Silpat, or greased with cooking spray.)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just set. The centers may look slightly undercooked. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3-4 months.
Notes
Adapted from Leelalicious.
These were yummy the only thing I did different was subd coconut sugar for the granulated sugar. Will def makes these again.
Do you have the nutrition facts? Calorie count?thanks they are delicious!!
So I just made these DELICIOUS cookies using a gluten free AP flour which comprises cornstarch, tapioca starch, potato starch and brown rice flour (in that order). They came out beautifully, with the consistency similar to a kind of shortbread. I cut back a smidgen on the sugar because typically cookies are a little too sweet for my taste, but I shouldn’t have. I think your proportions would have been perfect, Ali, because they could use a little more sugar. Mea culpa. Thanks for a terrific recipe, now excuse me while I go a shove a fourth cookie (!) into my face. Extra time on the treadmill tomorrow – damn you Ali! :)
I followed this recipe to the “T”. The dough turned out dry for some reason (unlike the photo). I thought about adding another egg or some water but didn’t. I very carefully formed twelve balls and put them in the freezer over night. I removed them from the freezer, let them thaw for 15 minutes and put them in the oven, as directed. They kept their round form after ten minutes so I had to smash them down with a fork and bake for 4 more minutes. After cooling, I took a taste. They taste super delicious; a little crunchy and slightly coco-nutty.
I’d like to make these cookies, they look so friggin’ seductive, but am trying to stay wheat free. Do you think they’d work with spelt flour?
I haven’t tried them with spelt flour, but imagine the texture/flavor might be considerably different. Still, they could work! If you try them, I’d love to hear what you find out. :)
~Ali
I just made with spelt flour ( I never use wheat for ANYTHING!) they came out fine (i slightly over baked them…distracted by the grand kids, so they were quite crunchy!!); I just found them a little too sweet. I will bake them again, with less sugar… and pay attention to the baking time!
Can i switch out granulated sugar with coconut sugar and the A/P flour with Whole Wheat flour or Whole Wheat pastry flour? Would it be the same amounts? Sorry for so many questions
Thanks
I haven’t tried this with coconut sugar, but I imagine it might work. And yes, I also like making these occasionally with white whole wheat flour. (Or half white WW flour, half all-purpose.)
Hey
What can i use instead of egg in your reciepes as i’m a veggi.
Thanks
Egg should work if you’re vegetarian. If you’re vegan, you could sub in a chia egg or flax egg, which I tried once and actually tasted pretty good. :)
I have recently switched to using coconut oil in just about everything and love it!
First time ever to use coconut oil. I just made these exactly as directed and they are DELICIOUS! I was skeptical, as I am known for my chocolate chip cookies using 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening. I don’t miss anything at all by using the coconut oil, and the texture is amazing. I’m impressed and a coconut oil convert!
I made these today and they are amazing! So chewy and delicious! I couldn’t taste the coconut oil at all (which I wouldn’t have minded because I love coconut, but it wasn’t there for anyone wondering). These are probably the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe! :)