Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies take the traditional cookie recipe and turns it on its head. Well, that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but you get the picture. Something super made superfluous!
Some days you have to treat yourself. That’s my theory, at least.
And sometimes a treat means presents. Don’t you just love presents?
Another theory of mine? There’s no reason to wait for someone else to give you a present. You can always give one to yourself.
I’ve heard that good things can come in little packages. Doesn’t it make you wonder what’s in this little one?
Holy Chocolate Chip Cookie, Batman! What a cookie.
The only thing better than this little cookie?
A stack of cookies. And these are not just any cookies either. They’re vegan chocolate chip cookies with a secret ingredient. Intrigued yet?
This one’s the top of the heap and you can see the chocolate chips glistening through the golden-crusted cookies. That’s some secret ingredient, eh?
That secret ingredient? These cookies are made with coconut oil rather than margarine. I was worried that the cookies would have a strong coconut flavor from the oil. They don’t.
In the end, it wasn’t the flavor that gave me fits. It was the texture. I’ll confess, it took me a few batches to get these cookies just right. The first batch kind of spread out on the pan. I followed a self-imposed rule when using a new ingredient for cookies: I made only a few at a time so I could adjust the batter as I went along. After a few audibles on the line of scrimmage I landed with a touchdown in the end zone – a perfect chocolate chip cookie with a crispy golden crust on the outside and a gooey chocolate chip center.
These cookies are actually extra-special because they have another secret ingredient. I attended last week’s BlogHer Food 11 conference in Atlanta and I was lucky enough to come home with a bag of “bittersweet” chocolate chunks from Scharffen Berger. I’m a small town-girl living in a midwestern suburb so I hadn’t even heard of Scharffen Berger before last week. All I can say about that is…better late than never.
My vegan taste buds have adapted to the luscious flavors of dark chocolate and Scharffen Berger’s Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks hit the mark. Scharffen Berger says, “The 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate has upfront notes of raspberry and cherry melting smoothly into rounder cinnamon and date flavors.” They are a bit pricey, but well worth it if you have a special recipe like these Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Coconut Oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups flour (I needed all 3 cups, but you may want to begin with 2 1/2 cups and more flour if needed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 12 oz bag Dairy-free chocolate chips/chunks
Directions:
- Heat your oven to 375F
- Cream together the coconut oil and sugars. You could use a mixer here, but the upper arm workout is great if you want to go for it!
- Add the applesauce and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Next add chocolate chips. Take a nibble of that dough if you’d like. It’s ok. You know you want to!
- Place rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until cookies are nice and gold around the edges.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire wrack to cool.
- Repeat these steps until you’ve worked your way through all the delicious dough!
I’ve found other sites offering some wonderful chocolate chip cookie recipes made with coconut oil. I hope you’ll check them out as well.
- Picky Palate Bye, Bye Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cheeky Kitchen Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Visions of Sugar Plums Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oh She Glows Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies
There’s no end to the chocolatey goodness that can be offered up in the form of a simple cookie. Treat yourself to your own this weekend!
Love this post! I love the little story that you crafted from the pictures
Coconut oil is wonderful, we use it most of the time any more. I’ll definitely have to try some of those chocolate chunks, they sound wonderful!
May 27, 2011
6:37 pm
I love presents!!! Hope you’re sending me a little box of these in the mail – yummy! What a coincidence I just bought a jar of coconut oil before leaving for the conference. I’ve never used it before, in fact Liana thought I was nuts for buying it because I am allergic to coconut but I thought it would be nice to bake with it, something different and as long as I don’t eat it and use gloves I should be okay.
By the way have I told you how excited I was to finally have met face to face, we make great traveling companions. Can’t wait for next time.
May 27, 2011
9:17 pm
I think I may have to try baking with coconut oil–and I’m not even vegan! But I may be hosting one in a few weeks….
May 27, 2011
10:17 pm
This is the best kind of present! I have never baked with coconut oil, but it sounds like it’s time that I give it a shot.
May 28, 2011
6:13 pm
Any ideas about high altitude adjustments? I’d love to try these, but must confess I’m more of a cook than a baker!
May 28, 2011
6:19 pm
Yummy! If these are as good as your old recipe, I want some! Sounds good!
May 28, 2011
10:07 pm
Mmm, like a Mounds Bar in cookie form
May 30, 2011
2:03 pm
It would seem like that would be the case, but believe it or not, the coconut flavor is very subtle. My husband didn’t even realize I used coconut oil instead of margarine!
May 31, 2011
9:42 pm
I am a cookie fanatic and I can’t wait to try these!
May 30, 2011
2:16 pm
I promise, they are well worth the effort!
May 31, 2011
9:41 pm
I want a stack of cookies – specifically those cookies!!
May 31, 2011
9:48 am
I couldn’t agree with you more – we’re all out and now I’m wishing we had some more. I may just have to make that happen…soon!
May 31, 2011
9:41 pm
Vegan or not, these cookies look awesome Marly! You know my chocolate all melted and became a big mess on the way back home
I am still keeping it though, might have to break pieces and use it that way!
June 1, 2011
6:40 am
I never bake with margarine–only coconut oil! I love it (and of course the bonus is that it’s good for you).
Your cookies look phenomenal–just the right balance of crisp and chewy. Now you’ll have to start using coconut oil to saute, in other baking, on your muffins. . . ! 
June 1, 2011
9:38 pm
Excellent photo progression…suspenseful and dramatic. And it made me hungry!
Jason
June 3, 2011
11:33 pm
OMG those cookies look divine!!! I’m so going to buy the Scharffen Berger next time I’m at the store (my favorite chocolate) and make this recipe!! They look so yummy..thanks for taking the time to figure out the adjustments to work with coconut oil. YUM!!
June 5, 2011
9:41 pm
These cookies look delicious! I just started to bake and cook with coconut oil and I’ve loved it! I can’t wait to try these amazing cookies! There is nothing like a chocolate chip cookie in my opinion!
June 7, 2011
12:16 pm
These look perrrfect. I love thin, chewy CC cookies.
June 30, 2011
8:46 am
these are wonderful!! they taste like traditional cookies, but much lighter! I used white chocolate chips and 1 cup of ground oatmeal in place of 1 cup flour (only b/c I was short)… and they’re delicious! My 2 year old vegan loves them!
February 8, 2013
4:49 pm
I’m so glad you liked them!
February 9, 2013
3:27 pm
I submitted this recipe to foodgawker.com using the link to this page so you get credit of course. Hope that’s ok. The world NEEDS to have this recipe! It was so yummy raw too. I added a little unsweetened flaked coconut too.
I had to leave them in the oven longer than the recipe says because they came out raw and falling apart at first.
I even froze these and took them out of the freezer for an hour or so, popped them into the microwave for like 15 seconds and it was like fresh baked again. Thank you!
PS This is by no means a lot fat recipe because it’s “vegan.” There is a lot of coconut oil in this recipe but it makes these taste decadent and non-vegan. Yum.
March 17, 2013
7:12 pm