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
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
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
My husband and kids just whipped these up. AH-MAZING!!! Thank you! My dairy free daughter doesn’t feel so left out now and everyone agrees these are better than our regular recipe anyway!
Thanks Tiffany, we’re so happy you and your family enjoyed these (especially your daughter)! :)
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Ive tried many coconut oil chocolate chip cookies and this one is by far the best tasting and texture. however, my cookies are always greasy to the touch. they dont taste greasy, but they leave an oily layer on the hands. is there something i am doing wrong?
You’re so welcome Mimi, we’re glad you love these! And there’s nothing you’re doing wrong, that’s just normal from the coconut oil. :)
Thank you so much for the recipe! :) I’ve tried a few coconut oil chocolate chip recipes, but this one is by far the best taste and texture. I was wondering though, my cookies are always greasy to the touch…they don’t taste greasy, but they leave a film of oil on the hands. Is there something I am doing wrong??
I made these and I followed your recipe exactly, except I doubled it, and instead of a second cup of chocolate chips I used a cup of Trader Joe’s candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds. Gave them a nice crunchy element and pretty colors. They were just about the most perfect cookies I’ve ever made. They were a nice thick cookie too, not as much spreading as other recipes I’ve used. My husband’s family of chewy-lovers has been clamoring for me to make more. Thanks!
Jessica, this makes us so happy to hear, thank you for sharing! Great call on adding those Trader Joe’s candy coated sunflower seeds, those sound like an awesome addition! We’re glad they were a hit with your husband’s family as well! :)
I have made this recipe many times in the last two weeks. IT IS A HUGE HIT in my family.Everyone asks for the recipe. Very glad I came across this recipe.
Thanks Hunter, that’s so nice to hear! We’re happy these were a hit!
Oh my goodness! Best chocolate chip cookies ever. I froze the scoops for an hour and they turned out perfect. Can you freeze the actual dough?
Thanks Yvette, we’re so glad! And yes, you can freeze the dough as well. :)
The dough so far tastes amazing..however I made this recipe over others on pinterest because the prep time and cook time are short. The 2 hours chill time before cooking is way down at the bottom and not factored into the total time at the top. So my mouth is full of raw cookie dough. Is it absolutely essential to chill the dough? If so, why? I’m not a chef. Never heard of that though. thanks!
Hi Sarah, we’re sorry the chill time wasn’t as clear! It’s totally not essential to chill the dough — we like doing it (and some other recipes call for doing that) because it makes for a richer, more flavorful cookie dough. Chilling just allows the dough time to rest and have the flavors get all happy. :) Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the cookies, and again, we’re sorry for the inconvenience!
these are the absolute best cookies! My go to recipe! I have made them with 2 different types of coconut oils and butter and they are always amazing. I prefer the coconut oil ones, hubs prefers the butter because he doesn’t like coconut. I also shared with my Facebook friends and this has become a go to recipe for many of them. Thank you so much for it, now I no longer need to search for “the” ccc recipe.
Thank you Liz, we’re happy to hear that! And thank you for sharing the recipe with your friends! :)
Hello Ali, I love this post of yours on Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookie, your pictures are as delicious as your recipe too. I’ve featured your post on my blog with a link to your site.
“Its 9 sinfully delicious desserts for coconut lovers” I hope thats alright with you. :) Thanks! Have a great day!
Hey there! Thank you so much for sharing, and for letting us know! We hope you have a great day as well! : )
These turned out PERFECT! Instead of chips, I used a bar of semi sweet bakers chocolate and roughly chopped it into chunks. Also threw in a handful of coconut flakes. Very moist & chewy, as advertised!
Thank you, Kelly! We love that you threw in some coconut flakes, and that you used chopped chocolate instead — that sounds amazing! : )