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!
I’m newly dairy free due to reflux w/my newborn. Losing some of my favorite baked goods, like cookies, have been painful. However, these cookies are AWESOME. I prefer them to all other recipes, including traditional ones. The only thing I changed was making sure I used a dairy free chocolate chip (Divvies or Enjoy Life) My 3 year old loves them just as much as I do. I wasn’t able to take a pic of the last batch bc…. They didn’t last 48 hours.
Thanks so much Shannon, we’re happy you like these! :D
How many cookies does this recipe usually make?
Hi Tim, it should make about 12 cookies! We hope you enjoy!
I have both Trader Joe’s organic coconut oil which has a beautiful coconut smell & essence when used to bake/cook. I also have coconut oil which has no taste or smell at all. Which should I use? Are these cookies supposed to have a coconut essence?
Hmmm, we would definitely go with the Trader Joe’s coconut oil (that’s what we usually use)! We hope you enjoy! :)
These cookies turned out great. My wife couldn’t tell what the secret ingredient was until I told her, then she tasted the coconut. Only thing I did different was a bit of finishing salt on the top. This is going in my keeper box. Thank you for posting.
Thanks Joey, we’re glad you and your wife enjoyed these! :)
has anyone tried arrowroot in place of the cornstarch?
This was an awesome recipe! I have been trying to figure out how to phase butter out of my dessert recipes. I have tried several that were disastrous. The only change I made was replacing the egg with a flax egg (as another person mentioned) to make them vegan and they were delicious. My hubby even ate some of them raw and loved them. Thank you!
We’re so happy you enjoyed these Erin, and it’s great to know they work well with a flax egg! :)
I made these vegan (replaced egg with one flax egg) and as I was making those balls to set up in the fridge, I added walnuts to half of them. I tasted the dough and i know the cookies will be delicious!!
That’s awesome Lena, thank you for sharing with us, it’s good to know they can be adapted as a vegan cookie! :)
I’m brand new to gimmesomeoven.com. I made these cookies for the first time today. I followed your recipe step by step, but only used tablespoon sized cookies. Baked them exactly 10 minutes. I just enjoyed my first coconut oil cookie. WOW! I am now a huge fan of your incredible cookie recipe. I look forward to trying out other recipes on your site.
Welcome Ann! Thanks for giving this recipe a try, we’re so happy you liked them! :)
I’ve made these 3 different times and everyone loves them!
That’s awesome Marlyne, we’re happy to hear that!
While I am not a huge chocolate chip cookie fan, (they always seem dry to me!) I made these this morning and have to say they are delicious! They did require about 17 minutes in the oven rather than the 10 in the recipe though. I think this is because they are so thick when portioned with a scoop.
I love the idea of using coconut oil-I have been using it in many recipes instead of butter or vegetable oil, even instead of butter on steamed vegetables, and particularly like it for pan frying and sauteing. It is a much healthier choice than other fats.
What a nice compliment Sue, we’re glad to hear you liked these! We’re not sure why they took so much longer in the oven though, that’s strange. Thanks for sharing with us! And yes, we are pretty obsessed with coconut oil. Another thing that it’s awesome for? Roast a sweet potato, split it, and slather some coconut oil and a sprinkling of salt. SO. Good. :)