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 had no room temperature unsalted butter but wanted chocolate chip cookies – this recipe delivered and then some! The texture is really something else, and they’re just sweet enough. I may have to try substituting white chocolate chips and chopped macadamias next time!
Thanks for sharing this – it’s going in my recipe box for sure.
Thanks for sharing, Glenn, we’re so happy you enjoyed these! :)
For anyone like me that just can’t wait on cookies, I put the dough directly into a parchment lined 8×8 pyrex pan for about 25 minutes. Made great cookie bars!
Thanks for sharing, Betty, we love that idea, and we’re happy you enjoyed the recipe! :)
My sweet tooth needed a QUICK cure so I made these inmediately after mixing. I also omitted the corn starch. They were delectable! This will be my go-to recipe!
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Krista! :)
These are seriously my favorite cookies ever! I have made them SO many times for my husband and I. We absolutely love them with a glass of cold milk. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Destiny — we’re so happy you and your husband enjoy them!
These look amazing, I’ll try them tomorrow! :)
Thanks, Nadja — we hope you enjoyed them!
I recently figured it out that my little guy is lactose intolerant and stumbled upon this recipe while searching for recipes that would still allow him some of his favorites. (Lets be honest- a childhood without chocolate chip cookies would be a pretty sad thing.) I honestly didn’t even know if cookies could really be made using coconut oil but my google search led me here and I’m so glad! I cannot rave about these enough. Love at first bite. I even brought them to Thanksgiving this year and everyone swears that they are one of the best cookies they have ever tried. Even if my little lactose intolerant guy (hopefully) outgrows his sensitivity these will absolutely be my go-to for chocolate chip cookies. Thanks SO much!
Thanks for sharing with us, Laura — we’re so happy you and your littles one enjoyed these! :)
Thank You Ali for sharing these wonderful cookies with all of us out here! I have baked them twice now and they never last long. My family loves them and I love the fact that your recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter!
Happy Holidays!
Lela
You’re very welcome, Lela — we’re happy you and your family enjoy them! :)
These are fantastic. I made them with Enjoy Life chocolate chips and used 1/4 cup mashed banana in place of the egg. Just discovered my exclusively breastfed son is allergic to soy, dairy, and eggs. Mama needed a treat! Thank you!!!
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Leslie! :)
Amazing cookies!! I substituted the all purpose flour for Bob’s Red mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour, and my family loved them! Thank you!!
Thanks for sharing, Lariza — we’re so glad they were a hit with your family and that you were able to make them GF!
Have you ever chilled the dough and then out it into a pan and made bar cookies?? Curious??
We haven’t tried that but we LOVE that idea, and we say go for it! :D