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!
Any comments on using coconut oil in a peanut butter cookie recipe? Is that a good idea? I love peanut butter chocolate chip cookies — anyone have suggestions for a coconut oil recipe?
Hi, can you tell me why you have to chilli the cookies before baking them? Also do you put them in the fridge or freezer? thanks.
It helps re-harden the coconut oil so that the cookies don’t spread too much while baking. And I usually go with the freezer since it’s quicker, but either will work. ;)
When I made these it seemed like 1 1/2 cups of flour was too much and my trusty Kitchenaide even started bogging down. I stopped at about 1 and 1/4 cups and the cookies came out great.
I tried this recipe and my my my. Guaranteed good, even while still baking.
I just made these cookies and they were awesome. I’m dairy free but my husband and kids are not. They all love my chocolate chip cookies with butter. They were very skeptical as was I but once they saw them they had to have one and couldn’t stop! We are cookie freaks in my house and I think I’ll be getting rid of my old recipe. Can’t thank you enough for the recipe. It’s hard to find good dairy free desserts.
The S’mores bars were VERY gooey, though, so in the future I think I would make them in a pyrex pan, rather than the quarter-sheet pan…
Thanks for this AWESOME recipe… My stepson is allergic to all dairy, so we are always looking for non-dairy recipes, and this was a WINNER… my daughter, who LOVES dairy, and usually refuses to eat the non-dairy versions I make, even agrees!!! My stepson’s mother refuses to acknowledge his dairy allergy and feeds him dairy on a regular basis, so he knows how the dairy versions of things taste, so for him to say that these were even better than the ones his mother buys for him was absolutely a miracle!!! I made one batch according to the directions, then decided to experiment… so for the second batch, I used the cup of chocolate chips, then also added about a cup of mini-marshmallows, and spread the entire batch in a quarter-sheet pan. I baked the pan at 325 degrees for about 17 minutes, and my stepson got the S’mores cookies he has been begging for!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!
I tried he recipe but I have the opposite of Christine, they never got flat and because that they didn’t cook evenly. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hmmm, it could be that the cookies got a little TOO chilled before baking. If you try another batch (hope so!), you might flatten them out a bit more before baking and/or chill them a little less. Because once the coconut oil melts, they should definitely flatten more. Best wishes!
Hi Ali – I noticed on your Oct 18 comment you mentioned ensuring that the baking powder was fresh, but I don’t see baking powder in the recipe, just baking soda. I’ve made these cookies before with success, and have another batch chilling in the fridge now, but I wondered if powder should be included, too. Thanks!
Oops! Big typo! Sorry for the confusion. I meant to say (and just edited it to say) baking SODA in that comment. No baking powder in this recipe. Thank you! :)
These cookies really are the best cookies ever. I’ve been trying to perfect my chocolate chip cookies, I never would have thought to just replace the butter. They are beautiful too! Amazing.