If you’ve ever baked with coconut flour and ended up with a dry, cakey cookie that tasted like a muffin, I get it. This recipe fixes that. They taste like a real chocolate chip cookie, the kind you’ll want to sneak warm off the pan.
Soft and Chewy Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (That Aren’t Dry!)
Most coconut flour cookies lean cakey because coconut flour soaks up so much moisture. These use just a third of a cup, plus creamy nut butter and an extra egg yolk, so they bake up soft and chewy instead.
I’ve made these with cashew butter, almond butter, and even tahini. Cashew butter is my favorite because it’s creamy and mild, so the chocolate is the star. My other trick is chopping up a Lily’s or Hu Kitchen dark chocolate bar instead of using chips, because you get those big melty pools of chocolate.
Need them nut-free? Use sunflower seed butter or tahini in place of the cashew butter. Tahini has a stronger flavor, but it’s delicious with the dark chocolate and flaky salt.
If you love healthier cookies that still feel like a treat, try my oat flour chocolate chip cookies, paleo molasses cookies, and healthy cookie dough too.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you need to make these cookies. You’ll find exact amounts in the recipe card below.
- Nut Butter: Creamy cashew butter is my favorite for its mild flavor and smooth texture, but almond butter works too. For nut-free, use sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Coconut Oil: Use room temperature coconut oil so it beats smoothly with the nut butter. Ghee, avocado oil, or melted butter (if you’re not dairy-free) also work.
- Coconut Sugar: Adds a mild caramel flavor, like brown sugar.
- Egg and Egg Yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and helps keep the cookies chewy. Use room temperature eggs so everything mixes smoothly.
- Vanilla Extract: A flavor booster that ties it all together.
- Baking Soda: Adds lift and softens the cookies.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate.
- Coconut Flour: The star of the recipe! Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off instead of scooping straight from the bag. Too much coconut flour is the number one reason coconut flour cookies turn out dry.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Chips or a chopped dark chocolate bar. Lily’s make a great sugar-free option.
- Flaky Sea Salt: Optional, but it takes these cookies to the next level.
How to Make Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Prep the Oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil, nut butter, and coconut sugar until creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until well combined.
Step 3: Incorporate Dry Ingredients. Add the baking soda, salt, and coconut flour. Stir just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 4: Scoop the Dough. Scoop dough using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, spacing each about 2 inches apart on the sheet. Press extra chocolate on top and sprinkle with sea salt if using.
Step 5: Bake and Cool. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until golden around the edges. Let them cool on the pan for 5–7 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store Coconut Flour Cookies
- Room Temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. A small slice of bread in the container helps keep them soft.
- Refrigerator: Keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm them in the microwave.
- Freeze the dough: Scoop the dough onto a tray, freeze, then store in a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Recipe FAQs
No. Coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond flour, so it’s not a 1:1 swap. For this recipe, stick with coconut flour. If you want an almond flour cookie, try my almond flour peanut butter cookies or gluten-free biscotti.
Usually it’s too much coconut flour or too much time in the oven. Spoon and level your coconut flour, and take the cookies out while the centers still look slightly underdone.
No. These coconut flour cookies are soft and chewy. They won’t crisp up like a classic crunchy cookie.
You can try replacing the egg and yolk with flax eggs (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal plus 2 1/2 tablespoons water per egg), but the texture will be softer and more delicate.
Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture, so recipes need extra liquid or eggs to hold together and stay soft.
They can be! Use a keto-friendly sweetener in place of the coconut sugar and sugar-free dark chocolate.
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Chewy Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free & Paleo)
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup nut butter (I used cashew butter)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- Flaky sea salt for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the coconut oil, nut butter and coconut sugar until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until smooth, 1-2 minutes.1/2 cup nut butter, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the baking soda, salt, and coconut flour to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in dark chocolate or chocolate chips.1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup coconut flour, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- Use a large tablespoon or cookie scoop and place cookie dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Top each cookie with extra chocolate chunks then sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Top with more flaky sea salt if desired.
Notes
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- Measure coconut flour accurately: spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so too much makes the cookies dry.
- Don’t overbake: the cookies should look slightly underdone when you take them out. They’ll firm up as they cool.
- Nut butter. I like these best with creamy cashew butter, but I’ve also made them with almond butter and tahini. For nut-free, use sunflower seed butter or tahini (tahini has a stronger flavor).
- Dark chocolate. I love chopping Lily’s or Hu Kitchen dark chocolate bars. Lily’s also makes great sugar-free chocolate chips.
- Keto option: swap the coconut sugar for 1/4 cup erythritol. Carbs in the low-carb option: 8g.
- Storage: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe by: Molly Thompson of What Molly Made | Photography by: Sierra Inn
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I loved this recipe when I did Keto a few years ago. I recently rediscovered it and love it just as much, maybe even more than I did before. I use Lily’s semisweet chocolate chips and substitute the coconut sugar with 1/4 cup granulated Swerve and 1/4 cup brown Swerve. I also replaced the coconut oil with a 50/50 blend of coconut oil and ghee.
They’re amazing.
Love this! Thank you for sharing!
Update! Just finished making these for a second time this week and they are SO incredible! Seriously my new favorite cookie. So tender, chewy and flavorful. They disappeared so quickly! 🙂 The first time I used ghee instead of coconut oil and they turned out great.
Instead of using a mixer I processed all the wet ingredients together in a food processor and then moved to a bowl to stir in the dry ingredients – turned out perfectly! And definitely recommend adding the extra chocolate and sea salt on top – it takes the cookie to a whole new level ??
Ahh yes!! That makes me so happy! I’ll have to try the food processor. A friend of mine also tested it using honey instead of coconut sugar and said they turned out great too:)
I did exactly as instructed and ended up with an oily mess, no binder, not enough flour.
Hey Debra! The batter is a bit oily before you bake them but once they’re in the oven they turn out perfectly everytime I’ve tested them. Hope you give them another try!
This photos are stunning and the recipe looks amazing! I’m definitely going to make them ASAP! ??✨
Thanks, Nyssa! ❤️Let me know what you think!!