These almond coconut cookies so easy to whip up — you only need four ingredients and they’re so delicious. No one will guess they’re vegan and gluten-free.
If you love coconut, you are going to LOVE this recipe! These little almond coconut cookies taste similar to an almond joy candy bar and they’re made with just four ingredients!
Let’s talk sweets. Sweet treats tend to get a bad rap in the health world, but I fully believe that enjoying sweet treats should be part of a balanced diet! I have no shame in enjoying a treat occasionally. My top tip? Make your own sweet snacks and desserts! Store bought sweets are often loaded with a ton of ingredients that will make you feel less than ideal. I love making recipes with healthy flours instead of white flour, natural sweeteners and other wholesome ingredients. With treats like this I can enjoy them while also feeling good about the food I’m fueling my body with!
Case in point: these cookies! The first four ingredients in a traditional Almond Joy bar are: corn syrup, sugar, coconut and vegetable oil. No thanks! The only four ingredients in these cookies are almonds, coconut flakes, chocolate chips and sweetened condensed coconut milk. No, I won’t be eating the whole batch in a day, but I will feel good when I snack on this homemade treat vs. a store bought candy bar!
Lately I’ve been hooked on using sweetened condensed coconut milk to make vegan and dairy-free treats! It’s the perfect non-dairy alternative to traditional sweetened condensed milk. For these cookies I used the Let’s Do Organic brand, which can be found at Whole Foods, Thrive Market or other natural food stores. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own sweetened condensed coconut milk.
One thing to note: you want your sweetened condensed coconut milk in a liquid state. If it seems too thick/hard to pour, that’s totally fine… you’ll just need to heat it up a bit. You can do this by adding the sweetened condensed coconut milk to a small saucepan and heat over super low heat until mixture is liquid. Don’t heat too long because you don’t want the coconut milk to get too hot. Simply remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before using in the recipe. If you don’t let it cool long enough, it will melt the chocolate chips.
This recipe is super simple and similar to making macaroons. In a bowl, combine the shredded coconut, almonds and chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed coconut milk. Stir until the mixture is well coated with the coconut milk.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Note: the dough will be pretty sticky but that’s okay. Press each cookie down a bit either using a spoon or your fingers. If the dough is sticking your fingers use a little water to moisten them. Bake until the edges are golden brown and then let cool completely on the baking sheet before serving. If you try to eat them before they cool, they’ll likely fall apart! I know it’s hard, but you gotta have patience. 🙂
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I made these using sweetened condensed milk, they came out perfect… thank you!
Ah I am so happy that this recipe worked out for you, Tina. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
These were runny and did not set well. I think it is the coconut condensed milk. I remade with just condensed milk and did not have any issues.
Hi Sue – I am so sorry that this recipe didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. May I ask what brand of sweetened condensed coconut milk you used?
Mine went flat and ran too I used Nature’s Charm sweetened coconut milk.
Thank you so much for letting me know!
Made these cookies but I think I used too much of the condensed coconut(made from can of coconut milk +sugar and simmered for 45 min). They came out wet and bubbly and spread thin. They are still delicious but might retry with either increasing ingredients or reducing amount of milk.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that you had issues with these cookies. I need to retest these!
I made these but mine spread out and all the condensed milk seem to run together I did not get around chewy cookie any suggestions?
Mine spread out all over the pan too! What I did was take a Butter knife and scraped the cookies back together individually while still very warm then let them cool all the way. They were fine after that.
These are so easy and amazing! Since it’s the only recipe I use the condensed coconut milk in, I just use the whole 11.25oz can and increase everything else by 50%. Works like a charm, and no waste. Thank you!
Yay!! So happy to hear you’ve been loving these coconut cookies, Lola! Thanks for the review!!