4-Ingredient Almond Coconut Cookies
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Published Apr 02, 2020, Updated Aug 09, 2023
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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!
The 4 Ingredients You Need:
- unsweetened flake coconut – make sure you use use flake coconut that looks like longer strands, not shredded coconut or coconut flakes that looks more like chips.
- dark chocolate chips – You can use mini or regular chocolate chips. I like Enjoy Life or Lily’s! If you want these cookies to be vegan, be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips
- salted almonds
- sweetened condensed coconut milk – You can make your own or use the Let’s Do Organic brand.
Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
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.
How to Make Almond Coconut Cookies
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. 🙂
More Cookie Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Healthy Coconut Macaroons
- Coconut Flour Cookies
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Monster Cookies
- Oatmeal Chia Cookies
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Lemon Almond Flour Cookies
- Almond Cookies
4 Ingredient Coconut Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened flake coconut*
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, mini or regular*
- 3 Tablespoons chopped salted almonds
- ½ cup sweetened condensed coconut milk*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Check to see if your sweetened condensed coconut milk is in a liquid state. If it is, you can skip this step. If not, pour sweetened condensed coconut milk into 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. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine coconut flakes, chocolate chips, chopped almonds and liquid sweetened condensed coconut milk. Stir until everything is well coated with the coconut milk. The dough will be pretty sticky/wet and that’s okay.
- Use a medium-large cookie scoop to scoop out dough and place on to your prepared baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using the back of a spoon or your fingers (moistened with a little water), press each cookie down a bit to flatten.
- Bake cookies for 12 to 14 minutes or until the coconut flakes are just starting to turn golden brown.
- Let cool completely on baking sheet before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for longer storage. Cookies will last at least 7 days in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you look for flaked coconut that is in longer strands, not coconut flakes that looks more like chips.
- Step 3 is optional if your condensed coconut milk is already liquid and easy to pour, but I’ve noticed that that canned sweetened condensed coconut milk seems to harden and separate when stored in a cool place.
- You can use mini or regular sized chocolate chips. For vegan cookies, be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Adapted from Mom on Timeout’s Almond Joy Cookies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Followed recipe exactly and turned out great! So easy! Can these be frozen?
Hi Laura – I haven’t tried freezing these and I am worried the texture might change a bit if they are frozen, but I can’t be sure. Let me know if you freeze them and how they work out for you!
Oh my goodness!! 10 out of 10 for these cookies!! I was nervous when I read some of the reviews but decided to give the recipe a try anyway. I think the trick is using just enough condensed milk, but not too much – I used 1/2 a cup to begin with and after stirring everything thoroughly, decided to add another tablespoon.
My cookies did not spread at all. 14 minutes and the coconut was perfectly browned, the cashes were crispy and the chocolate chips slightly melted. Sooooo good!!!
AHH this is so great! Thank you so much for sharing this, Kate. I really appreciate your feedback and I am excited to hear these turned out great for you. Your review & star rating means so much to me!
Just added a pinch of sea salt on each cooking before baking and YUM! Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Sounds amazing! So glad you’re loving these cookies, Tracy. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Mine didn’t turn out, it was runny. The taste was good.
Oh no, Lena. I am sorry to hear that. Did you change anything about the recipe?