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.
Awesome & so simple!
So glad you enjoyed these almond coconut cookies, Beverly! Thanks for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means so much to me!
I absolutely love coconut and chocolate, so I was thrilled to stumble across this recipe. I just made it, and the cookies are delicious! An added plus is how easy they are to make. I did follow Kimberly‘a suggestion to bake them at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Also, since my can of sweetened condensed coconut milk was 11.25 ounces, it was enough to make two batches if I reduced the amount in each batch by 2 tablespoons. The cookies came out perfectly.
So glad this recipe turned out for you, Sandy!! Thanks for making it and for the review. I so appreciate it!
They spread all over the pan making one big gooey mess. Wasted a lot of money on this disaster. I made them per the recipe with no exceptions.
Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that this recipe did not work out for you, Meg. I am working on retesting these and will hopefully be able to share some tips for how to get these cookies to keep their shape.
These are amazing! I followed the recipe completely and they turned out perfect. I have already had 2!
So pumped these turned out for you, Tessa! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it!
Wanted something sweet and gluten free. It hit the spot. Yummy!
Yay!! So glad these cookies were a hit, Ann! Thanks for the review 🙂
I loved these.
I increased the temp to 375 and baked for 15 minutes. They were crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle.. awesome!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this cookies, Kimberly! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
Just like others, these turned into a sloppy mess. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the comments beforehand. I used Andre Prost sweetened condensed coconut milk, which was thick but not solid at room temperature, and measured it to make sure I had 3/4 cup. While they tasted good, they were a mess. I rolled what I could into balls (much of it wouldn’t even stick together), wrapped them in plastic wrap and refrigerated them. I gave them two stars only because the sticky mess tasted good. I won’t be making them again.
Sorry to hear these didn’t turn out for you, Barbara. What type of coconut did you use? I’m thinking the issue might be that the different brands of sweetened condensed coconut milk vary in consistency. I need to re-test these!
First time I made these, they turned out perfectly – love them. I am on low FODMAP, so these are great!! I dont know what happened the 2nd time, but like others – they turned into pools and looked like wide brimmed hats. 🙁 I used all the same ingredients. I think next time i’ll try less evap milk as others suggested.
Oh no!! Did you use different coconut or a different brand of sweetened condensed coconut milk the second time?
So I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut but other than that I followed the instructions. First pan, the condensed milk ran all over. I added an egg and chilled the rest of the mix for a couple of hours and it held a little better but still ran. They taste amazing though and I would like to perfect them because my sister is gluten free and loves coconut!
What kind of coconut did you end up using? That was probably the reason for the cookies spreading! I’m glad you were able to save them and that they tasted good. 🙂
I underestimated the amount of coconut flakes i had, so i compensated with coconut flour, but then the dough looked too dry, so i added an egg. At this point i realize, it’s not even the same recipe anymore. I also forgot the chocolate chips, so i dipped the finished cookies in melted chocolate and sprinkled with coarse salt. All of that to say: the condensed milk i used was the same brand as in-recipe, and the cookies didn’t melt or spread like mentioned in the comments. They were delicious, and i just had 3 for breakfast. Looking forward to trying this recipe again, the way it was written! Thanks!
So glad this recipe ended up turning out for you, Joan!!
Not sure how to rate it, sounded like the perfect recipe for my mom but twice they have just turned into puddles and not cookies.
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that, Roxane. What type of coconut did you use?