Baking With Coconut Oil: Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 26, 2010

I’ve been using virgin coconut oil for a while now and loving every bite of it. Most often it goes in my oatmeal or on toast so this past weekend I decided I needed to try baking with it. A rainy end to last week had me craving chocolate chip cookies so that is where I started.
What resulted is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m not kidding, my husband and I both liked these as much or more as the traditional. I used virgin coconut oil in place of butter and a combination of oat flour and whole white wheat pastry flour. I made the oat flour myself by grinding rolled oats and didn’t grind it too fine so the cookies did have a bit of texture from them. I’m finishing up my demerara sugar so I used that in place of both the refined white and brown sugars. I hope to try the cookies with mascavado or rapadura soon.
They are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside with a complex, sweet flavor from the sugar with mild hints of coconut from the oil. I added walnuts for variety and they only make the cookies better, in my opinion.
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

½ cup oat flour
½ cup white whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup virgin coconut oil
1 cup of cane sugar (lesser refined the better)
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
½ cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl combine the dry ingredients – flours, baking soda and salt. In a mixer combine the coconut oil and sugar. Cream together for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar is incorporated well. Add the vanilla and then beat in the egg.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, and then stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Place by the teaspoon on an ungreased cookie sheet or one with a baking mat. I had to flatten mine slightly so that they spread correctly during baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on the pan for about 2 minutes. These cookies are a bit fragile until cooled. Place them on a cooling rack and allow to rest until cooled completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

This post has been submitted to Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.

 Update:  I receive a lot of comments on this post letting me know your results of this recipe. Thank you! There are two major factors that will influence the final product. One is the consistency of your coconut oil. It should be about the consistency of butter, or a little harder. The second is the flour. Whole wheat flours absorb much more moisture so if you use a white pastry flour, or a white AP flour you may need to add more flour. Thank you for your feedback! 

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  • RecipeGirl January 26, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    They look great! I’ll definitely have to experiment w/ coconut oil.

  • Fresh Local and Best January 26, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    I definitely like using coconut oil in place of butter, it add so much flavor and is so much better for you.

  • Cinnamon-Girl♥ January 26, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    These look excellent! I have yet to use coconut oil for baking. But I do use oat flour. It has great flavor.

  • 5 Star Foodie January 26, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    Scrumptious cookies! I will look into getting some coconut oil!

  • Debinhawaii January 26, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    I have half a big bottle of coconut oil and keep meaning to bake with it–these cookies look wonderful. Great job!

  • kat January 27, 2010 at 7:33 am

    My package is in the mail, right? 😉

  • healthy-oil-guy January 27, 2010 at 9:38 am

    These cookies look delish’ – I’ll definitely have to try out this recipe. I also use coconut oil in my protein smoothies and it makes a great hair and skin moisturizer.

  • Lori January 27, 2010 at 11:44 am

    RecipeGirl – Thanks! I enjoyed your recipe over the weekend as well.

    FLandB – I’m finding that I really like it too.

    Reeni – This was actually my first time using oat flour and I loved it!

    5 Star – It’s becoming a staple in the kitchen for me.

    Deb – Thanks! Will love to see what you make when you try it out.

    kat – I would seriously send you some if I weren’t afraid they would crumble! 🙂 They are a more fragile cookie, but the crumbles are good too.

    healthyoilguy – Thanks! I hadn’t thought about using it in smoothies. Great idea!

  • Jennie January 27, 2010 at 12:17 pm

    I love the sound of these cookies Lori! I have a big jar of virgin coconut oil in my pantry that has yet to be opened. I am bookmarking this recipe now!

  • Tangled Noodle January 27, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    You grind your own oat flour? Do you use a specialty appliance or a food processor? Very cool! As for coconut oil, I’d love to try it! Right now, my pantry is just canola, olive, grapeseed and sesame – it may be time to start expanding and experimenting.

  • Lori January 27, 2010 at 9:12 pm

    Jennie – Great! I hope you like them!

    TN – I actually got the tip from other food bloggers. Just pop rolled oats in the food processor and let them go a bit. I want to start experimenting with more nut oils, but they are so pricey. Maybe on every now and then.

  • Andrea (Off Her Cork) January 28, 2010 at 7:04 am

    IThe last time I made chocolate chip cookies I did the same thing with the coconut oil. YUM! I like the idea of using oat flour and that’s going to be sometime I try out soon. Whole grain goodenss and protein power in a flour is awesome.

  • Active Foodie January 29, 2010 at 8:44 am

    These look delicious. I LOVE coconut oil, I use it in all my baking. These cookies look great!

  • chanelle January 29, 2010 at 9:06 am

    I’ve been using coconut oil in my cookies too. YUM!! I feel like it really lets you use less sugar since it’s already sweet.

  • OysterCulture January 29, 2010 at 8:30 pm

    Love the addition of coconut oil, looks like it makes the cookies chewy as opposed to crunchy – I’ll be having to experiment with some of that good stuff myself.

  • Jamie Walker February 1, 2010 at 11:40 pm

    Those cookies look delicious! I love cooking/baking with coconut oil.

  • Angela February 3, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    Hi, this looks like a great recipe! Am I missing the part in the directions where it says how long to bake them? I think I have everything on hand to make them and I’ve been craving chocolate chip cookies 🙂

  • Lori February 4, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    Hi Angela –

    Sorry about that. I must have deleted something when I was making edits. Either that or I forgot a portion of the post from the start and you’re the first one to tell me. Ha, ha! Not sure which. They should bake 10-12 minutes. Thanks for letting me know about the error!

  • Anonymous May 23, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    The cookies look amazing and I’m most certainly a coconut oil fan. I just had one question…depending on temperature, coconut oil can be solid or liquid. Which form is best for this recipe? Does is really matter? Thank you for the great recipes.

  • Lori May 25, 2010 at 6:52 am

    I made these when the temps were cool so the oil was firm, but I was able to scoop it. Similar to a softened butter or shortening. I would recommend this consistency. Although I haven’t made them with coconut oil in the liquid state I would expect they would result in flat cookies similar to what happens when the butter is too melted. Hope this helps.

  • Anonymous September 20, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    @ anonymous: I was just reading elsewhere that if your coconut oil is liquid, just put a glass or metal bowl in the freezer for a bit, then put the oil in and whisk it until it starts to turn whitish/semi-solid again. If that isn’t quite cold enough, put the bowl inside a large bowl of ice/ice-water.
    Worth a try in the hot summer months!

  • The Los September 30, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    I’ve had a problem with the cookies liquefying in the pan- the first time, I figured it was because the oil was liquid, but today I used it at a softened-butter consistency. Same results.
    I guess I need to chill it a bit more next time, but is there any way of salvaging the rest of dough that I made?

  • Anonymous November 2, 2010 at 8:44 pm

    Has anyone tried this recipe using agave nectar in place of the sugar? I believe to do so, 1/4 cup additional flour would be needed to adjust for the extra liquid.

  • Anonymous April 13, 2011 at 6:13 pm

    Just bought coconut oil for the first time, the hype has finally caught up with me! Trying these cookies. They’re in the oven now!

  • michelle June 13, 2011 at 7:30 pm

    Mine came out horrible and very flat. My coconut oil was soft and not liquid when I mixed it. When they got in the oven they just melted.

  • Lori June 14, 2011 at 3:22 am

    Michelle – Sorry to hear that. The coconut oil I use is of the same consistency as shortening. Perhaps the whole wheat flour and Demerara I use are the key because they are often drier in my recipes. I’ve made these several times and have had success. I’ve also used all wheat flour and no oat flour and that works as well. Sorry that I can’t be more helpful in identifying the problem.

  • Carol June 29, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    I often just use the Toll House recipe with half butter, half coconut oil, and I also toss in about 1/2c. more flour (whole wheat pastry flour) and some oats (I have some instant oats around to use up, and add about 3/4 c. of those) and some chopped walnuts… so very similar to what you did. I’m going to try that today with all coconut oil and no butter. So much tastier than “regular old” chocolate chip cookies!

  • Lori June 29, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Carol – Your recipe sounds great! I hope you have success. As you can see the reviews seem to be mixed which makes me think it has a lot to do with the texture of the coconut oil at the time of use. Thanks for giving it a try!

  • Vanessa December 6, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    I love this recipe. Thank you! I double the amount of cchips.

  • Anonymous December 11, 2011 at 12:38 am

    place by the teaspoon?

    that seems like an awfully small cookie.

    or a slow way to build a larger cookie.

  • Lori December 11, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    Vanessa – Thanks for letting me know. I’m glad they worked out for you. Great move with the extra chips! 🙂

    Anon – That would be a heaping teaspoon. Works for me. As with any cookie, the best part is you are free to make them any size you would like.

  • Anonymous February 17, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    how many calories per cookie?

  • Deja March 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    tried this recipe and the cookies just melted in the pan. needs more dry ingredients. my coconut oil was softened but not yet liquid.

  • Lori March 20, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    Anon – You would need to plug the ingredients in some nutritional analysis software to determine the caloric content, or it could be calculated by hand by looking up each ingredient. The USDA National Nutrient Database is a good resource for this info. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list

    Deja – Thanks for your feedback. Sorry to hear that. I’ve made the cookies several times and gotten the result pictured in the post.

  • Gloria from NJ March 25, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    Absolutely delicious! Crispy, chewy and sweet! Just bought our first jar of coconut oil and I’m thrilled with the baking results! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

  • Lori March 26, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    Gloria – Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m so glad to hear they turned out well. Don’t you just love coconut oil? We are huge fans!

  • Anonymous April 28, 2012 at 6:56 pm

    My cookies also liquified in the pan….and the coconut oil was cool and firm when it was mixed. The second batch I tried I used a full cup of flour, rather than the 1/2cup in the recipe and they turned out fine.

  • Lori May 1, 2012 at 3:26 am

    Anonymous – Thanks for your feedback. Out of curiosity did you use white whole wheat pastry flour as the recipe calls for or white AP flour or white pastry flour? Whole wheat flours absorb much more moisture and this could have been the problem if you didn’t use a whole wheat variety.

  • Mel June 12, 2012 at 12:52 pm

    These look great, and I have been on a cookie baking tear, so I will have to try these asap! I use a lot of whole wheat pastry in my cookies and quick breads and have a lot of success with it. Question: how much oatmeal did you start with to end up with 1/2 C. ground? (I am assuming you start with regular old fashioned oatmeal and then grind it in the food processor?) Thanks!

  • Lori June 12, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Hi Mel! I actually started with 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats and then ground them in a food processor. I hope they turn out well! I have success with the recipe, but as you can tell from the comments others have not. I think the consistency of the coconut oil and the white whole wheat pastry flour are key. Thanks for your comment!

  • Tracey @ Don't Mess with mama June 13, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    Thank you for posting! I’ve been wanting to try coconut oil but was unsure what I could do with it other than stir fry. Can’t wait to try these.

  • Ceciel T August 19, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Definitely take em off the tray as soon as they’re slightly cool or they’ll stick. And leave lots of room between each cookie or you’ll end up with a whole cookie sheet of flat cookie.

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