Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut
December 22, 2020 by Ginger Hultin MS RDN
Cookies are the best – the BEST. And I’ve been using a new technique to keep them delicious but make them juts a tad more nutritious and also, make sure that they last more than one night in my house. I want to share it with you today along with my Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut recipe! I’m breaking down the simple recipe below, all the different steps and considerations for you as you swap in and out ingredients to really make them your own (OR keep them exactly as they are). These create really cute little homemade, rustic-looking cookies that you can enjoy on your own, take to a party or send as a gift for a birthday or holiday.
Can cookies fit into a balanced diet?
I actually write about cookies pretty often. I definitely focus on keeping the foods you love IN the diet but also meeting your health goals and so you’ll see me cutting back on saturated fat and sugar in my recipes while boosting up fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Does that mean everything you eat needs to be ‘healthy’? Nope. All foods can fit into a balanced diet. But I’m a registered dietitian so I definitely have an interest in how to optimize the nutrients that make us feel energetic and really good in all my recipes. It’s a fun challenge, too! If you like this approach, be sure to check out my Jam Filled Cookies and my no-bake Chocolate Coconut Haystacks.
Baking is an important part of the holidays and for celebrations year-round. You can buy your own but so often, these packaged cookies come along with shelf-stable fats and oils and a lot of added sugar. When you make your own, you can really optimize the natural flavors and textures in your favorite foods. For cookies, I love using vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, oats, coconut, and different types of flours. No, they won’t last long on a shelf but they’re much better for your body and you’ll take pride in knowing that you chose exactly what went into them. That’s empowerment!
Making the Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut
Make the coconut sugar
You’ll be blending some of the coconut and the sugar together first and that creates this really beautiful, delightfully fragrant sugar mixture as your base. Other recipes call for coconut flavoring but you really don’t need it when you use a blender or food processor to really open up and incorporate the shredded coconut flakes. Be sure to read the labels carefully for “unsweetened” because the sugar-coated variety will add too much sweetness to this recipe and you may need to cut back on the sugar.
Blend the flavors
Once you have your coconut sugar base, you’ll continue on with the recipe like you do for other cookies; cream the sugar mixture and butter (and the brown sugar, too). You can absolutely use vegan butter; it’s a really good non-dairy substitute. Once that’s super creamy and delicious, then you can just add in the salt and baking soda and oats. Oats are so packed with fiber and nutrition; I LOVE baking with them. I have a lot of oat recipes up on the blog so make sure to check out my famous Banana Ginger Oats and my Easiest Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal Bake, too. One thing I love about oats is that they not only help lower cholesterol levels (LDL/bad) in the blood, but they also feed your good gut bacteria and they also contain special compounds that help stoke the immune system.
Putting it all together and cookie ” meal prep”
Once you have your base, you just blend in the flour and chocolate chips and you’re ready to bake those cookies! Before you pop them all on the baking sheet, I wanted to share one of my favorite new techniques for “meal prepping” cookies. Put however many you want onto the baking sheet and bake them and then, while they’re in the oven, take a storage container and roll the rest of your cookies into balls and place them in layers in the container. Just set them lightly next to each other and then pop them, covered in the freezer. You can use them over the period of the next 1-3 months on an evening when you just feel like a cookie (or two) after dinner or as a snack. Simply open the container, gently remove however many cookies you want to make and bake them at the normal 350 F in a preheated oven. No need to thaw or defrost -you can just increase the baking time by about 3-5 minutes. This is how I’m keeping homemade cookies on hand all the time now. It’s been really fun and much better than having a huge batch just sitting around when I don’t necessarily want them all.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut Recipe FAQ’s
Can I use sweetened coconut instead of unsweetened?
I wouldn’t recommend it—sweetened coconut can throw off the balance and make the cookies way too sugary. Stick with unsweetened shredded coconut for the best flavor and texture.
What kind of oats should I use?
Go for old-fashioned rolled oats here. Instant oats are too fine and can make the dough mushy, and steel-cut oats are too tough. Rolled oats add that chewy texture and fiber boost we’re going for!
Can I make these gluten-free?
Yes! Just sub in your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I’ve tested with Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur GF blends with good results.
Can I swap in other mix-ins?
Absolutely. These are super customizable! If chocolate chips aren’t your thing, try dried cherries, chopped walnuts, or even white chocolate chunks. Just keep the total volume of mix-ins about the same so the dough stays balanced.
If you like this cookie recipe check out a few more of my dessert recipes on the blog- Jam Filled Cookies, Beet Bars, Apple Oatmeal Cake.
Let me know if you make this Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats and Coconut recipe in the comments!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut flakes divided
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/3 cup unsalted dairy or non-dairy butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup semisweet vegan or non-vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Using a blender or food processor, combine 1/2 cup of coconut with the sugar and pulse it until they're combined, about 30 seconds.
- In the bowl of a mixer, blend the butter with the coconut sugar you just created and the brown sugar. Once that's creamy, add the salt, baking soda, and oats and stir to combine. Add the flour and the remaining shredded coconut then add the chocolate chips at the end. The dough will be slightly crumbly.
- With your hands, shape the dough into 2-inch balls and place them on the baking sheets, evenly spaced. Bake them for 15-18 minutes, until they've puffed up and are slightly brown on top. Transfer them to a cooling rack then enjoy!
Nutrition
Ginger Hultin,MS, RD, CSO
Thanks for visiting! If you're struggling with a cancer diagnosis, autoimmune condition, gut health problems, or even a medical mystery, nutrition can make a HUGE difference in your day-to-day life. I run a virtual, concierge private practice where I partner with my clients over time to help them improve their health through nutrition. Be sure to visit the blog for easy, plant-based, anti-inflammatory recipes and our "Resources" page for a variety of self-paced programs, books, e-books, and nutrition podcast episodes.
