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Best-Ever Thick and Chewy Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! Yields 1 dozen cookies 1/2 cup coconut oil 1 tablespoon milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1-1/3 cups flour 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 egg

Whole and Heavenly Oven

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Best-Ever Thick and Chewy Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These classic chocolate chip cookies are so thick and chewy you’d never guess that they’re made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! Destined to become your favorite chocolate chip cookie!

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

I don’t take the term “best-ever” lightly. If I was bold enough to put those two words in the title, you know these cookies have got to be good.

Like, scary-good.

Eat ’em-all-in-one-sitting kind of good.

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

The superfood ingredient I’m featuring today for day #2 of 12 Days Of Superfood Recipes is none other than the AWESOME coconut oil. Raise your hand if you’re a fan.

Even if you haven’t been exposed to the healthy wonders of coconut oil yet, you’re about to—in the form of a COOKIE of course. I’d expect no less on a Friday. 😉

Cookies that FYI do not contain a speck of butter—We’re letting the coconut oil steal the spotlight in these little guys today.

Which means you can still eat cookies AND keep your New Years diet resolutions on track. WIN.

And in case you’re wondering, no these cookies do NOT taste like coconut. What’s the coconut oil there for? It’s elevating the texture of chocolate chip cookies to UNREAL soft and chewy heights, PLUS making them into total health food. (more on that below)

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

These cookies have been put through pretty heavy testing the past few weeks. I was determined that these cookies would be perfect in every way.

4 recipe fails later, here they are. The perfect coconut oil chocolate chip cookies. Am I cookie-d out? Never.

Warning: LOTS of cookie-science coming up. (i.e. rambling) Pour yourself a cup of coffee and get comfy.

**These cookies are not hard to make but I do need to explain all the ins-and-outs of how to make them—however, if you just want to get to the recipe, feel free to scroll on past all the text below**

Let’s talk about the bummer batches first shall we? Cringe.

The first 2 batches of these cookies were waaay to dry and bland, I added way too much flour to the dough and as a result they turned into little cookie hockey pucks.—Yum. Not even edible in my opinion, but obviously my family didn’t care—weirdos.

Next batch? I decreased the amount of flour by 1/2 cup and added cornstarch to my dough, hoping that this would keep them extra-soft. I chilled the dough before baking, to ensure that they wouldn’t spread too much. I ended up more or less with cookie pancakes. These cookies actually tasted pretty amazing—they had that really chewy texture I was looking for, but despite chilling the dough,  they still spread way too much in the oven and were lacking that thick AND chewy texture I wanted.

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

On batch #3, I increased the flour to 1-1/4 cups—no good. I still ended up with pancake-flat cookies.

I had a feeling I was getting close on batch #4. I increased the flour to exactly 1-1/3 cups, chilled and rolled my dough, and stuck ’em in the oven thinking THIS IS IT!! This HAS to work, otherwise I’m throwin’ in the towel!

Usually optimism like that always comes back to bite me later, but not this time!! 10 minutes later I was pulling out the cookies of my dreams.

1.5397 seconds later, I was faceplanting into the cookies of my dreams. I got chocolate all over my white shirt, but whatever…

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

You would not think that just 2 tablespoons of flour would make such a difference to these cookies , but it DOES. Trust me, there is no room for experimenting when it comes to coconut oil cookies (well, unless you’re a recipe developer who knows my pain) Follow this recipe to a T for maximum results.

A quick note on coconut oil: Make sure that your oil is softened, but NOT melted—using melted coconut oil will make your cookies more prone to spreading and we don’t want that. It’s a little tricky creaming the softened coconut oil with the sugar, so I would recommend using either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer to save your arms from falling off.

This dough is slightly different from your regular cookie dough. It’s soft, but not so soft that it will stick together. Once your dough is mixed, you’re going to want to use your hands to smush the dough together into a ball. Then you’re gonna want to wrap that bad boy up in plastic wrap and chill him for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

You may chill your cookie dough for up to 2 days, but please be aware that the longer you chill it, the firmer the dough will become—if you choose to chill it for longer than 2 hours, let it soften slightly at room temperature for about 10 minutes before attempting to roll into balls.

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

Again, you’re going to want to use your hands to smush the dough together into 2-in balls—I tried using a cookie scoop for this part and didn’t have much luck with making uniform dough balls.—Your hands are the tool I’d recommend.

Bake time for these cookies will vary, depending on your oven: These cookies take precisely 10 minutes in a 350F oven for me, but depending on yours, it could take as little as 9 minutes or up to 11. You be the judge of when the cookies are done and watch them like a hawk.—the edges should be just starting to turn golden, but the middles will still seem very soft—this is ok and exactly what you’re looking for.

I know you’re gonna want to dive right into these bad boys, but do let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before digging in. They’ll firm up nicely during this time, but will still keep their soft, chewy insides.

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

While you’re waiting, you can use that time to grab that cold milk and change into your yoga pants.

Uh, you know just in case your self-control decides to fail on you.

These cookies are just completely dreamy, guys. Soft, chewy, thick, PERFECT chocolate chip cookie HEAVEN.  My entire extended family has called them “the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.”

That’s a lot to say for an innocent little chocolate chip cookie that doesn’t contain a speck of butter in it.

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

If there was ever a chocolate chip cookie you needed in your life, this is it guys! Try ’em and see—you won’t be disappointed. ♥

Also, you’ll never be able to go back to “regular” CC cookies again. How heartbreaking. 😀

These classic chocolate chip cookies are seriously so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

*swoon*

4.84 from 6 votes
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Best-Ever Thick and Chewy Coconut Oil Cookies

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil softened (not melted)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Place softened coconut oil and sugar in a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until evenly creamed. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla until creamy.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Add flour mixture to liquid, and beat on medium speed until a dough forms (dough will be very thick) Mix in chocolate chips.
  3. Using your hands, smush dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 45 minutes to 1 hour or until firm. (dough may be refrigerated up to 2 days)
  4. Shape chilled dough into 1-in balls and place 3 in apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake cookies at 350F 9-11 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden. (middles will still seem very soft) Cool cookies on baking pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Recipe slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Whoa…. If you made it through that insanely-lengthy post, you definitely deserve a cookie. 🙂

These classic chocolate chip cookies are so thick and chewy you'd never guess that they're made healthy with coconut oil and contain NO butter! @WholeHeavenly

Comments

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    • AvatarMark says

      OK, I tried to make these, but they didn’t work. They spread out too much. Why is that? How soft does the coconut oil have to be? They taste ok, but don’t look nearly as good as the pictures.

      Reply

      • SarahSarah says

        From what you’re describing, it sounds to me as though your coconut oil was too soft. It should be just barely softened and still in solid form, otherwise these cookies will spread too much while they bake.

        Reply

          • SarahSarah says

            Was the cookie dough thoroughly chilled before it was baked? That’s the only other thing I could think of that would make the cookies bake flat…

  10. AvatarIsadora says

    These look amazing, Sarah!! And the fact that there is no butter is pretty awesome too! I made some chocolate chip cookies for the holidays and I couldn’t stop eating them! (although they were packed with butter!) I’m so glad you finally found the perfect ratio because these really do look the the best ever 🙂
    Isadora recently posted…Refreshing Kale Salad with ApplesMy Profile

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      Most of my cookies over the holidays were filled with ALL the butter too, so these cookies were definitely a welcoming indulgence! Have a good weekend, Izzy!

      Reply

  14. AvatarKelsey J says

    Nothing beats the perfect chocolate chips cookie! Thanks for sharing this recipe and your experience making cookies with coconut oil…It’s definitely tricky to get that perfect puffed/chewy texture!

    Reply

  23. AvatarThalia @ butter and brioche says

    I have to admit that I never have made a cookie without butter before.. so using coconut oil is completely foreign territory for me. In saying that though, these cookies do look so chewy and delicious Sarah – so I can see the addition of coconut has worked in your favour!
    Thalia @ butter and brioche recently posted…Tiramisu Crepe CakeMy Profile

    Reply

  27. AvatarAmy says

    Well, darn. Mine didn’t turn out looking anything like yours and I did follow the instructions to a T. (Way too flat and without texture.) And they tasted too much like coconut for my family’s liking. Everything was in code, so I’m not sure what I did wrong. Could elevation have anything to do with it? (I’m at sea level.)

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      I’m so sorry to hear that these cookies didn’t turn out for you, Amy. Considering the fact that you’re at sea level definitely could have contributed as to why the cookies spread too much. Was the dough very soft? It’s critical that the dough is completely firm to prevent excess spreading while the cookies bake.

      Reply

  29. AvatarPatty says

    You conveniently forgot to mention that these cookies contain MORE fat than the traditional recipe. Butter contains 102 calories, coconut oil 117. No healthier in the long run, fat is fat and your butt doesn’t know the difference. Shame on you.

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      I appreciate your comment, Patty, however I must emphasize that although coconut oil may be slightly higher in calories, it doesn’t even compare health-wise to butter which is high in calories PLUS very un-healthy for you. Coconut oil which is VERY good for you brings out a healthier side to otherwise-unhealthy chocolate chip cookies.

      Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      I’m definitely not anti-butter either, but I’ve gotta admit that these cookies are pretty great for not having any in them! 😉 I hope you get around to trying them, Jess!

      Reply

  32. AvatarMargaret Anne @ Natural Chow says

    I’ve never been good at making chocolate chip cookies. Like, every time I try to make them it ends horribly. I’m hoping to try these out next week (I’ve eaten enough chocolate for one week…ahem), so fingers crossed! I love that these use coconut oil instead of butter. I’ve been trying to find new ways to use my coconut oil and this looks like an especially delicious option. Thanks for the awesome recipe, Sarah! 😉
    Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow recently posted…Simply 7 Hummus Chips Review ( + A Giveaway!)My Profile

    Reply

  33. AvatarBridget says

    I never usually comment on anything but I’ve got to say this recipe has got to be the best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried!
    I’ve switched the recipe a couple of times by using rice bran oil (I was running low on coconut oil) and it’s worked great! I’ve also done choc mint cookies by adding mint essence and also double chocolate chip and they have turned out amazing! This is hands down my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      Bridget, thank you so much for the feedback! I’m so happy to hear that these cookies have become your go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. 🙂 I love love your idea of making these into chocolate mint-flavored cookies!

      Reply

  34. AvatarFran says

    Hi there
    I’m in the UK and I’m desperately in need of a good cookie recipe, this looks like the one! I’ve never used Coconut oil before so I’m looking forward to that!
    however being that I’m in the UK. the Cup measurements are causing me troubles..
    I’ve looked up websites that convert cups to grams but I am getting a little confuddled…
    going out shopping this afternoon for the ingredients
    I just hope I get the right quantities!
    Wish me luck! 🙂
    Thanks for sharing! 🙂
    Happy Cookie weekend 🙂

    Reply

  35. AvatarTaylor Strong says

    Hey!! I just tried making these for the first time the other day and they turned out awesome! However I was thinking about incorporating oatmeal into them for next time because chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are my favourite. Do you think adding a cup of oatmeal will change the consistency too much or do you have any tips?

    thanks!

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      Hi Taylor! I’m happy to hear that you love these cookies! I haven’t tested this recipe with oatmeal so I’m unsure of the results, however you can definitely try! I would suggest just adding 1/2 to 1 cup of oatmeal to the cookie dough and see what the dough looks like. As long as it’s thick and roll-able you should be good to go!

      Reply

  37. AvatarIRINA says

    Sarah, what kind of coconut oil do you use for these cookies? I bought refined coconut oil today. Is it right for this recipe?

    Reply

  39. AvatarMel says

    Can I use regular all-purpose flour ?

    &

    I’m going to use brown sugar, do you use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. Is the dark brown sugar too strong?

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      I have only tested this recipe with white whole wheat flour, so I’m unsure of the results using all-purpose. I would recommend using light brown sugar as well. 🙂

      Reply

  40. AvatarMel says

    should I mix up the coconut oil in the container before I measure it ,because there’s liquid on the top and solid under it.

    Reply

  43. AvatarKathy says

    Hi Sarah! I just made these and ate way too many of them! Delicious! I am so glad that I was looking for coconut oil cookie recipes and have been introduced to your blog. I will enjoy making many more of your recipes, they look sooooo yummy! I think I’ll begin wth one of your apple recipes (-:
    Kathy

    Reply

  44. AvatarLauren says

    4 stars
    I made these but subbed all of the ingredients with vegan options. They were delicious! Chilling the dough is key! Thank you for this recipe.

    Reply

  45. AvatarVira says

    5 stars
    I was looking for ‘healthy’ cookie recipe on pinterest and came across your recipe. I had everything on hand and gave your recipe a try. I followed the recipe step by step and very HAPPY to say my cookies came out almost like yours! I will definitely will keep and make more in future! Thanks!!

    Reply

  47. AvatarMeghan says

    I tired these and followed the recipe. And they turned out NOTHING like the pic. Just stayed in balls and we’re really crumbly. Wonder what I could change next time

    Reply

  49. Avatarangelina says

    5 stars
    I just want to say i love this recipe! When it comes to baking cookies if not store bought usully end up in complete disaster. I been goiong the healthier route and figured they are a better and healthier version of store bought cookie dough. This is my second time making them in week!! can you tell that my family and I are obsessed?My husband was in awe with them even though they were made with no butter. He said and I quote, “so chewy and good , like cookie dough”. Thank you for toughing this one out and perfecting this cookie recipe for all of us to use. I will et this delicious cookie in your honor. Also ive had two friends ask for the recipe and i guided them to your page!

    Reply

    • SarahSarah says

      Angelina, thank you SO much for the compliments and I’m so so thrilled to hear that these cookies are a new favorite in your family. Have an awesome rest of the weekend! 🙂

      Reply

  50. AvatarJeavoni says

    5 stars
    OH MY GOSH. I found this recipe and honestly thought ‘there’s no way…’ but I got bored and decided to just give it a go. LIFE CHANGING. I’m not kidding, I am used to butter and fat and lots of white sugar, but fighting my taste buds trying to change. Needless to say my husband and I are super picky. These cookies are the freaking bomb. We put the extras in the freezer and I can say that eating them right out of the oven, or out of the freezer these are shockingly delicious. I did use unsweetened almond milk, and I used einkorn flour. If you’re debating- MAKE THESE. This is my new ‘base recipe’ for every cookie. THANK YOU!!!

    Reply

  51. AvatarTammi Colbert says

    5 stars
    I used mostly whole wheat flour and I added 2 T toasted hemp seed , 1/4 c flax meal and 1/2 c toasted crushed pecans, I then added 2 T milk instead of one. They did spread some when I made the cookies too big but when I made them smaller it was better. They were really good!

    Reply

  53. AvatarSamantha says

    5 stars
    I’ve been making these cookies for two years at every opportunity that I can! I even won a chocolate chip cookie contest at work with them. Now regular chocolate chip cookies just don’t do the trick for me. Many kudos!!

    Reply

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