coconut oil oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.
Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

I’ve been seeing a lot of articles recently about baking with coconut oil instead of butter. Why? Some people say it’s supposed to be healthier, but according to this article, the jury is still out on that one. I suspect this is just the latest “health” fad. I’m not saying it’s bad for you (or at least not any worse than anything else we eat), but it’s probably not as good as everyone is making it out to be. That said, I’ve mentioned before that I love coconut, so baking with it sounds delicious. 

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

When I first read about it, I imagined that the coconut oil would add a lovely coconut flavour to whatever you’re baking and I really wanted to try it with some brownies (chocolate and coconut! mmmmmmm!). So I mentally added it to my list of things to bake. Unfortunately, that list is reeeeeally long, so I haven’t quite gotten around to it yet.

Well a few weeks ago, one of my friends at work came up to me to talk baking (yes, we do that – nerds). She’d just made her first recipe using coconut oil and wasn’t really happy with the way they turned out. I tried one, and it had kind of a weird aftertaste – almost chemically. Neither of us having any experience with baking with coconut oil before, we weren’t sure whether it was the coconut oil that was the culprit or something else with the recipe or maybe just that one of her ingredients was off.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

So we decided I should try making them and see if I had any better luck. But then it was too hot to bake, and then she went on holiday… and finally several weeks later, I got around to trying the recipe.

At first glance, it seems like a very standard oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe – other than the coconut oil, there’s absolutely nothing weird in there that could account for that strange flavour. But whatever that taste was, it didn’t taste anything like coconut. So of course, I turned to google and read up everything I could on what to expect when baking with coconut oil.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

I’ve learned that there are two different types – virgin coconut oil (which actually smells like coconut), and refined coconut oil (which has been bleached and deodorized). Some people say that using virgin coconut oil will impart a bit of coconut flavour to your baking, others say it’s unnoticeable no matter which kind you use.

My friend had used the refined oil, but the only coconut oil I had on-hand is virgin – I use it occasionally in cooking, but it also makes a lovely moisturizer or hair conditioner (yes! it really does!), with a bonus of smelling good. So that’s what I used when I baked these cookies. I didn’t end up with any weird aftertaste, so I’m feeling like the refined oil was the culprit here – maybe it was just a bad brand? Or maybe it was off? From what I’ve read, it should have been essentially flavourless.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

The original instructions are to just put all the ingredients in a bowl all at once and mix them together. Easy! But I had concerns about things not blending properly. So while I didn’t change the ingredients at all, I decided to follow a more traditional cookie-mixing technique – beating the fat and sugars together first, then adding the eggs and vanilla, and then all the dry ingredients (which had been whisked together already). And while the original recipe said you’d have to squeeze balls of dough together by hand and that it may be crumbly, my dough came out soft and almost fudgy, and I was able to use my usual cookie scoop. Maybe my mixing technique made the difference?

By mixing the oil and sugars together first, the sugars have a chance to partially melt, so essentially the sugar is switching from a “dry” ingredient to at least partially a “wet” one, which means more liquid for the entire recipe. Which made it easier to work with. This has probably also changed the texture of the final cookie, but I’m not hearing any complaints, so I’m going to recommend my version.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

I’m happy with the way the dough came out, and also the way the cookies baked up. They’re dense and moist and chewy, with lots of oatmeal, and a lovely oat-y and brown sugar flavour. And yes, a hint of coconut. But I find that oatmeal cookies always remind me of coconut anyway, so it may just be my imagination.

The original recipe says it’s the best ever chocolate chip cookie. It’s definitely good, but I’m not sure I’d say it’s the best I’ve ever had. Some of my coworkers would disagree – the cookie jar is emptying quickly and I’m hearing a lot of “omg, these are the best!” So you’re just going to have to make them and judge for yourself.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – dense and moist and chewy and loaded with flavour.

coconut oil oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

<h2>coconut oil oatmeal chocolate chip cookies</h2>

Adapted from "Mom’s Simple Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies… Best Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies" from Half Baked Harvest. The recipe says it makes 24-28 cookies when measured by tablespoonfuls, but I got 60 when using my usual cookie scoop (slightly larger than a tablespoon). As I mentioned above, the original recipe also stated to just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl all at once. If you choose to make them that way, you may need to form the cookie dough into balls by hand rather than using a scoop.

ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2-1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Gently melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. It melts at a really low temperature, so keep an eye on it and don't be tempted to turn the burner up.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the melted coconut oil and sugars together until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla and beat again to incorporate.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until just barely combined. Remove from the mixer and add in the chocolate chunks either with a spatula or by hand. I prefer to knead inclusions in by hand to ensure they're distributed evenly.

Using a small cookie dough scoop or by rolling the dough into small balls with your hands, portion the dough onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Allow to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing the cookies from the pan and allowing them to cool completely.

Comments: 25

  1. dina July 16, 2014 at 5:58 pm Reply

    they look perfect!

  2. Thalia @ butter and brioche July 17, 2014 at 6:20 pm Reply

    these look delicious and so soft + moist which is how i like my cookies! love the idea of using coconut oil.. definitely something i will be trying. thanks laurel!

    • laurel @ wannacomewith July 17, 2014 at 11:31 pm Reply

      Thank you Thalia! And I’m definitely going to try baking with coconut oil again. I’m very impressed with how these turned out.

  3. Allison August 20, 2014 at 12:00 pm Reply

    What temperature do you put the oven at?

    • laurel @ wannacomewith August 20, 2014 at 12:28 pm Reply

      omg, I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I missed that. The recipe has been updated now – 350°F. Thanks for the catch!

  4. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup September 18, 2014 at 4:16 pm Reply

    Thanks so much for this recipe. I am out of butter and I need cookies! I’m pinning this now. Thanks, again.

    • laurel @ wannacomewith September 18, 2014 at 4:19 pm Reply

      I hope you enjoy them! This has become one of my friends’ regular cookie recipes. 🙂 And from what I’ve read, it sounds like you can pretty much substitute coconut oil for the butter in almost any recipe!

  5. Rochelle October 14, 2014 at 8:22 am Reply

    I added a 1/2 cup of flaked coconut just for texture and 2 tsp of cinnamon. So good!

    • laurel @ wannacomewith October 14, 2014 at 9:21 am Reply

      Good call on adding the flaked coconut! I never would have thought to add cinnamon though. I’ll make note of both of those for future batches of these ♥

  6. Elisa December 4, 2014 at 5:26 pm Reply

    Hi!! I loved this recipe thank you so much for posting this. Sadly my cookies ended up with not much flavor (though good). I did use instant oats so I’m not sure if that had something to do with it but do you have any suggestions?

    • laurel @ wannacomewith December 4, 2014 at 5:36 pm Reply

      Hi Elisa! I’m sorry to hear your cookies didn’t have much flavour. 🙁

      The instant oats may have had something to do with it – they’re much more processed than the old-fashioned oats. When I made the cookies, I found they tasted pretty oat-y (and slightly coconut-y), but most of the flavour came from the chocolate chunks.

  7. Carrie February 18, 2015 at 7:58 am Reply

    I have a regular chocolate chip recipe which recommends adding cornstarch in when using coconut oil with baking… in your research, did you see anything like that? I want to try this recipe, but I’m debating whether or not to add a little cornstarch…

    • laurel @ wannacomewith February 18, 2015 at 9:08 am Reply

      Hi Carrie! You know, I didn’t see any mention of using cornstarch when I was researching the coconut oil cookies. But I had a little look today, and am seeing people recommending adding cornstarch to any cookie recipe, not specifically those with coconut oil. Several posts say it makes the cookies chewy, I saw one post say it ensures the cookie has a soft chewy centre, but Sally’s Baking Addiction says it makes the cookies soft and pillowy. So I’m not entirely sure! The only cookies I’ve made with cornstarch have been shortbread. Maybe I should do a little experimenting…

      Personally, I would try that recipe both ways for comparison. 😉

  8. Sharon March 13, 2015 at 12:27 pm Reply

    I used white chocolate chips and dried cherries.

  9. Mary June 20, 2015 at 1:38 pm Reply

    I made these as written except that the dough seemed pretty wet, so I added about 1/2 cup flaked coconut. Texture was great. After baking and cooled, they were slightly crispy on the outside, but chewy and moist inside. And the vanilla flavor really comes through. Delicious!

    • laurel @wannacomewith June 21, 2015 at 8:02 pm Reply

      I’m glad to hear you liked these, Mary! I haven’t tried them with coconut added yet, but I’ve made a note about it. A friend of mine made them with nuts added, and they were fantastic. I think this is a recipe that takes well to a little playing around. 🙂

  10. Phil December 10, 2015 at 5:53 am Reply

    Is it a good idea to refrigerate for an hour before making?? I’ve used recipe that had melted butter that needed this extra step refrigerate for an hour.

    • laurel @wannacomewith December 10, 2015 at 10:56 am Reply

      Hi Phil. I didn’t find that necessary at all with this recipe. Sometimes dough needs to rest for awhile if the butter is so soft that there’s a danger of the cookies spreading too much in the oven, sometimes it’s to rest the gluten, and some people swear by refrigerating chocolate chip cookie dough for up to 48 hours before baking (I tried it once and the cookies had a really nice buttery flavour and great colour, but the dough was really hard to work with). It certainly won’t hurt them any if you want to go that route, but you don’t need to.

  11. […] cookies/no bake cookies (I just made these Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Wanna Come With Me? the other day and they are […]

  12. […] you also love the taste of coconut? We had some friends over a couple of weeks ago and they brought these cookies. I loved them so much that I decided we needed to make them. I’m going to be a horrible […]

  13. Marion October 15, 2016 at 10:12 pm Reply

    Delicious !! I made them last weekend for my week to-go breakfast ! It was the first tome for me to use coconut oil! I am about to do it one more time for next week ! Thanks for the recipe !

    • laurel @wannacomewith October 17, 2016 at 3:25 pm Reply

      Thanks Marion! I’m glad you enjoyed them too. I need to bake with coconut oil more often…

  14. Jamie December 17, 2016 at 4:40 pm Reply

    I make these with white chocolate chips instead and get are AMAZING!

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