These melt-in-your-mouth soft Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Cookies are gluten free and paleo friendly, and you can make them keto/low carb.
Baking with Wholesome Replacements
I can barely imagine a world that doesn't include dessert. I don't think I want to try even.
While we eat healthy and 'clean' at least 80% of the time, that also includes sweets and treats. Maybe it’s because of my incurable sweet tooth or my passion for baking, but we have dessert in one form or another almost every day.
For that reason, I try to use wholesome real food ingredients even when it comes to desserts and baking. Most regular baking recipes rely heavily on white flour and refined white sugar.
Those are the two main ingredients that I try to replace with other less refined alternatives. In today’s coconut chocolate chip cookie recipe coconut flour and maple syrup take that place.
How to Bake with Coconut Flour
You may have heard that coconut flour is temperamental and difficult to work with. After my first couple of tries at working with this healthier flour, I totally agreed with this statement.
That was over 5 years ago. But soon after my first couple of failed attempts, I had some great coconut flour baking success - first with these Coconut Flour Pumpkin Muffins and then a little later with these soft funfetti cookies.
Those cookies were the inspiration for today's chocolate chip cookies made with coconut flour. They also gave me the inspiration to try and figure out how to use seemingly finicky coconut flour.
I learned that coconut flour is hygroscopic - meaning that it absorbs an incredible amount of liquid, unlike any other flour I have ever worked with. That, in turn, made me realize that there is no use in taking a recipe that calls for regular wheat flour and replacing it with an equal amount of coconut flour.
The ratios of all the ingredients are just completely different. Instead, I looked at the few recipes that turned out well and created new, specific coconut flour recipes that adhered to similar ratios of little flour, plenty of eggs and also a good amount of fat.
How to Make Coconut Flour Cookies
The process of making these coconut flour cookies is very easy. You begin by preheating your oven to 350 F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Alternatively, you may line your baking sheet with a silicone mat if you have that instead.
Next, you whisk the coconut flour with the baking soda and salt in a large baking bowl. The whisk helps ensure that the dry ingredients are evenly blended together. Afterward, you add the eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup to the dry ingredients, and stir the mixture until a smooth batter forms. You may wonder if the dough is too wet at this point, but rest assured that it will come together. This is because coconut flour absorbs a lot of fluid, so a few minutes on the counter should be sufficient to thicken the dough if it seems too wet at first. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips before shaping the cookies.
To shape the cookies, I either measure each cookie with a cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons before setting them a couple of inches apart on the baking sheet. Then, you can gently flatten them before baking them. I like to garnish the cookies with a few more chocolate chips at this point for good measure. The total bake time should only be 12 to 14 minutes. You will know they are done when they are golden on the bottoms and around the edges.
Once the cookies are baked, it is best to keep them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to finish cooling. During the 10 minutes on the baking sheet, they will solidify, reducing the chance that you will break them.
How To Make Coconut Flour Cookies More Moist
These gluten free coconut flour cookies are super easy to make. They can be whipped up in just 1 bowl with a whisk or wooden spoon - no mixer required.
But there is one very important thing to do that can make or break this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is how you measure the coconut flour. For example, you should use the dip and sweep method. This involves dipping your measuring cup into the coconut flour bag and sweeping off the top to level it. In this case, you are actually compressing the flour and ending up with way too much. Instead, spoon the coconut flour loosely into the measuring cup until full.
This is actually how you should measure any flour. However, because there is comparatively little flour used in this recipe and because of coconut flour's unique characteristics it is even more important here. If you use the dip and sweep method, you will end up with way too much flour (and not enough liquid), which can make cookies dry and crumbly instead of moist and soft.
Soft-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Texture
As I have mentioned a few times now, this coconut flour recipe produces a soft-baked type of cookie. There is nothing chewy or crunchy or crispy about them.
Instead, these soft and moist cookies melt on your tongue into sweet bliss. If you want a chewy coconut flour cookie, however, try this recipe instead.
The chocolate chips in this recipe can be replaced with any other add-in, like cacao nibs, raisins, nuts, seeds or you could leave them out altogether. Alternatively, try an alternative type of chocolate such as semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips instead. You could even incorporate chopped baker's chocolate for a chocolate chunk-type cookie.
Is coconut flour OK for ketogenic diet?
Coconut flour is a fantastic low carb alternative to wheat flour. Many of my coconut flour recipes call for a ½ cup of it, which has 32g carbs and 20g fiber divided over about 12 servings.
Looking at those nutrition facts, coconut flour is very suitable for keto and low carb eating. However, when baking with it, you will need to make an adjustment to the sweetener.
My favorite - maple syrup - is NOT suitable for keto diets. However, I like to recommend Lakanto's maple-flavoured monkfruit syrup which is sugar-free.
You can still make low carb chocolate chip cookies, but again, you will need to replace them with a sugar-free brand of chocolate chips like Lily's. Alternatively, you could leave them out for a plain coconut flour cookie.
How to store these low carb coconut flour chocolate chip cookies
Because these low carb coconut cookies are so moist, I recommend storing them for only one day at room temperature. Refrigerated in an airtight container, these coconut flour cookies will last at least 5 days.
Coconut Flour Recipes eCookbook
The other super popular coconut flour recipes on my blog are for muffins, mug cakes and pancakes. So much so that I decided to write a digital eCookbook in which I shared all my tips & tricks and best recipes for Coconut Flour Muffins, Pancakes & Mug Cakes. You can get the eBook HERE!
More amazing coconut flour recipes like this one:
- Keto Cheddar Biscuits
- Coconut Flour Waffles
- Coconut Flour Chocolate Muffins
- Gluten Free Chocolate Pie Crust
- Coconut Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Coconut Flour Biscuits
Recipe
Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour loosely spoon the flour into a measuring cup - don't dip the measuring cup into the flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup or sugar-free liquid sweetener
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, more for topping or sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Get a cookie sheet ready. I like to line mine with parchment or a silicone baking mat to keep the edges from browning too much - but it's optional.
- In a large bowl, whisk together coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously until everything is combined.
- The cookie dough may seem too wet at first, but will come together as the coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid.
- Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using two tablespoons or a small cookie scoop, form 12 dough heaps and drop onto the cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies (with fingers, spoon or bottom of a glass) and top with a few more chocolate chips.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Notes
- When measuring coconut flour (or any flour) be sure not to dip the measuring cup into the flour container. This compresses the flour and you end up with too much (and dry cookies). Instead, loosely spoon the flour into the measuring cup.
To make this recipe keto or low carb compliant you need to make 2 small adjustments
- Use sugar-free liquid sweetener (I recommend Lakanto maple-flavoured monk fruit syrup)
- Use sugar-free chocolate chip, like stevia sweetened Lily's brand
- This changes the nutrition values per cookies to: 95 calories, 3.5g net carbs, 0.1g sugar
Nutrition
Pin Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe for later?
Random Questions
To make the cookies more suitable for a keto diet, consider using a sugar-free alternative sweetener like monk fruit syrup or erythritol. Additionally, opt for sugar-free chocolate chips or omit them entirely for a low-carb version of the recipe.
Yes, coconut flour is an excellent gluten-free alternative. Its dense texture and unique properties make it a suitable option for those seeking a gluten-free diet. However, it requires specific adjustments and careful handling in baking recipes.
Balancing the high absorbency of coconut flour with additional moisture and eggs is key. Ensuring proper measurements, incorporating sufficient liquid, and letting the batter rest to thicken are crucial for successful coconut flour baking.
Coconut flour's high absorbency impacts the texture, making cookies softer and moister compared to regular flour. It requires more moisture and eggs due to its unique composition, resulting in a denser, more delicate crumb.
JesusSaves21
Awesome, thank you
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you so much for your five-star review!
Melissa
I haven’t made these cookies yet, but plan to. Can Allulose be used in place of the maple sweetener?
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Melissa, you should be able to substitute the maple syrup with allulose and have similar results to the original. Let us know how the cookies work out for you.
Chelsea
These are amazing, I make them all the time! Even my family who isn’t gluten free loves them! I just made a batch and used pumpkin purée instead of the oil to make it lower calorie and it worked really well!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you so much for your positive comment, Chelsea! What a great idea to replace the oil with pumpkin!
Jennifer
Easy to make, turned out well but the taste is a little too healthy for my liking. More syrup / sugar in the dough would probably help. But glad I tried it!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for letting us know your thoughts, Jennifer! If you are ok with grains you might prefer this chocolate chip cookie: https://leelalicious.com/the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Lisa Lyle
They turned out perfectly! I usually chicken out baking with coconut flour as I have had several bombs...this has saved me! LOL
Regina | Leelalicious
I totally get it. Coconut flour can be so tricky. I am glad to hear my recipe worked for you
Jenny
Chewy cookies! Loved them! Thank you!
Laura
These were great! I added chopped walnuts and for sweetened I used 1/4 cup swerve confectioner with some nonfat Fairlife milk to get back some moisture. So yummy!
Regina | Leelalicious
Thanks for sharing the adaptations that worked for you
Peggy
Is there a sweetener conversion for stevia?
Lucia
They came out perfect! I am not a fan of coconut or gluten free, but these are good.
Lizette
This is our absolutely most favourite cookie recipe. It is SO good! Thank you for sharing.
Andrea
I made these yesterday and didn’t have maple syrup so I used light organic agave nectar. So good! Thanks for sharing!
Yani
I just baked these cookies. Didn’t change a thing on the recipe and they were absolutely delicious. Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing
Mellanie
I just made these cookies and they were amazing. They were moist and delicious the coconut aroma filled the kitchen and it was quite refreshing.
I just adjusted the recipe and used honey instead of the maple syrup.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
Marie
Made these for my daughter and she loved them. Can I freeze them?
Natalya
Just made these but used what I had on hand.
Swerve
Butter
Baking powder
They turned out pretty good. I'll use this recipe again. Thanks.
Regina
So glad to hear these worked for you with what you had on hand.
JADE
can i use agave nectar instead of maple syrup?
Regina
Yes that would be a good substitute
Sansra
Went super runny not sure why ?
Regina
Oh no! Sorry this happened. What brand of coconut flour did you use? I heard there are some that aren't quite as absorbent as most coconut flours. I am wondering if that is why the cookies may have turned out runny?
Rouhangiz Farhoudi
Can I use swerve or stevia drops?
Regina
Yes a sugar-free alternative should work wel
Juth
Can I use honey as sweetener?
Regina
Yes, honey should work just fine
Faith
Yum! Loved it!
Regina
So glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies
Heather N.
This recipe is awesome! I doubled it for a larger batch and added a 1/2 cup of sliced almonds. I made 6 cookies and scooped the rest of the dough on to a wax covered cookie sheet and froze them for about 30 minutes. Then transferred them to a container. Made a few each night after dinner and they were just as good!
Anne
I have made the coconut banana bread & it was delicious! The coconut flour makes it so light ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I’m going to try the coconut cookies next, . Love this Paleo!!
Regina
So glad to hear you liked the banana bread. Hope you'll enjoy the cookies too
Dipika
What quantity of Lakanto sweetener would you recommend for the Keto version of the cookie? Thanks for sharing this awesome and simple recipe!
Regina
If using their sugar-free maple syrup I replace it 1 for 1. So 1/4 cup. If using a granulated sweetener you may need closer to 1/3 or 1/2 cup
Shannon
Can you freeze the dough?
Regina
Yes. I would freeze it already portioned out