The Ultimate Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies: Crispy Edges, Chewy Centers

Experience the magic of **Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies**! This recipe delivers the best of both worlds: delightfully crunchy edges and an incredibly soft, chewy center that will leave you craving more. Infused with the subtle richness of coconut oil, these cookies offer a unique flavor profile that elevates the classic chocolate chip cookie to new heights.

Author’s Insight

Coconut Oil Is The Game-Changing Swap Your Cookies Need!

For years, my inbox has been flooded with questions about substituting oils in my beloved chewy chocolate chip cookies. The most frequent request? Coconut oil! After countless experiments, I’m thrilled to share that these coconut oil chocolate chip cookies are not just a simple swap; they’re a revelation worthy of their own spotlight.

If you’re new to baking with coconut oil, prepare for a delightful culinary adventure. The unique properties of coconut oil don’t just add a faint, lovely hint of flavor; they fundamentally transform the cookie’s texture, giving it an unparalleled chewiness and a crispness that’s hard to achieve otherwise. These cookies have quickly soared to the top of my favorite recipes list, and I’m confident they’ll become a staple in your kitchen too.

Beyond the simple ingredient list, I’m excited to share a few tried-and-true baking “secrets” that guarantee your cookies turn out perfectly golden, tender, and utterly delicious every single time. Get ready to bake the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever tasted!

Key Ingredients for Unforgettable Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crafting the perfect cookie begins with understanding the role of each ingredient. Here’s a detailed look at what makes these coconut oil chocolate chip cookies so special:

Mastering the Art of Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies: Step-by-Step Guide

While the detailed instructions are in the comprehensive recipe card below, here are my top tips and tricks to ensure your coconut oil chocolate chip cookies are nothing short of perfection:

1. Prepare Wet Ingredients Thoughtfully: After melting the coconut oil and butter, it’s absolutely crucial to let the mixture cool completely to room temperature. Adding eggs to a warm mixture can scramble them, and a greasy dough leads to flat, oily cookies. Patience here ensures a perfectly emulsified base, which is key to a beautiful texture.
2. Incorporate Dry Ingredients Carefully: Always make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh and active! Sifting these agents directly into the wet ingredients helps prevent lumps and ensures even distribution, leading to a consistent rise and texture throughout the batch. Don’t forget the cornstarch for that signature chew!
3. Mix in Flour Just Enough: The golden rule of cookie making! Once you add the flour, mix only until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough, dry cookies instead of the soft, tender ones you’re aiming for. A wooden spoon or spatula is ideal for this gentle final mix.
4. Embrace the Chill: Chilling the cookie dough is not an optional step; it’s a non-negotiable secret for superior cookies. Refrigerating the dough for at least an hour (or even overnight) allows the fats to solidify, preventing excessive spreading during baking. More importantly, it gives the flavors a chance to meld and deepen, resulting in a richer, more complex taste and an incredibly chewy texture.
5. Bake to Perfection & Finish with Flair: Preheat your oven thoroughly to 350°F (175°C). Bake until the edges are lightly golden and set, but the centers still look slightly soft and not glossy. Immediately upon removing from the oven, use the back of a spatula or a round cookie cutter slightly larger than your cookies to gently push in any ragged edges, creating perfectly round, bakery-style cookies. For an extra aesthetic touch, press a few additional chocolate chips onto the warm tops. This makes them look even more enticing!

Coconut Oil Substitutes: What to Use and What to Expect

While this recipe shines brightest with coconut oil, sometimes you need an alternative. It’s entirely possible to use equal parts of other fats, but be aware that each swap will bring its own unique flavor and textural changes due to differing fat compositions and water content:

• Vegetable Oil: A neutral-flavored option that will still yield moist cookies, though they might be slightly less chewy and lack the subtle tropical hint that coconut oil provides.
• Canola Oil: Similar to vegetable oil, canola oil is a neutral choice. Expect a soft cookie, but without the specific textural benefits or flavor notes of coconut oil.
• Additional Butter: If you prefer a purely butter-based cookie, you can substitute the coconut oil with an equal amount of unsalted butter. This will result in a richer, more traditional butter-flavored cookie, potentially with slightly crisper edges and a less pronounced chewiness in the center, as butter contains more water than coconut oil.

Remember, each fat behaves differently during baking. For the absolute best results that truly capture the unique chewy-crispy balance and subtle flavor of this recipe, I highly recommend sticking to the original and using coconut oil. It’s truly what sets these chocolate chip cookies apart!

Print Recipe

5 from 11 votes

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

By
Chelsea Lords

These Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies are crisp on the outside, soft and chewy inside! Plus, I’ve got all the tips to make them perfect every time!

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
9 minutes

Chilling Time:
1 hour

Total Time:
1 hour 24 minutes

Servings:
35 cookies

Equipment

• Sheet pan (15″ x 10″)
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cookie scoop (2 tablespoons)

Ingredients

US Measurements

• 1/2 cup coconut oil melted, measure in solid form
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cup milk chocolate chips or use your favorite: semi-sweet, milk, additional dark, etc.
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or use your favorite: semi-sweet, dark, additional milk, etc.

Instructions

• Pro Tip: For total accuracy in baking, consider using a kitchen scale set to grams. This method eliminates the need for measuring cups—simply add ingredients directly into your mixing bowl on the scale, following metric measurements for precision.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the solid coconut oil and butter. Melt them together in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Allow this mixture to cool completely to room temperature before proceeding. This step is crucial to prevent greasy cookies.
• Once cooled, scrape every bit of the melted oil and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add both brown sugar and granulated sugar. Using a whisk, thoroughly mix until well combined and smooth. Incorporate the vanilla extract and room-temperature eggs, whisking vigorously for at least 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light in color, smooth, and fully emulsified with no visible oil separation.
• Directly into the wet ingredients, sift in the baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch. Add the salt. Whisk these dry agents until they are fully integrated into the wet mixture. Switch to a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula. Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour until there are no visible dry streaks of flour remaining. Be careful not to overmix. Gently stir in both milk and dark chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
• Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour, or ideally, up to overnight. This chilling process helps the dough firm up, prevents excessive spreading during baking, and deepens the flavors.
• If the dough has been chilled overnight, allow it to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before you begin shaping. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (or approximately 45 grams per cookie if using a scale), shape the dough into tall, slightly mounded balls. Arrange no more than 6 dough balls at a time on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, ensuring at least 3 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Bake the cookies for 8–11 minutes. They are ready when the edges are lightly browned and set, and the centers appear mostly set without looking glossy or wet. Do not overbake for the chewiest results.
• Remove the baked cookies from the oven. If needed, use a metal spatula or a round cookie cutter to gently press any ragged edges inward, creating perfectly round cookies. For an extra touch, press a few additional chocolate chips onto the warm tops of the cookies. Allow the cookies to rest on the hot sheet pan for 3–4 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: To accurately measure solid coconut oil, scoop it firmly into a 1/2 cup measuring cup, packing it down and leveling off the top. Then, remove it from the cup to melt.

Storage Tips: These cookies are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are baked. Store any remaining cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days to maintain their softness and flavor. For longer storage, freeze rolled dough balls on a tray for 1 hour, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie

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Calories: 154kcal

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Carbohydrates: 22g

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Protein: 2g

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Fat: 7g

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Saturated Fat: 5g

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Trans Fat: 1g

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Cholesterol: 18mg

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Sodium: 53mg

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Potassium: 41mg

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Fiber: 1g

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Sugar: 13g

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Vitamin A: 97IU

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Vitamin C: 1mg

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Calcium: 24mg

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Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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