Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies — You won’t miss the butter at all in these coconut oil chocolate chip cookies! They’re so soft and ever so slightly chewy. Dangerously good!
Ultra Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies … Without Butter!
If you think cookies made without any butter mean making a sacrifice in the taste department, think again. No butter, no problem. You definitely won’t miss it.
These coconut oil chocolate chip cookies are very similar to my favorite Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I loved them and wanted to see what would happen if I omitted all the butter and replaced it with coconut oil.
The results? Big success. It’s hard for me to say which cookie is ‘better.’ They’re similar, yet different, and both will leave you with your hand caught way too many times in the cookie jar.
Both versions are insanely soft and moist, with slight chewiness around the edges and at the base. There’s nothing crispy or crunchy about them, although you could bake the cookies longer if you’re looking for crunchier cookies.
Ingredients in Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
For these seriously addicting chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Melted coconut oil
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How Does Swapping Butter for Coconut Oil Affect a Cookie’s Texture?
I find in general that cookies made with coconut oil are heavier, denser, and not as light as those made with butter.
It’s a function of oil versus butter; oil is just denser and heavier. It’s not a bad thing, but if you want a light, delicate, airy cookie, these aren’t that.
These chocolate chip cookies that are made without butter are wonderfully weighty and thick so you can really sink your teeth into the pillowy soft interiors dripping with chocolate!
How to Make Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Making chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil instead of butter is just as quick and easy! Here’s a look at how the no-butter chocolate chip cookies are made:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined.
- Add the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Using either a large cookie scoop or your hands, form 12 equal-sized balls.
- Chill the dough before baking. It’s absolutely crucial for thick, puffy, full cookies. If you bake with warm dough, your cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter and the coconut oil will render them oil puddles rather than cookies.
- Once chilled, transfer the cookie dough balls to a baking sheet and bake until slightly golden around the edges.
Cookie Dough Tip
After getting the dough to the point where you add the dry ingredients, it’s super weird looking and does not look like ‘dough’. It’s shaggy and looks like shredded Play-Doh bits piled loosely in the bottom of a bowl. It’s both oily and dry, and you’ll think something is horribly wrong, but it’s fine.
If your dough is absolutely not coming together, and is fluffy, fuzzy, or too dry, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil at a time until it comes together. Do this as a last resort because it can make the dough oily.
Frequently Asked Questions
The coconut oil chocolate chip cookies do NOT taste strongly of coconut. If you’re thinking piña colada, Hawaiian Tropic, tropical vacation, Seven Layer Bars type of in-your-face coconut flavor, no, not at all. It’s very subtle.
If anything, I think coconut oil creates cookies that taste a bit sweeter than butter-based cookies.
Yes, the instant vanilla pudding mix is a must in this recipe! You want to get the instant mix, not the cook and serve kind (and also don’t get sugar-free).
You don’t actually make the pudding according to package instructions, you just add it to the cookie dough and treat it like a dry ingredient.
Without having tried it myself, I can’t say for sure. Like I said, I really love the subtle flavor the coconut oil adds to these cookies, so use it if you can.
I don’t recommend doing that since the dough becomes hard as a rock once chilled. It’s really hard to shape cookie dough once it’s chilled, so follow the recipe instructions as I’ve written them for best results.
I’ve never made these no-butter chocolate chip cookies with any flour but all-purpose, so I can’t speak to how well these will turn out if you use a gluten-free flour or whole wheat.
I definitely don’t recommend using coconut flour in this recipe, as it acts like a sponge and will make the dough incredibly dry.
Tips for Making Coconut Oil Cookies
Measuring the coconut oil
Your coconut oil MUST be liquid before you measure it out. Coconut oil becomes liquid when it’s warm, so you may need to heat yours for a few seconds in the microwave to get it to the right consistency.
Shaping the cookie dough balls
When shaping the cookie dough into balls, you need to compress and compact the dough by squeezing it and it’ll come together. Don’t be afraid to really squeeze it!
As a bonus, your hands will be wonderfully moisturized from the coconut oil and it’s some of the best raw cookie dough I’ve ever had. I’ve sampled tons and I’m alive.
Bake time
Be careful not to over bake these cookies. They’ll likely still be pale and glossy in the very center when you take them out of the oven, but that’s okay!
I baked the cookies for 11 minutes, but if you choose to make smaller cookies, you’ll need to bake for less time. How much less? I don’t know.
The secret to these cookies is keeping them a touch underbaked, which I think is the secret to most good cookies.
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Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup melted coconut oil, in liquid state, measured like you measure canola, olive, etc. oil
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- one 3.5-ounce packet instant vanilla pudding mix, not sugar-free and not ‘cook & serve’, no substitutions
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- one-12 ounce bag, 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Trader Joe’s)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the oil, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Mixture will look shaggy and like shredded Play-Doh bits, and is both oily and dry; this is okay.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 12 equal-sized mounds of dough by compressing, compacting, and squeezing until the dough comes together; don’t be afraid to really squeeze it.*
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, flatten slightly (when properly chilled, cookies don’t flatten much while baking so flatten them now), cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading. Make sure the cookies are in the exact shape you want them before chilling, because it’s exceedingly difficult to re-shape them after chilling.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Even More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies – You won’t miss the butter in these olive oil chocolate chip cookies!! They’re soft and chewy, loaded with chocolate, and have a unique flavor from the olive oil but it’s not overpowering!
Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies — My gold standard Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for over two years.
Soft M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies — These cookies are a Pinterest hit and so good!
Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies – Move over butter, cream cheese keeps these cookies soft and extra thick
The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — Soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate, and they turn out perfectly every time! Totally irresistible!!
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies — No butter in these soft, moist, chewy cookies that have tons of texture from shredded coconut and oats, and are loaded to the max with chocolate
These look amazing! I have always been so nervous to use coconut oil in baking, but these may just give me a push to try it! They look so soft, thick and delicious!
I was too until a few years ago and I’ve nearly replaced all the canola oil I used to use in cakes, muffins, and breads with it; never used butter in them anyway. And in cookies, many times will use coconut oil not butter!
loved them! do u press them down a bit before baking? I found they did not spread at all-but were delish!
Yes you do need to flatten them a bit before baking in all likelihood. My cookies don’t spread much either but some people are prone to that. Sounds like you’re not :) So just push them down somewhat before chilling the dough and you’re set!
WOW! These cookies looks really amazing! I love chocolate chip cookies, especially if they’re soft and chewy like your cookies looks : )
Best wishes
Patricia
Hi Averie! I made these using the 1/4 cup scoop and really packed them in, refrigerated overnight and just baked for 11 minutes. They are still in the upside down shape of the scoop and never flattened out at all. I’m nervous they’re too undercooked! Any suggestions? (They smell delicious by the way!)
Smoosh them down with the back of a spoon a little bit and see what happens. Take a bite. Are they raw? Bake longer. If not – they’re done & enjoy!
LMK what you end up doing & glad they smell delish :)
So, after pinning these, I decided tonight was the night to make them. Mine came out rather tasty, but a bit dry looking. I opted not to add too much extra oil (rather be safe than sorry, hahaha). Other than my own oil judgement, they come out very sweet, chocolatey, and tasty. Also, a hint for those with the three drawer fridge, avoid that middle drawer for the chilling (you know the one you can put meat, or soda, or wine and then choose the cold setting)), if you don’t pay attention it pretty much freezes the dough :-O! These will be attempted again, with me braving a bit more oil next time :).
I can’t even handle how gorgeous these pictures are! That melted chocolate!!! I recently started using coconut oil in my cookies as well, and I love the taste. I use it for so many things. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you :)
Sounds like you’re already a fan of baking with coconut oil so if you try these, LMK!
You know how you said the skillet shot is my signature picture? Well that first shot with the stack of cookies with the dripping, melted chocolate – that’s yours! I could spot that a million miles away! Now if only I could have a dozen of these cookies to calm my nerves before Butters’ vet appointment!
That is so sweet of you to say!! :) Thanks for saying that’s my signature shot. And I will be thinking of you all day about the appt! Keep me posted!! xo
I love how your posts are always packed full of detail, information and tips, Averie. The part about thinking things have gone horrifically wrong with the dough made me laugh because, if you hadn’t written that, I WOULD think something went horrifically wrong! I’ve been wanting to make a CCC with coconut oil instead of butter so I’m definitely going to try this recipe. I love your chocolate chip to cookie dough ratio here. No cookie can go wrong with all of that glorious, delicious, melted chocolate!
Thanks for all your great comments today and you can never go wrong with chocolate to the max, right :) If you try baking with cococnut oil, LMK how it goes!
oh wow, your cookies look wonderful amazing! :-) I could eat a hand full of those right now! All those chocolate chips!
check out my recent post, Hot Fudge Cake
Michael :-)
These cookies look amazing! I love the idea of using coconut oil in place of butter in cookies – though I haven’t had much success in the past. Please bake me some and bring them over? I’ll be around all day. ;)
Pinning these!
Thanks for pinning :)
Holy mother! WOW! IF we ever meet in person, you are SOOOOO bringing me a batch of your amazing cookies!!! :-D
they look like great chocolate chip cookies!
That first photo makes me stop in my tracks every time I see it. Looks so good!
One of my fave ccc recipes I’ve ever made had coconut oil instead of butter-it’s such a yummy surprise! I love how incredibly big and chewy and yummy these look! mmmm!
Oh my goodness, these look a-mazing! I’ve got some coconut oil to use up, this is definitely what it will be used for!
Oh my these look so delicious and gooey… I can’t wait to try it out! Gooey, soft cookies are always my favorite :)