This post may contain affiliate links. To learn more check my disclosure page.
These coconut flour chocolate chip cookies are everything I could ever want in a cookie and more. They have soft, chewy, gooey centers, with a golden brown crumb and slightly crisp edges that have me coming back for seconds (and thirds!). They’re also naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free, and the dough doesn’t need chilling! I recently brought a batch of these cookies to a family event, and everyone said they’re the best cookies they’ve ever had!
Homemade Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
I tested this recipe 3x to ensure consistent results, and my teen and her friends demolished any leftovers. That’s how I knew these cookies were a complete success! There are only 8 simple ingredients in this coconut flour chocolate cookies recipe, but it’s all about using the right ratios to achieve that perfect texture. Don’t be tempted to use slightly more unsalted butter or a little less eggs and brown sugar. I recommend following the recipe exactly as written for the best results!
Ingredients
- Coconut Flour: This is the only flour I use in this recipe. Coconut flour is made from finely ground, dried coconut meat. It’s high in fiber and protein compared to other flours and absorbs a lot of liquid, so only a small amount is needed.
- Baking Soda: Helps these chocolate chip cookies with coconut flour rise to create thick and chewy centers. Check the label to make sure your baking soda is suitable for gluten-free baking.
- Sea Salt: Add some salt to the cookie dough to enhance the chocolate flavor. I also sprinkle flaky salt on top of my warm coconut flour cookies because I love the sweet and salty combination!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to avoid over-salting the cookies. Melt it in the microwave, then let it cool to room temperature as you gather the other ingredients.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and just the right amount of sweetness.
- Eggs: Helps the dough come together and adds moisture. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Chunks: I roughly chop up a chocolate bar because I like larger chunks of chocolate in my cookies. You can use chocolate chips if you prefer. Not all chocolate is gluten-free, so be sure to check the label.
Tips and Suggestions
- Measure the coconut flour carefully by using the spoon & level method. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Accidentally adding too much coconut flour will make your cookies dry and crumbly. This method stops the flour from packing down in the measuring cup.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs to help the dough come together smoothly. I also melt my butter before letting it come to room temperature, as this helps create a soft, chewy cookie.
- Once the cookie dough is mixed, let it sit at room temperature for 5-8 minutes to rehydrate the coconut flour. Doing this makes the dough easier to handle (it becomes a lot less sticky) and creates thicker coconut flour chocolate chip cookies.
- Use a greased cookie scoop to make evenly sized cookies.
- Once the dough is portioned out, top them with extra chocolate chips/chunks before baking to give your homemade cookies that bakery-style look!
- Don’t worry if your cookies puff up in the oven and then deflate when cooling. This is normal for these coconut flour cookies.
- You might need to bake in batches depending on the size of your baking sheet—don’t overcrowd it, as the cookies will spread as they bake!
Can I Use a Different Gluten-Free Flour?
Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture, so it cannot be substituted 1:1 with another flour. I don’t recommend trying to substitute coconut flour in this recipe, as the ratios and measurements will need to be adjusted. Try our oat flour chocolate chip cookies, almond flour chocolate chip cookies, or our gluten-free chocolate chip cookies for more options using different gluten-free flour.
Are Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies Soft or Crispy?
These cookies are soft and chewy with slightly crisp edges. The texture is similar to a traditional chocolate chip cookie but a little denser due to the coconut flour—perfect for dunking in a glass of milk!
Does Coconut Flour Rise?
No, it doesn’t, at least not by itself! Coconut flour doesn’t contain any gluten, so it doesn’t rise like traditional wheat flour. I add baking soda to this recipe, which helps these coconut flour chocolate chip cookies puff up as they bake.
Storage Instructions
These coconut flour chocolate chip cookies are best served warm, but they do stay soft for days when stored properly. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. I would wrap each cookie in parchment paper and place them in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying!
You can also try freezing the dough and baking it from frozen for a freshly baked treat anytime. Portion the dough onto a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
More Coconut Flour Recipes to Try!
Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
- flaky salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the room temperature melted butter and light brown sugar until thoroughly incorporated.
- Whisk in the eggs, one at a time.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Whisk in the coconut flour mixture until combined.
- With a spatula, stir to ensure there are no remaining pockets of flour.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5-8 minutes to thicken the dough.
- Scoop the cookie dough with a cookie scoop and place on the lined cookie sheet, 2” apart. Place additional chocolate chips on the cookies for melty pools of chocolate when baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and centers look set and have puffed up.
- 12. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with flaky salt (optional).
Notes
- Step 9 Notes: Allowing the dough to set for 5-8 minutes allows the coconut flour to absorb the liquid. After this, the dough will be thickened and resemble more of a traditional cookie dough. It’ll be less sticky and more solid. This step also ensures thick and chewy cookies.
- The cookies will puff up and deflate while cooling.
- Use the ‘spoon & level’ method to measure your coconut flour by spooning the flour into your measuring cup and leveling off the excess with a knife.
- A greased cookie scoop will help you get even cookies.
- To Store: Keep these chocolate chip coconut flour cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months or the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
- Mama says, “Check your labels!”
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Flour Step-by-Step
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together ½ cup coconut flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons of room temperature melted butter and ⅔ cup light brown sugar until thoroughly incorporated.
Whisk in 2 eggs, one at a time. Mix in 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract.
Whisk in the coconut flour mixture until combined. With a spatula, stir to ensure there are no remaining pockets of flour.
Fold in 1 ¼ cup gluten-free chocolate chips or chunks. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5-8 minutes to thicken the dough.
Scoop the coconut flour cookie dough with a cookie scoop and place on the lined cookie sheet, 2” apart. Place additional chocolate chips on the cookies for melty pools of chocolate when baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and centers look set and have puffed up. Cool your coconut flour chocolate chip cookies for 10 minutes before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with flaky salt (optional).
These taste very good but look NOTHING like the picture. I do not like the false advertising in the picture. There is not way they could have looked that different. I did everything exactly as instructed with the same ingredients. I even waited for room temperature and used a thermometer to be exact.
Also, I believe there is a typo in the instruction section that has pictures each step. It says 1.5 table spoons of vanilla. This disagrees with the first ingredients list.
Hi Elizabeth, we’re sorry to hear you did not enjoy the final look of these cookies. I can assure you that all of our recipes are thoroughly tested and that the photographed cookies are indeed from this recipe.
These taste absolutely delicious! The only problem is that mine turned out as flat as pancakes. I measured the flour with the spoon method like you said and let it rest for the 8 minutes. My dough did look wetter than your in the pictures. I resisted the urge to add more flour like you said. Any suggestions?
Hi Kristie, we recommend chilling the dough for 10 minutes to help it keep its shape!