Mini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Shortly after Christmas I bought my very first jar of coconut oil. Like so many other trendy things, I feel like I was probably the last person to jump on this bandwagon. To be completely honest, I don’t know if I ever intended to bake with it; I mostly picked it up to try some of the beauty-related uses.

However, as I began to see more and more recipes featuring coconut oil, curiosity got the best of me. I had to bake something, just to see how using coconut oil compared to butter. I knew I wanted to start with cookies, and these mini coconut chocolate chip cookies from Jessica sounded too good to pass up.

The first thing I learned? Measuring coconut oil accurately is kind of impossible. Fortunately, you guys are a lot more knowledgeable than me on the topic and came to my rescue 🙂 Once I got past that hurdle, these cookies were a cinch. The dough was a tiny bit crumbly but I’d read that’s normal so I didn’t fret and they baked up perfectly! In addition to the coconut oil, there’s also coconut extract in the cookies, so they’re definitely not short on coconut flavor. And for me, the texture of these cookies couldn’t have been any better. They’re perfectly soft and chewy, they kind of reminded me of Soft-Batch cookies in that regard (and I seriously loved those as a kid!).

Despite the fact that you see me posting tons of sweets here, I really haven’t been eating much of them in the past few months. A bite here or there (for quality control purposes, of course), but then they’re out the door to be shared with friends, family, and coworkers. Not these little guys though – I think I ate 5 of them over the course of a weekend. I kept justifying one after another to myself because, after all, they’re mini! If all cookies made with coconut oil are this good, maybe I should hold off on making another batch for a while…

Probably not though, so if you have a favorite recipe made with coconut oil, please share! 🙂

Mini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
barely adapted from How Sweet It Is

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup light brown sugar (not packed, just fill the measuring cup loosely)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the melted coconut oil and both sugars on medium-low speed until combined. Let rest for 15 minutes, then add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and coconut extract, beating until smooth. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated (the dough may be crumbly, that’s ok). Mix in the chocolate chips.

Use a small cookie scoop (mine measures about 1 1/2 inches across) to portion the dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

makes 30-36 mini cookies