The perfect chocolate chip cookie. It’s very much a matter of personal preference, and there’s a good chance that my criteria differ slightly from yours. The gold standard for a lot of people is Jacques Torres’ New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, and while I won’t deny it makes a very good cookie, it calls for refrigerating the dough for at least 24 hours before baking. I don’t know about you, but most of the time when I want a cookie, I want it immediately – not a day later!
My go-to recipe has been Cook’s Illustrated’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’ve made the recipe several times a month for years, and the result is always the same – an irresistibly buttery, moist, and chewy cookie! The instructions are a little bit fussy, but still relatively quick and easy and the recipe is made with just a few bowls and a whisk. There’s brown butter involved, and we all know that’s never a bad thing, plus lots of dark brown sugar which gives the cookies this amazing caramel/toffee flavor.
The only downside (and I even hesitate to call it that) about the recipe is that because it uses browned butter, the dough itself is on the greasy side. I’m not nearly as tempted to snack on the dough before baking, and depending on the situation, that’s often a good thing!
I’ve been itching to create a recipe utilizing coconut oil (one of my new obsessions this year) that would rival my go-to CI chocolate chip cookie, and after a few tries, I think I have! These dark chocolate chunk coconut oil cookies check all the boxes for me. They’re soft and chewy with slightly crisp edges, and because I used dark brown sugar rather than light, they have more of that caramel flavor I was craving. While I didn’t include coconut extract or shredded coconut, the coconut oil itself definitely lends a mild coconut flavor to these cookies. I stood over the counter eating an embarrassing number of cookies warm from the oven, but if you can show more restraint than me, these will stay soft and chewy for at least 2 days after baking!
Do you have a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Dark Chocolate Chunk Coconut Oil Cookies
from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures
{Note: Feel free to use more chocolate chunks, I like my cookies light on the chocolate.}
1/2 cup coconut oil (measured solid)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add the coconut oil to a small saucepan, set over medium-low heat and melt. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Once the coconut oil is cool, transfer to a medium bowl. Add both sugars and beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes, or until combined (the mixture won’t come together entirely – it will resemble granita, but don’t worry it’ll come together in the next step). Mix in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
Using a small cookie scoop (mine measures about 1 1/2 inches across), portion the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 9 minutes (rotating the baking sheets halfway through if you’re doing both at once) or until the edges of the cookies are set (the centers may look underdone – don’t overbake!). Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool for a few minutes then remove the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with all of the dough.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
First of all, your awesomeness just doubled for me knowing that you bake chocolate chip cookies a few times a month…amazing. Secondly, I’m LOVING all these original cookie recipes lately. Keep them coming, friend!
I love how they’re basically bulging with chocolate! And they’re so perfect looking!
I’ve never used coconut oil in baking before but I hear amazing things — and I think these cookies need to be the first recipe I try it with ๐ SO YUM.
I have been going bonkers for coconut oil this year too! It’s a new favorite of mine! These cookies look smashing!
I LOVE cookies using coconut oil! They always turn out so soft and are so easy every time. These cookies are gorgeous, Tracey!
Love that you used coconut oil in these bad boys! I’m not in to greasy cookies either!!
Mmm, coconut oil! I don’t think I’ve used it for baking yet. These look so good though! I want!
I can’t say no to a delicious chocolate chunk cookie, so I’m definitely not saying no to these! No way, Bring them on!
I LOVE coconut oil in cookies! It gives them a whole new dynamic! These sound wonderful!!
I’ve had an unopened jar of coconut oil in my cupboard for over a month – I still feel awkward about skipping the butter entirely. Maybe this recipe will be the much-needed ice breaker! (The cookies look perfect!)
These cookies look nothing short of perfect. I have coconut oil, and I’m going to have to try this!
Mmmmmm… I love a good chocolate chip cookie!! I bought a jar of coconut oil when I was itching to bake with it but it remains unopened. I think it might have to be opened this weekend to try these out!! YUM!
I love coconut oil in cookies and these look just as amazing as I knew they would! MM!
I LOVE coconut oil in chocolate chip cookies! So chewy with just a hint of coconut taste. Definitely perfect if you ask me!
Chances are really slim that these cookies would last two days in my house! Love the dark chocolate and coconut oil combination!
Love cookies that use coconut oil so I don’t feel completely unhealthy eating the whole batch! These look delicious.
Wow, these cookies definitely look perfect!! Coconut oil in a cookie..? I’m intrigued!
These look positively great! I’m still trying to use up all my flour and sugars and ironically enough I have a lot of coconut oil I don’t want to waste. I think I’ll try these tomorrow! I’m tuckered out after making three different things in about 4 hours.
these are perfect! you’ve done an exceptional job!
xx
These look fantastic, bursting with all those chocolate chunks… I would have eaten the whole tray *no shame*.
I don’t have a “to go” recipe, I’m always looking for the perfect one! So I think that my next batch will be made following this recipe, I’ve still ahve to give coconut oil a try :–)
I love making cookies with coconut oil. Yours look wonderful!
These cookies look so perfect, I really love the dark chocolate!
It’s reeaalllyyy hard to find “the.one” in terms of chocolate chip cookies…I don’t think I’ve found one yet but, then again, I’ve also never made a CCC with coconut oil!
When can I find chocolate chunks? I haven’t been able to find them at my local walmart or CVS. Can anyone help me out I live in hawaii and if I order them off amazon or something I might get a big melted mass of chocolate, not chunks.
Wow- these cookies look absolutely perfect! I too adore my cookies with coconut oil these days so I would just love these. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve made bars with coconut oil but not cookies yet. I want tot ry this with my go-to recipe now!
I must be the only one on the planet not to have jumped on the coconut oil trend. This cookie recipe gave me that must needed push. These look amazing and it’s been a full two weeks since I made c.c cookies. That’s enough time, right?
Btw – NYTimes recipe is still darn good if you don’t refrigerate. I can’t tell you how I know that, but let’s just say I’m impatient.
I just made these cookies, and they are fabulous! They taste absolutely amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
You’ve got to freeze the NYT cookie dough. Then that 24 hour waiting period isn’t an issue. ๐
And love that you used coconut oil here! They look absolutely perfect.
Oh my, these cookies look so perfect ๐ I love baking with coconut oil!
All chocolate chip cookies are good! I really need to try coconut oil…I’m a little late to the party. I love the look of these.