Soft, chewy oatmeal cookies with coconut flour. A simple and better-for-you cookie recipe for when you're craving something sweet. Gluten free with an option for dairy free and ready in under 30 minutes!
These have all the soft and chewy goodness you crave in an oatmeal cookie, but are made using coconut flour as opposed to all-purpose flour.
Why coconut flour? First, it's gluten free (and I avoid gluten). Plus I love making gluten-free baked goods with simple ingredients. I use almond flour in a lot of my baked goods, but that's not always good when people have nut allergies.
Coconut flour is also a good alternative to a lot of flours because of its lower carb content and it's lower on the glycemic index (compared to all-purpose flour). In addition, it is high in fiber and less expensive than a lot of gluten free flours. So it's perfect for these coconut flour oatmeal cookies.
You'll also find me using coconut flour in my almond flour blackberry muffins, Paleo almond flour donuts, and almond flour blueberry lemon bread.
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- SIMPLE, CLEAN INGREDIENTS - I love that these coconut flour oatmeal cookies require simple ingredients and no gluten-free flour blends. You just need coconut flour and oats for the base of these cookies.
- DIETERY NEEDS - There are options for making these cookies both gluten free and dairy free and they are also nut free.
- ONE BOWL & EASY- The dough for these cookies is made in just one bowl. Less clean up and less mess! Plus, no need to chill the dough before baking.
- CUSTOMIZABLE - The recipe is written with chocolate chips, but there are many options for other add-ins.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific call-outs, and when needed, some tips on keeping the ingredients clean.
COCONUT SUGAR - To keep these refined sugar free, I use coconut sugar (just like in my oat flour brownie recipe). Coconut sugar tastes similar to brown sugar and I really love the caramelized sweetness it adds to these cookies.
You can sub regular white sugar or brown sugar if needed. The coconut sugar also adds a browner hue to the cookies, so if you use regular sugar, the cookies will be lighter in color. You could also use half white sugar and half coconut sugar (or brown sugar).
I don't recommend a liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup or honey.
COCONUT OIL OR BUTTER - You can use either room temperature butter (unsalted) or coconut oil. If you need them to be dairy free, use coconut oil.
Clean food tip: Typically unrefined coconut oil is best, but some refined coconut oils are considered clean too. For butter, at a minimum use organic, but grass-fed/grass finished is best (I like Kerrygold).
EGGS - If using coconut oil, make sure you use room temperature eggs. This will keep the coconut oil from solidifying into little chunks when mixed with the eggs.
Clean food tip: Pasture-raised eggs are best.
OATS - If needing these cookies to be gluten free, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats. And use rolled oats/old-fashioned oats; steel cut outs will be too dense for these coconut flour oatmeal cookies.
Clean food tip: I highly recommend organic oats. Like most grains, oats are sprayed with glyphosate (an herbicide that's been linked to increased cancer risk) prior to being harvested.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS - I use dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips to keep these cookies dairy free, but any chocolate chips will work.
How to Make
STEP 1: Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the coconut oil (or butter) and coconut sugar.
STEP 2: Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients (oats, coconut flour, baking soda, salt). Mix until combined.
STEP 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.
STEP 5: Using about 2 tbsp. of dough, scoop dough (or roll into balls) onto prepared cookie sheet. Flatten dough into a round cookie shape. The cookies will not spread or change shape while they are baking. Tip: Use a spring loaded scoop for scooping dough.
STEP 6: Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly and then remove from cookie sheet. These oatmeal cookies with coconut flour are the absolute best when eaten fresh out of the oven.
FAQs
Because the coconut flour is so dry and extremely absorbent, the liquid from the eggs is really needed in these coconut flour oatmeal cookies. I don't recommend using an egg substitute here.
No, almond flour reacts very differently in baking and this recipe is written specifically for coconut flour. There are no substitutions for the coconut flour.
If you want to make the dough ahead of time, you can store in the fridge for up to a week. If needed, allow dough to come to room temp so you can scoop and shape the cookies. You could also shape the batter into individual balls and then place in fridge so all you have to do is flatten/shape the cookies before baking.
Expert Tips for the Best Cookies
Don't forget these tips when making these coconut flour oatmeal cookies!
The dough is sticky. When shaping/flattening your cookies, wash hands between every few cookies or lightly grease your hands with butter or coconut oil.
Because of coconut flour, the dough for these coconut flour oatmeal cookies won't spread. Make sure to shape them into round cookies before baking. I make the cookies about ¼"-½" thick.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough.
Whether using a cookie scoop, or shaping in your hands, pack the dough together. This will help the cookies hold their shape.
Coconut flour can be challenging to bake with. When measuring scoop flour into measuring cup and even out with the dull edge of a knife. Do NOT pack the flour into the measuring up.
Swap out the chocolate chips for walnuts, raisins, or any of your favorite dried fruits.
Storing
These oatmeal coconut flour cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months.
More Better-for-You Desserts
Coconut Flour Oatmeal Cookies
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Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Baking sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup room temperature unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 2 eggs (see notes)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 ¾ cups rolled oats/old-fashioned oats (certified gluten free if needed)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line one large baking sheet (or two small) with parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the coconut sugar and butter (or coconut oil) until smooth, about 1 minute. You can either use a hand mixer, or stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the coconut flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low until just combined. Next, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using about 2 tbsp. of dough, scoop dough (or roll into balls) onto prepared cookie sheet (I like using a spring loaded cookie scoop for this). Flatten dough into a round cookie shape. The cookies will not spread or change shape while they are baking.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let cool slightly and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Both butter and coconut oil work in these cookies. Use coconut oil if you need them to be dairy free.
- If using coconut oil, use room temperature eggs. This will keep the coconut oil from solidifying when the eggs are added in.
- When measuring coconut flour, scoop flour into measuring cup and even out with the dull edge of a knife. Do NOT pack the flour into the measuring cup.
- Whether using a cookie scoop, or rolling in your hands, pack the dough together before shaping into cookies. This will help them hold their shape.
- If dough is too sticky while shaping them into cookies, lightly grease your fingers with butter or oil.
Nutrition
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christina says
Hello, can you substitute the coconut sugar for maple syrup or something?
Sara Ecklin says
If you aren't looking for an unrefined sweetener, you can use brown sugar. If you'd like an unrefined sugar, you can try date sugar. I haven't tried maple syrup and being it's a liquid sweetener, I'm not sure how it would turn out in this specific cookie recipe. If you do try, please let me (and others) know how it turns out. Thanks 🙂
Erica says
I love these cookies! It’s a creative way to use coconut flour that I haven’t seen yet and I really enjoyed the application.
I used equal parts coconut sugar and coconut flour (1/3 cup) and then added a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water) along with the two eggs to add moisture without increasing the flavor of egg. I used 1 1/2 cups quick oats instead of rolled and cut up some unsweetened baking chocolate because that’s what I had. I lightly pressed each cookie down before baking and then baked for 9 minutes. Very successful.
Sara says
Thanks for sharing the easy modifications you made to the recipe and so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Deborah says
Not sure I like this recipe. I did everything correct according to the recipe. They don't taste sweet, I'm not sure they are done cause they fall apart, and I baked for 10 minutes. I I just don't like them.
Sara says
Hi Deborah - I appreciate you sharing your honest opinion. You definitely need to pack the dough together when making the cookie shape, so I'm wondering if that is maybe where things went wrong. Either way, thanks for giving these a try!
Zoey Zhang says
Thank you for this recipe! I actually reduced the amount of rolled oats by 1/4 cups and increased the amount of coconut flour by 1 tbsp - it turned out great! The mouthfeel of the oats is not very very overwhelming and I am very pleased 😀. I will keep making it!
Sara says
Appreciate you sharing your modifications for others to see and so happy to hear you are enjoying this recipe!
Art W says
I followed the recipe to the letter, using a digital scale to measure, the dough was on the dry side. Is that the way it should be? Thank You, Art
Sara says
Hi Art - Thanks for the question - the dough can be dry, but it really helps to pack the dough together in your hands when making the cookie balls - this will help them to keep there shape and retain more moisture. I have also had people say adding an additional egg has helped, so you could try that as well.