I know coconut is all the rage right now but my daughter was ahead of the curve on it. She’s always loved coconut – and she’s had me baking coconut cake for her birthdays and granola with coconut.
Why is she into coconut? When I asked her she wasn’t sure – you can picture the teenage shrug of shoulders. Maybe the taste? Maybe the texture? I think it’s because she loves anything tropical – warm beaches, warm sand, warm water – not exactly what you find along our coastline!
When she was younger, we’d buy her coconuts at the store and she’d head out the front door swinging a hammer and a fist full of nails. After pounding a nail into the coconut, she’d make a small hole and drain the coconut milk into a glass – and drink it. Then we’d cut it open and she’d eat the inside.
Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies
This is her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe – complete with coconut oil (expeller pressed) from Dr. Bronner’s and unsweetened coconut from Bob’s Red Mill – it’s the only brand of coconut we like. Don’t bother with the sweetened type or flakes – you won’t like it.
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups organic sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup yogurt
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 6 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup coconut, unsweetened
- 4 cups chocolate chips, sustainably sourced + fair trade
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together coconut oil, sugars, and vanilla.
- Add yogurt to the mixer.
- Crack eggs into a glass or small bowl, beat them until smooth, and add to mixer.
- Mix all wet ingredients until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to mix these until well combined.
- With stand mixer on slowest setting, add dry flour mixture by the spoonful to the wet mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Add coconut and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined.
- Using a 1 Tablespoon spoon or scoop, drop cookies onto baking sheet.
- [img src=”https://gogingham.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/90af1-healthy-cookies-go-gingham.jpg” width=”585″ height=”390″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”Chocolate Chip Coconut Whole Wheat Cookies”]
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes.
We don’t buy ‘store bought’ cookies or any baked goods – any longer. We used to, but now I know exactly what’s in our food when we bake it ourselves and where it came from. I like having treats on hand for hungry kids – and especially baked goods that don’t have lots of preservatives and other chemicals with names that are difficult to pronounce. Our recipes have less sugar than most but I think we’ve all gotten too used to having overly sweetened foods.
Don’t be afraid of how many cookies these make. They’re excellent after freezing. If you’re looking for a cookie to send along with the track team (or other sport team!), these are it. They got rave reviews.
And, they’re excellent dunked in milk or coffee – and I would know about that.
Do you like coconut? Ever pounded holes into a coconut? Have you baked with coconut oil?
Go Gingham related links:
Homemade chocolate chip cookies – I swear these are almost health food!
Betsy’s best brownies – our chicken who is no longer with us
Delicious cake to make with apples – excellent cake
The easiest applesauce ever – seriously
Go Gingham 
These look good! But my son and husband don’t like coconut–boo. I used coconut oil for the first time recently–it made a tender cookie, but using it will take a little getting used to.
I’ve always loved to bake. I can’t claim that we never buy store-bought, but like you, one of the things I like about making my own is my ability to control the ingredients. I find that a lot of old recipes require more sugar and salt than what we like–easy to tweak if you are making your own! Enjoy your cookies, Sara.
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Thanks, Kris! I wasn’t a big fan of coconut either – until I had the unsweetened version. It made all the difference.
We’ll be making another batch of these very soon – almost gone and so tasty.
And, yes, there’s too much sugar/salt etc. in most recipes. I like more health in my cookie.
Thanks for writing in, Kris!!
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I always figure if a recipe includes whole wheat flour and coconut oil, it’s health food! Unsweetened coconut can often be found in the bulk bins, too.
Going to try these soon. Then I’ll probably need to whip up a pair of the yoga pants so I have something that fits. 😉
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Well, yes, I’d put these cookies under the category of ‘health food’ and that’s probably why we eat so many of them!
The unsweetened coconut in the bulk bins is usually Bob’s Red Mill – at least it is at Fred’s and WinCo. 😉
Enjoy! These would be excellent to bring camping, too!
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Yes, I was also a coconut pounder/cracker/drinker/eater when I was your daughter’s age. I love coconut and couldn’t be happier about the new trend in coconut products! My recent favorite is coconut almond milk – add chocolate sauce and it taste just like Almond Joy in a glass. Can’t wait to try these cookies.
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