Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

If you’ve been following my blog or my instagram account then you know that I recently moved to New York City! I love to cook and bake but with all the moving and unpacking I hadn’t gotten a chance to use my new kitchen yet. Luckily, I am getting settled here in the Big Apple and this week I finally had time to get cookin’! I’m so excited to be back to making delicious, plant-based recipes to share here on the blog.

My first mission in my new kitchen was to create a dairy-free and egg-free version of one of my favorite cookie recipes. I originally found inspiration for these cookies on pinterest and I used to make them all the time. The original recipe comes from The Dough Will Rise Again. The cookies are chewy, sweet and almost melt in your mouth.

It took me a few attempts to veganize the recipe but I think I succeeded. I first shared them with my cousin, who referred to them as the best cookies she’s ever had and even called them outstanding, and then I shared them with my friend Lauren who said “oh. my. gosh. these are SO good. (expletive) delish!” So I would say that’s a success! 🙂

Even my dad who doesn’t like coconut loves these cookies. The coconut adds a sweetness and chewy texture to the cookies, but the coconut flavor is not overwhelming.

And keep in mind, while yes these cookies are 100% plant-based that doesn’t mean they are necessarily healthy. I would say they are healthier than most dairy-filled, egg-filled cookies but they do have a lot of sugar and butter in them so this isn’t a recipe to make every night. I think this recipe is great for special occasions or when you simply want to indulge.

I hope you like these cookies as much as I do!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegan butter, slightly softened (I use Earth Balance brand)
• 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated cane sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 flax eggs (2 TBSP ground flaxseed combined with 6 TBSP water. Check out my post on How to Make a Flax Egg if you need more info.)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. While oven is preheating make flax egg mixture. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
3. Stir together butter and sugars in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in flax eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix in baking soda, baking powder and salt.
5. Add half of flour. Mix together until flour is just incorporated. Do not over mix as over mixing will change the texture of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining flour.
6. Add oats and coconut, mixing so they are just incorporated.
7. Using a tablespoon scoop out dough and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave 2 inches between each cookie.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
9. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes once you take them out of the oven. When cookies first come out of the oven they will be puffy and round. After a few minutes they will deflate into their normal flat shape.
10. Serve and enjoy!