Almond Joy Cookies
This almond joy cookies recipe makes a sweet, tender cookie that tastes like a favorite candy treat! This recipe is made without butter or eggs so you can share them with just about anyone. This is a coffee shop-quality cookie that is full of flavor, texture, and lots of chocolate chips. If you love coconut cookies, this one is for you!
Every year when Halloween rolled around, I had a secret wish. I hoped beyond hope that I’d take my daughter Trick-or-Treatin’, and she’d return with at least a few Almond Joys.
You know the candy made up of sweet coconut with an almond on top dipped in chocolate? Could there be a better formula for sweet perfection? Of course, each year I was met with opposition from my little goblin. It turned out she liked these candies, too.
One day I saw some tasty almond joy cookies on Facebook, and I was inspired. Of course, that recipe wasn’t vegan. So, I decided to make an almond joy cookie recipe without eggs or dairy so I could enjoy the flavor of my favorite candy!
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Reserve some of the chopped almonds, chocolate chips, and coconut flakes to press them into the top of the cookie dough balls before baking. This will leave you with dramatic and beautiful cookies that look like they belong in a coffee shop
- Using both baking soda and baking powder makes these cookies pillowy soft and tender
- Combining coconut oil with vegan butter creates a perfectly flavored cookie with both buttery and coconutty tastes.
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Vegan butter — For storebought, you can use Earth Balance or Miyokos, or you can make your own vegan butter.
- Coconut oil — I recommend using virgin coconut oil for the most coconut flavor.
- Brown sugar — You can use light, brown, or homemade brown sugar.
- Flour — I recommend using all-purpose flour, or you can use whole wheat pastry flour. To make gluten-free almond joy cookies, substitute gluten-free baking flour.
- Baking soda + baking powder — Make sure yours is fresh by testing a bit of baking soda with vinegar or baking powder in hot water. If it bubbles, your batch is good to go.
- Coconut flakes — You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes.
- Chocolate chips — Use my dairy-free chocolate chip guide to find the best chocolate chips for your cookies.
- Almonds — I chop up a few whole almonds to add to the batter.
- Cream the butter, coconut oil, and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the ground flaxseed, cornstarch, milk, and coconut extract.
- Stir together the dry ingredients, from the flour to the salt. Stir this in with the butter/coconut oil mixture.
- Stir in the coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and chopped almonds.
- Drop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 12 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool slightly before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Here are the detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make Almond Joy Cookies.
Step One: Cream Fat and Sugar
The first step to making easy almond joy cookies recipes is to cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugar. This is an important step and I recommend using a mixer on medium speed for 1–2 minutes.
I love this post from Serious Eats on the importance of creaming butter and sugar for cookies.
Once that mixture looks light and fluffy, add the ground flaxseed, cornstarch, plant-based milk, and coconut extract.
Step Two: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
Then pour the flour mixture in with the butter/coconut oil mixture and stir that all together.
Finally, add the coconut flakes, chopped almonds, and chocolate chips. Stir this all together. I do not refrigerate the dough before baking. However, if you need to wait before baking, you can refrigerate the dough at this point.
Drop them by rounded spoonfuls on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 9 to 12 minutes.
Marly’s Tips
Store cookies in a sealed container. They will keep at room temperature for about 4 days, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
In this recipe for almond joy cookies, how long you bake them depends on your preferences. If you like a tender cookie, pull them out of the oven at 9 minutes. If you like a crispier, more golden crust to your cookies, then 12 minutes is best.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Dawn
High ranks with the vegans and non vegans in the house! I also used almond extract instead of coconut and these cookies are delicious. I’ve been sharing the recipe and pics with my friends. A keeper!
Of course, always set a timer when baking cookies so you’ll get them just right.
Marly’s Tips
Use these expert tips to make these homemade almond joy cookies perfect every time:
- Set the butter on the counter for 30 minutes to help it soften.
- You can freeze the cookie dough into balls and bake a few at a time. Here’s more on freezing cookie dough.
- Transform this dough into almond joy cookie bars by pouring the batter into a greased 9×13 cake pan and baking for 25 to 30 minutes.
- For a chocolate cookie base, add 1/4 cup of dutch process cocoa powder to the flour before mixing with the butter/coconut oil mixture.
More Coconut Recipes
Do you love Coconut Treats? You can even add toasted coconut on top of these dairy-free shortbread cookies. For more tasty coconut treats, check out these delicious vegan recipes:
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Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 2 cups dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup almonds roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, coconut oil, and sugar. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the ground flaxseed, cornstarch, milk, and coconut extract. Beat again, until all ingredients are combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until combined. Pour in with the butter/coconut oil mixture. Stir until combined.
- Add the coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and chopped almonds. Stir until just combined. Note: reserve some of the coconut flakes and chocolate chips to press onto the top of cookie dough balls.
- Use a cookie dough dispenser or a large tablespoon to drop cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie pan (or one prepared with parchment paper), roughly 2" apart. Top each cookie with extra coconut and chocolate chips. Bake for 9–12 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool about a minute before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in a sealed container. They will keep at room temperature for about 4 days, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Recommended Equipment
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
Tried these tonight and they are so good! I didn’t have a couple of things. Instead of chopped almonds I used what I had on hand which was walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Instead of coconut extract, I used almond extract. So so good! Thanks for the recipe!
OK–so I just made these and they are fabulous. I just have a couple of clarifying questions. I did not see in the directions when to add the chopped almonds but I assumed it was when you add the chips/coconut?? Ditto Step 3 (the liquid mixture) that says to combine and set aside. I added it to the margarine/almond butter/sugar mixture and then added the dry ingredients. Did I miss something…in any event, they turned out great. I used a smaller scoop and got 9 dozen cookies. Also, the recipe (which I got from One Green Planet–has your cookie pics) did not state dark chocolate as the one on your site did. Was there a reason for that? I’ll try it next time with dark chocolate.
Hi Janne! Thanks so much for this feedback – it is very helpful! I have adapted the recipe to fix those two issues you discovered. The funny thing is I have gone back to this recipe to remake it a couple of times and still missed those! Sometimes I think it takes a village to write a recipe! 😉
Regarding One Green Planet, I’m not sure how the dark chocolate notation was left off of their site. I imagine they could have removed it because it mentioned a brand name. I am not currently submitting recipes to OGP because I have asked and they have not provided links back to the originating authors’ sites. I hope some day they change this policy!
Love anything CHOCOLATE!! Have to have chocolate the MORE THE BETTER!! Easy is best otherwise probably not gonna happen!! Lol
You’re singing my favorite song!
Made these last night, Delicious!
Thanks, Renee! So glad you liked these vegan cookies!
Oh yum! I was also a huge Almond Joy fan pre-vegan. In the past two weeks alone there have been 2 Almond Joy recipe submissions to Healthy Vegan Fridays; an Almond Joy Nut Butter and Almond Joy Oatmeal. Now your Almond Joy cookies show up in my Bloglovin’ feed! I am loving all the Almond Joy recipes!!
i think i was meant to find your blog today, because we LOVE almond joy and we love cookies…so the combo is enough to do me in! can’t wait to make! XO
welltraveledwife.com
So glad, Emi! I mean, it’s hard to go wrong with chocolate chips, almonds, and coconut cookies!
Love Almond Joy…this looks delicious! What a great recipe, and best of all, it has the flavors of one of my favorite candy bars. Thanks for sharing!
I should have called it candy bar cookies! 🙂
“Once you’ve made the transition to dark chocolate, trust me, you lose the flavor for the milky stuff.”
I absolutely concur! I find every excuse possible to sneak unsweetened cocoa powder in smoothies, cookies, oatmeal…Dark chocolate is the best.
These look fabulous!
(And sheesh, what is up with teenagers?! Can’t wait till mine reach that blessed stage. Lot’s of fun!)
Sound scrumptious! One question though: how much water? Recipe says “1/2 water.”
Yes, it’s 1/2 cup. Thanks! Hope you love this coconut cookie recipe as much as we do!
these look AMAZING
Thanks, Alison! So glad you like these almond joy cookies!