Rich, soft cookies in mini form have dark chocolate embedded in them, for a delightful little snack that is gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free and egg-free. Coconut flour is the only flour used in this recipe!
Coconut flour can be a little tricky to use, especially as it seems like different brands of coconut flour can work differently. Add in being egg-free, and it can seem especially daunting. However, I was encouraged to give it another go with the very helpful tips I read in the short ebook, Baking with Coconut flour By Starlene D. Stewart.(It is part of the 53 item ebook/resource bundle I talked about here – if you would like to buy, keep in mind that it is only on sale for a very limited time. My soup workshop is part of it. You can find more information about it here as well. It’s a great deal, by the way!). She spends a fair amount of the book giving a run down of how to cook with coconut flour, and I found some invailable tips there (she also shows how she converted family favorite recipes to all coconut flour recipes, which was also insightful).
Anyways, the tip I found the most helpful, and really, rather revolutionary for my coconut flour projects, was to keep out some of the total coconut flour amount, and then add it in, as needed, to get the right texture. This allows you to work with different brands with success, since they all vary a little, and the exact same amount of coconut flour won’t work from brand to brand in many recipes.
Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, and if you add too much in, the product becomes dry. I tried it out, adapting one of her recipes and using her method, and it worked like a charm! So happy I tried it. These cookies were successful despite using my least favorite coconut flour brand!
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup butter (or coconut oil), at room temperature
- ¼ cup honey (I bet maple syrup would work as well)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (use gluten-free, if needed)
- ½ cup coconut flour, lightly packed into the measuring cup, with a knife dragged over the top of the cup to remove any extra
- ¼-1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks (made by cutting baking chocolate into small pieces or chunks)
- In a small, heat proof bowl, add the chia seeds and hot water. Let sit for 15 minutes to create a chia "egg". Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the butter and honey, and using a hand mixture, mix until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and chia "egg", and mix until combined.
- Sift the coconut flour to remove any lumps. Keep back about 3 tablespoons of the coconut flour, add the rest to the medium bowl and mix.
- Let sit for 2 minutes. Check the texture of the dough. Is it firm but slightly sticky, like a regular cookie dough? Don't add any more flour, if so. If the dough is really sticky, add more coconut flour in, and wait another 2 minutes before checking again.
- Once the dough is the right texture, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a teaspoon, form little balls, press into small flat founds, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 12 minutes in the middle of the oven, or until the edges and/or bottom of the cookies are very lightly browned.
- Remove from oven, and let cool for about 10 minutes on the sheet.
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Thank you! I’ll have to try this. I have found coconut flour difficult to work with as well. I also didn’t know that coconut flour varies so much from brand to brand.
Could you use chocolate chia seeds do you think? That’s all I have in the cupboard right now but these sure look good 😉
Chocolate covered chia seeds? Never heard of them! I wonder if the chocolate would hamper the gelling effect of the chia seed?
Could you use chocolate chia seeds do you think? That’s all I have in the cupboard right now but these sure look good 😉
I don’t have any coconut flour in the house right now so I was wondering if I could substitute almond flour using the gauge you gave for judging the amount of coconut flour to add? I expect it will take a lot more almond flour that coconut flour to get that consistency.
Joan
Joan,
It might be easier to just start with a recipe using almond flour, as they do act completely differently in recipes. 🙂
Chocolate chips made with sugar..wth…why..sugar is the devil..and here i thought you were making something healthy
Nina,
?????
First, I actually used unsweetened chocolate, as mentioned in the recipe. Secondly, I think that eating a well balanced diet is the way to go. A little sugar (I use unrefined sugars) here and there wouldn’t be the devil’s work in my opinion. 😉
Oh, and you could always leave the chocolate part out as well, if that concerned you.
I just wanted to say that health is a journey not a destination. Having been on this path for almost 20 years I have often go to a place where I thought I had almost arrived only to find there was further to go. Also, diet is only a part of the health puzzle. Many blessings on your journey!
Chocolate chips made with sugar..wth…why..sugar is the devil..and here i thought you were making something healthy
Chocolate chips made with sugar..wth…why..sugar is the devil..and here i thought you were making something healthy
What is your favorite brand of coconut flour? What about your least favorite brand? Thanks!
Nancy
What is your favorite brand of coconut flour? What about your least favorite brand? Thanks!
Nancy
What an awesome tip! Coconut flour is a tricky one, but I love using it for it grain free/nutritious properties! I look fwd to trying these cookies, thank Kimi!
I look forward to trying this recipe. I have baked w/coconut flour in the past, but it takes so many eggs typically & I am supposed to be on a rotation diet which means eggs only every 4 days.
Tasty! Enjoyed them and they totally satisfied a sweet tooth!
Oh great!
If I wanted to use egg instead of chia, how many would I use? Thanks!
I’d use one. 🙂
Can I make coconut flour out of unsweetened shredded coconut?Is coconut flakes etc madec after all the oil is extracted out or before?
thanks
Joan
Coconut flour is what is left of the flakes after ‘making’ coconut milk. I hope that answers your questions. 🙂
Yes, you can make your own coconut flour by whirring it in your food processor.
Definitely need to start experimenting with coconut flour. And I just realized that these are technically Kosher for Passover, too. Now I know what I’ll be bringing on the first night! Awesome!
There is also coconut sugar. It is made from coconut sap dried and crystalized.
I’ve made these twice already and they are a hit with my family. The first time I made them, we let them cool off outside for 10-15 min and when I brought a few in for dessert after supper they were a bit crumbly. I forgot all about them until after I put the kids to bed and when I brought them in they were cold and perfect! A lovely, chewy, dense, chocolate chip cookie. The second time I made them I had to put a bit more coconut flour in, despite doing exactly what I had done the first time. Maybe I put a bit more hot water in with the flax. I used flax seed, coconut oil and maple syrup and sweetened chocolate chips. They were a bit on the sweet side, next time I’ll either reduce the maple syrup and/or put a few less chocolate chips in. I keep them in the fridge so they stay firm. A new family favourite! Thanks!
These sound and look delish!
Do you think I could sub the choc chips for chopped dates? Or chopped nuts?
These tastes great and loved the technique with adding the flour. One problem I had was that my cookies came out very crumbly. I changed the honey to water and used stevia to sweeten. I also used cocnut oil. They hardened once placed in the freezer. Tina
Looking forward to trying these! Do you have any grain-free, egg-free cake recipes? Not sure what to do for my little guys birthday. Thanks!
Mine turned out a crumbly mess :/ What did I do wrong?
Hi Kim! Thanks for your recipe. I used 1 tablespoon (vs 1 teaspoon) chia seeds to 3 tablespoons water (room temp) … and liked your point about adding the coconut flour + letting it sit for 2 minutes to see the texture. Mine turned out a bit dry altho I am going to put in fridge and see how they are tomorrow! Last weekend, I made some almond flour cookies with no egg and they were a crumbly mess to form before baking. However, the next day in the fridge they were nice and crunchy. May be I need to use butter as the coconut oil + coconut flour may have made them a bit drier too?! In any case, thank you for this easy recipe, as it was my first time using coconut flour!!
Yes, you can always use more liquid or fats when a coconut flour baked good is dry! Brands are so different that it’s good to play around with it a bit.