Soft & Chewy Dark Brown Sugar Cookies — These cookies are sweetened entirely with dark brown sugar! Between the molasses in the sugar and the molasses in the dough, these cookies are rich, deep and caramely in flavor!
Chewy Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies
No butter, no white sugar, no complaints. Just dark and rich cookies so soft that they bend rather than break.
Growing up, I loved soft batch cookies. Although there was never a shortage of homemade cookies around, something about those uber-soft store-bought cookies, almost flexible and pliable they’re so soft, was something I’d pester my mom to buy.
These brown sugar coconut oil cookies are my ode to Soft Batch cookies, using a more robust flavor palette.
I love the dark, rich, robust flavors of dark brown sugar and molasses, and pairing them with coconut oil was the best flavor pairing decision I’ve made in ages. But pairing coconut oil with almost anything is a good call.
I’ve been craving molasses cookies and rather than being seasonally inappropriate with a straight up molasses cookie in the almost springtime, I allowed the natural molasses undertones in dark brown sugar to work for me.
Dark brown sugar is really just light brown sugar with triple the amount of molasses. Approximately 3 tablespoons molasses to 1 cup granulated sugar in dark brown sugar, versus 1 tablespoon to 1 cup granulated sugar for light brown sugar.
Plus, I supplemented the dough with 1 tablespoon molasses, enough to add that extra pop I love.
Please don’t write to tell me that brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added. I’ve been told that about 500 times. I am making a taste claim about dark brown sugar, not a health claim. You cannot get the flavor from white sugar that brown sugar lends.
The cookies are so very soft and chewy. They bend and flex before they break and crumble. They’re moist and dense without being heavy.
The coconut oil, cornstarch, molasses, and dark brown sugar keeps them so soft and and they soft for days. Brown sugar absorbs atmospheric moisture so the cookies actually get softer over time, rather than drying out.
The dark brown sugar and molasses take on caramelized flavors while baking and the depth of flavor created is sublime, especially paired with the coconut oil and abundant vanilla.
They have a rustic, earthier, bolder flavor that’s sweet enough, but not too sweet. Serve them with a tall glass of milk if you wish, but two shots of espresso or a glass of red wine are more of what I have in mind.
They’re the best possible cookie combination in the whole family of soft batch-ish and vanilla (Sugar-Doodle Vanilla Cookies), brown sugar (Brown Sugar Maple Cookies), molasses (Molasses Triple Chocolate Cookies), and coconut oil (Coconut Oil White Chocolate Cookies) cookies I’ve been creating lately. I think I just found the holy grail of combinations.
If you like brown sugar, molasses, caramel, vanilla, browned butter, snickerdoodles, or cookies where the focus is on scrumptious cookie dough itself, not on all kinds of add-ins and chocolate chips, these are the cookies for you.
They are insanely good and I have to hide them from myself.
Unfortunately, I know all my own hiding places.
What’s in the Brown Sugar Cookies?
To make the chewy brown sugar cookies, you’ll need:
- Coconut oil
- Dark brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Molasses
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
What Type of Molasses Should I Use?
I bake cookies and bread with unsulphered molasses, not blackstrap, which is too bitter for me to enjoy. Even though it’s only a tablespoon, I caution against using it in this recipe unless you prefer a pungent and bitter bite.
How to Make Brown Sugar Cookies
Make the cookies by combining coconut oil with dark brown sugar, an egg, vanilla and cream the ingredients until they’re soft and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
I used 2 tablespoons vanilla, because I love it and this dough is bold and can stand up to it, but if you prefer less, add to taste. I used Homemade Vanilla Extract, full of vanilla bean flecks and specks.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix to just incorporate. I normally use a combination of bread and all-prose flour in cookies, but for these, I stuck with AP because cookies made with it are softer, although not quite as chewy. I was going for that extreme Soft Batch softness.
And for that reason, I also added cornstarch. Cornstarch is a workhorse and I used it in my favorite chocolate chip cookies. It does the job of both softening and tenderizing dough, and cookies made with it bake up extremely soft.
The cookie dough will be soft and it’s not sticky or tacky like traditional chocolate chip cookie dough.
It reminds me of a peanut butter-based cookie dough because it seems a little on the oily side, thanks to the coconut oil. It has that Play-Doh like consistency and you can pinch it together and it sticks to itself but not to your hands.
I used my medium 2-inch cookie scoop and made 16 mounds, about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough each. I didn’t flatten them, shape them, or touch them in any way. I let the tops stay ‘feathered’, which is the impression the wire-release mechanism on my cookie scoop makes.
Place the dough mounds on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days before baking.
Bake the cookies at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, but I strongly encourage the lower end of the range. My dough was rock hard coming out of the refrigerator after two days chilling, and I allowed it to sit on baking sheets at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
I baked for 8 minutes, rotating trays midway through. The tops should barely be set, and will be glossy and appear underdone, but they firm up as they cool. Any longer than 10 minutes and you run the risk of the bottoms browning too much and you don’t want Hard Batch Cookies.
Everyone’s coconut oil, oven, climate, and personal preferences are different, but they taste best when they’re soft and not over baked.
Can the Coconut Oil Be Substituted?
Not to my knowledge, no. I tried to convey in the Coconut Oil White Chocolate Cookies recipe that the coconut oil doesn’t make the cookies taste like tanning lotion.
In fact, the coconut flavor when baking with coconut oil is much less overt than if using shredded or flaked coconut, which can often be quite powerful and almost off-putting.
Instead, I liken coconut oil to amped up, flavored butter. Just as browned butter is an enhanced, tastier version of butter, coconut oil in many ways is the same.
Interestingly, I’ve found when baking with coconut oil that the smell is more pronounced than the actual flavor. Instead, what is pronounced is the richness and deeply satisfying density.
The lusciousness of coconut oil on your lips and tongue supercedes the coconut taste. Cookies baked with it have an immense richness that is so luxurious.
I don’t bite into them and say oh wow, this tastes like coconut, which is my way of saying if you’re on the fence about coconut in general, to give coconut oil a whirl in baking. You’ll still be able to taste it, but it’s not as powerful as you’d think.
Plus, dark brown sugar and molasses are two flavors that can stand up to it.
Do I Have to Chill Cookie Dough?
Yes, for this recipe the dough MUST be chilled prior to baking. The dough is too warm, limp, and soft and is unsuitable for baking until it has been chilled.
If you bake with warm, soft, dough your cookies will spread into a big puddle. You don’t want that.
Tips for Making Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies
It’s important to use coconut oil that’s softened to the consistency of softened butter. The same consistency you’d use for creaming butter, sugars, and eggs in traditional cookie dough.
If your coconut oil is rock hard, microwave it in a small bowl for 5 or 10 seconds, or just until it begins to soften. If it’s runny or melted, place it in the freezer momentarily until it firms up.
A tiny amount of runniness is fine; it’s an oil and that happens. But do not use melted or purely liquid coconut oil because you can’t effectively cream a liquid; it would be like trying to cream liquid butter. Doesn’t work.
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Soft & Chewy Dark Brown Sugar Cookies
These cookies are sweetened entirely with dark brown sugar! Between the molasses in the sugar and the molasses in the dough, these cookies are rich, deep and caramely in flavor!Â
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened (softened to the consistency of soft butter; not rock hard and not runny or melted, see below)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract (yes tablespoons, not teaspoons), or to taste
- 1 tablespoon unsulphered mild to medium molasses
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine coconut oil, egg, sugar and beat on medium-high speed to cream until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla, molasses, and beat to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the flour, corn starch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, form mounds that are 2 heaping tablespoons in size; or divide dough into approximately 15 to 16 equal-sized pieces.
- Place dough mounds on a large plate, and slightly flatten each mound. Very important to get the dough mounds in the exact shape you want to bake them in because after chilling, flattening or re-shaping them is very difficult. Cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; up to 5 days. Do not bake these cookies with dough that has not been properly chilled because they will spread.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray. Place dough on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart; I bake a maximum of 8 per sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tops have just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. They firm up as they cool and I recommend the lower end of the baking range because they taste best when softer. The cookies in the photos were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated once midway through baking.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before moving.
Notes
Note - Coconut oil should be the consistency of soft butter like you'd use to cream with sugar and eggs in traditional cookies. If coconut oil is rock hard, microwave it in a small bowl for 5 to 10 seconds or just until it begins to soften. If coconut oil is runny or melted, place it in the freezer momentarily until it firms up. A tiny amount of runniness is fine; it's an oil and that happens. But do not use melted or purely liquid coconut oil because you can't effectively cream a liquid; it would be like trying to cream liquid butter.
Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Adapted from Brown Sugar Maple Cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 128mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
Brown Sugar Maple Cookies — Dense and not at all cakey, with the perfect balance of chewy edges and soft, tender, pillowy centers!
Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies — Amply flavored with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Chocolate is used three times! Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks are used, making these perfect for chocolate lovers!!
Soft & Chewy Molasses Gingerdoodles— These soft molasses cookies taste like a cross between chewy gingerbread cookies and crinkly snickerdoodles. An unbeatable holiday cookie recipe!
Molasses Crinkle Cookies — The richness and depth of the dark molasses, coupled with dark brown sugar and spices, make them some of my favorite cookies ever!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract that I used, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall!
Soft and Chewy Sugar-Doodle Vanilla Cookies – Part soft sugar cookie, part chewy snickerdoodle, with tons of rich vanilla flavor!
Chai Cookies — The chai spices give the cookies so much depth of flavor. Cozy, comfort-food cookies that warm you up inside!
I LOVE these! It’s gotta be one of my favorite cookies. I always add butterscotch chips. So delicious!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are one of your fave cookies! Bet they’re great with butterscotch chips, too!
Does this double well? I make the single batch and add golden milk spices but I’m scared to double it..
I never have doubled it so cannot say firsthand but generally cookies double well.
Could i leave out the molasses?
I personally love it and wouldn’t but it’s your call.
I generally add molasses to white sugar when I need brown sugar. Do you think theres much a taste difference or have you never done this?Â
I’ve done it in an absolute pinch but I would just use storebought brown sugar here to ensure the texture comes out correctly.
I’ve baked these cookies multiple times now and everyone loves them. The consistency tends to come out a little differently every time, but always tasty.
Coconut oil is one of those things that given the temperature, it’s consistency varies so it’s not too surprising you do have some variance in the consistency of the cookies, but glad they always taste great!
Hi Averie, love your recipes! One question – how do you keep the lovely texture created by the cookie scoop when you say to flatten the balls of cookie dough? In your notes you say you didn’t flatten but in the instructions you say to do so. Thank you for any reply and for all of the awesome recipes you share!
You just want to flatten them slightly coming out of the cookie scoop. Just a quick press down with your palm so that it’s not a perfectly round ball. I find flattening ever so slightly works best but play around with what you think is best given your dough, oven, pan, etc.
Delicious batter and perfect cookies. I added mini-chocolate chips and 1 tsp ginger.Â
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! The chocolate and ginger sound like a nice touch!
We love baking with coconut oil. It makes treats so yummy without as much guilt! Thanks for sharing. We can’t wait to try!
This is a great recipe that held up well to a few tweaks of mine. I wanted to make pandan-flavored cookies and thought coconut oil would be a good pairing. (If people aren’t familiar with pandan, it’s an aromatic leaf widely used in cooking across Southeast Asia. It’s grassy and slightly nutty; think matcha with a tropical twist.) I heated chopped thawed pandan leaves in coconut oil on the stove, blended the mixture, sieved it, allowed it to solidify and proceeded with the recipe using the now green infused oil. I held back a little on the vanilla and added a small slug of bottled pandan flavoring for extra aroma and color. (Both frozen pandan leaves and the bottled “extract” can be purchased very cheaply at Asian markets.) I like my cookies a little less sweet, so I added 3/4 c. packed brown sugar instead of the full cup, and the cookies turned out fine. That said, I did drizzle the cookies with a simple syrup of lime juice and sugar as they came out of the oven. The pandan, coconut, and vanilla harmonized nicely, and that moist, squidgy interior… wow. Thanks for this awesome recipe, Averie.
Wow, you should be on Top Chef! Or Chopped with all those secret ingredients :)
I am not personally familiar with pandan but your description sounds lovely, plus a simple syrup of lime juice, with the coconut oil and the brown sugar, they must have been incredible!
hey! going to make these tonight for thanksgiving tomorrow, i only have olive oil… ran out of coconut oil and we have no butter either hahah! so they might be a huge disaster but ill never know until i try, so ill try to improvise… thanks for the great recipe I’m excited to see how they taste :)Â
To add to my previous comment, I ended up splitting the remaining 9 balls of dough into 18 and baked for 8 minutes, which basically gave me lace cookies but they were small enough that they didn’t just all run into each other. They really do taste wonderful, so I think I’ll try making them again, but experimenting with adding additional flour. Do you ever use whole wheat or bread flour for your cookies? I’ve recently discovered your website and everything looks AMAZING!Â
Hi Megan, thanks for the compliments and glad that the cookies tasted great. Being that you live at altitude, you will need to make changes with cookie recipes from what I’ve heard. I live at sea level so have never had to play around with altitude baking. On the King Arthur Flour website there is a good chart for what to do when you live at certain elevations, based on feet, i.e. add more flour, add more leavners, etc. and sounds like with a touch more of each, your cookies won’t spread like that. Also, make sure you’re baking on a Silpat AND using King Arthur Flour, cookie success tutorial here :) https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I just made these and while the dough didn’t seem too wet, the first 6 cookies that went into the oven became one GIANT cookie. I chilled the dough for 7 hours prior to baking. I’m wondering if it’s because I’m at high altitude (4500′) and maybe I should have added more flour to the dough. Any ideas or suggestions? The flavor is great, but I can’t get them off the pan!
I made these tonight but I used organic coconut sugar instead of brown sugar & molasses. I also just realized as I’m looking at the recipe again that I accidently used baking powder instead of baking soda lol. Anyway they still came out fluffy, soft, and delicious!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you, even with the baking powder/soda swap :)
I have to say I tried the dough with major trepidation – I had no idea what kind of molasses I was using – but I was so surprised at the flavor; it was delicious! They’re in the oven now :) Thanks for the recipe!Â
Glad I made a believer out of you and you’re pleased :)
Yummy! I just licked the bowl clean. I am waiting on the cookies to cool in the freezer before I bake them! I didn’t have brown or real sugar so I mixed coconut sugar, Xylitol, and powdered milk (don’t ask me why the milk I just needed a filler to make it a full cup I guess lol) I also used gluten free flour. The batter tastes so good I almost didn’t want to bake them. Thank you for the recipe!!!
I love your creativity with how you came up with a full cup of sugar, without actually using any ‘real sugar’. That’s awesome! And so glad you love the batter…me too. I could eat it without ever baking the cookies as well :)
Hi Averie,
I made these cookies and love the texture, they are so soft, however, I can’t decide if I like the molasses in there or not. Have you ever tried omitting the molasses? If I leave it out next time, do you think I would need to make any other adjustments to the recipe to compensate?
I haven’t tried eliminating the molasses and you may need to make other adjustments if you do. I LOVE love love molasses so for me, I would never think of eliminating it but it’s a unique flavor and everyone’s tastes are different. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Real brown sugar is not white sugar with syrup added. Look at the label to get real brown sugar. C & H Sugar is one company that has real brown sugar.
Hi there, my husband and I made these tonight and just loved them! We haven’t used coconut oil in baking before, but loved the result!! Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and loved baking with coconut oil for the first time!
These look delightful! My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. Great job!
A fresh batch just came out of the oven, DELISH! I finally have a dairy free cookie recipe that actually tastes fantastic, definitely a keeper in my recipe books, thanks for sharing!!
Glad you’re happy and that the recipe is a keeper! I have a chocolate chip coconut oil recipe that I love as well in case you’re interested. You can omit the pudding mix and replace with 2 Tbsp cornstarch if there’s dairy in the powdered mix (off the top of my head, not sure if there is or not) https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-coconut-oil-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The ‘dark brown’ sugar you have pictured is not. It is light brown sugar.
Actually, it’s C&H brand DARK Brown.
Officially my new cookie obsession. SO good!
These are an easy obsession to have – one of my personal faves!
OMG….I just found this recipe and they look delicious. I feel the need to make the dough right now so I can have them as soon as possible. I am so a simple cookie fan…..these sound and look fabulous! I can’t wait to try them!
I hope you love them, Tricia! They’re one of my faves!
Hi these look solo delicious! However I baked them and they turned out very flat! What do you think went wrong?
It’s really hard to say but read over this post and pay special attention to silpats, brand of flour used, dough chilling, etc. and that may help give you some things to try differently in the future
https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Hi, can I use almond or coconut flour instead? Thank you.
No, you cannot substitute nut-based flours like almond or a very absorbent flour like coconut and get the same results as if you use all-purpose – recipe will not work.
These sound very interesting except for coconut oil…My husband and I are both allergic to coconut anything what if anything could you substitute with
I have so many cookie recipes made with butter that I’d probably just recommend another recipe since I know those are tested. But if you’d like to try with melted butter, you could here. It would more than likely be fine, but I haven’t tested it that way.
Question: Do you think it would be ok if I used honey instead of molasses? Or would that completely ruin the recipe?
Honey and molasses aren’t really interchangeable from a texture or sweetness or baking chemistry standpoint and what each do under heat in the oven. I don’t think it would ruin the recipe per se, and I still do think they’d turn out, but they wouldn’t taste the same. Try it – you have nothing to lose!
here is a pic of the 1st time I made them:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152156076210799&set=pb.535325798.-2207520000.1395524644.&type=3&permPage=1
I made these 2 or 3 times already, and my 9yo son loves them!!! My fiancé does too. I love them too. I just bought more coconut oil, we will be making these again and will probably try some of your other recipes using coconut oil. I love the way baked good come out using the coconut oil. I can not even describe how perfetc it is- not too sweet, adding flavor in a wonderful way, and chewiness & texture. YUM.
Glad your whole family loves them, too! “not too sweet, adding flavor in a wonderful way, and chewiness & texture” <--- that is perfectly said and it IS hard to describe but that's what I would say too! Glad you love them as much as I do & thanks for sending the pic!
These were so good! This is the first thing I have made from your blog and they turned out amazing! I just love soft cookies so I am going to have to try out all your other versions! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for trying them Jasmin! They’re one of my absolute fave cookies ever and glad you enjoyed them so much too!
Hi! I just made these for a dinner party tonight and they are amazing!! I couldn’t tell if my molasses went bad & and didn’t want to risk it, so I threw it out and subbed the molasses for agave nectar, they were still great! I also added a tablespoon of ground flax seed. I increased the cooking time by 2 minutes, so 12 total & the last 3 minutes I put them on the top rack to firm them up a bit. They were still super soft and yummy. Thanks for posting! Look forward to trying more of your goods & trying this again with molasses!
Im glad you loved them & thanks for the detailed report about what you did and what worked for you! Always helpful to know for others who read the comments. LMK how the rest of your baking goes!
I made these yesterday during the snowstorm and they were sooo good! Me and my mom make vanilla for Christmas every year and it really is the best. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks for trying them and stay warm! Glad the recipe is a keeper for you!
These are so delicious! Easy to make and melt in your mouth. Thanks for sharing!
I made these gluten free by using Pamela’s Artisan All-Purpose flour blend. The first batch just came out of the oven and they are fantastic!! Great recipe!
So happy they worked using some Pamela’s. That’s a great blend. Love that one & good to know here! Thanks for sharing!
They were just as a good as I expected. First time using coconut oil and it was great! Even the dough raw is fabulous. Might try popping some caramel in them next time too.
Thanks for trying these, Heather! And glad you’ve now tried your hand with coconut oil. I love baking with it. Yes, the raw dough on these is incredible and I bet caramel would be great!
These look delicious! I’m gonna have to try them! I wanted to point out, tho, that brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added back in. It’s not healthier or any less sweet, but it sure is more delicious!
At least 500+ people have mentioned this to me – I know :)
We just ate the first batch and – DIVINE! I’ve always thought about what deliciousness chocolate chip cookies, without the chocolate chips would be, and I think this is it. Delicious and thank you!
So glad you love them as much as I do! They’re one cookie I don’t mind going without the chocolate in! :)
Well these were just awful. I took one bite and threw the entire batch out. They had zero flavor other than sickeningly sweet and the coconut oil was very prominent in the flavor. Gross.
I’m sorry that you didn’t like them. You’re the first person who’s ever said that. Most people write to say they’re amazing or thanks for a great recipe. Maybe your ingredients/brands were different than what I or others used. Coconut oil can vary dramatically from brand to brand.
Just made these this afternoon. I’m pretty sure I followed the directions carefully but for some reason my dough ended up very crumbly, didn’t look like it would hold together on a tray. I added another egg which made the consistency seem right, not sure what the problem was. They seemed to bake up well and are extremely soft! I’ll have to try it again.
It could be that your coconut oil was more ‘meaty’ and less ‘oily’, thereby the dough seeming drier. Also, wintertime dryness? It happens and things just dry out so much faster. Glad the extra egg did the trick and thanks for trying the recipe – and great save, too!
I also made these with a flax egg and blackstrap molasses. I didn’t let them chill for 2 hours because I just couldn’t wait…I only put them in the freezer for 10 minutes – they still turned out great though! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Thanks for trying them and glad to hear that they worked with a flax egg! That’s awesome (and with blackstrap too – it’s pretty bold!). And even with only 10 mins of chilling. AWESOME! I love these cookies a week from today, I have a version of these that I plan to post…more molasses-ey and for the holidays but similar concept!
Do you with I could make these with coconut sugar and more molasses?
I’m not sure because I haven’t tried. Part of the allure is the dark brown sugar flavor and I really recommend it. Also, more molasses would mean you’d have to increase the other dry ingredients, i.e. flour and then play with the leaveners. Let me know yow your recipe developmenting and testing comes along!
Oh my! These look so delicious!! I made banana bread with coconut oil the other day and LOVED it! So excited to try these this weekend! :)
I have a banana bread recipe too that uses coconut oil
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/03/pineapple-coconut-oil-banana-bread.html
But actually all the recipes here – including the muffins (especially all the vegan ones) can all be made or are made with coconut oil, I just didn’t put it into the title since I’ve found people get scared off by it…
https://www.averiecooks.com/category/bread
LMK if you try these cookies. They’re some of my faves, ever!
I made these cookies today and just had to let you know how delicious they are! I used a “fake egg” and blackstrap and they are now my husband and son’s new favorite cookie.
I love that you made them vegan with a fake egg…assuming you mean a flax egg? That’s wonderful they’re your hubs’ favorite. Great to know they can be kept vegan. I’ve often meant to try, but just never did. Glad they’re a hit!
Just made these cookies and they came out great! Actually used half light brown sugar and half coconut sugar because it’s all we had at the house, so it’s good for everyone to know the substitutions turned out fabulous.
My mom generally dislikes molasses – and LOVED these cookies. Couldn’t even taste the molasses!
Thanks for the great recipe! Will be making again.
So happy to hear you loved them – even your mom! And that half light brown sugar and half coconut sugar worked for you. Wonderful and so glad you loved them! Thanks for writing and tells what substitutions you made!
I can hardly stand it. I’ve been too busy to make the Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies…but my August down-time is nearly here! I think it’ll be my Coo-Coo for Coconut Oil Month! Cheesy, huh?
They’re one of my faves – ever! I hope you find some time & LMK if you try!
i pinned this recipe a while back and only today got around to making it. they turned out DELICIOUS!!! i love the subtle coconut flavor and the dark brown sugar makes it so deep and rich. every recipe i’ve ever tried from you is delicious, but you knocked it out of the park with this one!!
Thanks for trying these, Talar, and for saying I knocked it out of the park with these. I truly love these cookies as well. One of my fave cookies of 2013 – and ever. And I make alot of cookies! Thanks for LMK you loved them!
So, hubby & I decided to bake these up on a whim for our movie night. Paused the movie, whipped them up and…oh…2 hours in the fridge. Hmm… Nah! We scooped it into mini muffin tins & baked them for 12 minutes and then let them cool about15 minutes in the tins before loosening the sides and out they popped! Cute little ridiculously soft and mouthwatering cookie muffins! Had to share this alternative method. :) PS used 100% white whole wheat instead. Also, only fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full.
Oh wow, so glad you tried these and love the creativity with the muffin tin! I have a few cookie recipes that use one for that very reason – no time to chill the dough :) And glad that white w.w. flour worked for you, too! Love the ingenuity and resourcefulness when you needed to get your cookie fix ON :)
These turned out so delicious!! We aren’t huge cookie lovers in this house, but the picture looked too good to pass up. I’m so glad we didn’t! The hubs and I loved them. Everything on this blog looks amazing and I, too, share a love for pb and hope to get your book soon. Thanks for the tasty recipes!
Thanks for the glowing compliments about my site, this recipe, and that you love your PB, too! Thanks for trying these cookies. They’re one of my fave cookies I’ve ever created and glad that even as non-cookie lovers (or not huge lovers), that you still loved them. That says a lot and thanks!
I was wasting time at work today looking at pinterest and knew I had to try these. I’m not much of a baker, but these were amazingly easy to make and so delicious!
Luckily I read about the goodness of coconut oil just last week, so I had some in the pantry.
Thanks for imparting your baking wisdom on us lol
Hi! I pinned these earlier and I want to make them. They look amazing! Two questions for you, can I replace the cornstarch with something else or omit it? Also, do you think these would work with white whole wheat? Thanks so much!
The reason I love these cookies so much is because of the EXACT ingredients I used. You are welcome to start tweaking and altering the recipe but this is a recipe that I feel very strongly does not need tweaking at all. Usually I’m like…sure, go for it.
But with this recipe, I highly recommend making it exactly as written. Unless you have a corn allergy, use the cornstarch. And use AP flour so you get the same texture I got. Thanks for pinning and enjoy them! LMK!
Thanks for letting me know! I hope I didn’t offend you with my questions. That was not my intention. All your recipes look amazing and I will try it as is. :)
No offense taken! Sometimes people want to adapt and I am all for it but they have to know going in, they won’t get the results I got.
And the reason I rave about these cookies in particular is b/c they are perfect to me and I don’t recommend tinkering with a single drop of anything in this particular recipe :)
Where can you buy coconut oil at? I’m new to using it as a butter substitute and am wondering if I should look in-store or just buy it online. Thanks!
Almost any grocery store carries it these days in the baking aisle, near cake mixes, other oils, cooking sprays, etc. Trader Joe’s also carries it now and so does Target. You can always order online, too. If you order from iherb.com and use code AVE630 on your order, you’ll save $5. Sometimes I do it that way if I’m buying other supplements, bulk cinnamon, spices, vitamins, etc.
Amazing cookies. So chewy and delicious. At first I thought they might not come together but I worked the dough with my hands until the coconut oil softened and everything was incorporated. I baked them in 3 batches over 2 days and the dough kept well in the fridge, it was easy enough to form cookies after 10 minutes out of the fridge. I rolled the last batch in cinnamon and sugar to make them extra decadent – it worked!
So glad to hear you made them and enjoyed them so much – me too! They’re one of my fave cookies on my whole site! And rolling in cinn-sugar, good thinking. I’ve done too that since posting the recipe and it does make them extra good! Thanks for the awesome comment and for LMK you tried them and think they’re amazing! :)
Oh my goodness, these were my first Pinterest fail. I must have needed to add a ton more flour, because they ended up one, horrible giant cookie taking up the whole pan. I used tropical traditions coconut oil and a silpat. So sad. I’ve been looking forward to these for weeks. I’ll add a bunch more flour to the rest of my dough and freeze them before baking instead of just refrigerating for 4 hours. :(
Sounds like you definitely need to add more flour. The dough should be the consistency of normal cookie dough. Not any more or less soupy or sticky than normal cookie dough. You’re just swapping out a stick of butter for a half-cup of oil, so nothing too extreme there, but add as much flour as you think is necessary.
Also, make sure the dough is VERY well chilled. Some of my dough was chilling for many days and by the time I got around to baking them, they dough balls were like rocks because the coconut oil solidified so much in the fridge over the many days. I let it come to room temp for about 15 mins before baking.
Thanks for trying the recipe and many people have written to say they love these cookies and I have remade them many times and have never had issues but since coconut oil is a natural product, the oil/solids can vary and results will, too (albeit I am really surprised about your giant cookie issue – which makes me think to check your baking soda, too). LMK if you try again! They’re worth it, I promise :)
I just made these tonight for my boyfriend. He avoids butter, so these looked worth a try. They were a hit and so easy to make! Thank you for your work/post on them.
They’re one of my fave cookies on my whole site and so happy that they were an easy hit for you! Thanks for coming back to LMK you tried them!
These did not work for me, the dough looked nothing like yours, mine was much more runny and the cookies came out much darker and spread really bad.
It sounds like your coconut oil was too soft, or was more ‘oily’ than my oil was; some jars/brands are thinner than others as it’s a natural product, it’s not identical. If the dough looked nothing like mine, you probably should have added a bit extra flour. Next time try that; or reduce the amount of oil you use. For these cookies, I used Tropical Traditions coconut oil. You could try that brand. They’re some of my fave cookies of all time and with a few tweaks, I think you’ll be all set next time.
Try substituting coconut sugar for the brown sugar if you’re avoiding white sugar (because brown sugar IS white sugar…just with molasses added). I found it in the baking aisle at Wal-Mart…it’s on the top shelf above the agave and alternative sweeteners. Coconut sugar bakes up nice and rich, much like brown sugar. OR…add molasses to it and make brown coconut sugar.
Hi Averie,
I just made these and they were a great success! After reading some of the comments I made a few slight alterations. I used ww pastry flour and reduced the amount of flour to 11/2 cups. Also, in place of adding the molasses I added chocolate chips and made them a coconut oil chocolate chip cookie. They were absolutely delicious!! My bf couldn’t stop eating the dough. I chilled them in the freezer for 2 hours before baking, they turned out beautifully. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again. Thank you!!
I love that you were able to use WWPFlour and yes, reducing it by a hair was a good call since it seems to be more ‘absorbent’ than regular flour; and with not adding the tbsp of molasses for liquid, good move to reduce by 1/4 cup (and with the rest of your WWPF please make these!! http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/03/homemade-cinnamon-sugar-graham-crackers-smores.html)
But so glad you loved them and I could not stop eating this dough either. Like I cannot make these cookies unless I can build more cardio into my week that week b/c I inhale these things! :)
Thanks for your recipes and the great photos! I was inspired by you to create a recipe using two foreign ingredients to me in cookies: Coconut oil and corn starch. They turned out great. Check out my blog-I’d really appreciate your input!
http://mymilehighpie.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/peanut-butter-banana-bliss/
Thank you-
Annie
I just looked at them and those big blueberries really catch my eye! Glad you were inspired from my recipe to create them using new-to-you ingredients!
So excited to try these this weekend. Do you think they’d work baked on a stone? I love the way a stone helps cookies to be done evenly and the bottoms are always fabulous.
I never bake cookies on a stone so I have no idea. I always bake on a baking sheet with a Silpat. If you’ve baked other cookies on a stone with success, I’d imagine you’d have luck that way then with these too.
I jumped up to make these the second I saw them… they did not disappoint! The light sweetness and flavor from the vanilla and molasses is perfect. I’m considering adding a bit of cinnamon to the batter next time, but crystallized ginger would be amazing too. FYI, I too used WW pastry flour. I think I used slightly too much given that I’m in a dry climate, so I’ll adjust next time. Otherwise, I think it was a fine substitute. Thanks for a great recipe… now to try those peanut butter ones!
So glad that you tried them and loved them (yes wheat flour can be pretty drying and coconut oil is like a sponge so good call to use a bit less next time) and also ginger, cinnamon – you could pretty much turn these into a coconut oil gingersnap/molasses cookie very easily which I wanted to do (and will before the holidays next year). Blogging about molasses cookies in March isn’t popular but I love those flavors!
I know it’s probably annoying to have people change your recipe but I did and the cookies still turned out ridonkly good. My 3 year old likes to help me bake (aka: eat the batter) and he’s allergic to all things good. So we did a chia egg: 1 tbsp chia + 3 tbsp water and then we also used whole wheat flour and coconut sugar (because they make me feel healthier even when baking cookies). Found you on a friend’s pin for these cookies but shall now stalk all your recipes:)
It’s not annoying when the person makes logical and deliberate choices like you did (vs. the person who removes the solid sugar and adds 3 cups of maple syrup in it’s place or who removes all the flour and adds 3x the volume of protein powder and then comes and writes to me and accuses me of posting recipes that don’t work and yes, it happens – a lot!) and in your case, hearing that they were veganized with a chia egg (not flax, good to know!) and you used wheat flour AND coconut sugar..and that all these things worked out so well…that is awesome! I have a 6 yr old and love that you’re baking w/ your 3 y.o. and thanks for stalking my recipes!
Tried these a few weeks ago, they are amazing! It was my first cooking experiment using coconut oil, and they tasted so good. I loved how soft they were! Needless to say, I ate way too many. Love all your recipes girl!
Had no idea you tried them and thanks for LMK, Alaina! I can’t even make these unless I want to eat the whole batch…because I do! I love love love these cookies and glad you enjoyed them!
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! Although, I must admit I did not wait to hours for them to chill so they were thinner than yours look in the pictures. That didn’t bother us though…as all of the cookies were gone before the day was over! They were very thin and lightweight with very soft centers that melt in your mouth. YUM.
Glad to hear they worked out for you, Robin! Yes, with coconut oil based cookies especially, if the dough isn’t well chilled, they will spread (but all cookies do that if the dough isn’t chilled) The fact that you ate them all on the SAME day you made them is a testament to how good they are, right! :) Thanks for trying them and coming back to LMK you made them!
These are beautiful! I have been trying to figure out how to make this “ice cream scoop” cookie for awhile. Thank you for showing me how!
Glad it helped!
Averie- You’ve done a great job explaining your choice of ingredients and your images make my mouth water. I can’t wait to try this out at home! Thanks a million!
Think I could make these with GF flour and a “flax egg” (or other sub for egg) ? I’m not actually vegan but trying to eat healthier and gluten, dairy, and egg free. I’m knew to this type of cooking/baking and I had an epic fail on pitas the other day so wanted to get your thoughts first. These look delicious!
There’s no flour in these two & they’re naturally GF.
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/01/peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-cookies.html
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/02/thick-and-soft-chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies.html
As for using GF flour in the soft batch – it should be fine but I love these cookies so much I personally just wouldn’t tinker with them. I would try this version instead making it GF
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/03/soft-and-puffy-peanut-butter-coconut-oil-cookies.html
As for using flax eggs…if you’re not an experienced baker and/or not experienced with using vegan cooking AND you want to make something GF…I would do one or the other, until you get things down pat, then start playing around with egg subs + flour subs.
After all this, please lmk what you DO make!
Thank you so much for the tips. Unfortunately, I recently found out I have a moderate peanut allergy (not life threatening) so I’m trying to avoid peanuts/peanut butter :'( But my main concern is gluten so I am starting there. Thanks again!
I made this with my go-to egg sub a big scoop of cream cheese (obviously not a good choice for dairy free.) Usually, this makes for a great egg sub, but I found my batter really dry, and the cookies turned out crumbly, not chewy. I realize my bad result could have been using the cream cheese, but usually that provides enough moisture to compensate for the egg. Perhaps flax egg would be better? (my husband has an egg allergy.)
I was disappointed with this, but perhaps the recipe just can’t take the change of egg. I’d love to hear if others have tried out other egg subs.
You can’t take out an egg in a recipe like this an expect to get the same results as I had! I hope you understand that. You said you’re disappointed but you changed the recipe.
Yes, sometimes you can remove eggs, but not always. I have done plenty of vegan baking in my life and sometimes you can remove eggs and replace with everything from (vegan) cream cheese to applesauce to (vegan) sour cream or even a banana…but not always. In this situation, sounds like it didn’t work. You also may have had to increase the amount of coconut oil. When you say dry and crumbly, that could also be an issue that the dough needs more moisture. Just thinking out loud…
Made these today. Failed miserably. :( I’m a fairly adept baker and the dough seemed to turn out just fine – nice and pliable without crumbles or tackiness. Refrigerated for 3 hours and then baked at 350 for 8 minutes. The cookies came out flat and oily. Not sure what the culprit was? My coconut oil was soft butter consistency at the start. I guess I could have under-floured, but my dough wasn’t tacky in the least. I’m letting the second half of the dough sit overnight to see if that helps. They taste yummy, the just look absolutely horrid and I won’t be able to serve them to company tomorrow.
Possible culprits – underchilled dough
underfloured dough – the consistency of coconut oil and percentage of oil varies from brand to brand and jar to jar; yours may just be a little oiler and need more flour.
Baking soda not fresh
Not baking on a Silpat (in an unrelated experiment last night, I baked two cookies on a non-Silpat lined baking sheet…they failed miserably and the other 15 I made on other baking sheets with Silpats are perfect – in a recipe like this, I don’t know if it matters but I was reminded once again, for me, it does in general terms)
Others have had success with the recipe but from you saying flat and oily, that leads me to believe you need more flour. LMK how it goes!
Thanks, Avrie! I did bake on a Silpat so I’m pretty sure you’re right about the under-flouring. Next time I’ll add more than the 1 1/4 cups to see if it makes a difference. Like I said, they still had great taste, just looked flat and funky! Off to try your chocolate peanut butter cookies next!
Just recently discovered your blog and LOVE it! It has quickly become my favorite recipe site; it’s fun to read and there are so many interesting food ideas here. I made these cookies and your chocolate chip and chunk cookies today for a potluck. Talk about interesting food ideas–I would never have thought to combine brown sugar and coconut but these cookies are sooooo good! The flavors manage to be simple and complex at the same time, and the texture? As soft and puffy as if they were made with shortening (which I refuse to buy), only without shortening’s lack of flavor. I may have to eat them all and make something else for the party!
Laura, thank you so much for this kind comment! I am glad you enjoy my site, my style, my flavor pairings and that you’re getting some fun ideas and having great results. Brown sugar + coconut + molasses is such a win for me. These cookies are just the best thing I personally have made (for myself) in ages…like you, I wouldn’t want to give these away for a potluck either…haha!
simple and complex at the same time = that’s the goal, minus the shortening. Not a fan of it either, at all! The texture, lack of flavor, etc. I have 2 recipes out of over 500+ that use it. And I’ll probably never use it again :)
these are the best cookies that have ever happened to me. thank you!
Ohmigosh–well thanks for saying that! I’m so glad! :)
Aarrrggghhh, OMG these are so good I think it’s a crime. I ran out of vanilla extract so I used 1TBL of Almond extract and 1TBL pure maple syrup. RIDICULOUS!!!! Thank you thank you thank you for this great keeper of a recipe!!!
I am so glad that you tried these. They are probably my favorite cookie I’ve ever made, tied with a PB one; and I dunno, maybe a couple others can compete. But really, in a league of their own and I love that you love them as much as I do! I bet the almond extract and pure/real maple syrup is heavenly in them! You make me want to make more :) Thanks for LMK you tried them!
Ok I just made these and I must say they are the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! They are sinfully delicious. They are super moist and so flavorful! Thank you for another great recipe :)
Thanks for coming back and LMK that you tried these AND they are the best cookies you’ve ever tasted!!! I happen to agree and glad you are such a fan. I have a new coconut oil cookie recipe…tomorrow! :)
These are delicious! I love soft and chewy cookies :) I rolled the dough into a log in saran wrap to chill before baking, so all I had to do was slice them (instead of forming the cookies before chilling). Baking time was the same. Next time I’m loading the recipe up with ginger (chewy ginger molasses cookies are a quest for me)!
I wanted to add crystalized ginger to these but wasn’t sure how they were going to turn out (I got lucky and the first batch was the batch I tested, photographed and rolled with!) and so didn’t want to ‘waste’ my ginger if they didn’t turn out but next time, I am so adding it! I cannot get these cookies out of my mind! Glad you loved them and thanks for coming back to LMK!
The addition of crystallized ginger in these sounds awesome! So trying that next time!
i just have a doubt i baked my cookies r rite time but my cookies were soft why please help me
I finally found some time to make these and they were delicious! Love them! Different than any cookie I’ve had before. I made them without the molasses, and they obviously were still great, but I probably will get some for next time to try it out. I also made these with whole wheat pastry flour which I do all my baking with. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thanks for LMK you tried them and loved them! I do think the molasses adds a special touch you’ll really like and good to know that w.w.pastry flour works like a charm!
Do you think these would do OK with a hand mixer? I don’t have a stand mixer and use the hand mixer on other cookies (with fine results), but since you specified stand mixer, I figured I’d check.
That will be fine. Just make sure to cream//blend very well in the beginning before adding the flour, and you should be all set. Please LMK how they turn out for you!
I just came across your blog about a month ago and have already moved it to the top of my favorites list (which has accumulated a pretty great depth of avid and talented bakers over the past few years : ) I love how much information you give about the chemistry and science of the recipes you create. With that in mind, I was wondering if you had an opion on this – you mentioned pudding cookie recipes above. I have one that I really like, but I don’t necessarily like the fact that I’m adding a processed mix to my cookies. Do you think the same effect could be achieved by just adding a certain level of cornstarch to the recipe instead and maybe some additional vanilla extract or paste? Also, with regard to this recipe above, I think the only molasses I have in my cabinet right now is blackstrap. Is there anything else you would recommend adding or changing if I left that out when making these? I don’t want them to be bitter!
Thank you – and thank you for all of your posts!
“by just adding a certain level of cornstarch to the recipe instead and maybe some additional vanilla extract or paste” – I would say you could add 2 tsp of cornstarch and some vanilla sugar (place a vanilla bean in a canister of sugar and let it get fragrant…a week or so) and also I’d recommend using superfine sugar OR running the sugar thru your food proc b/c as you know, pudding mix is downy-soft. I’d use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar with the cornstarch. And/or add extra vanilla extract to the recipe. It’s a very hard one to remove from recipes. It’s magical. This is my fave recipe for banana bread and no matter what else I try – buttermilk, more butter, browned butter, oil, more sugar, less baking time, more yogurt, sour cream, etc…I cannot get the same amazing results if I skip that 1 little box of pudding
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/08/banana-bread-with-vanilla-browned-butter-glaze.html
Blackstrap…well, it’s your call. I wouldn’t bake with it b/c it is bitter. But if you dont want to buy a new jar ($4 bucks or so) of Grandma’s Molasses or similar, then you can use it knowing the risk. I personally just always keep a jar of molasses on hand!
Please report back with results!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/02/soft-batch-dark-brown-sugar-coconut-oil-cookies.html
Um, totally want to make these, and as luck would have it, I have all the ingredients!!
LMK if you try them!
Enjoyed by the entire family! My middle child thought they’d make delicious ice cream sandwiches. OH MY! I might not press them down next time and leave the “feathered” impression from my cookie scoop. Also tend to think some chopped crystallized ginger and/or golden raisins would be delicious. Any thoughts on using oat flour in place of AP?
Everything you just said…I drooled :) Raisins and crystallized ginger would be lovely (I have to be careful what I blog about b/c tons of people hate raisins and many would say they couldn’t find crys ginger, but I love them both and think they’d be amazing…I can also see like dried apricot chunks working). I loved the feathered impression and usually don’t keep it but kept it for these and was glad I did.
Oat flour in place of AP. I would use slightly less and go slowly when adding it b/c the dough could get stiff and crumbly in a hurry. Because it’s a denser flour, you won’t get that soft-batch softness but more of a heartiness. Have you seen these? http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/02/thick-and-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies.html A totally different cookie but you may like them based on what you just wrote.
Anyway thanks for the field report and please write back and LMK what you try next!
I think I need to make these SOON! Oh my goodness!! YUM! :)
I’d love for you to join me at my Blog Hop! :)
http://www.pluckys-secondthought.com/pluckys-blog-hop/
Hmmmmm….first “failure” during mixing. This did not come together….it was more like ‘meal’ than a cookie dough. We live in an arid climate, might that be an issue?
Nevertheless, undaunted I added about a half cup of cold coffee and pressed on. This looks about right. (Pnut butter cookie consistency) and are I. The fridge as we speak.
So….
Dry flour?
Small egg? (Nah…)
Coconut oil not soft enough? (Seems unlikely)
Your thoughts?
Yes, overfloured is probably the culprit. If you live in a dry/arid climate, you may need less flour. Depending on brand of coconut oil, how moist or unmoist your brown sugar was, the type of flour you use can all make a difference. I would say cut it back for future attempts and with this one, sounds like the coffee did the trick..another 1 to 2 tbsp of coconut oil would have probably fixed it right up, too. In recipes like these 1 to 2 tbsp of either oil or flour can really impact things. LMK how they bake up!
These cookies sounds amazing!! I’m all about a soft batch cookie and brown sugar. I’ve never baked with coconut oil and actually haven’t felt an urge to… until now. I am running out to buy a jar and make these!!
Please LMK how they go for you!
I’ve become a coconut oil addict of late. I even slather it on my skin – Thai women swear it keeps them young, and I trust their judgement. ;) The texture of these cookies looks divine, and I love that photo of the brown sugar! Gorgeous!
I used to put it on my skin more; now I am hoarding it to bake with :)
“…dark and rich cookies so soft that they bend rather than break.” <– This is poetry, or the lyrics to the perfect love song of all time! :D
These cookies look amazing! I think molasses is acceptable all year 'round, at least it should be.
I thought you may like these. They are rich and sultry and darker than they average happy-go-lucky Funfetti cookie. You have to try them!
I’m a coconut oil freak… must make these!
I bet you would love them. The texture is amazing!
Why do you say there is no white sugar, when there is white sugar in the brown sugar? I don’t mind having white sugar in my desserts; I was just wondering why you make that claim. Anyway, the cookies look amazing, and I’m bookmarking the recipe. Lovely photos as well!
Because some people will not use white sugar but they will use brown sugar. To you and I, it may be splitting hairs, but to some people, it’s a point of distinction that matters.
These cookies came out so pretty. Not the typical shape of a standard cookie. Sorta like a scoop of ice cream. Cool!
I loved the shape of them as well!
Yum. They sound amazing.
Oooo! I love swapping coconut oil for butter! So good!!! These look fantastic!
They’re a new fave for sure!
Ugghhhh, I want to eat all of that!! I just started a paleo challenge so your delicious treats are proving difficult to view!! I may need to take a hiatus until I’m finished :-)
Soft cookies are my absolute favorite. No hard cookies around my kitchen. I must try these!
You always make the most incredible cookies that look so mouth-wateringly good! I have pinned these and cannot wait to make them!
Thanks, Mercedes, for the compliments and the pin!
Soft batch cookies were my weakness growing up. I’m sure I’ve eaten my weight in those cookies! I haven’t tried baking with coconut oil yet – is it worth the hype?
YES, it’s worth the hype but let the pictures speak for themselves…they just SPEAK to me, and scream my name, and hopefully they do the same for you!
cornstarch is a workhorse…love that…and i had no idea about the pudding thing…i’ve been loving pudding cookies as well…and of course you’ve now given me the answer on why they always turn out so soft and delicious. soft batch cookies were such a favorite of mine growing up too…begging my mom to buy the expenseive name brand soft batch cookies so we could eat them all in one sitting. and i am so pleased to see the molasses flavor…why save such a wonderful flavor for Christmas :-)
My thoughts exactly about not saving that flavor only for Christmas. Or just having pumpkin in the fall…but I digresss :) Yes, it’s the cornstarch/modified food starch as it’s called, that makes cookies so soft. Soft without being airy or delicate. More chewy than bendy and not at all cakey; all things I love. And yes, eating the Soft Batch cookies in a DAY, or in a sitting…that was me and my sister growing up!
I love using coconut oil in baked goods! I haven’t used it in cookies yet but that’s about to change very soon… :)
Love all the info on coconut oil. I’ve always wondered about it and thanks to you I’m ready to give it a try! These cookies sound wonderful and luckily I know where my husband hides them after I bake them!
Oh my goodness Averie, this flavor combination sounds so ridiculously perfect!! I cannot wait to give them a try!
These cookies look delicious!! And I love that they use coconut oil, I just recently started baking with it and I love it! I don’t have molasses, I have never baked with it before but I have dark brown sugar. Do you think they would turn out great without it or is it necessary to get some? Can’t wait to try these cookies.
If you dont have it on hand, I wouldnt rush out and buy it for 1 tbsp. They will be fine without but pick some up next time to have on hand – you’ll love them even more! LMK how they turn out for you!
I do cook with coconut oil. Often, when I cook shrimp, I saute them in coconut oil. I must admit that I typically don’t bake cookies with it, though. I will have to try these. I love the way the tops look from your cookie scoop! That is another thing I need to try when baking cookies. I always use my fingers and a spoon, but yours look so neat and tidy! I never get tired of the smell of molasses, either. It doesn’t have to be October-December baking to appreciate it! :-)
There is no season in my belly for molasses (or pumpkin) but I figured I sneak these in before Easter when everything is pink and green and they may even be a bit more out of place :) You will LOVE a cookie scoop for dough like this. For some dough, I’ll admit, it’s a PITA. But for some dough (this one), makes your life so much easier!
Averie. Please be my neighbor! Coconut oil cookies are on my list. These? Brown sugar? YES!
God, gladly! I need someone to give this stuff to most times! :)
Oh these look a-mazing! Love the addition of coconut oil!
These cookies look crazy good! I still have to break out my coconut oil. I do love flaked coconut too though. It’s funny, I never like store bought soft batch cookies – they always taste kind of artificial and off to me. But when I’m baking at home soft is pretty much the only way to go. I loled at you know all your own hiding places :)
You would love these! They are rich and intense, so soft and chewy; they’re my new favorite cookie (in this whole family of cookies) – you can’t compare these to say…PB cookies :)
These LOOK insanely good! I can’t blame you for being unable to resist – brown sugar and super-soft? YUM!
I usually have to give my goodies away to resist temptation :)
That is why I am sooooo careful about batch size. This makes 15-16 cookies. 3 or 4 for each family member and we are DONE and onto the next recipe. And if it makes more, I DO give them away :)
I completely agree with you, flaked coconut would have a stronger flavor than coconut oil in cookies (or any other baked good). And with the 2 tbsp vanilla in these, I’m sure you get a lot of vanilla working with the subtle coconut flavor… yum. They must be so soft and chewy!
Liz you are going to love these if you try them and considering you just made some, I know I don’t have to twist your arm to LYK how good coconut oil is in cookies!
Everyone is so in love with soft cookies…I feel so weird for not liking them all that much! ;)
These still look good though. Your photography is very good in the photos, the colors are wonderful.
Ah these cookies are genius! I agree that the coconut oil smell is much stronger than the flavor,
For sure! And if someone is on the fence and then they smell it, it can be so overpowering! but the bark is worse than the bite, so to speak :)
I need to try coconut oil in cookies! It sounds delicious!
No buttah? In a cookie?? And it’s still soft and bendable? Gimme some! :)
What brand coconut oil do you use? I had a few jars of kelapo, but ran out… I need to go out and get some.
In this post http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/01/coconut-oil-white-chocolate-cookies.html I rattled off like 10 brands that I have tried in the opening of it. I usually wind up using Tropical Traditions b/c I have a surplus of it; but have tried many others. TT never lets me down, nor does TJs (for the price especially!)
What is not to love here Averie? You are making it harder and harder for me to resist making cookies with coconut oil. I am intrigued more than ever today! These just look perfect – like little scoops of ice cream from your cookie scoop. Is it bad that I haven’t used my cookie scoop in months? Just my hands and a spoon lol.
My love for the taste of brown sugar and molasses in cookies will never go away. That’s why I like to use dark brown sugar whenever I can. I crave molasses cookies year round – not just over the holidays! glad you do too. :) And, off the topic, but I’m not afraid to say that I’m still eating pumpkin!! Anyway, these are just beautiful cookies and I need to expand my use of coconut oil beyond granola bars!
Oh I am still eating pumpkin too!!!!! Glad to know I’m not the only one. Ironically in the past 24 hrs, between FG & TS and TO, I have seen about 5 or 6 pumpkin recipes! I am secretly relieved others are still into it. I just feel like blogging about it wouldn’t be a productive use of time amidst like, red and white stuff and red velvet cakes :)
You will love love love these cookies. I know you don’t use a scoop and use the hand-molding/stacking technique. It’s so dry here that is I stack my cookies as high as you stack yours, they just stay like that. A big mountain. Lol And then I have to go back in and flatten them with a fork or a spoon/tapping afterward.
I love soft cookies so much and these look amazing!
OH MY. I know we talked about the brown sugar/molasses thing and I am glad you did the research. I’m going to make my Katie-version of these with erythritol and the molasses ratios you gave. So, 1 cup plus 4 T of molasses….wow that sounds like a lot. Or….maybe I’ll just use the last of my brown sugar. :D
I only have blackstrap because I LOVE the bitterness, but I may just give some of the unsulphered a try. I think I may have a bottle of each in fact. You gotta keep that baking cabinet well-stocked, you know!
When I used to do the baking for a natural foods deli, the only oil I used was coconut oil. I used to make a molasses oatmeal cookie and it was amazing. The outside had a crunchy shell, but the inside was soft and chewy. Seeing these cookies really reminded me of them. I’m glad coconut oil is beginning to get so popular, and I love what you do with it! It’s so much healthier than canola oil. These photographs are stunning!
Thanks for the great comment about what you used to make. I bet the molasses-oatmeal-coconut is a GREAT combo. I honestly want to make so many cookie recipes with coconut oil after trying a few and loving them! I agree that it’s healthier than canola and although I wouldn’t use it in place of canola in say bread-making, for cookie making and using it in place of creamed butter, I am loving it so, so much!
You made these cookies look and sound amazing! I love the dark brown sugar component and I love baking with coconut oil. I’m actually hosting a giveaway for a 32oz jar right now. You should stop on over and enter to win! :)
These look incredible, Averie! Wish I had a few to nibble on this morning :).
Holy cow, those look divine!! I can’t get over how delicious they look- amazing photography! I love that you use coconut oil. I really like the flavor of coconut oil in baked treats so I know I would adore these cookies!
Your cookies always look sooo amazing! I think you need to own your a chain of cookie bakeries and put on in my neighborhood.
And you can supply the beer-based treats for it :)
These look amazing Averie! I really do need to try baking more with coconut oil!
I love how they’ve kept their ice-cream-scoop shape! Mmm, I shouldn’t be reading your blog when I’m peckish pre-dinner, it’s daaaangerous.
I loved that part of them, too!
Is it wrong that I first thought these were just dough?!? They look so soft and moist, I really thought it was unbaked dough – SO, SO DELISH. Love the use of coconut oil!
So ridic soft that they practical taste unbaked, but with a hint of a chewy edge – just the way I like them!
mmm they look like cookie dough! I want one!
And they taste like it!
I LOVE coconut oil. Never used it in cookies before, so I’m excited to try that
These look wonderful with an interesting and unique look. I like that they use coconut oil, yum!
These cookies look great. Very excited about a good cookie recipe with coconut oil. Hoping not to be picky, but after seeing the top of the page that said ‘no white sugar’, I didn’t expect to see brown sugar in the recipe…since brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added to it. Always looking for ways to cut refined sugar, so I was hoping these would be a way! Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
That was my first thought – how it was brown sugar without white sugar, since it’s just the added molasses that makes it brown. I was hoping for a secret. :)
HOWEVER! These do look amazing and I’m definitely going to give them a try as a sugar splurge anyway. Making my mouth water looking at them. I love baking/cooking with coconut oil!
Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe!
Averie, you are seriously the queen of soft cookies. I swear I’ve never seen so many yummy, soft cookies that I want to grab through my computer screen as I have on your blog. I still need to try baking cookies with coconut oil. You’ve inspired me to try this!
You’re going to love the results baking with it!
I cannot handle these cookies. I literally want to reach through my work computer screen right now! Your photography really accentuates how rich and delicious they must be! I love the combination of butter and brown sugar but coconut oil is just so good for you. I’m wondering if butter extract would be a good addition? I’m going to make these tonight using white spelt flour and maybe some butter extract. I have a few jars of Trader Joe’s coconut oil in my pantry and this will be a great excuse to use it!!
Butter extract would be fine but there is already a lot going on with the molasses and vanilla. I may just leave it out; can’t really hurt I suppose but it’s not necessary and may become overwhelmed. I do love butter extract and use it frequently but this is not a recipe that screams to me…toss some in.
Spelt flour – unless you have a reason to use it, I would stick with traditional AP. The cookies are so divine as is and spelt flour can change the consistency and flavor of things and will definitely alter your results and the taste and texture of these.
LMK what you end up doing!
Gotcha! I’m sure both the molasses and vanilla add a wonderful depth of richness. I’ll definitely NOT use butter extract. I may still experiment with the white spelt flour… I have found that it works very well for soft cookies or I may use whole wheat pastry flour. I will most certainly let you know! :D
Averie, I love brown sugar cookies! But I’ve actually never baked cookies with coconut oil. (I’ve done some other stuff, but never cookies, oddly enough.) This is a great idea, I can’t wait to try it!
You’re going to LOVE the results!
Okay, so HOW did you know I bought coconut oil, white chips and coconut chips from TJ’s and was planning on making coconut oil cookies from your site today? And viola, here’s a new recipe with dark brown sugar? You must be a mind reader.. and a good one at that! Between these and the white chocolate coconut cookies, I am in coconut HEAVEN. And this will be my first time baking with the oil today, so wish me luck! Actually, I’m sure the luck won’t be needed for the cookies to turn out, but for me to successfully avoid eating the entire batch of them :)
Hayley they are soooo good. Both versions are really good – so different and both so good in their own regard. I am jealous that your TJs has white choc all year round. Mine only has it in Nov and Dec in advance of holiday baking season and it’s a real bummer. I love their white choc chips and they are a good price$$ and I stock up but always run out far too early in the year. This year that happened like…10 months too soon! It’s amazing that their N Cal and SoCal distribution is that different!
I adore coconut oil cookies! Well, any soft cookie actually. In my opinion, a soft cookie holds more flavor than one that is allowed to bake longer. These look incredible, as is everything that you do Averie.
I agree – the flavor seems to stay in it better and is just more intense, rather than getting baked out and dry and crumbly!
Wow, these look crazy delicious! I will have to try with some gluten-free flour!
If you try them with GF flour, LMK how they turn out!
I love the crinkly, slightly cracked tops on these cookies–you just know they’ll be soft! Coconut oil and butter (especially browned butter) are my favorite fats. I just replenished my coconut oil stash so I need to give these a try. Dark brown sugar and molasses probably give these some serious flavor depth! I have used coconut oil in brownies because I happened to be out of butter, and those turned out well. I remember those browned butter butterscotch caramel bars–rich and yummy!
The ice cream/cookie scooper wire release contributed to those feathery tops…I loved that! And if you just replenished your coconut oil, break into it with these! They remind me of a cookie form of those browned butter butterscotch caramel bars, but with coconut oil. And yes, serious!! depth of flavor. I just loved these. LMK of you try them!
Don’t these look amazing?! Soft cookies are always welcome around my house, too! :)
LOVE…. the ripply tops of those sweet little babies!
Soft cookies totally rock my world! Especially brown sugar-infused soft cookies. These sound amazing!
What a perfect waiting-for-spring treat. I’m such a sucker for soft cookies too, and love anything with maple flavor. Yes, yes, yes all around!
Oh I haven’t thought about soft batch cookies in eons. I’ve finally started using coconut oil. Sometimes it can be a little too coconutty so I try to use it sparingly.
stop with all the sinful cookie recipes! These look so good!
As usual, these look amazing! Absolute perfection.
Yeah, it’s not easy hiding cookies from oneself when you know all the hiding places, eh? :)
YAY for more coconut oil recipes! These look absolutely fabulous and SO soft. I love simple cookies like this – can’t wait to try!!
Oh boy, your description of these was making my mouth water. Soft cookies are definitely the way to go, imo. I’ve been using coconut oil more and more . . . . and really liking it! So far, it’s been more for cooking, but I have used it in a couple of baking experiments, and it’s been fantastic.
YUM!! I love using coconut oil in cookies because I think that makes the cookies softer too!! I will have to try your corn starch trick…and these cookies of course :)
Looking at these pictures gives me a bad cookie craving! They look so yummy. I love the ‘feathered’, cracked look on top.
Now I am off to find a cookie to satisfy my craving ;)
I loved the feathered look, too!
Oh my, these look delicious. Like you, I loved soft batch cookies when I was a kid, partly because the cookies my mother made or bought were always crunchy and I only got soft, chewy cookies at other kids’ houses or at school. Using coconut oil in these sounds so brilliant, I can’t wait to make them!
LMK if you try them!
Coconut oil works so well in baked goods! It keeps everything so moist, it’s wonderful! I think soft cookies are probably my favorite baked good in the whole world. Well, except for maybe a French Napoleon, but cookies are way easier to make! haha
You’re so right that cookies are just a smidge faster & easier :)
These have a very interesting crinkly top, that looks unique! I baked with coconut oil for the first time, and I was extremely happy with the results. These will most likely be recipe #2 with coconut oil, because I just love molasses and chewy cookies!
It’s from the cookie scoop! I alluded to that in the post but normally I smooth the dough out, but with these, I didn’t. I just let them fall off the cookie scoop and onto a plate to chill, then the baking trays, no hand molding or shaping, and left the ruffled/feathery top intact. LMK if you try these! If you love molasses and chewy cookies, these are your cookie!