Think of a cookie, think of long, tiring procedures to prepare it which may eventually demoralize you to actually make it at home. Well, not any more, as I’ve got an easy and flavorful Coconut Cookies recipe for you. These tasty Coconut Cookies are healthier too as they are made with whole wheat flour, jaggery, desiccated coconut and a few more ingredients.
Table of Contents
About Coconut Cookies
This Coconut Cookies recipe is that fool proof way of preparing a batch of yummy vegan cookies that you can enjoy with your friends and family, just about any day of the year.
These literally get done within minutes, and the only time taking part is when the cookies are getting baked. So, a perfect sweet-snack for your festive occasions too.
Besides the main ingredients, whole wheat flour, desiccated coconut and jaggery, these Coconut Cookies are also aromatic and earthy because of the hints of cardamom and ginger in them. The cookies are slightly chewy from the outside, soft from within and sweet, but not overly.
A Coconut Cookies recipe that’s just about being oh-so-good! With these measurements, you can make about 12 Coconut Cookies. Double it to make more.
Also, given my love for this very versatile fruit called coconut, I’d like you to try more of my coconut recipes by following this collection of Coconut Recipes. It’s surely not going to disappoint you!
How to make Coconut Cookies
Make Cookie Dough
1. First, take 1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour and ¼ teaspoon baking soda in a mixing bowl.
2. With a spoon or spatula, mix very well. Also, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/356 degrees F. The oven should be preheated 15 minutes before baking.
3. Add 4 tablespoons coconut oil. You can also add 3 tablespoons coconut oil.
4. Lightly mix the oil with the flour. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use 4 tablespoons butter or ghee.
5. Then, add ¼ cup desiccated coconut, 1 tablespoon fine sooji/semolina (optional), ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and ¼ teaspoon dried ginger powder (optional).
6. Add ½ cup (85 grams) powdered or grated jaggery.
7. Mix everything well with your fingertips.
8. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Add the water in parts and start mixing with the dough. Depending on the quality of the flour and the jaggery, you may add less or more water.
The mixture should be able to come together and hold easily. I added 3 tablespoons water. You can also use coconut milk instead of water.
9. Just mix together with your hands and gather to a dough.
10. Don’t knead, lightly mix and form into a dough ball.
11. Grease a tray or pan well with 1 teaspoon coconut oil.
Shape and Bake Coconut Cookies
12. Pinch small to medium sized balls from the dough and place on the greased tray.
13. Press one cashew or almond on each cookie and slightly flatten them while pressing the cashews.
14. Don’t flatten too much. You can even skip the dry fruits and just flatten directly.
15. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or till the tops become light golden. The cashews on the top will also become faintly golden.
Since oven temperatures vary, it may take less or more time. So, keep a check. For convection ovens, use the preheating and baking temperature of 170 degrees C/338 degrees F.
16. Once baked, after 2 to 3 minutes, remove them from the tray and keep on a wire rack for cooling. Use a flat spatula for removing the cookies from the tray.
You may see some jaggery melted and browned at the base of some cookies. Don’t worry. Just lift the cookies with a flat spatula.
17. When cooled to room temperature, store them in an air tight jar. Serve eggless Coconut Cookies during tea time.
Expert Tips
- Desiccated coconut in this Coconut Cookies recipe can be replaced by fresh grated coconut. Roast/toast (don’t brown) to reduce moisture before using it in the recipe.
- For the fats, you can use any other odorless and flavorless oil, butter or ghee (clarified butter) instead of coconut oil.
- Instead of water, you can use coconut milk or any plant based milk in the cookie dough.
- You can skip topping the cookies with cashews or even top with almonds or your choice of nuts.
- To bake the cookies in a convection oven, preheat the oven at 170 degrees C/338 degrees F.
- After baking, cool the cookies to room temperature and then store in an airtight container or jar.
FAQs
Yes, you can make these cookies with ⅓ cup fresh coconut. Just toast or roast it till the moisture is reduced and then use it. You don’t have to brown it.
If you have an OTG, use the ‘toast mode’ in which both the top and bottom heating elements are on.
Yes, you can. Use about ⅓ to ½ cup of it. You can even use palm sugar or coconut sugar. Also please do not use white granulated sugar. Instead you can use confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar adding as required with the sweetness you prefer in the cookies.
The hardness in the cookies might be due to overbaking. Try again by baking for a lesser time on a slightly lower temperature.
No, you cannot.
You can use fresh coconut, dry fruit powders like cashew powder, pistachio powder, almond powder or also finely chopped nuts.
Yes, you can. But it is always better to use coconut oil as it gives a unique aroma to the cookies.
More Cookie Recipe To Try!
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Coconut Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour – 120 grams
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda or baking powder
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil – you can also use 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon sooji – fine variety (rava or cream of wheat), optional
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 to 5 green cardamoms – crushed in mortar-pestle
- ¼ teaspoon dry ginger powder – optional
- ½ cup jaggery powder (organic) or grated/chopped jaggery – 85 grams or add as needed. Swap jaggery with brown sugar, confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) or coconut sugar or palm sugar adding as needed.
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water or coconut milk, add as required
Instructions
Making cookie dough
- First take the whole wheat flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix evenly.
- With a spoon or spatula mix very well. Also preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/356 degrees F.
- Add coconut oil to the flour and baking soda mixture in the bowl.
- Lightly mix the oil with the flour. Instead of coconut oil, you can also use 4 tablespoons of butter or ghee.
- Next add fine-textured sooji (optional), cardamom powder and dry ginger powder (optional).
- Add the powdered or grated jaggery. Instead of jaggery you can also use brown sugar or confectioner's sugar or palm sugar or coconut sugar.
- Mix everything well with your fingertips.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Add the water in parts and start mixing with the dough. Depending on the type of flour, you may add less or even more water. I added 3 tablespoons of water. You can also use coconut milk instead of water.
- Just mix the cookie ingredients together with your hands and gather to a dough. Don't knead. Lightly mix and form into a dough ball.
Making coconut cookies
- Pinch small to medium sized balls from the dough and place on a greased tray.
- Press one cashew-halve or almond on each cookie and slightly flatten them while pressing the cashews. Don't flatten too much. You can even skip the nuts and simply flatten directly.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 20 to 25 mins till the tops become light golden. The cashews on the top will also become faintly golden.
- Since oven temperatures vary, it may takes less or more time. So do keep a check. For convection ovens use the pre heating and baking temperature of 170 degrees C/338 degrees F.
- Once baked, after 2 to 3 minutes, remove them from the tray and keep on a wire rack for cooling. Use a flat spatula for removing the cookies from the tray.
- When cooled at room temperature, store them in an air-tight jar. Serve eggless coconut cookies as a tea time cookie.
Notes
- Instead of water you can use light coconut milk (thin coconut milk) or any plant based milk.
- Opt to use grated fresh coconut if you prefer. But roast/toast for a few minutes on a skillet or pan, until the moisture is reduced. Remember not to brown the coconut.
- You can also double the recipe to make a big batch of these coconut cookies.
- For a non plant based recipe, use unsalted butter or ghee for the fat. You can also use milk instead of coconut milk.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Coconut Cookies recipe post from the blog archives first published in November 2015 has been republished and updated on 30 Jun 2022.
For a sweet monster like me is great to be able to make my own cookies at home specially these ones with coconut, they feel light and healthy
Can I make them with fresh coconut?
You can but lightly roast the coconut for some time till the the moisture is reduced. No need to brown the coconut.
hi..
i tried these cookies.. although taste wise these were good..but they turned so hard..
these cookies have a soft texture. hardness could be as the cookies have got overdone or overbaked. next time try baking them for less time or a slightly lower temperature. hope this helps.
Hi,
Happy Navratri
Need your help again, currently I don’t have my microwave with me,but I have gas tandor/bati maker,can I bake biscuits n cake in that, if yes what’s the process for both?
happy navratri vibha. you can use bati maker. i think it should work. process i do not know as i have never used it. but if you have made bati before in it, then use the same method and make the cookies.
Hi
Thanks for your recipe. The taste turned out to be great though they were a bit hard.
Can you please help on this?
these cookies are soft. so i guess baking time must be too much and thus they have hardened. next time you can try baking for less minutes.
Hey dassana,
Cookies were awesome, my lo old loved it. Whole wheat n jaggery combo is healthy n tasty too. All ur receipts are fool proof. I have tried many of them.
I would like to know, how to make them crunchy, so that I can use them like teething biscuits .
Thanks
Sushmitha
thanks a lot sushmitha. glad to know that your little one loved it. to make them crunchy, you will need to use butter and the technique will also change. you can either beat butter till smooth or mix it with flour and crumble till you get a bread crumb like texture. if whipping butter, then use softened butter. if mixing with flour, then use chilled butter. then add remaining ingredients. mix gently and bring the mixture together. do not knead. you can use 1/3rd cup butter in this recipe.