These healthy coconut oatmeal cookies are crispy around the edges and chewy in the center. The cookies are just 4 ingredients and take about five minutes to prepare. The cookies don’t contain any flour, added sugar, eggs or dairy butter.
I love cookies that are crispy and chewy but it’s hard to achieve that and make the recipe healthy. But these coconut cookies have nice crispy edges and a chewy middle section while still being healthier than regular oatmeal cookies.
Ingredients
- Shredded Coconut
- Oats
- Bananas
- Coconut Butter
Shredded coconut: These cookies are made with unsweetened shredded coconut. The coconut gives the cookies their coconut flavor and adds a chewy texture.
Oats: The cookies use rolled oats also known as old fashioned oats. I used rolled oats for these cookies because the cookies have a lot of moisture and rolled oats absorb the moisture better.
Bananas: You will need very ripe bananas for these cookies and they will need to be finely mashed. The bananas are used to naturally sweeten the cookies.
Coconut butter: The key to the crispy edges of the cookies is coconut butter. It is not the same as coconut oil. Coconut butter is made from the entire coconut. Coconut butter makes these cookies very rich and allows the edges to crisp up.
How to Make Crispy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
The ingredients are all added together and mixed. Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop up the cookie batter and release it onto a lined baking sheet. The cookie batter will then need to be flattened with the back of a metal spoon to form round disks. The cookies are then ready to be baked. The cookies should be baked until golden brown.
Cookie Texture
These cookies will not have the same texture as traditional crispy oatmeal cookies. Because they don’t contain flour or added sugar, they are more of a healthier version of crispy oatmeal cookies. The edges of the cookies are crispy. The rest of the cookie is soft and chewy.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient Crispy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
4 Ingredient Crispy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (85 g) rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (18 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup (179 g) finely mashed bananas
- 3 tbsp (45 g) coconut butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add oats, coconut, mashed bananas and melted coconut butter to a large mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula until the ingredients are fully and evenly combined. The mixture will be thick and wet.
- Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop out cookie dough. Release cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the dough balls about 1.5 inches apart. Use the back of a metal spoon to press down on each cookie dough ball so that it forms a thick round disk (about 1/4 inch thick). Smooth and round the sides of the cookie disks if desired. The cookies will not spread or rise during baking so you want to shape the cookies to how you want the final outcome to be.
- Bake cookies for about 25-30 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on top and medium brown around the edges. The longer the cookies bake, the crispier the edges and surface will be so I would lean towards a longer bake time if you aren't sure if they are ready. Let the cookies cool on their baking sheet for about 15 minutes until they are cool enough to touch before removing them. The cookies should peel off easily once cooled. Cookies will be crispy around the edges for the first few hours after they are baked. Reheat cookies in a toaster oven before eating leftovers if you want them to still have crispy edges. Store uneaten cookies in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- I recommend using very ripe bananas which are sweeter and easier to finely mash. Mash bananas until very few lumps remain.
- I used unsweetened shredded coconut to keep the cookies healthier. The recipe will also work with sweetened coconut.
- Make sure to use coconut butter and not coconut oil.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
With respect, these are not “crispy” cookies if only the edges are crispy. I was looking for actual crispy cookies then the “texture” section.
I believe you are confusing crispy versus crunchy. Crispy almost always is used to describe edges or exterior of food. For example: when someone says crispy fries they are generally describing that the outside is crispy but the fries are soft on the inside. There’s a great article by Taste of Home that discusses the difference: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/crispy-vs-crunchy/
“In brief, crunch is more muscular than crisp. While crispiness is almost always confined to the edges or outsides of foods, crunch is bold enough to carry all the way through.”
Can you use regular butter or another butter alternative if coconut butter isn’t available?
I haven’t tested it, but I think that should work!
Can i use coconut oil instead of coconut butter?
Thank you.
No, we don’t recommend that. You can read more about why we use coconut butter in the post. Hope that helps!
Can you use regular or vegan butter instead of coconut butter?
Sorry, but we haven’t tried it.
Can they be cooked in an air fryer?
My oven stop working
We haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to know how that will work.
Will applesauce work as a substitute for the bananas? (I’m allergic)
Sorry, but we haven’t tried applesauce.
Made it, with variations.
First I doubled everything.
Secondly, I added 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
Third, used regular butter, unsalted.
Fourth, pre cooked the coconut shavings for 5 minutes prior to mixing them.
Fifth, I added 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips (mind you I doubled everything so if you are making a single serving use 1/4 cup).
Lastly, pulled them out precisely at 25 minutes for a perfect soft interior.
I wish I had thought to add salt, but with the lack of moisture I am hesitant. Also a dash of cinnamon would have been great, and walnuts.
Thanks for sharing!
Awakenig eyes
I’d love to try these but coconut butter is hard to find and when I do find it I need to take out a loan to afford it. Any substitute?
Sorry, but we don’t have a substitute.
Can I use regular butter instead of coconut butter?
We haven’t tried it, but it could work. Let us know if you try it.
Where did you find coconut BUTTER? What brand. Why can’t I use solid coconut oil?
We have found it on Amazon and at Whole Foods. We don’t recommend coconut oil because it does not work the same in recipes as coconut butter. That said, if you want to try it let us know how it goes!
The recipe are great. Thanks
You’re welcome!
Is there anything I can substitute for the banana?
Sorry, but we don’t have a recommendation. We’ve only tested it with banana.
This looks delicious. I am restricted from potassium. Do you have a trade out for the bananas? Thank you.
Sorry, but we don’t. You might like to try some of other cookie recipes. We have quite a few!
Where can you find coconut butter? I have looked everywhere!
I buy mine from Whole Foods or Amazon
I will make this cookies but I am having a hard time finding coconut butter… any suggestions where I can buy it? Thanks
Whole Foods or Amazon both carry it
I’m trying to make them this morning and I will take a picture of them and show them.
Please tag us on social media if you take pics! We’d love to see them.
Nice
I would love to make these cookies with regular butter. Will it work?
Sorry we haven’t tested it with regular butter but I think it should work