Soft Coconut Sugar Cookies (Without Butter)

These coconut sugar cookies are packed with flavor and are wonderfully soft and slightly chewy. Furthermore, the cookies are made without butter, and they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, 100% vegan, and can be made paleo!

In the last few years, coconut sugar (aka coconut palm sugar/blossom sugar) has exploded into the food scene as a natural, unrefined alternative to cane sugar with a lower GI ranking. It has a caramel-esque flavor and brown color (as it’s unrefined); Perfect for making these soft chocolate chip coconut sugar cookies!

Although I often bake recipes with sugar-free alternatives, I love the flavor of coconut sugar and have several coconut sugar recipes, including this vegan coconut cake, and the option to use it for this chocolate chip banana bread, vegan snickerdoodles, and these double chocolate chip fudge cookies.

Luckily, baking with coconut sugar is really straightforward. It can be used as a replacement for cane sugar in most instances – though some recipes may not always be quite as moist and chewy without further tiny recipe tweaks. These cookies made with coconut sugar are wonderfully moist and soft, though, with a nutty, caramelly flavor through the addition of healthy nut/seed fats.

Best of all, these oil-free coconut cookies are made with 7 simple ingredients (including chocolate chips, because yummy!).

The Ingredients

• Coconut sugar: If you’re unable to source coconut sugar, then organic cane sugar would work.
• Sunflower seeds (ground): Alternatively, you could use almond flour.
• Nut/seed butter: You can use your nut/seed butter of choice; cashew, almond, sunflower seed, etc., would all work. Please note that peanut butter isn’t paleo-friendly though.
• Desiccated coconut: If you buy shredded coconut, you may need to first pulse it in a food processor a few times into a finer consistency like desiccated. Alternatively, you could substitute this for ground sunflower seeds, though the cookies won’t be as soft. Almond flour should also work.
• Chia Seeds and water: Will be used to create ‘chia eggs’ in place of eggs. Alternatively, you could use psyllium husk powder. Flaxseeds would also likely work but will need a little less water.
• Vanilla extract: Feel free to use natural vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Salt: Just a little salt will help to enhance the flavors of the coconut cookies.
• Chocolate chips: Or chocolate chunks (or even a combination of both). Feel free to use sugar-free chocolate if preferred.

For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.

How to Make Coconut Sugar Cookies

Please measure all the ingredients for these healthy cookies in grams (use my written measurements) on a kitchen scale, if possible. Also, watch the video in the post for visual instructions.

I first, ground the whole chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and desiccated coconut (separately) in an electric coffee/spice grinder (or blender) before starting the following steps.

• In a medium-large bowl, combine the ground chia seeds and water, stir well to combine, and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 360°F/ 180 °C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Add the nut/seed butter to the bowl and mix/whisk until combined. Then add the coconut sugar and salt and stir again.

• Next, add the ground sunflower seeds (or almond flour) and desiccated coconut. Stir until well combined.

• Finally, add the vanilla extract and dairy-free chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate chunks) and fold in with a spoon. The dough should be slightly sticky – that’s normal.

• Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, portion the dough into 7 or 8 coconut sugar cookies and place them on the prepared tray with space in-between. Use your fingers to flatten each cookie slightly gently.

It’s best to lightly oil or wet your fingers with water before doing this to avoid the dough sticking to your hands.

• Bake the gluten-free cookies in the oven for between 12-15 minutes. When freshly baked, they will still be slightly soft. However, they will firm up once cooled. Enjoy immediately or save for later!

How to Store?

Once baked, allow the coconut cookies to cool and then store in an airtight container for several days in the refrigerator.

Alternatively, you could freeze them for up to three months. Allow them to thaw before enjoying and optionally reheat the coconut cookies slightly in the microwave for gooey melted chocolate inside.

Recipe Notes & Variations

• For nut-free coconut sugar cookies: As mentioned in the ingredients section, this gluten-free cookie recipe works just as well with sunflower seed butter in place of nut butter and will still taste delicious.
• How to serve: Okay, I know no one NEEDS anyone to tell them how to enjoy cookies. But, believe me, these coconut cookies taste delicious with a side of tea, coffee, or vegan hot chocolate!
• Sugar topping: You could optionally sprinkle the top of each cookie with a little additional coconut sugar for crunch.
• The batter consistency: The cookie batter should be sticky but not runny and be malleable by hand. If, for whatever reason, it’s too runny, then add in an extra tablespoon of desiccated coconut at a time and mix in.
• The nut/seed butter: Be aware that depending on which you use, the flavor of the coconut sugar cookies will vary slightly.

Other Vegan Cookies

Once you bake a batch of these coconut cookies, pop on over to look at some of my other gluten-free, vegan cookies too.

• Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (Keto)
• Chocolate Stuffed Cookies
• German Hazelnut Cookies
• Double Chocolate Chip Fudge Cookies
• Edible Vegan Cookie Dough

If you try these soft and chewy chocolate chip coconut sugar cookies, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan – I love seeing them.