These Almond Joy Cookies have a delightfully soft and chewy texture with slightly crisp edges. The flavors of coconut, dark chocolate, and almond come together to create this completely irresistible cookie.
These fun cookies are part of a collection of candy-inspired treats including my Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookie Cups.
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You guys, you must try these cookies!
You don’t have to be a fan of the candy bar to love these incredible cookies. But, if you are an Almond Joy lover, you’ll be head over heels.
They’re a great year-round treat and perfect for holiday cookie trays.
Table of contents
One Bowl Almond Joy Cookies
This recipe comes from my friend Mary’s new cookbook, and it is spectacular. Just from looking at the list of ingredients I knew they would be delicious but they exceeded all of my expectations. The dough for these cookies is mixed together in one bowl and cleanup is a breeze. One of Mary’s specialties is creating amazing baked goods with less fuss.
The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook
Mary Younkin’s book, The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook, is filled with recipes you are going to make more than once. You’ll find everything from cakes, to cookies and bars, to cobblers and crisps. But it doesn’t stop there. She’s also included chapters with ice cream, puddings, and sauces and no-bake treats.
These are exactly the type of dessert recipes I gravitate to most – simple, no-fuss baking at its best. Most have just 5 to 15 minutes of prep and super easy instructions to get those treats ready ASAP. No complicated kitchen tools or unusual baking dishes required. Bakers at all levels of experience will love these recipes!
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – For properly softened butter, let it to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. It’s softened enough when you can press your finger into the side and leave an indentation. Don’t be tempted to melt butter as a shortcut or the texture of the cookie will suffer. You can soften butter quickly in the microwave if you forget to set it out.
- Sugar – Both light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Egg
- Flavoring – Coconut extract and almond extract are key to the tropical flavor of these cookies.
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch – A little cornstarch helps to create a soft, tender cookie with crispy edges.
- Baking soda and kosher salt
- Shredded sweetened coconut – Be sure to pick up sweetened coconut which will be moist and sweet, unlike the unsweetened variety which is much drier.
- Dark chocolate chips – I like Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips but you should easily be able to find a variety of different brands at most stores.
- Sliced almonds
How to Make Almond Joy Cookies
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add an egg, coconut extract, and a little almond extract and beat again until smooth.
- Next, in goes the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. There is no need to dirty another bowl – just add the dry ingredients directly in with the wet mixture. Fantastic! Beat the mixture well.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in shredded, sweetened coconut, dark chocolate chips, and sliced almonds.
- Stir well to mix the ingredients throughout the dough.
This cookie dough is chunky and substantial. There’s lots of good stuff in there!
- Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop, roll it into balls, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tip
Be careful not to over-bake these cookies. They will be round and pillow-like when they are ready to come out of the oven. They’ll flatten slightly as they cool.
Betcha big bucks you’ll eat one before they’re completely cooled! These cookies never last more than 24 hours in our house.
Storage Tips
Store the completely cooled cookies between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature. Almond Joy Cookies will stay fresh and tasty for up to a week if stored properly.
Freezing Almond Joy Cookies
Flash freeze balls of unbaked cookie dough by placing them on a baking sheet and then transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for about an hour. When frozen solid, transfer the balls of dough to a freezer-safe plastic storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw the dough completely in the refrigerator and bake as directed in the recipe. To bake the cookie dough from frozen, just add an additional 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time.
Cookies Anytime!
Flash freezing cookie dough allows you to bake as many cookies as you’d like. Bake just a few for a treat and save the rest for another day!
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Almond Joy Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, coconut extract, and almond extract. Beat again until smooth. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Beat to mix well. Add the coconut, chocolate chips. and almonds. Use a wooden spoon to mix throughout the dough.
- Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop, roll into balls (about 2 tablespoons each), and place them a couple of inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven when the cookies are puffy and barely cooked through – do not let them brown. The cookies should be round and pillow-like (and not browned at all) when they're ready to come out of the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will settle and flatten out slightly as they cool.
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!This post was originally published on October 8, 2019. It has been updated with new text and images.
Can I use vanilla extract instead of coconut. Would this 1/4 teaspoon change in flavoring alter taste of cookie?
Hi Linda. The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and leaving it out would definitely reduce the amount of coconut flavor. I’m sure they’d still be delicious, just a bit different.
Can I use almond flour instead of regular?
I’m certain the texture would be affected but without testing, I’m unsure how it would work out.
I took the cookies to cards today and everyone loved them. So far, 2 people have asked me for the recipe so they can make them. This one is a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Thanks, Cheryl. 🙂
Just made these Almond Joy Cookies. They are my new favorite cookie! Sooo good. I made the recipe exactly as written and I will be making these again.
Looks wonderful. I’ve got to try this