This past weekend, my guy flew out of town to travel for work, so it was just the girls—me and our little pup—at home. We spent lots of quality time playing fetch with her tiny walnut-sized tennis ball, walking around the block, and cuddling in bed. Waking up with her little face peering down into mine, “Is it time to get up yet? Are you up? Are you up?” was just the cutest thing!
The few times I dashed out to the grocery store or ran over to Karen’s for pie, my heart melted a bit each time I patted her head goodbye. We only recently moved, so this new place doesn’t quite feel like home to her. Her tall ears bend over a little, making her look incredibly worried. “But… But… Can’t I come too?” she always seems to ask.
So whenever I open the front door, she’s always perched in the hall, listening and waiting. Once I close out the cold, she comes bounding over, acting as excited as if I’d been gone for a year, and jumps up, licks my shins, and begs for belly rubs. Her pure joy is the sweetest thing!
Just like these cookies! (I’m sneaky, huh?) They’re super sweet and full of joy too… Well, at least the chocolate, coconut, and almond flavors. They’re Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies!
You guys love cookies, and oatmeal ones seem to be your favorite! Blueberry, raspberry, carrot cake, pineapple coconut, and now… Almond Joy joins the big cookie family! Just like the rest, these are clean eating friendly and made with entirely wholesome ingredients. Nothing processed, nothing overly refined—just pure healthy goodness.
Let’s talk about the oats. I used instant oats, also called quick-cooking or minute oats. They’re ground more finely than old-fashioned, but you can easily make your own. Pulse the same amount of old-fashioned oats in a food processor or blender 5-10 times. That’s it!
However, it is extremely important that you measure the oats correctly. Use the spoon-and-level method (or better yet, use a kitchen scale!). Do NOT scoop them directly from the canister. If you do, you’ll end up with 1.5 times as much, which will make your cookies dry and crumbly, as well as prevent them from spreading in the oven while baking.
For the sweetener in this recipe, I turned to agave. It’s a liquid sweetener, and the extra moisture helps the cookies spread as well. It also keeps the soft and chewy for a whole week! You can easily substitute honey or maple syrup, but both of those have a subtle undertone to them that detracts from the almond and chocolate. I don’t recommend substituting a solid sugar, but if you do, try adding a few tablespoons of milk as well to compensate.
My #1 secret to soft and chewy cookies is to slightly underbake them; then leave them on the warm baking sheet to cool for longer than normal. I let them sit for anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on whether they hold their shape when I try to move them. This allows the centers of the cookies to continue cooking through without the outsides turning crisp and crunchy.
Promise me you’ll take them out of the oven early too. You won’t regret it!
These Almond Joy Oatmeal Cookies are one of my favorite oatmeal cookies yet! They have a little extra chewiness from the coconut, my all-time favorite flavor of almond extract (it stems from my chemistry days… a story for another time), and dark chocolate. Ooey gooey melted chocolate. My biggest weakness!
There’s no way these cookies will last more than 3 days in my house… How long will they last in yours?
These almond-flavored oatmeal cookies are filled with shredded coconut and chocolate, the same flavors as are in Almond Joy candy bars. They’re incredibly soft & chewy, and they’ll stay that way for an entire week if stored in an airtight container. But… They never last that long!
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and almond extract. Stir in the agave. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the coconut and a little over half of the chocolate. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet. Press the remaining chocolate into the tops, and flatten slightly. Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: It’s extremely important to measure the oats correctly. They should be measured like flour. If scooped directly from the container, you’ll end up with 1.5 times as many oats, which will make the cookies dry and crumbly, as well as prevent them from spreading in the oven.
Honey or maple syrup may be substituted in place of the agave.
Miniature chocolate chips may be substituted in place of the dark chocolate.
For all other questions regarding the recipe, including ingredient substitutions, please see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ + Video page.
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Hello. I was wondering how well they freeze. If I don’t freeze them, I will eat them all at once and it defeats the healthy aspect!
You sound just like me Eve — I can totally relate! 😉 Yes, these cookies freeze really well! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Good morning ma pls ma I’m in dire need of a recipe I want to make cookies too but strictly with these ingredients I don’t know if its possible and I want it really cripsy
Oats
Honey
Butteralmond seeds and milk
Baking powder and soda pls ma is it possible and what are the measurements pls ma thank you
And I would also want to know if it can last for a month at least in an airtight container thank you
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Nenye! I have plenty of oatmeal cookie recipes besides this one, which you can find here. They’re all designed to be soft and chewy, rather than crispy… But I’d love to hear what you think if you try any of them! 🙂 The only way they’ll last for at least a month is if you freeze them. Homemade cookies typically go bad within a week or two!
Hello Amy. I was wondering if I could use rolled oats instead of instant oats for this recipe? Really excited to try your recipe! Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Ying! I’ve actually covered this already on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, which is linked to in the Notes section of the recipe, directly underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies!
I don’t have almond extract, but I have coconut. I’d planned to use white whole wheat, I wonder if I could exchange it for almond flour for a back- palate taste? Or should I REALLY use regular whole wheat for best results? I have it on hand, but generally prefer baking with www.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Karla! I’ve actually covered this exact flour question on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page. There’s a link to that FAQ Page at the bottom of the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these oatmeal cookies!
I doubled the chocolate chips and coconut, and added a handful of crushed almonds. I love this recipe! But with these adjustments I love it even more.