4.04 132 Published Apr 02, 2020, Updated Aug 09, 2023 Let’s talk sweets. Sweet treats tend to get a bad rap in the health world, but I fully believe that enjoying sweet treats should be part of a balanced diet! I have no shame in enjoying a treat occasionally. My top tip? Make your own sweet snacks and desserts! Store bought sweets are often loaded with a ton of ingredients that will make you feel less than ideal. I love making recipes with healthy flours instead of white flour, natural sweeteners and other wholesome ingredients. With treats like this I can enjoy them while also feeling good about the food I’m fueling my body with! Case in point: these cookies! The first four ingredients in a traditional Almond Joy bar are: corn syrup, sugar, coconut and vegetable oil. No thanks! The only four ingredients in these cookies are almonds, coconut flakes, chocolate chips and sweetened condensed coconut milk. No, I won’t be eating the whole batch in a day, but I will feel good when I snack on this homemade treat vs. a store bought candy bar!

The 4 Ingredients You Need:

unsweetened flake coconut – make sure you use use flake coconut that looks like longer strands, not shredded coconut or coconut flakes that looks more like chips. dark chocolate chips – You can use mini or regular chocolate chips. I like Enjoy Life or Lily’s! If you want these cookies to be vegan, be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips salted almonds sweetened condensed coconut milk – You can make your own or use the Let’s Do Organic brand.

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

Lately I’ve been hooked on using sweetened condensed coconut milk to make vegan and dairy-free treats! It’s the perfect non-dairy alternative to traditional sweetened condensed milk. For these cookies I used the Let’s Do Organic brand, which can be found at Whole Foods, Thrive Market or other natural food stores. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own sweetened condensed coconut milk. One thing to note: you want your sweetened condensed coconut milk in a liquid state. If it seems too thick/hard to pour, that’s totally fine… you’ll just need to heat it up a bit. You can do this by adding the sweetened condensed coconut milk to a small saucepan and heat over super low heat until mixture is liquid. Don’t heat too long because you don’t want the coconut milk to get too hot. Simply remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before using in the recipe. If you don’t let it cool long enough, it will melt the chocolate chips. 

How to Make Almond Coconut Cookies

This recipe is super simple and similar to making macaroons. In a bowl, combine the shredded coconut, almonds and chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed coconut milk. Stir until the mixture is well coated with the coconut milk. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Note: the dough will be pretty sticky but that’s okay. Press each cookie down a bit either using a spoon or your fingers. If the dough is sticking your fingers use a little water to moisten them. Bake until the edges are golden brown and then let cool completely on the baking sheet before serving. If you try to eat them before they cool, they’ll likely fall apart! I know it’s hard, but you gotta have patience. 🙂

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