Directions
***Feel like you’re seeing double? Yes, this is a repost of a previous recipe. I’m reposting it for the holidays, as it’s become quite popular, and I’m adding in a couple of hints that might help you along come baking time….
It seems that a lot of people are having a rough time with the cookies spreading. My guess is that they haven’t used the correct amount of coconut. Make sure that you grab a 14 oz. bag of coconut. There are 10 oz. and 14 oz. bags available at my grocery store. Go big!
Also, parchment paper and wax paper are two completely different things. Do not try to bake these on wax paper. The paper will melt. I recommend parchment paper or a Silpat mat. The cookies are sticky, so take care in removing them from the parchment once they’ve cooled. Slide a thin spatula under each cookie to remove it.
OK, back to the original post. And…..go….***
Sometimes, simplicity is key. And in this case, simplicity is delicious.
These sweet little Almond Joy Cookies come together in no time flat with four simple ingredients. They are a great last-minute cookie for any occasion, whether it be unexpected guests or just a solid hankering for something sweet. I needed a little something extra for dessert when family came into town over the weekend, and with little time on my hands, these cookies were the perfect thing to whip up. And, they were a big hit with my coconut loving crowd.
I started by chopping up some lightly salted almonds.
I didn’t want huge chunks, but I didn’t need to finely chop them either. Middle of the road “You Still Know it’s a Piece of Almond” chunks will do.
Once that was done, I threw them in a bowl with a bag of sweetened coconut flakes and a bag of chocolate chips. I poured a can of sweetened condensed milk over the top, and then…
…stirred the lot up into a sweet, gooey, chocolaty, crunchy, coconutty bowlful of wonderful.
I scooped my cookies out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, and then dipped my fingers in a little bit of water before patting the cookies down just a bit.
Another great thing about these cookies? They don’t really spread, so you can load up that cookie sheet and knock the whole batch out in no time.
I popped them into the oven for about thirteen minutes, just until the coconut around the bottom had turned golden and crispy and the coconut on top was just starting to toast up.
The cookies need to cool completely on the baking sheet, and then can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
Easy, right?
They are just as tasty as they are easy to make, and that crunchy toasty coconut around the edges is the stuff dreams are made of. The finished cookies are chewy, chocolaty and crunchy, in all the right ways.
ALMOND JOY COOKIES
- 2/3 cup chopped lightly salted almonds
- 1 (14 oz.) bag sweetened coconut flakes (Please make sure your bag of coconut is the correct size. This makes all the difference!)
- 1 (12 oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
- Preheat the oven to 325*F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the almonds, coconut, chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until thoroughly combined and coated.
- Using a cookie scoop, or a spoon, scoop out bundles of the coconut mixture onto the cookie sheet. They don’t spread while baking, so you can place many on one cookie sheet.
- Dip your fingertips in a little bit of water, and pat down the tops of the cookies just a bit so they aren’t too mounded.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 325*, until the bottoms are golden and the coconut on top starts to toast.
- Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and allow to cool completely on the cookie sheets before transferring to an airtight container. The cookies may be sticky. Carefully remove from the parchment with a thin spatula, and layer parchment in between layers of cookies in your container.
- ENJOY!
Recipe adapted from MomOnTimeOut.com
35 Comments Hide Comments
Delicious. Can they be frozen?
I would think you can, because you can freeze coconut macaroons. I’d just make sure they are wrapped well to avoid freezer burn.
I used the full amount of coconut and they still spread; still good, but what can I do?
Can the batter be made ahead and baked another day?
I like to make all my Christmas cookie dough on one day and then spend a day just baking.
While I completely understand that, because that’s how I like to bake for the holidays too, I really don’t think this is a make ahead kind of cookie because there’s no flour/eggs/sugar etc. involved. The good news is, you can throw the “dough” together in a matter of a couple of minutes!
Could I use the mini chocolate chips?
Sure!
I just made these but changed them up a slight bit. I added a bit of pure vanilla extract and substituted somewhere between a 3rd and a 4th of the almonds with cashews. Yummy!
Sounds great!
Hello! My son saw the pictures and is now planning these cookies for tomorrow! Quick question : do you know if the onces for your ingredients are volume onces or weight onces? Because up here in French-speaking Canada, things are sold in grams or mL… ☺️
Weight!! I hope you enjoy them!
So I made these and though Absalutley delicious did not hold together well any thoughts? More honey/coconut milk?
Did you use the recommended amount of coconut? I’ve found that sweetened shredded coconut comes in two different sized bags at the grocery store. If you use the smaller bag, the cookies will not keep their shape. I hope that helps!
Evidently parchment paper DOES get OLD!! All of my first batch stuck to the paper!! I used a new roll, for my 2nd pan, and let them cool for 20 min., and they were perfect. Lesson learned, the hard way. Expensive, as well!! This mixture WILL keep a few days, before baking.
Can you freeze the “dough” and bake the rest another day?
I think that it could be difficult given the ingredients, but if you give it a try, let me know how it works out!
These turned out perfect! Love, love, love’em.
I am Excited to bake these for Christmas! Would I be able to leave out the almonds (unfortunately) by any chance?
Would it be possible to leave out the almonds (sadly)? These look amazing and I would love yo bake them for my family.
I think you could, although they add a lot of flavor to the cookie!
I made these today but without the almonds. They are so easy and delicious!
Are these cookies aske to be made ahead of time for cookie exchanges?I don’t want to give out melted gooey cookies.lol
How far in advance? They’d be fine made a day or so ahead.
Not sure if my almonds are ‘lightly salted”. Is it okay if they aren’t?
Sure!
My cookies spread too much in the oven, Any thoughts on why?
Did you use the right size bag of coconut? I’ve noticed my store carries two sizes. This recipe calls for the bigger size.
Because of some comments saying they spread, I baked them in the mini muffin pans! Turned out great!! And cute!
Brilliant!!!
Would these work with slivered almonds
They should.
Mine did spread as well. I think I’ll give the muffin pan a try. I wonder if I should spray the pan maybe? Any thoughts?
Love this recipe. Made them last year, turned out great! This year my cookies ran into 1 blob on my parchment lined cookie sheet. I’m using the right temp, and measuring exact ingredients. Something is going wrong. I also formed them the same way. Any suggestions. Thank you.
Hmm…did you accidentally use a smaller bag of coconut? I’ve almost made that mistake before!
Love this recipe! Simple and tasted wonderful. Even my picky mother-in-law said they were yummy. Thank you