Name: Vegan Coconut Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 100 g (1 ¼ cups) desiccated coconut (plus extra for sprinkling); 200 g (¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) (slightly softened)); 70 g ( (⅓ cup[ + 2 teaspoons) caster or granulated sugar; 70 g (⅓ cup) light brown soft sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 Tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy); 275 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour; 100 g (3 ½ oz) dark chocolate (melted)

Go to Recipe

Vegan coconut cookies - these delicious shortbread style biscuits are flavoured with toasted coconut and drizzled with chocolate.

They are crisp on the outside, soft in the middle and utterly moreish!

Vegan coconut cookies on a wire cooling rack with bowls of melted chocolate and toasted coconut.

These vegan coconut cookies are easy to make and so tasty! They have a hearty but tender texture, crisp on the outside and slightly soft in the middle.

Toasting the coconut before adding it to the dough really helps to intensify the flavour! The cookies are perfect just as they are, but a drizzle of melted chocolate and a sprinkle of extra toasted coconut makes them feel that little bit more luxurious.

They are great every day cookies, but I also think that they would be really good for Easter!

I adapted and veganised this BBC Good Food recipe to make these cookies.

Close up of vegan coconut cookies on a marble board.

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Coconut Cookies?:

Vegan butter: Please, for the love of holy baking, use a block butter/margarine to make these cookies, not the spreadable kind in a tub.

Spreadable will likely make the dough too soft, and the biscuits may be more tough as it contains more water. I recommend Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.

Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.

Desiccated coconut: Make sure that you use unsweetened coconut.

Milk: Any kind of non-dairy milk will work. I use soy.

Vanilla: Use a good quality vanilla extract for the best flavour. If you have it then vanilla bean paste would be amazing instead.

Sugar: I like to use a mix of caster and light brown soft sugars. You can use all of one or the other but it will likely change the texture slightly.

Dark chocolate: This is optional as the coconut cookies are great plain, but it does elevate them from an every day biscuit to a fancy one!

Vegan coconut cookies on a marble surface with bowls of melted chocolate and toasted coconut.

How To Make Vegan Coconut Cookies:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Spread the desiccated coconut out in a wide skillet or frying pan over a low heat. Stir until it turns golden then remove from the heat, tip into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Cream together the vegan butter, caster and light brown soft sugars, vanilla extract and milk with an electric mixer until well combined.

Stir in the cooled toasted coconut. Finally mix in the flour until fully combined.

Roll the dough into 23 balls, about a rounded Tablespoon each, or 32g (I prefer to weigh them out).

Place them spaced apart on a couple of lined baking sheets.

Use your fingers to flatten the balls of dough; they don't spread out much in the oven so flatten them to the thickness you would like your cookies, I go for about 1cm.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Don't overwork the dough as that will make the cookies tough. Just knead it very briefly until it is smooth and then stop.

Make sure that your cookies are all the same size so that they bake evenly. I weigh out the portions of dough to make sure that they are exactly the same (approx 32g per cookie).

Storage And Make Ahead Instructions:

These vegan coconut cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.

The dough will keep in the fridge (well wrapped) for up to three days.

To make them further in advance, prepare the dough and shape the cookies as per the recipe (roll into balls and flatten) then spread them out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid.

Transfer the frozen cookies to an airtight container or freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. The cookies can be baked right from the freezer, they just may need a minute or two longer in the oven.

More Vegan Cookie Recipes:

Vegan coconut cookies on a ,marble board with bowls of melted chocolate and toasted coconut.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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