I’ve been eating No-Bake Cookies all my life, and I love them! They’re so easy to make, and I never get tired of this childhood favorite. Our family recipe for No-Bake Cookies probably isn’t the healthiest, so I came up with this healthier version to satisfy my sweet tooth.
We did three different versions of this recipe: original plain, original with chopped walnuts, and one with almond butter. I really like all three, but I’m totally crazy about the version with almond butter! The original cookie is awesome just as it is, but once you mix the almond butter in, they become insanely addictive (don’t say I didn’t warn you!). It has the perfect trio going on: chocolate, coconut, and almonds!
I like to use a combination of fine and big flake coconut for more texture in these cookies.
After the chocolate mixture comes to a boil, it will turn thicker like the picture above. Once it thickens, remove it from the heat and mix in the coconut and any add-ons that you might want.
Sometimes it’s nice to have more that one kind of cookie, so I spoon out half the batch and then add almond butter or walnuts to the other half.
I’ve always considered these cookies more of a snacking kind of sweet, but you can dress them up too. They’re really good served warm with Homemade Coconut Ice Cream. These cookies are also particularly good on a Saturday morning with coffee, (yes I do have cookies for breakfast once in a while)!
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup cocoa (cacao) powder
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1½ cups coconut sugar
- 2 cups finely shredded coconut
- 1 cup big flake coconut
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- Additions:
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds
- ½ cup almond butter
- Combine the coconut milk, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and coconut sugar in a larger saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil, then boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the shredded coconut, big flake coconut, and the vanilla.
- From here, you can spoon the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet to cool, or you can pick an addition to add before forming into the cookies.
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42 Comments on “Healthier No-Bake Cookies”
Hi! Can I use no coconut or oats & just use almond & coconut flour instead? Will they be flat? Or should it be OK?
I don’t think almond flour and coconut flour will work because no bake cookies are all about the texture which comes from either coconut or oats. If you did use coconut or almond flour it would be more like a cookie dough. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
These are amazing!! I cut back on the coconut sugar, used oats and also sprinkled in some PB2!!!
I love these with a little peanut butter, and I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I’m not a big fan of coconut and glad to see that oats can be used instead. But I was just wondering, does the cookie taste more like coconut than chocolate if using all the coconut ingredients?
I think the cookies definitely taste more like chocolate than coconut, but there is a coconut flavor, so if you’re not a big fan you might like the version with oats more. I hope you enjoy the cookies, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
So you could use oats instead of the coconut? Why type of oats would work best? I can’t stand coconut especially the texture.
Thanks
You can definitely use oats in place of coconut (I’ve heard when you hate coconut, you really hate it!). Just regular rolled oats work great (not instant), and that’s how my mom’s original recipe was written so you shouldn’t have any problems with the substitution. The only thing I’ve noticed about oats vs. coconut is that the oat based cookies dry out a little sooner, where the coconut version will keep moist for several days. You can freeze extra cookies in an airtight container to extend their shelf life (if you happen to have any leftover). 🙂
These sound great! Is there a way to get the nutrition information?
I don’t currently have nutritional information on the website, but you can use an online nutrition calculator to obtain the numbers. I really hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Love Love Love..From a chocoholic these satisfy totally! Thank you for sharing
From one chocoholic to another! My mom’s name is also Cheryl and she’s a chocoholic too, I definitely come by it naturally!
I tried this recipe and there was extra liquid. I thought it would be thick and firm. I had to squeeze out the extra liquid before placing cookies on cookie sheet. Anyone else experienced this? And if so how did you fix it?
I’ve never experienced any extra liquid when I make these, but that could be just a difference in brands of coconut (maybe some are drier than others?). If you do have extra liquid the quickest fix is to add a little more coconut flakes to soak it up. I hope you have better luck next time, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
I thought Chocolate no-bake cookies were made with Oatmeal and peanutbutter ?
You’re 100% right – no bake cookies are usually made with oatmeal and peanut butter! I gave them a makeover with some healthier ingredients that I can eat – I switched out the oatmeal for coconut because I’ve temporarily eliminated oats from my diet and almond butter is my go-to choice with chocolate, (it also makes them easier to serve to guests with all the peanut allergies these days)! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
what is almond butter and where can i get it
Almond butter is just like peanut butter but made from almonds instead. You should be able to find it at any health food store, and I’ve seen it at retail grocery stores and Costco. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
What kind of coconut milk? Full fat, but just use the liquid part of it? What brand of coconut milk do you like? What are the ingredients in it?
I used full fat coconut milk from the can – sometimes the coconut milk separates in the can so be sure to shake it up to re-emulsify it. I like using the Native Forest brand because it work really well for homemade coconut whipped cream as well as being a really consistent product – it has organic coconut, water, and organic guar gum in it. If you can’t tolerate guar gum, Natural Value is a good brand with nothing but coconut and water in it.
This recipe calls for shredded coconut and big flake coconut, but only the shredded is in the instructions. Does the big flake get added at the same time as the shredded? Or is it mistakenly on the ingredients list?
I’m glad you caught that! The big flake coconut goes in at the same time as the shredded, it adds a nice chewy texture to the cookies. Thanks for bringing this to my attention and I hope you like them! 🙂
Hi! I have made this recipe three times now and it is a hit every time! I am planning on making it again today but just realized that I am out if coconut milk…do you think that I could use a different kind of milk with the same result?
A different kind of milk should be fine. The original recipe from my mom calls for regular cow’s milk, but almond milk should work as well. We’ve had a lot of success with these cookies too – even people who don’t like coconut much still seem to like them!
Hi Kari How do you think Peanut Butter (I make mine in the Vitamix so no nasites) would go as opposed to the Almond Butter in this recipes, have you or anyone else ever tried it, I am going to make this recipe tonight.
BTW, I put the Lime & Coconut Ice Cream in the freezer and we had it the next evening and it was D E L I C I O U S, there is none left it was that good !! Thanks again for a brilliant recipe.
Julie xx
Peanut butter will work just as well, it seems interchangeable in all the recipes I have using almond butter. I’ve started using almond butter because of all the peanut allergies, but sometimes I really crave that chocolate peanut butter combo!
Glad your family like the Coconut Lime Ice Cream, we never have any leftovers either. 🙂
Hi again kari….do you use cacao powder for this recipe or did you actually use cocoa powder as there is a big difference, cacao powder is much stronger in flavour, the cocoa powder has got sugar in it, which I can not have…any ideas ? Julie xx
I use cacao powder for this recipe, I’ll make an additional note in the recipe. Cocoa powder and cacao powder get confused a lot, some labels read cocoa powder and there’s no added sugar and some labels read cacao powder. The brands I’ve used in the past usually say cocoa mix (which has sugar) and cocoa powder (which is pure cacao powder).
Hello, I’m Elaine. I love food blogs. My favorite is yours and “Cooking With Mr. C.” on Facebook. (also a blog) Between the two of you, I get the best recipes. Keep them coming. Elaine.
Thanks, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
I came across the original recipe in my own handwriting that had been copied from the blackboard when I was in the third grade. That was in 1957!!! So it has been around quite some time and hasn’t changed, until now. Thank you for making it healthier. I’ll try it soon.
Thanks for sharing your story – it’s definitely a classic recipe!
These look divine! You’ve already won me over. On my way to go buy coconut now. . .
I’d stock up on coconut, you’re going to need it!
Is there a substitute for coconut sugar I can use?
You can use cane sugar with the same texture results. I’m working on a pumpkin version with honey right now, and it’s going well so I think you could use it instead. I’d try substituting 1 cup of honey for the 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar.
I found the coconut sugar tonight at the store and got some to try the recipe out tonight. I told my husband that I brewed up some crack and haven’t let him have any yet.
I cut the coconut sugar in half an used a little less than 3/4 a cup because I’m a dark chocolate girl. It still came out sweet, and next time I’ll probably cut it down to 1/2 c to get an even richer dark flavor.
Thanks again! This cured my chocolate fix for a few days 😉
I’m so glad you told me that, I’m a dark chocolate girl too! I made them sweet like regular No-Bakes, but I love the idea of cutting the sugar way back. I’m going to try this next time and then post the results in the recipe – thanks again! 🙂
I always forget about no-bakes…you would think that being such an easy and quick cookie to make that I would make them often. Thanks for your healthier version…made them this morning and they are delish!
We had some last night, and my favorite is still the one with almond butter!
I totally grew up on no-bake cookies as well! Yum.
There’s something about them that never gets old! I was wondering where the idea first originated, but I haven’t been able to figure it out yet.