Almond Joy Cookies
Almond Joy cookies made from four pantry ingredients in a single bowl, with no flour and no mixer. Sweetened coconut and condensed milk bake into a chewy, macaroon-like mound studded with chocolate chips and chopped almonds. Naturally gluten-free, and on the cooling rack in under half an hour.
Ingredients
The Coconut Base
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes the soft, moist flaked kind, not desiccated
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk a little under a standard 14-ounce can
The Mix-Ins
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips about 1 cup; milk or dark chocolate also work
- 1 cup lightly salted almonds chopped to about the size of a pea
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Sturdy spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cookie Scoop or Tablespoon
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Tip the sweetened coconut flakes and the chocolate chips into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped almonds and stir everything together while it is still dry, so the chips and the nuts spread evenly through the coconut.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
- Stir with a sturdy spatula until no loose coconut is left. The mixture will be thick, glossy and sticky.
Scoop and Bake
- Drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the lined sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Wet your fingertips and press each mound into a thick disc.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the coconut at the edges is golden and the tops still look pale and soft.
Cool and Set
- Leave the cookies on the hot sheet for 10 minutes, then lift them onto a wire rack to cool completely. They firm up as they cool.
Notes
* Make-ahead: the mixture keeps covered in the refrigerator for 2 days, or scoop the shaped mounds onto a tray, freeze them solid, and bake from frozen with 2 extra minutes.
* Storage: an airtight tin at room temperature keeps them for 5 days, with parchment between the layers. Do not refrigerate, which dries the coconut out. Baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months.
* Substitutions: unsweetened coconut works with 2 extra tablespoons of condensed milk, and sweetened condensed coconut milk makes the whole batch dairy-free.
* Doneness: judge by the golden edges rather than the center. The tops should still look pale and soft when you pull the sheet out.
* Nutrition values are an estimate.
* Storage: an airtight tin at room temperature keeps them for 5 days, with parchment between the layers. Do not refrigerate, which dries the coconut out. Baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months.
* Substitutions: unsweetened coconut works with 2 extra tablespoons of condensed milk, and sweetened condensed coconut milk makes the whole batch dairy-free.
* Doneness: judge by the golden edges rather than the center. The tops should still look pale and soft when you pull the sheet out.
* Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 0.6mg