These coconut flour sugar cookies are crisp and crunchy with a nutty coconut flavor. They are made with coconut flour and ground flax, sweetened with coconut sugar and can be dipped in dark chocolate or frosted. In addition, these coconut cookies are gluten free, vegan, paleo and nut free - great for those with common allergens.
These are the cutest little sugar cookies you ever did see!
They're crispy, crunchy and absolutely amazing dipped in dark chocolate. Yes, these coconut flour sugar cookies are making my yearly Christmas baking list.
These cut-out cookies are made with coconut flour (obviously) and a bit of ground flax, palm shortening (or butter) and sweetened with coconut sugar.
You can dip them in dark chocolate (like I did) or frost them and add a few festive sprinkles. Either way, you can't go wrong!
Why You'll Love these Coconut Sugar Cookies
- paleo and vegan friendly - made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about
- egg free - these coconut flour cookies are made without eggs
- dairy free - the recipe uses palm shorting instead of butter (but butter will work)
- refined sugar free - sweetened with coconut sugar
- nut free - made without almond flour
- crispy - roll the coconut cookie dough thin to make these cookies nice and crisp
Ingredients
Here's a list of what you need to make these paleo coconut flour sugar cookies:
- coconut flour - I use Healthworks organic coconut flour
- ground flax - used to bind the dough. I make my own ground flax by grinding whole flax seeds in a coffee grinder.
- coconut sugar - to sweeten the cookies. Maple sugar or a granulated sweetener like monk fruit should work as well.
- baking powder - I like to make my own paleo baking powder, but any brand will do
- xanthan gum (optional) - makes the dough easier to roll and cut and helps with a crispier cookie texture.
- salt - enhances the flavors.
- palm shortening: I like using palm shortening in many of my baked goods because it is paleo friendly and dairy free. I've also tested these cookies with butter and they turned out just as good.
- vanilla extract - added for flavor.
- water - to thin the dough
- dark chocolate - to dip the baked cookies
How to Make Coconut Flour Sugar Cookies
The dough for these coconut flour sugar cookies is made in one bowl and chilled in the fridge. It's then rolled between parchment paper, baked and cooled. I like dipping them in dark chocolate, but you can top them with frosting instead.
Here are the steps:
Make the Cookie Dough
- First, make the cookie dough by combining the coconut flour, coconut sugar, ground flax, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add in the shortening, vanilla and water. First, combine with a fork or spatula, then use your hands to knead the dough.
Chill the Cookie Dough
- Next, form the dough into a ball, set it in the mixing bowl and place it in your fridge for an hour to chill.
Roll the Dough and Cut Out Shapes
- After chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Then, remove the cookie dough from the fridge and roll it between two sheets of parchment paper to about ⅛ inch thick. Super thin cookies will come out crispier after baking. If you prefer a chewier cookie, then roll the dough to ¼ inch thick.
- Cut out shapes using small cookie cutters. The dough can be fragile, so I don't recommend highly detailed cookie cutters. If the cookie dough is sticking to the parchment, dust it with a bit of tapioca flour.
Bake the Cookies
- Place the cut out cookies on the lined baking pan, then put them in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the dough, how large the cookies are, how cold the cookie dough is and the material of your pan (mine always bake faster on an aluminum pan vs stainless steel). I highly recommend cooking just a few cookies in the first batch to check the bake time.
Cool the Cookies
- After baking, cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Dip the Cookies in Dark Chocolate (Optional)
- After all of the cookies have been baked and cooled, melt the dark chocolate. You can use a microwave, or melt the chocolate on the stove top over low heat.
- One at a time, dip the cookies halfway into the melted chocolate and place them on a lined baking sheet to set.
- Pop the cookies in the fridge or freezer for the chocolate to fully set.
Storage
These cookies are best stored in the freezer, where they stay nice and crisp. However, they can be kept at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to one week.
Tips and Tricks
- Measure ingredients by weight (when given). This ensures accuracy, which is really important when it comes to measuring coconut flour (since it is so absorbent).
- Use xanthan gum. While this ingredient isn't required, it does make the dough more pliable and easier to work with, plus it makes the cookies crispier after baking and cooling.
- Chill the dough. Chilling the dough makes it easier to work with.
- Roll the dough between parchment paper. This is the easiest way to roll out the cookie dough.
- Bake a test batch first. Baking time varies greatly depending on the thickness of the dough, how large the cookies are, how cold the cookie dough is and the material of your baking pan (mine always bake faster on an aluminum pan vs stainless steel). I highly recommend cooking just a few cookies in the first batch to check the bake time.
- Re-bake the cookies for a crispier texture. The cookies do crisp up once cooled. However, if you didn't bake them long enough and want an even crispier texture, then place them back in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
FAQ
No, the xanthan gum is an optional ingredient. It makes the dough easier to roll out and the cookies turn out crispier.
If the dough is too wet or too dry it won't roll out well. I recommend measuring the ingredients by weight (when given) to get exact measurements. After that, if the dough is too dry, then add a little water. If the dough is too wet, add a little coconut flour.
In addition, using xanthan gum in the cookie dough or dusting the parchment paper with tapioca flour will help when rolling out the cookies. This makes them crispier too!
Yes! These vegan coconut flour cookies would go perfectly with some icing or frosting instead.
More Paleo Cut-Out Cookies
Coconut Flour Sugar Cookies (Vegan, Paleo)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 dozen mini cookies 1x
Description
These coconut flour sugar cookies are crisp and crunchy with a nutty coconut flavor. The dough is made with coconut flour, rolled, cut out, chilled and baked. You can dip them in dark chocolate or frost them and add festive sprinkles.
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour (56g)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (65g)
- 2 Tbsp ground flax (11g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum (optional)*
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup palm shortening, room temp (or butter)
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the coconut flour, coconut sugar, ground flax, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add in the shortening, vanilla and water. First, combine with a fork or spatula, then use your hands to knead the dough.
- Form the dough into a ball, set it in the mixing bowl and place it in your fridge for an hour to chill.
- After chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and roll it between two sheets of parchment paper to about ⅛ inch thick. Super thin cookies will come out crispier after baking. If you prefer a chewier cookie, then roll the dough to ¼ inch thick.
- Cut out circles with a cookie cutter. The dough can be fragile, so I don't recommend using highly detailed cookie cutters. If you're having trouble rolling the dough, dust the parchment paper with tapioca flour.
- Place the cut-out cookies on the lined baking sheet, then put them in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until browned on the bottom**
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
- Once all of the cookies have been baked and cooled, melt the dark chocolate. You can use a microwave, or melt the chocolate on the stovetop over low heat. One at a time, dip the cookies halfway into the melted chocolate and place them on a lined baking sheet to set.
- Pop the cookies in the fridge or freezer for the chocolate to fully set.
Notes
I recommend storing the cookies in the freezer to keep their crispy texture.
*xanthan gum makes the dough easier to roll out and creates a crispier cookie texture, however the recipe works without it.
**baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the dough, how large the cookies are, how cold the cookie dough is and the material of your baking sheet. I highly recommend cooking just a few cookies in the first batch to check the bake time. Once the cookies have cooled, if they are not as crispy as you want then you can place them back in the oven and bake another 3-5 minutes to crisp.
Katie
My family and I love these coconut flour cookies. Enjoy!