All the flavors of Almond Joy candy bars made into cookies! Soft and chewy cookies flavored with sweetened coconut, sliced almonds, and chocolate chips. This easy homemade recipe comes together in minutes (no chill time).
I had completely forgotten that Almond Joy candy bars existed until this past Halloween when I happily discovered several in my kids’ trick-or-treat candy stash. After one bite I was reminded how great the combination of coconut, almonds, and chocolate is.
I promptly got to work rolling those same flavors into a homemade cookie recipe. The flavor and texture of these cookies is incredible. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Let’s make Almond Joy cookies!
Jump to:
What is Almond Joy?
Almond joy is an American candy bar made of sweetened shredded coconut topped with an almond and covered in milk chocolate.
By adding shredded coconut, sliced almonds, almond extract, and chocolate chips to cookie dough we can easily recreate this delicious flavor profile in cookie form. Note: we are not using Almond Joy candy bars in this recipe; we’re just creating cookies with the same flavors.
Recipe overview
The base of this recipe is my go-to cookie dough recipe. It’s the same base that I use for my M&M Cookies, Christmas Cookies, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. It creates a soft and chewy cookie that bakes up perfectly with no chill time necessary.
- Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt).
- Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Add egg and extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until combined.
- Add mix-ins: shredded coconut, sliced almonds, and chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and bake for 9-12 minutes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Ease: Only about 15 minutes of hands-on time.
No chill time: You can bake these cookies as soon as the dough is assembled.
Flavor: Coconut, almond, and chocolate is an incredible flavor combo!
Texture: Crisp edges, soft centers, chewy coconut, creamy chocolate, and crunchy almonds.
Recipe tips
- Your butter should be soft, but still slightly cool. If it is too soft your cookies will spread too much.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Bonus: it also makes clean-up a breeze.
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. My go-to cookie scoop is 1-½ tablespoons.
- Do not overbake. Pulling your cookies from the oven when they are still slightly underdone will result in the perfect texture – soft centers with crisp edges. Oven times vary, and the size of your dough balls may vary slightly from mine. Keep an eye on them. When the edges are set and the very center is still slightly underdone, pull them out and allow them to cool with the baking sheet set on a rack.
- Use your favorite type of chocolate chips. I personally like dark chocolate chips in this recipe because it balances the sweetness of the coconut. An Almond Joy candy bar is made with milk chocolate, so feel free to use milk chocolate chips. Semisweet works great, too.
More cookie recipes
Recipe
Almond Joy Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp
- ½ cup packed brown sugar , make sure it is fresh and soft
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly packed
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add egg and extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add coconut, almonds, and ½ cup chocolate chips. Stir until well combined.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon portions of dough and place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets. Top each ball of dough with a few additional chocolate chips (this makes for a prettier cookie).
- Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and the very center is still slightly underdone. If your dough balls are smaller or larger than 2 tablespoons, adjust bake time accordingly. Make sure not to overbake. The cookies should still be soft in the center when you remove them from the oven.**
- Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Gina says
HAD to try these because almond joys are my favorite candy and I think I love them in cookie form now even better!
Hanna says
The flavor combo in this is divine! I love the almond extract in this recipe! Perfection!
Beth says
Took them out when slightly undone in the middle. Once cooled I found out they were completely done on top but the middle bottom was still undone. Ugh