For Mom
One of my mom’s favorite candies (along with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, obviously) is the Almond Joy. She loves the combination of chocolate, almond, and chewy coconut. While I definitely used to not get the appeal when I was little, I sure get it now. Almond Joys are a pretty perfect candy.
Earlier this year, my mom asked me to create an “Almond Joy Cookie” for her and after a lot of overthinking, I managed to create a cookie that’s actually really simple to make and has all the flavors and elements that make an Almond Joy so perfect. Coconut chips, chocolate chips, slivered almonds, and these special little chocolate covered coconut almonds come together with an almond flour-laced cookie dough to create the most delightfully chewy cookie. They’re easy to make, freeze really well, and are truly the cookie you didn’t know you needed.
As always, follow along below for the step-by-step or skip to the bottom for the recipe.
Before we start, let’s talk about the chocolate covered coconut almonds. These little gems are exactly what they sound like. As you can see in the cross-section below, they are almonds wrapped in a coconut layer and then coated in chocolate. They’re sweet and salty, provide awesome texture, and really emphasize the Almond Joy flavor.
I got my bag of these almonds from Costco (linked here), but you can also get a version from Trader Joe’s (look for the plastic clamshell of "Chocolate Coconut Almonds"). If you can’t get your hands on them, you can 100% swap in extra of the other mix-ins, use regular chocolate covered almonds, or even chop up some almond joys.
Beat together the butter and sugars until well combined.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until well combined. Be sure to scrape the bowl as needed.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter mixture and mix until just combined, with some dry spots remaining. Leaving some dry spots before incorporating the mix-ins ensures that the dough doesn’t get overmixed.
Add the chopped chocolate covered coconut almonds, chocolate chips, coconut chips, and slivered almonds and mix until the add-ins are evenly distributed throughout the dough and no dry bits remain.
Make sure to use unsweetened coconut chips here! Sweetened coconut will make the cookies too sweet and unbalanced. Coconut chips work better here over shredded coconut because they help to create a chewy texture in the cookies without being too macaroon-y.
Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions. You don’t have to, but I like to re-roll the dough in my hands to make nice little rounds.
If you’re baking off all of the dough, you’ll have to do it in two batches.
Place 9 balls of dough staggered on each lined baking sheet. I always stagger my cookies on the baking sheets. This is something I picked up in culinary school. It lowers the chances of your cookies baking into each other.
Freeze the sheets for 5 to 10 minutes before baking. This helps to firm up the butter in the dough and helps to control the spread of the cookies. If you can’t fit two sheets in the freezer, condense the balls of dough onto one sheet, freeze, and then divide them between the two sheets before baking.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees f until golden brown around the edges and just set in the center. You don’t want to overbake these cookies. Overbaking will result in a crispy (and likely dry) cookie rather than a chewy cookie.
When baking two sheets at a time, it’s best to bake one tray on the top third and one tray on the bottom third of the oven. Be sure to rotate the sheets front to back and top to bottom about halfway through baking. If you’re baking one sheet, bake the cookies on the middle rack, rotating halfway.
Let the cookies sit on the tray for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat freezing, baking, and cooling the remaining dough.
Cookies can be stored in a resealable bag or airtight container for up to a week.
Directions for making the dough in advance can be found below.
Almond Joy Cookies
Yield: About 25 cookies
Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (108 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (108 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (171 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (51 grams) almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) chocolate covered coconut almonds, chopped
1/4 cup (45 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (26 grams) unsweetened coconut chips
1/3 cup (45 grams) slivered almonds
Method
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
Beat together the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again on medium speed until well combined, about 45 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined, with some dry spots remaining. Add the chopped chocolate covered coconut almonds, chocolate chips, coconut chips, and slivered almonds and mix on low until the mix-ins are distributed evenly throughout the dough and no dry bits remain.
Scoop the dough using a 1 3/4-inch scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoon or 29 gram portions) to yield about 25 balls of dough. Place 9 balls of dough staggered on each lined baking sheet. Before baking, freeze the sheets of portioned dough for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is firm.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees f on the top and bottom thirds of the oven, rotating front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and just set in the center, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, bake one sheet on the middle rack at 350 degrees f, rotating halfway, until golden brown around the edges and just set in the center, about 10 minutes.
Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat the freezing, baking, and cooling process with the remaining dough.
Storing
The cookies can be stored in a resealable bag or airtight container for up to a week.
Make ahead:
There are a few options here—
The dough can be made and portioned and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. If you choose this route, the dough does not need to be frozen before baking. The cookies can be baked right from the fridge while still cold and firm.
OR
The dough can be made and held for 2 days and then scooped once you’re ready to bake them. The dough will firm up and likely be a bit harder to scoop. As you’re scooping, the dough will get warm and will need to be frozen for 5-10 minutes before baking.
OR
The dough can be made, portioned, and frozen for up to 3 months. The dough can be baked from frozen and will likely need to be baked for an extra few minutes.
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