I’ve become more interested in memorizing recipes.
Savory things I obviously have down. I no longer require a recipe to make a soup or throw together some pasta but I have always religiously followed a recipe when it comes to baking.
That was fine in 2006 B.C. (before children) but now that I am constantly making this batch of cookies, or that batch of cupcakes (always at 11pm I might add) I have found it very helpful to be able to get out some flour, sugar, and chocolate and throw it together without stopping every 5 seconds to check and see what I’m supposed to do next.
This is my newly memorized cookie recipe that I adore because it is the most versatile thing around. The flour, baking soda, salt, sugars, vanilla, and eggs always stay the same. As does the fat —I always use extra-virgin coconut oil so they are dairy-free but feel free to substitute the same amount of unsalted butter (that would be 2 sticks). The rest is adaptable to whatever you have on hand. Want chocolate chip cookies? Okay, take out the oatmeal, coconut, and lime zest and add a bag of chocolate chips. Peanut butter? Omit the same ingredients and add 1 cup peanut butter, want to add dried tart cherries to that? Add 1 cup of cherries with the peanut butter.

Chewy Oatmeal-Coconut Cookies {Dariy-Free}
Adapted from Everyday Food
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spread coconut in an even layer in a large frying pan and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. (Stir the coconut every so often as it is toasting so all pieces get an evenly browned.)
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together. Combine coconut oil and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and continue beating until fluffy again (the coconut oil will sieze up when the eggs are added, just keep beating until it gets smooth and fluffy). Add toasted coconut, flour mixture, oats, and lime zest and beat until thoroughly combined.
- Drop dough by in 2-tablespoon-sized balls about 2-inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake in the lower and upper third of the oven until golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, about 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Let cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 421Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 3gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g
Yummy!! These look great-can’t wait to try ’em on my lil’ Veggie Kids.
Yay, Sarah! Great to hear from you and congratulations on all your blogs success. Did I hear you are coming out with a cookbook soon?
Mmmm… my weakness, right here!
Sounds fabulous!
Thanks!
I can’t figure out what happened to the 1 cup of coconut flakes that you toasted? Did you add them at the end together with the oats, flour and lime zest?
Yes, thanks for catching that. I will amend the recipe to make that correction. Happy Baking!