These Almond Joy Cookies deliver a perfectly chewy, chocolatey, and nutty bite! Just like the candy bar, they combine tropical coconut and rich chocolate with a satisfying almond crunch.

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Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almonds!
Almond Joy bars are my son Milo’s favorite candies. He’s been begging me to make a cookie version and after many tests, this is our favorite!
We originally tried chopping and adding in the actual candy bar, but they turned out quite messy. So instead, we loaded a soft and chewy cookie dough base with semi-sweet chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and crunchy almonds.
These Almond Joy Cookies bake up perfectly with each bite capturing the magic of the classic candy bar. Ready in 30 minutes, this recipe is simple to make with no chilling or complicated steps โ just mix, scoop, and bake. Bonus: This cookie dough freezes great for fresh homemade cookies anytime!
Looking for more nutty cookies? Try my best White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies or these Salted Caramel Crunch Cookies!
Key Ingredients
If you’re an avid baker, there’s a big possibility that you already have everything you need to make these cookies in your kitchen right now. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- All-Purpose Flour: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup rather than dunking the cup straight into the bag. When you dunk a cup like that, you end up really packing the flour in there. Packed flour is too much flour โ creating overly dense cookies!
- Baking Soda: Double check the label and make sure it’s not expired.
- Butter: It needs to be softened, so don’t forget to leave it on the counter for at least one hour prior to using. If you forgot, shred it quickly with a box cheese grater and it will soften in minutes!
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet are my favorite to use! They really help to create that Almond Joy flavor. Dark chocolate chips or a dark chocolate bar cut into chunks also work great.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: You can use unsweetened coconut if you’d like. Just note that you’ll lose a little of the classic Almond Joy element.
- Extracts: Vanilla extract and coconut extract help to deepen the flavor of the cookie dough base. You can skip the coconut extract, but I don’t recommend skipping the vanilla extract. If you love the taste of almonds, you can also add a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract for an extra boost.
How To Make Almond Joy Cookies
This Almond Joy Cookie recipe is so easy – you don’t even need to chill the dough. Just beat to combine the dough, stir in all your mix-ins, scoop and bake! Below is a quick recipe overview, butย pleaseย scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. It’s best to use a hand mixer for this step unless you have a lot of elbow grease to spare! Mix in the vanilla, coconut, and egg.
- Make the Cookie Dough: Add the dry mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds.
- Scoop: Drop the cookie dough onto a prepared sheet and leave a little room for spreading. I recommend using a medium cookie scoop here, which is about 2 tablespoons of dough.
- Bake: Place in preheated oven and bake for just 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and edges are set. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool on the baking sheet, so let them rest a few minutes before moving.
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Dress Them Up: You can press a whole almond into the top of the cookies before or after baking. You can also drizzle them with melted chocolate and sprinkle on a few more sliced almonds and shredded coconut on top.
- Cookie Sheet Tips: For the best results, bake one cookie sheet of cookies at a time andย allow the cookie sheet to fully cool before dropping more cookie dough on it. Using hot/warm cookie sheets can cause cookies to spread too fast. I like to use multiple cookie sheets to prevent any issues.
- Chill: If your cookies are spreading too much when baking, refrigerate the dough for 2 hours then try again.ย
- Toast the Almonds: Toasting the almonds before adding them to the dough brings out a deeper, nuttier flavor. If you really love almonds, feel free to add an extra 1/2 cup sliced almonds to your cookies.
- Pinch of Sea Salt: A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top right after baking will enhance the sweetness and makes the flavors pop.
Make Ahead and Freeze Cookie Dough
I always make a double batch and freeze scoops of cookie dough to bake them whenever a craving hits. With a freezer full of homemade cookie dough, you’re always ready for surprise guests!
- Freeze Dough:ย Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Bake Frozen Dough: When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Almond Joy Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ยผ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- โ cup granulated sugar
- โ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup sliced almonds
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or silicone baking mats, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, coconut extract, and egg, and mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two additions, beating until dough is well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut and almonds.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons size), drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Leaving a little room in between for spreading.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until edges are set and golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before moving to cooling racks to cool completely.
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Notes
Nutrition
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