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These oatmeal cookies are made with both butter and coconut oil, brown sugar and my favorite thing - little fragrant bites of coconut. They have thin, chewy centers, but with that satisfying little sugary crunch around the edges.
If you're wary of gluten free cookies because you think they might be dry and crumbly, let these be the cookies that change your mind. These gluten-free oatmeal coconut cookies have crispy golden edges, chewy centers that don't fall apart, and make people who eat them double check to see if they are actually gluten free
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Notes from Kristie's Kitchen
I've baked gluten free cookies countless times over the years. I've been baking gluten free for nearly 25 years now, and I've learned a lot through my own trial and error. Follow this recipe (and my tips) for some unforgettably delicious cookies!
- Makes: 12 large cookies if you use a 2 inch cookie scoop, or 18 cookies if you scoop the dough with a spoon.
- Prep time/ actual time spent in the kitchen: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes to an hour for the dough to rest, but that's time you could be doing something else.
- Cooking time: 7-8 minutes
- Make sure your oats are certified gluten free. Even though oatmeal is naturally gluten free, during processing oats can get mixed up with wheat because those two grains look almost identical. So cross contamination is a real concern.
- Use a good quality gluten free flour blend. I have my own recipe for a flour blend which can be found in my free ebook, Gluten Free Baking For Beginners (more on that below) .Another one I highly recommend is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking flour.
- Melting the butter and coconut oil makes a big difference in the texture of the finished cookies. You will get a more soft and chewy texture instead of a crunchy, thick cookie.
Here's What You Need
Here's the ingredients you'll need to make these oatmeal coconut cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card to get the complete recipe.
- Coconut oil - I use unrefined coconut oil for an extra fragrant coconut flavor
- Butter - melting your butter and coconut oil is the key to achieving that chewy texture
- Brown sugar - standard stuff
- White sugar - when I can, I try to use natural unrefined sugar (a.k.a. evaporated cane sugar)
- Egg - large eggs are what I use in all my baking recipes
- Vanilla
- Gluten free all purpose flour - I use either Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour, or my all-in-one flour blend recipe (see recipe notes)
- Salt, baking soda
- Xanthan gum - if you bake gluten free, you probably already keep xanthan gum on hand
- Oatmeal - I use quick oats that are certified gluten free
- Shredded unsweetened coconut - you could also use sweetened shredded coconut, but I like to use the unsweetened kind.
Tools You Might Need
If you're planning on making this recipe here are some little pieces of equipment that make it so much easier.
Nordic Ware cookie sheets are the absolute best, and I highly recommend them to anybody and everybody!
And I've used my silicone baking mat for so many batches of cookies and graham crackers, it's finally starting to wear out. But it's held up for a decade now.
Buy Now → 
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Buy Now → How to Make These Cookies Dairy Free
🧈 Replace the butter with a vegan butter substitute like Earth Balance Buttery spread, or Country Crock Plant Based butter sticks. And definitely keep the coconut oil!
Let's Get Baking
Once you try this recipe, I bet you'll want to make it again. Just open up this blog post and let these step by step photos be your guide while you bake along with me.
Even I do this! Yes, I open up my own blog posts and scroll right to the steps. Seeing the pictures really helps speed things along!
Step 1. In a mixer add the egg, vanilla, melted butter and melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and white sugar. Blend until smooth.
Step 2. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Mix well.
Step 3. Add the oatmeal and shredded coconut and mix until well-incorporated. Keep on mixing on medium speed for 2 full minutes. This step is important to fully hydrate the gluten free flours, which will make the cookies tender and chewy.
Step 4. Cover the dough and let it rest while you preheat the oven to 350℉. You can also chill the dough (covered) for an hour or more if you want to bake it later.
Step 5. Scoop the dough into roughly 2 inch balls (for large cookies) or 1 ½ inch balls (for medium sized cookies). These are the large sized cookies, BTW. Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Step 6. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes, or until they pass the touch test: touch a cookie in the center and if it is dry and doesn't stick to your finger, it's ready to take out. Even if they are still a little squishy - we want them soft and chewy, not baked until they are completely dry.
step 7. Let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet. They will get more solid as they cool. Gluten free cookies are fragile when they're hot, but firm up when given a little time to cool down and set.
Here's Where to Get My All-in-One Flour Recipe
Crisp & Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
These oatmeal cookies are made with both butter and coconut oil, brown sugar and my favorite thing - little fragrant bites of coconut. They have thin and chewy centers, but with that satisfying little sugary crunch around the edges.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes resting time
- Cook Time: 7-8 minutes
- Total Time: under 1 hour
- Yield: 12 large cookies, or 16 medium sized cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup (165gm) gluten free All purpose flour *see Notes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 cup quick oats, gluten free
- ½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
Instructions
- In a mixer add the egg, vanilla, melted butter and melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and white sugar. Blend until smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Mix well.
- Add the oatmeal and shredded coconut and mix until well-incorporated. Keep on mixing on medium speed for 2 full minutes. This step is important to fully hydrate the gluten free flours, which will make the cookies tender and chewy.
- Cover the dough and let it rest while you preheat the oven to 350℉. You can also chill the dough (covered) for an hour or more if you want to bake it later.
- Scoop the dough into roughly 2 inch balls (for large cookies) or 1 ½ inch balls (for medium sized cookies). Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes, or until they pass the touch test: touch a cookie in the center and if it is dry and doesn't stick to your finger, it's ready to take out. Even if they are still a little squishy - we want them soft and chewy, not baked until they are completely dry.
- Let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet. They will get more solid as they cool. Gluten free cookies are fragile when they're hot, but firm up when given a little time to cool down and set.
Notes
*Notes: I have 2 recommendations for flour: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour, or my own gluten free flour blend, which you can find in my free ebook, Gluten Free Baking for Beginners.
Bob's Red Mill also makes the certified gluten free quick oats that I love for these cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 239
- Sugar: 18.1 g
- Sodium: 172 mg
- Fat: 10.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 25.7 mg
Who Should Use Gluten Free Oatmeal
Yes you do need certified gluten free oats if you need these cookies to be gluten free. Here's why that matters.
Oats are naturally gluten free, but because oat grains look almost identical to wheat grains, there is a risk of them getting mixed up during processing and packaging. Stick with certified gluten free oats to avoid that possibility.
If you're baking for someone with celiac disease or a serious gluten sensitivity, certified gluten free oats are not optional. The certification means the oats were grown, harvested, and packaged in a completely gluten-free environment.
How to Store, Freeze, and Save Money
How to store these cookies: Store cookies at room temp. They will stay good in a cookie jar or other airtight container for a couple of days.
These cookies also freeze really well. You can freeze the cookie dough by scooping it into balls and freezing them inside a freezer bag, or put the baked cookies in a freezer bag and store them that way.
Freezing the dough in balls lets you bake only the amount of cookies you need. It's fun to have a few different kinds of cookie dough in the freezer, then you can bake several different kinds of gluten free cookies on one cookie sheet.
How to save money on gluten free baking supplies: Once you get familiar with what the standard price for gluten free flour and gluten free oats is in your area (or online), you can recognize a good sale when you see one. When gluten free items that I use a lot go on sale, I like to buy at least 2 or more at a time.
These cookies are proof that gluten-free baking doesn't have to be a compromise. With the best recipe and tips you get cookies that are crispy, chewy, and so good that no one will even ask if they're gluten-free.
More Cookie Recipes that Freeze Well
Hey! Down Here 👋
Did you know this recipe is part of my Best Gluten Free Baked Goods roundup? Come by to see all the delicious recipes - you might find some new favorites!
Recipe creator: Kristie Winget - I love gardening and baking cookies with my grandkids. Here's a little more about me.
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