As the days start to get a bit longer after a dark and bitter winter, I begin to crave citrus. Something about a burst of fresh summer fruit that makes my tastebuds sing. And a zing of citrus is exactly what these amazing vegan and gluten-free coconut orange cookies are. Requiring no-chill time, you’ll be enjoying a fresh summer-inspired cookie in a flash.
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Vegan & Gluten-Free Coconut Orange Cookies
Thick coconut orange cookies with a chewy melt-in-your-mouth center and light crisp golden edges, these vegan and gluten-free cookies are going to hit the spot. Perfect for an Easter brunch or spring afternoon snack, they are made with coconut oil, full of fresh real orange flavor, and rolled in sweet shredded coconut. Get ready for some serious cookie yum!
How To Achieve Real Orange Flavor
Packed with real orange flavor that will hit your tastebuds with a citrus punch, all you need is a large orange. Start by zesting the orange. You can use a fancy zester or simply the small grating side of a cheese grater. That’s what I did and works like a charm. This orange zest contains all the wonderful fragrant orange oils that will not just make these cookies taste like orange, but smell like orange too.
Creaming the orange zest with coconut oil and sugar will release the sweet citrus essential oils contained in the zest and create a deliciously enticing aroma as soon as you start to mix. Gorgeous little orange zest speckles will appear in these baked coconut cookies creating a beautiful looking, not to mention tasting, cookie.
How To Roll A Cookie in Coconut
I contemplated combining the coconut right into the cookie batter and actually tested the recipe both ways. Shredded coconut in the cookie was tasty but produced a slightly dry cookie. Rolled in shredded coconut, these cookies have a gorgeous crispy texture on the outside while staying incredibly chewy and moist inside.
Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, the coconut may not want to stick to the cookie very well. If that’s the case, get a small bowl of room temperature water and give the rolled cookie dough balls a quick little dunk in the water and then roll them in the coconut. Problem solved!
Vegan and Gluten-Free Tips
As with any and all gluten-free baking, double-check all of your ingredients to ensure they are certified gluten-free. The next step of successful gluten-free baking is to take a look at the gluten-free all-purpose flour blend you are using. Check to see whether it contains xanthan gum or not. Xanthan gum is the metaphorical glue that will hold these cookies together. I’ve included xanthan gum in the recipe but if your blend already contains it, simply omit it.
Eggs used to be a staple in my kitchen for any and all baking. I’m slowly learning that there are lots of easy and accessible egg replacers. Going with the tried and true ground flaxseed, this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon. Ground flaxseed, sometimes called flax meal, combined with liquid, in this case, orange juice, creates a gelatinous emulsifier. This is sometimes referred to as a flax egg.
The Best Vegan & Gluten-Free Coconut Orange Cookies
Thick chewy coconut orange cookies that will melt in your mouth. This easy vegan and gluten-free recipe comes together in a snap and requires zero chill time. Fresh bursts of summer orange citrus combined with sweet shredded coconut produce a bright and truly scrumptious cookie perfect for a spring snack. I bet you’ll enjoy these cookies as much as I did!
Fresh Citrus Baking Ideas
Looking for some bright citrus baking recipes. Here are a few I highly recommend:
- Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake
- Pink Lemonade Cake
- Key Lime Pie Cookies
- Key Lime Pie Cake
- Orange Blossom Cake
Coconut Orange Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
- Total Time: 27 Minutes
- Yield: 8-9 Large Cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A fresh burst of bright citrus in every single bite. These easy vegan and gluten-free coconut orange cookies are thick, chewy, and will practically melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120ml) coconut oil, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar *
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 ¼ (160g) gluten-free all-purpose 1:1 baking flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (120g) shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a cookie pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl on a stand mixer or large mixing bowl with electric beaters, combine the coconut oil and sugar and cream together on high for 2 minutes.
- Add in the orange zest and mix on high for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the orange juice and flaxseed and mix until combined.
- Add in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until a dough forms.
- With a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls and roll in the shredded coconut. Place the cookie dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheet approximately 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet fully. Enjoy!
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
Notes
* Granulated sugar can easily be swapped for cane sugar or coconut sugar
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 12 Minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookies
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 15 Grams
- Sodium: 29 Miligrams
- Fat: 7 Grams
- Saturated Fat: 4 Grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 Gram
- Trans Fat: 0 Grams
- Carbohydrates: 26 Grams
- Fiber: 1 Gram
- Protein: 1 Gram
- Cholesterol: 26 Miligrams
Keywords: vegan coconut orange cookies, coconut orange cookies, coconut orange cookie recipe, gluten free coconut orange cookies, vegan gluten-free coconut orange cookies, vegan orange cookies, vegan coconut cookies
I’ve already made two batches since last weekend. I love orange!
★★★★★
Haha, you know it’s good when 😉
Can we use buckwheat flour or some other grain instead of all-purpose gluten-free flour?
I have not personally tested it so I can’t guarantee results but in theory, it should work. Note that the texture will change.
Tastes great, but mine melted into one giant very flat, very crispy cookie. Maybe my kitchen was too warm and I should’ve chilled the dough before baking? Also wondering if it would’ve helped to make the “flax egg“ first, and then mix it in after it had time to gel… Any tips? I’d like to try them again, but want individual cookies this time!
Oh no! What a cookie bummer. Was your coconut oil still solid and at room temperature? Does your gf flour blend contain xanthan gum? If not, did you add it in? I would double-check the measurements of all your ingredients next time, prep the cookies, and then give them a chill for an hour before baking.
Flavor is so good! Didn’t have flax/orange juice so I subbed in a real egg with some orange vitality drops (drinkable essential oil)…about 4 drops did it. Cookies came out a bit crumbly which was probably my own fault since I didn’t stick to the recipe. Either way though very delicious. Love all of Katie’s recipes, they never disappoint!
★★★★★
What a good idea with the essence!
Your recipe does not show the amount of xanthan gum that should be used if the g.f. flour does not include it.
That’s because it calls for a 1:1 baking blend which would contain it. But if you are using something else, the recipe would need 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum. I hope you enjoy them Valerie!