I recently shared a 4 ingredient healthy snickers recipe, and since those were such a huge hit, I thought… what candy bar can I recreate next?! So I took a quick peek into my pantry and found two giant bags of shredded coconut (bought one forgetting I had the other) and just like that the light bulb went off – ALMOND JOY! I continued my brainstorming and realized the easiest way to recreate this delicious candy bar would be in cookie form. So here ya have it, 4 ingredient almond joy cookies!
And if the few-ingredient healthier dessert thing sparks your interest, I have to recommend you also give my 5 ingredient gluten-free cookie dough a try! Yup, just 5 ingredients, NO baking, and healthier than most other cookie dough recipes out there.
What You’ll Need to Make 4-Ingredient Almond Joy Cookies
Unsweetened Coconut – Opt for a brand like Bob’s Red Mill, which offers high-quality unsweetened shredded coconut. Unsweetened shredded coconut adds natural sweetness and a chewy texture to the cookies without added sugar!
Chocolate Chips – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips for the best balance of sweetness and flavor.
Almonds – Choose roasted and salted almonds for a savory crunch. Chopping the almonds roughly ensures that each bite has a nice crunch and balances the chewy texture of the coconut.
Sweetened Condensed Milk – I used Nature’s Charm sweetened condensed coconut milk to make these vegan cookies, but regular sweetened condensed milk will work just as well. Both options give the cookies their rich, gooey texture and perfect amount of sweetness!
How to Make This Recipe
- Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until fully combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out mounds of the mixture onto a baking sheet, spacing each mound about 4 inches apart.
- Wet the palm of your hand, then use it to gently flatten each mound into the size and shape of a cookie.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Variations
Get creative with these add-ins for your Almond Joy Cookies:
- Chocolate Drizzle: Melt 1/4-1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave in 15-second intervals, then drizzle over the top of the baked and cooled cookies.
- Different Nuts: Swap out almonds for chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Cherry Addition: Add dried cherries to the cookie batter for a fruity twist!
- Almond Extract: Enhance the almond flavor by adding a little bit of almond or vanilla extract.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Opt for using dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs
Make it Vegan/Dairy-Free: Use sweetened condensed coconut milk instead of regular sweetened condensed milk. I used Nature’s Charm Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk and my cookies turned out great!
4 Ingredient Almond Joy Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (for added texture, use 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut PLUS 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes)
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, or 1 (11.25 ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until fully combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out mounds of the mixture onto a baking sheet. Spacing each mound about 4 inches apart.
- Wet the palm of your hand, then use it to gently flatten each mound into the size and shape of a cookie.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookie from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.