4-Ingredient Almond Joy Cookies (Super Easy Recipe!)
All the flavors you love in Almond Joys, now in these easy Almond Joy cookies! This simple variation on classic coconut macaroons makes chewy cookies dotted with melted chocolate and crunchy almonds.
Almond Joys are my favorite candy bars. No joke. This makes it very easy around Halloween, since no one else in my family will touch them with a 39 1/2 foot pole.
Which makes these cookies a little surprising — my whole family loved them! The combination of chewiness from the macaroon base with the little bits of chocolate and almond appears to be a winner. That’s fantastic since these are the easiest cookies ever to make — you can have them in the oven in under 10 minutes and ready to enjoy in 25!
What’s in 4-ingredient Almond Joy cookies?
Who knew you could make deliciously fancy cookie versions of the Almond Joy candy bar with just a few simple ingredients? These are all pantry items you can keep around and whip these up at a moment’s notice.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: The base of these cookies is made from sweetened condensed milk and coconut. You can sub this with fat-free sweetened condensed milk, but largely, this is an ingredient that should not be subbed.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: This is the other half of the base, and what gives these cookies that delicious coconut flavor. You can sub this for unsweetened coconut for a less-sweet version of this cookie recipe, but otherwise, this is an ingredient that should not be subbed.
- Chocolate Chips: I like semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, but feel free to use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips!
- Almonds: You can buy pre-chopped almonds, or get some whole almonds and chop them down to size for this recipe. If you have nut allergies or just don’t like almonds, you can just leave these out!
Making super easy Almond Joy cookies
Step 1 | Chop Almonds
If you need to, start by chopping your almonds roughly. You can use a food processor or blender for this step, or pull out the old knife and get a-chopping. You can also place your almonds in a ziploc bag and hit them with a mallet or the back of a heavy butterknife.
Step 2 | Mix it Up
Add your almonds, the sweetened condensed milk, coconut, and chocolate chips to a large bowl and mix them until everything’s mixed together. This is your macaroon batter. It should be sticky, with obvious coconut, almond, and chocolate chips in it.
Step 3 | Form Cookies
Before you start forming cookies, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. These guys love to stick, so I do not recommend just greasing and hoping for the best. Even with my silicone mat, some of the cookies stuck when I tried to get them off too soon.
To form the cookies, you can either use a medium cookie scoop, or a large spoon to scoop some dough up. Then WET YOUR HANDS before attempting to roll the cookie mixture and flatten it into a disc shape. The wet hands part is super important. Adding a little water here does two things: help the dough stick together and keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. You will probably need to rewet your hands several times as you roll and flatten your dough.
Roll your cookie dough into a little ball, then use your wet hands to flatten it into a disk shape. Place your cookies on your parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Step 4 | Bake and Enjoy!
Bake your Almond Joy cookies at 325° for 12-14 minutes. The coconut should be golden brown, and they might look a little dark on the bottoms. You can leave your cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes, but for best results, don’t put them on a cooling rack. Until they reach room temperature, these cookies are very crumbly and may fall apart on the cooling rack.
Once your cookies are completely cool, you can dip their bottoms in melted chocolate or even add a chocolate drizzle on top. Or, you can do like I do, and eat them just as they are. Waiting is hard when these cookies are so good!
Variations
The coconut macaroon base of these cookies is so versatile, that you can create a number of awesome cookies from it. Here’s a few options we’ve tried.
- Mounds Cookies: Use dark chocolate chips and leave out the almonds.
- White Chocolate Pineapple Cookies: Sub white chocolate chips for the regular chocolate chips, and sub chopped dried pineapple for the almonds for a tropical and fruity cookie!
- Chocolate Pistachio Cookies: Sub chopped pistachios for the almonds to make this variation.
Other Super Delicious Cookies
FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Yes, you can prepare the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking.
The ingredients listed (sweetened condensed milk, sweetened shredded coconut, chopped almonds, and chocolate chips) are naturally gluten-free. However, ensure that your chocolate chips and any additional ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination.
4-Ingredient Almond Joy Cookies
Ingredients
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 14 oz bag sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds. Mix until combined.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Wet your hands, then roll dough into 1 inch balls, then flatten to a disk and place on lined cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies at 325° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before serving.
I’m obsessed with this recipe! SO simple and easy, yet absolutely delicious.
I enjoyed this recipe! It is so easy to make and the taste is so good. I love it!