I’ve probably mentioned some time before that I went to boarding school.
It’s quite a few years now since I left but there are some things I remember very well — the food being one of them!
I rarely enjoyed the meals at school, although there were a few pretty decent desserts…
But, after sport on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons, we’d come back to the boarding house to a tray of “treats”. Usually brownies, cookies, fairy cakes or a traybake of sorts. I have a very clear picture in my head of Matron sitting there guarding them to make sure nobody had more than one!
I guess sources of excitement were fairly few and far between as those “treats” were definitely one of them and we’d eagerly discuss what we were hoping to find that day on our way back from a cross-country run or hockey practice.
My very favourites were the Chewy Coconut-Oat Cookies.
I hadn’t actually thought of those cookies since school days but these took me right back. I’m very happy to say that they’re just as good as those I used to love, while being vegan, gluten-free and probably considerably healthier too.
They’re ultra chewy with a lovely crisp exterior and are jam-packed full of coconut and oats. They’re also quick and easy to make so hopefully you have all the ingredients at home and can whip up a batch today!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 C Rolled oats
- 1 C Oat flour*
- 1/2 C + 2 Tbsp Coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 C Unsweetened shredded (desiccated) coconut
- 1 Tbsp Ground flaxseed
- 1/2 C + 1 Tbsp Melted coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 3 Tbsp Water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175C/350F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, shredded coconut, salt and flax.
- In a small pan, melt together the maple syrup and coconut oil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda.
- Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the water and stir until well combined.
- Leave for 5-10 minutes to cool slightly then scoop balls of the mixture using a cookie scoop or spoon and place on the prepared baking trays. Flatten slightly (they don't spread much) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- They will firm up a lot when cool.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. They also freeze well.
Notes
- I grind my own oat flour from whole oats in my Froothie Optimum 9400 blender. It's much more economical than buying it pre-ground.
I’d love to hear if you have any positive memories of school food?!
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Those look lovely, Emma! Glad I can skip the boarding school part and just enjoy as many of these as I’d like ;-)!
I’m pretty sure I managed to get more than my fair of those cookies at school…but yes, definitely nice not to have anyone guarding these!
These sound a bit like Australian ANZAC biscuits
I can definitely believe that they were a highlight of boarding school days! I went to a secondary school that had boarding and day girls - I was the latter but I know from the boarders the food was hit and miss…
Someone just said the same thing on instagram. I wasn’t familiar with Anzac biscuits but they do look very similar
I went to boarding school and I wish we had these
They look lovely. It’s pinned to be tried 
Yay for another boarding school girl 😉
Hope you enjoy the cookies.
I can’t say as I have many good memories of school food - I always had a lunchbox with processed meat sandwiches (maybe the root of why I’m a vegan now?!) I’d definitely much rather have had something like these oat biscuits instead, they look great.
I always wanted a packed lunch when I was at junior school! But then again, I don’t think I’d have been too happy with processed meat sandwiches, even then!
These look delicious- the texture looks amazing!
They’re soft straight out of the oven but go super chewy when they’re cool. And lovely and “buttery”.
Ha! I was going to say the same thing as some of the above - they remind me of ANZAC biscuits! Yum!
I’m glad I’ve discovered ANZAC biscuits then if that’s what these are ! 😉
It was nice to read about your school memories - but only 1 treat? They also remind me of Anzac biscuits (which I love) and I’m definitely going to try them sometime, they look and sound delicious! Pinned for later!
There were 50 girls in the house so I think it was so that everyone got one…I’m pretty sure I found my way around that rule on a number of occasions though!
girl, these look so super delicious. and so healthful. they are basically a healthy cookie snack. i love that there is coconut in there, too. oatmeal cookies were always my favorite (especially iced ones) and i’m sure the coconut takes it to the next level.
That’s what I say to myself when I eat two in one go 😉
But yes, coconut takes everything to the next level!
This definitely sounds like a cookie to look forward to! Looks so delicious and I love the combo of oats and coconut- 2 of my favourites in one!
We always have similar tastes! Hope you give these a go Gabby
I have one positive memory of school food and that’s warm Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Custard. It was so lush! I was really lucky as my best friend’s mum was one of the school cooks so, as a treat, she’d make it for us at home too. I haven’t thought about it in years and now I’ve got a serious craving for it!!!
Your chewy coconut cookies look totally scrumptious! None of my attempts at GF cookies have worked yet (they’re either too grainy or ‘claggy’) so I’m really looking forward to trying your recipe. So glad you’re still enjoying your Froothie
I couldn’t be without mine now xx
I think schools always do chocolate pudding well! That was one of my favourite school desserts too 😀
These definitely aren’t claggy or grainy. You can also sub wholemeal flour for the oat though if you don’t want them to be GF for some reason.
These cookies look so big and delicious Emma! I absolutely love cookies and I love oats in them and/or oat flour. I also love that you used both coconut sugar and maple syrup…my 2 favorite sweeteners. These would make me very happy!!
Thanks so much Brandi! I’m pretty certain you’d love these. They really are so hearty and yummy! I love the crunchy outsides and the chewy, buttery texture 😀
Hmmm … not sure what I did wrong, but I couldn’t get mine to ‘form’. I did however get some tasty granola out of this recipe though!
Oh no! Readers on instagram have had success with them so I’m not sure what went wrong! Before baking they don’t stick together well. You just need to put spoonfuls of mixture on a tray. They’re even still soft after baking but when they cool they get nice and chewy.
Did you make any substitutions?
The pizza was horrid. In fact- most of the food was horrid. The dinner lady used to keep me behind a baked potato because she knew I wasn’t up for sausage/pizza/double fish finger/burger/roast beef etc…
Although if I had these at school- dinners would have been a lot nicer!
Thank you! Hope you try them.
Aaaw, that’s kind of her! At least you didn’t starve.
I think I definitely ate more outside of meals then I did at meals or else just loaded up on cereal at breakfast…
I made these last week and my aunt loved them so much she bought me coconut and maple syrup so that I’d make them for her again. This time, I was a little short on coconut oil so I added some applesauce in at the end and they turned out perfect.
I always love your recipes Emma!
Brilliant! I’m so pleased to hear that. And great that applesauce can sub in for some of the oil. I might try that to lighten them up a bit next time - not that I don’t love how “buttery” they are 😉
Hey
I made these cookies. Therefore, I would decrease the amount of the coconut oil in this recipe. The batter was too oily before baking. On the other other hand I would increase the amount of the water. I would let the batter to sit for a while. So the oats can nicely absorb the water and then bake it. 😉
Hi Silvia, thanks for your feedback. They suit my tastes as written but maybe I just like my cookies a little richer 😉
Looks so yummy….. Is there any replacement for flex seed and maple syrup…. Can I use honey instead?
Hi Manjari, honey should work fine in place of maple syrup. The flax works as a binder in this recipe so you could try chia seeds or an egg if you eat them.
Just made these and they are truly amazingly delicious!! So funny b/c I didn’t read your comments about the oat flour and just went ahead and ground my oats in my froothie blender and then re-read your post and you have the same one! Haha…I love mine.
Such a good mix of chew and crunch, I also added a splash of vanilla extract..yum!
Made these last week and they were delicious! The dough was a little hard to mold so I was a bit skeptical, but they turned out great! Super chewy when they’re straight out of the oven and become a bit harder when they’ve cooled off. My vegan and non-vegan friends enjoyed them equally! Overall, these exceeded my expectations and I’ll definitely be making them again
Amazing! Thanks for the feedback Samantha. The dough is a bit soft but they firm up well after cooking
I should add a note about that as it’s quite a loose dough. I just use a spoon rather than trying to roll it with my hands. Glad they were a hit with you and your friends!
They tasted great even a little burnt! Mine spread out a lot while baking, even 8 minutes was too much for them. I can’t think of what went wrong. Maybe the flax that I self ground didn’t bind like it was supposed to? Or was I supposed to boil the maple syrup and oil combi? I used all the ingredients and followed the recipe exactly. I added some cinnamon and vegan choc chips - enjoyed 4 in one sitting with a cup of fennel and camomile tea. They tasted amazing!
Hmmm, not sure what could have been different. I’m actually planning on making these today so will take careful note of everything I do and report back if I come up with anything. Glad you enjoyed them anyway
I’m not much of a baker but I was really craving an oatmeal cookie and I stumbled across your recipe while searching for a vegan cookie using coconut oil (I never know how to replace butter to make something vegan). I followed the recipe exactly and baked for 17.5 minutes and they are perfect. I can’t imagine someone not loving these cookies. I feel like a proper baker now lol. Thank you so much.