I have Danish roots on both sides of my family tree. Growing up, I looked forward to the special treats at our holiday celebrations from Seattle’s treasured Danish bakery, Larsen’s. My favorites included the melt-in-your-mouth kringle, the lefse that oozed cinnamon-butter filling, and the cardamom-scented butter cookies.
My family still gets brings these treats to holiday gatherings… but all I can do now is enjoy the fragrance. So, I bring my own grain-free treats to the celebrations, with plenty to share. These cookies stood their own ground, with my family members going back for seconds even when there were a few more pieces of kringle left.
About the Ingredients in Paleo Coconut Cardamom Cookies
Finely shredded coconut — Make sure you use the finely shredded coconut for the best texture.
Eggs — No egg substitute here. If you’d like an alternative egg-free recipe, make my Banana Bread Macaroons and replace the cinnamon with cardamom.
Chocolate chips and dried cranberries — I love the combination of rich dark chocolate with the slightly tangy dried cranberries. But if you can omit either addition, if you prefer.
I recommend using a mini ice cream scoop to portion the dough (on the right side), the flatten slightly as shown on the left side before baking.
- 2½ cups finely shredded coconut, available here
- ½ cup coconut sugar, available here
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted, best price available here
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp. ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, I recommend the dairy-free Enjoy Life brand
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, available here
- Flake salt, optional, available here
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients, except the chocolate chips and cranberries, and stir well. Then stir in the chocolate and cranberries.
- I recommend using a mini ice cream scoop (like this) to portion the cookie dough on the baking sheets. Otherwise, roll balls of a heaping tablespoon of dough. Then, flatten the cookies slightly.
- If desired, use a little bit of flake salt on top of each cookie. Use less than pictured in my photos, as I was a bit heavy-handed.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until slightly golden. You'll notice coconut oil on the baking sheet, this is okay and it will re-absorb as the cookies cool.
- Let cool and enjoy. These cookies also freeze well.
Wow! Fantastic cookies! Easy to put together, chewy/crispy texture, cardamom flavor just right. And …. I substituted dried sour cherries for the cranberries – appreciate the flexibility. Happily crunching as I write.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
I am making these now! Am very excited about the recipe! I always enjoy your blog posts. Please share how many ounces of coconut is 2.5 cups? Do you use the entire bag of coconut that is linked to the recipe? Many thanks for your blog. Has helped my family many times.
Hi Lee, 2 1/2 cups finely shredded coconut is about 6.7 ounces in weight, so not quite the whole 8 oz bag.
I plan to make these tomorrow. Looks and sounds so good!
I would try your recipes because they sound good but you don’t include any nutritional information, fat, carbs, sodium, etc, etc. I need to know these in order to fulfill my nutritional requirements for the day. Thanks
How do I make the flakes?
TIA Lauren!
Hi Amie! The coconut flakes come pre-packaged, and are labeled “Finely shredded coconut.” You can find them from Bob’s Red Mill or Edward and Son’s brands.