These paleo orange coconut butter cookies have a soft shortbread-like texture and tons of sweet citrus flavor! They’re made with coconut butter and coconut flour, so they’re grain free, gluten free, dairy free and nut free. These addicting cookies are kid approved and delicious with a coconut maple icing!
These cookies are definitely different from my norm, but I’ve been surprisingly addicted to them ever since making them last Friday!
Typically when it comes to cookies, I’m all about the crisp/chewy combo. The chewier the better! However, with these coconut butter cookies I went for something different. Soft and a bit cakey (but in a good way, I promise!) with an almost shortbread-like texture.
Flavor wise, they’re just perfect. Citrusy sweet with just the right amount of coconut flavor – not so much to overwhelm the cookie.
The dough comes together in 5 minutes and doesn’t require any chill-time, which is definitely nice once in awhile.
Since coconut flour absorbs so much liquid, you simply let the dough sit still after mixing, and, right in front of your eyes it firms right up so you can roll it into balls, flatten into “cookie shapes” and bake!
The baking and cooling time are also really minimal, so basically, you have cookies ready in a flash with this recipe. Does all this sound too good to be true? It did to me, to be honest. I thought this was a recipe I’d have to make, say, 4 times before getting it right!
But hey – surprises that come in the form of getting cookies right on the first try are always welcome in my life!
Stackable, cute, and so tasty with or without the optional icing, you’re in for a pleasant surprise with these orange coconut butter cookies.
One of the best parts too – they’re perfect in the fridge too (but fine at room temp) so you can store them away and grab one for a snack whenever you feel like it.
I know what you may be thinking at this point though – there’s no way my kids will go for so much coconut. I totally thought the same thing, because my kids can be super picky with anything made with coconut flour.
But, perhaps because the citrus covers up a lot of the coconut flavor, my kids actually all went for these without a complaint. The texture has something to do with it too – they taste a bit like soft shortbread which is always a hit with the kiddos.
Plus, my son who strongly dislikes chocolate (yup, I know) was just happy he didn’t have to pick any chips out of these cookies 🙂
I think we’re about ready to bake! But oh, one last thing! The optional icing is highly recommended here, especially if you ARE a coconut butter fan.
Because I sweetened it with maple sugar, you don’t get any of the clumsiness that sometimes happens when mixing honey or maple syrup into melted coconut butter. And, the maple sugar is so fine, that the finished product isn’t grainy – it’s perfectly smooth! Easiest coconut butter icing, ever.
I hope you’re ready for a seriously easy baking project – let’s being – hope you enjoy!
Orange Coconut Butter Cookies {Paleo, Nut Free}
Orange Coconut Butter Cookies {Paleo, Nut Free}
These paleo orange coconut butter cookies have a soft shortbread-like texture and tons of sweet citrus flavor! They're made with coconut butter and coconut flour, so they're grain free, gluten free, dairy free and nut free. These addicting cookies are kid approved and delicious with a coconut maple icing!
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 1/2 cup coconut butter melted until just warmer than room temp (it should be a drippy liquid, not thick and clumpy)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup maple sugar
- Grated zest of 1 large orange about 1 Tbsp
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
Optional coconut icing:
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut butter melted and stirred
- 2 tsp maple sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make sure all ingredients are as close to room temperature as possible - if your eggs are cold, let them sit in a bowl of hot water for a minute.
- In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, tapioca or arrowroot, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the coconut butter, maple syrup and sugar, eggs, orange juice and zest, and vanilla extract until very smooth.
- Using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the wet until fully combined, then allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes so the coconut flour absorbs the liquid. You most likely won’t need to chill the dough.
- Roll dough into 16 balls and place on the cookie sheet an inch apart (they won’t spread) Flatten each one a bit into a “cookie” shape (see photo) before baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until just set and tops are “cracked” - remove and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the optional icing, combine the melted coconut butter and coconut sugar in a small bowl, adjusting the sugar to taste. Drizzle over cooled cookies as desired - icing will harden at room temp. Store leftover cookies in an air tight container in the refrigerator - they’re very good cold!
Recipe Notes
*Nutrition was calculated without the optional icing
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Nut Free Paleo Cookies? Try One of These!
Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cassava Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Coconut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Apple Cinnamon No-Bake Cookies
Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sunflower Butter
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Orange and coconut is such a delicious combo! These cookies look so delicious!
I’m having my marathon team over this weekend so this sounds like the PERFECT COOKIE for us runners!
thank you
Can’t wait to try these! Your recipes are always a hit with my family. Could you use coconut sugar instead of maple sugar?
These sound great! I’m also wondering if coconut sugar or light brown sugar could be used instead of the maple sugar, though I assume the taste may change slightly. It’s just that the maple sugar is so expensive. Thanks so much for all you do!
I was wondering if there was something I could use in place of coconut butter. I really don’t want to buy another ingredient! I am not vegan or Paleo, just gluten and lactose free. Butter? Oil? Thanks.
There’s really no substitute…you could make your own using a high speed blender or bullet to blend unsweetened shredded coconut, with coconut oil to get a thick consistency. Then warm it as directed.
They look too yummy. I guess I will break down and buy some. Thank you for your reply.
LOVE how thick these look! Orange and coconut sound delicious 🙂
I’m loving that combo!
I made these cookies with my daughter and they were delicious! I drizzled some chocolate on top instead and they were perfect! Definitely making these again
I made them using lemon. A wonderful texture and delicious although I’ll boost the lemon juice a bit next time and maybe try the drizzle which I skipped. GreAt cookie
Glad you liked them!
Oh that sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
These were pretty thick and while I enjoyed a whole cookie, my husband and daughter only had half a cookie each. I enjoyed the orange flavor and will definitely add the icing next time.
I love Michelle’s recipes, and have made many, but these didn’t do it for me. They were biscuity in texture and lacked a definitive orange flavor despite adding extra orange extract.
These cookies look devine! Can tapioca or arrowroot flour be replaced with quinoa or cassava flour?
these were surprisingly delicious!! the orange flavor really comes through and their soft and buttery. I left out the icing but will give it a shot next time