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Almond Joy Cookies
Almond Joy Cookies start with a brownie cookie base that gets loaded up with creamy coconut frosting, a roasted almond, and a drizzle of chocolate -- what's not to love?!
Servings 22 -24 cookies (depending on brownie mix)
Calories 280kcal
Cost $7.96
Ingredients
Cookies
- 4 oz. (113g) cream cheese full-fat, brick-style
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup; 113g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 package (3.9 oz.; 110g) instant chocolate pudding & pie filling mix, dry
- 1/4 cup (38g) white flour
- 1 package (18 oz.; 510g) fudge brownie mix (we like Betty Crocker Delights Brownie Mix, Supreme Chocolate Chunk best!)
Coconut Frosting
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup; 56g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon coconut extract, optional (Note 1)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (coconut milk if you have some, if not dairy works great!)
- 1-1/2 cups (100g) sweetened shredded coconut (Note 2)
Finish them off
- 20-24 whole almonds (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup (90g) milk chocolate melting wafers, baking bar, or high quality chips (Note 4)
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut or vegetable oil
Instructions
Cookies
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner and set aside. Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature by either leaving out for 1 hour or by microwaving the (unwrapped) cream cheese in increments of 5-10 seconds until soft and then separately microwaving the butter for 5 seconds, flipping to the other side, and microwaving for another 5 seconds. Be careful to not melt or overly soften either ingredient -- we want them both at room temperature. (If either get too soft or melty, you'll need to chill the dough for about an hour.)
- CREAM BUTTER: In a large bowl fitted to a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: Add in the dry pudding mix, flour, and brownie mix (make sure this mix is 18 ounces!). Beat to combine. (The dough will be extremely thick and takes a while to get a dough to form. This is intended. Just keep mixing and it will all come together, even though it seems like it won't.) Cover the dough tightly and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- FORM DOUGH BALLS: Measure each cookie dough ball to be a full, packed 2 tablespoons of dough (40 grams). Roll dough into a ball and slightly flatten to a wide disc shape. You should get about 22-24 cookies from this batter. Place 6-8 cookies on the prepared cookie sheet, giving cookies ample room to spread.
- BAKE: Bake for 9-13 minutes. Slightly under-baking these cookies gives them an awesome taste and texture like ultra fudge-y brownies so err on the side of slightly under-baking.
- INDENT: When the cookies come out of the oven, press the back of a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon into the center of each cookie. Let cookies stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; then remove to a cooling rack to allow cookies to fully cool.
Frosting
- BEAT: In a large bowl, beat together the room-temperature butter and shortening until completely smooth. Beat in the extracts, a pinch of salt, and powdered sugar until smooth. Add coconut and beat to combine. Add the milk, starting with less (you can always add more), and mix to get a smooth and thick (not stiff, but not floppy/wet) consistency.
Finish them off
- ADD FROSTING AND ALMOND: Transfer the frosting into a resealable plastic bag and seal without air. Cut off the top of the bag (to get a 1-inch diameter) and pipe the frosting to overfill the indent of each (completely cooled) cookie. All of the frosting should get used in these cookies -- frost an equal amount in each one. Press an almond into the frosting in the center of each of the cookies.
- CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and the oil. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate into a plastic bag and cut off the very tip. Pipe that melted chocolate generously over the top of the cookies. Allow to set.
- STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; after that they lose texture. Frosted/decorated cookies don't freeze and thaw well, but you can freeze the unbaked brownie cookie base for up to 3 months. No need to thaw just add 1-3 minutes to the bake time!
Video
Notes
Note 1: Coconut extract: Not all coconut extracts are made the same, so start with a little and add slowly, remembering it does intensify after sitting. We use and love McCormick® coconut extract (found near vanilla and other baking extracts in the store). If you don't have coconut extract, the cookies are still tasty without it-- not worth a separate trip to the store!
Note 2: Coconut: Use sweetened coconut flakes (1-1/2 cups is 3-1/2 oz.). There are a lot of varieties of coconut products in the stores these days. The most important thing to look for is that you are getting sweetened instead of unsweetened flakes– the frosting won’t be sweet enough otherwise. Also, be sure to get flakes– not desiccated coconut (dried and shredded), coconut flour, or coconut in a different form.
Note 3: Almonds: We love to get dry roasted and lightly salted almonds to put in these cookies -- more flavor, no additional work! It may sound like overkill, but we made these once with chocolate-covered almonds and they were incredible!
Note 4: Chocolate drizzle: We like to use milk chocolate (like what's used on the candy bar), but if you're worried about sweetness use semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Use either a baking bar, chocolate melting wafers, or good-quality chocolate chips for best results.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.3g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 15.2g | Cholesterol: 27.8mg | Sodium: 247.6mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 26g