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With nut allergies becoming more prevalent, I’ve been looking to create a vegan and gluten-free cookie that is nut-free, as well. This turned out to be quite a challenge!
First, I tried adapting my favorite Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, using oat flour instead of almond meal, but the result didn’t hold together well. I realized that oat flour requires an egg-like binder, such as a banana or a “flax egg,” and since I didn’t want a banana-flavored cookie, a flax egg seemed like the best choice. However, I should mention that I actually prefer to use ground chia seeds over flax seeds, in most cases, as I find their flavor blends more seamlessly into baked goods.
During the recipe development process earlier this month, I posted one of my trials on Instagram, mentioning how the cookies tasted good, but I still felt like they were missing something. (I’m very particular when it comes to cookies!) Kelly, from Cut Cut Sew, saw my Instagram post and kindly offered to share her own recipe with me, passed down from her sister-in-law. So, we all have her to thank for helping this recipe come to life.
The resulting cookies are lightly sweetened, with a crisp outside and soft, tender inside– just the way I like them. I hope you all enjoy them, too!
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Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
Adapted from Kelly at Cut Cut Sew
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour*
3/4 cup coconut sugar
2 flax or chia “eggs” (recipe here)
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
*I made the oat flour at home by grinding gluten-free rolled oats in my blender.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, chia eggs, oil, vanilla and salt, and stir well to create a uniform dough. Fold in the chocolate chips, then scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2-inches of space between the cookies. Gently flatten the dough with your fingers, as these cookies won’t spread too much with baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F, until the cookies are lightly golden and the edges are firm. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour*
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 flax or chia "eggs" (recipe here)
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- *I made the oat flour at home by grinding gluten-free rolled oats in my blender.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, chia eggs, oil, vanilla and salt, and stir well to create a uniform dough. Fold in the chocolate chips, then scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2-inches of space between the cookies. Gently flatten the dough with your fingers, as these cookies won't spread too much with baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F, until the cookies are lightly golden and the edges are firm. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 233, Fat: 10g, Carbohydrates: 34g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 5g
Notes:
- Non-vegans can substitute real butter for coconut oil, if you prefer. I haven’t tried making this recipe with real eggs, so I’m not sure if you’d need 1 or 2 eggs for this recipe– please leave a comment below if you try it out!
- For a grain-free vegan cookie, try my Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe instead.
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite flour to bake with? I’m partial to nut and seed flours, but I also enjoy grinding my own flour from oats and buckwheat.
I’d like to try swapping olive oil for the butter. Can you tell me what amount I should use?
How do you store these? I’ve been wrapping in parchment paper/brown paper bag & leaving @ room temp for 3-4 days….
Can i use eritritol with monk fruit instead of coconut sugar?
I’ve never worked with that, so I have no idea how it will turn out as a swap for coconut sugar. Maybe it will work? I’d love to hear if you give it a try!
Loved these! We aren’t vegan and don’t have allergies(intolerances), but I have loved Detoxinistas recipes and changing our eating from the same things…
Back to the cookies. Butter is expensive in Canada and I wanted to make cookies. I tried my hand at these not telling the family they were vegan. We ate the whole batch in one evening. Today I am trying with some chopped walnuts.
I know someone else tasted the batter and thought gross but I tested and it had the right proportions of sweet and salty like normal cookies and I thought good.
I followed the recipe to the T. Ground my oats, used flax seed and coconut sugar. I have Himalayan salt and used that, only I used a rounded 1/4tsp instead of flat. I liked how the batter tasted this way and the cookies were great. I use a tablespoon measuring cup and scoop into small cookies. I wet my hands to get out and flatten. I have a large sheet pan and bake all at once for 12 min in my oven.
I love learning new recipes and how these are nutrient dense and flavorful. Thanks
Followed the recipe exactly… Maybe I did something wrong but I don’t think so? At the very least, the person who rated this well and said it tastes like a Tollhouse cookie clearly hasn’t tasted a Tollhouse cookie in a very long time (if ever), Lol. Mine were more cake-like, no crisp, and for me there was a strong flavor of chia seeds. So, I personally did not like this recipe. I can see how someone might. But if you’re looking for a real delicious chocolate chip cookie that is on the healthier side, I’m not sure it will be this one. The nice thing about this recipe is that it is super easy. And it seems like a lot of people adapted the recipe a bit. So maybe if you want to experiment and use it as a base for a healthy cookie recipe, that’s an idea too.
So, as a lover of sweets and chocolate chip cookies specifically, I wasn’t a fan. But a lot of other people were. So. Anyway, I hope that helps you make your decision!
Love this recipie, but NEVER use Whole Wheat Pastry flour with this it comes out crummy and bad. But I really do love this recipie 🙂
Great recipe! I used ground chia seeds and did everything as per the recipe. I would just like to make them crispier as they were quite chewy, and would like to replace the coconut oil for olive oil since my son doesnt like coconut flavor. Any suggestions to make them crispier, while still GF, vegan, nut free?
I made these finally today and I used two eggs and cane sugar. They came out very dry and cakey. Not sure what I might have done wrong. They taste great but not my kind of mouth feel.
Yes, chicken eggs would make a big difference in this case– I would try using only one next time (or try the flax eggs that the recipe calls for!), as two eggs would make it more cake-like and dry.
Thank you for your reply. I will try it with one and then with flax eggs I know it needs more moisture.