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These Vegan & Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are flourless and egg-free, with an irresistibly soft and chewy center. My mom tasted one this weekend and immediately deemed it “the best cookie” she’s ever tasted.
These cookies are the result of a late-night cookie craving I had a couple of weeks ago. Normally, I’d reach for my stash of Cashew Butter Cookies, which we almost always have stored in the freezer, but I really wanted a warm and gooey cookie, fresh from the oven. So, I decided to experiment.
I took the recipe structure of those go-to vegan cookies, but played around with several different nut butters to see how they changed the recipe. Then I decided to fold in some gluten-free rolled oats at the end. (See my notes below this recipe for using other ingredients, if you want to.) You wouldn’t think that adding some oats to a recipe would make that much of a difference, but it does make THAT much of a difference. Holy cow.
The resulting cookies are less fragile, so you can eat them warm off of the baking sheet, rather than waiting for them to cool completely like you have to do with so many 100% grain-free cookies. They’re gooey on the inside, and lightly crisp on the outside, with just enough sweetness from coconut sugar and a touch of sea salt.
They’re totally addictive, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flax or chia seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 (16 ounce) jar creamy almond butter (no salt added)
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (You'll need to bake 2 batches or use 2 baking sheets to bake all of this dough at once.)
- In a large bowl, stir together the ground flax or chia seeds and water. Let this rest in the bowl for 5 minutes to create the vegan "egg."
- Add in the almond butter, coconut sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla, and stir well to create a thick dough. Add in the vinegar and stir again. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips.
- Use a heaping tablespoon to scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheet. It's okay if the cookie dough feels a little oily-- that can happen from over-mixing the dough, but the cookies still turn out well. Use your hands to flatten and shape the cookies, as they will only spread out slightly.
- Bake at 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have spread out a bit and look lightly golden. They will still be soft to the touch, so let them cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing them with a spatula. Enjoy warm, or cool completely on a wire rack.
- These cookies can be stored at room temperature for several days, but they will dry out if left uncovered. Grain-free cookies tend to get softer if stored in an airtight container, so for best texture I recommend storing them in the fridge or freezer if you won't be serving them all right away.
Nutrition
Substitution Notes:
- I’ve experimented with this recipe quite a bit over the past several weeks, and I’ve found that using a drippy almond butter, where the only ingredient is almonds (no added oil) works the best for texture. You can also use all-natural peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter (for a nut-free cookie), with similar results. I found the peanut butter version to be slightly drier in texture, so I recommend trying this recipes as-written to see what you like best. Definitely be sure to use a nut butter where the oil rises to the top of the jar and has to be stirred back in, as I don’t think emulsified nut butters will work as well.
- I tested this recipe with certified gluten-free old fashioned oats, as well as instant rolled oats. The texture was perfectly fine and slightly chewier with the old fashioned oats, but the instant rolled oats blend a little more seamlessly into this cookie, making them melt in your mouth when they are warm. I think I’d use the instant oats when baking for picky eaters or dinner guests.
- If you want to avoid the added sugar found in chocolate chips, I’d recommend chopping up a bar of chocolate that has been sweetened with coconut sugar, such as Eating Evolved brand.
- You could also modify this recipe to be Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by adding cinnamon and swapping the chocolate chips for raisins.
I hope you’ll enjoy these cookies as much as we do!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your go-to cookie recipe?
Can you use an egg if you don’t have flax or chia?
Sure, that should work!
I have recently discovered a wonderful gluten free vegan oatmeal cookie, Alyssas found at Publix. I wanted to try and make something similar, so I came came across your recipe that looks awesome! I was wondering if you have ever worked with chicory root as a sweetener, and if it could be subbed for the coconut sugar in this recipe
These are ridiculously delicious. I made with about 1/3 of the chocolate chips and cashew butter and they came out beautifully. A new fave for sure.
Can I freeze dough? If so, how long will it keep in freezer?
Can I use maple syrup or honey instead of the coconut sugar? I can’t do coconut. If so, in what amount do you recommend?
What does vinegar do for the recipe?
It reacts with the baking soda to help give the cookies some lift without using eggs.
I was recently diagnosed with PCOS and so to help have gone dairy, sugar and gluten free, these cookies have literally made my life! So easy to make and sooo delicious! Had one warm out of the oven last night with some dairy free ice cream and it was heaven. Plus my husband ate two and asked if he could take some to work tomorrow! Definite winner in my household – thank you!
Loved this recipe. Did it over the weekend..not my 2 little boys, but even our neighbours loved it.shared your web page with them!
If I don’t want to use the vegan egg and instead substitute for real eggs, how many would I use?
These are incredible! I substituted 1/4 tsp almond extract for the vanilla extract due to my sensitivity to vanilla. I used Trader Joe’s organic old fashioned oats as that what was available at the store. It was difficult to not eat them all at once-yum, yum yum!