This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
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!
—
Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
Adapted from Kelly at Cut Cut Sew
Ingredients:
Want to save this for later?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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!
—
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.
Amazing recipe! I added goji and cocoa nibs instead of the chocolate chips and it turned out amazing!
I just made these and they’re amazing!!! I cut the recipe in half-because it was my first time making it-and made a few tweaks. I had a little more than a tablespoon of chia seed meal so I used it all and added another 2 tablespoons of water. I used just one tablespoon of coconut sugar and added 1/4 teaspoon of liquid vanilla stevia. The cookies held together well, and they taste so yummy! (It was my first time using stevia for baking so I’m quite impressed that the cookies turned out so tasty!) Thank you for this recipe!!!!!
I would like to try coming up with my own low-carb Trim Healthy Mama (http://trimhealthymama.com/) adaption of these cookies by using a combination of defatted peanut flour and oat fiber… I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Thanks for such great recipe inspiration! 🙂
~God Bless~
Sophia
Sorry for some reason the rest of my comment didn’t post…Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ve been needing a good chocolate chip one!!
Megan, these were delicious!! I say were because we made them Monday night and they’re already gone
Just thought I’d let you know I tried the recipe with two real eggs but unfortunately they didn’t turn out very well. They were very dry and cake-like. My husband ate them all anyway so it wasn’t a total loss, lol. I’ll have to try them again with the chia-eggs. Love your recipes!
These look amazing! I absolutely love all of your recipes, keep ’em coming! 🙂
These look delicious, I love oat flour and the natural sweetness it brings to treats. My daughter and I are sensitive to various nuts as well, so I love using chickpea flour in recipes. It tastes awful before baking, so there’s no eating the dough, but it makes delicious chocolate chip cookies! 🙂
OMG, they look so yummy.It’s funny but I actually make almost the same recipe just without the chocolate and with one teaspoon of cinnamon.
Many thanks to Kelly and yourself for working in collaboration on this wonderful chocolate chip recipe. Nut allergies are definitely on the rise! It really makes me think, are more people getting diagnosed with these allergies or because doctors are now more able to do so, or are there truly just most people with allergies? And yes, I ask myself this same question about autism and vaccines, and so many questions that remain unanswered in my mind. I really appreciate recipes such as thing because I can bring them to church, a family gathering, or just having a few friends and I always a little sign that says “vegan, nut free and gluten free” so those with different food requirements know whether or not they can have one, and I find people are grateful for taking just a bit of extra effort. You have encouraged me to try grinding my own flour, I think I’m going to try the buckwheat flour.