Otherwise known as, “The Cookie to End All Cookies,” “The Cookie of My Cookie-Lovin’ Dreams,” and “I Might Have Eaten the Whole Batch in One Night Cookies.”
Friends, they’re that good.
I kind of whipped these cookies up spur the moment as the result of an intense chocolate craving, but I am – and you will be – so very glad I did.
You see, my mom is a teacher, and one of her student’s mom made these M&M chocolate chip cookies every Christmas when I was a kid. These were the kind of cookies that you looked forward to every single year.. And when my mom came home with that green box every year, I shrieked with delight, as I knew I’d be sinking my teeth into the softest, chewiest, and pillowiest cookies I’ve ever had.
Until now.
I never dreamed I’d be able to create a gluten free, let alone vegan, version of my all-time favorite cookie (although I have made some kick-butt cookies on the blog). And, in fact, I never really tried because I thought this feat would be nearly impossible.
But once I sunk my teeth into one of these chocolate chunk cookies, warm and gooey from the oven? I was taken back to my childhood. And let out those same shrieks that graced the Christmastime air so many years ago.
Just so you know they’re good enough to stand up to your “everyday” chocolate chip cookies, my dad, the meat-lovin’ all-American man, had about half of a batch on his own. My brother had the other half. And I’m inching to whip up another batch or two ASAP.
These cookies are the real.freakin’.deal.
It all starts out with the flour. We’ll only need two, unlike a lot of other gluten free baked goods! Almond flour makes these cookies outrageously chewy, while coconut flour gives them that melt-in-your-mouth, fluffy texture. AND! Both are relatively easy to access – I grabbed a giant bag of almond flour off of Amazon, and Trader Joe’s sells a delicious coconut flour that’s perfecto for these cookies!
Next up, the wet ingredients. Coconut oil, nut butter (I used peanut butter), maple syrup, vanilla – DONE. Seriously. I love that. Four wet ingredients that are almost guaranteed to be in any gluten free-er’s or vegan’s kitchen! Not to mention that a refined sugar-free treat is always an a-OK option in my book.
We mix ’em, we pour ’em, and we dump a mess of chopped dark chocolate on top. Because all cookies should come with a mess of dark chocolate on top, right?! We’re obsessed with the Organic Dark Chocolate from Trader Joe’s, which is 73% cacao. They even have a version with almonds if you’re feeling zany. Whatever you choose, you MUST have one of these cookies when they’re ooey and gooey, right out the oven. NOTHING will compare to getting chocolate all over your hands and face as you sink your teeth into a soft, warm cookie.
I MEAN LOOK AT THAT MELTY CHOCOLATE.
I understand that there’s nothing really all that exciting and innovative about a chocolate chunk cookie. It’s been done before; it’ll be done again.
But these chocolate chunk cookies…they’re really something special, friends.
Are they the best ever? I’ll let you decide. But please know that by the time I was done writing this post, I had already gotten up to whip up another batch.
Enjoy this chocolatey goodness, friends!
The Best Damn Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gluten-free-vegan-chocolate-chunk-cookies-26.jpg
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: 11-12 cookies | Total: |
These Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies are made from 7 healthy whole food ingredients, and they completely MELT in your mouth!
You'll Need...
- 1 and 1/2 cups almond flour (spooned and leveled)
- 3 Tbsp. coconut flour (spooned and leveled)
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil (make sure it isn't hot!)
- 3 Tbsp. peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter)
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
- splash pure vanilla extract
- about 2 and 1/2 oz. vegan dark chocolate, chopped (I used 3/4 of an Organic Trader Joe's bar)
- coarse salt to top, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Be sure to remove any large almond flour lumps.
- In a small bowl, add melted coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Add your wet ingredients to your dry, and mix. When it's almost combined, add in your chopped chocolate. The batter will be stiff.
- Measure out 2-Tbsp. of dough, and shape it into a thick, flat circle. These cookies won't spread, so be sure to shape them how you want them to look. Place your cookies on a baking sheet, and put the sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Remove sheet from freezer and bake for 11 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully move them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature.
Ohhhhh yeahhhhh cookies!!! :) I love everything about this recipe and I love that you used both almond and coconut flour. So good! There definitely is NOTHING better than a chocolate chip cookies :)
:) Thank you SO much, Marina! I totally agree – chocolate chip cookies are king.
Ahh man, your story makes me crave these cookies… They look delish! But I’m trying to be healthy, just came back from the gym and all, so I know I shouldn’t. But I AM definitely saving this recipe for later cravings ;)
haha I’m glad you saved this recipe for later! Let me know if you give them a try :)
This is such perfect timing!! Just got these exact flours in the mail this morning so you KNOW I’ll be baking up a batch of these, like, today haha ;)
:) Woo hoo!! Let me know if you try them, Liz! You’re going to love these flours!
These cookies look absolutely PERFECT!! I can’t believe they’re vegan and gluten-free… they’d put any “traditional” cookie to shame! ;)
:) Thank you SO much, Sarah! I think they’re just the best thing around.
THANK YOU for making a gluten-free, vegan cookie recipe that doesn’t have 10874830 dry ingredients (mostly flours). I seriously want to give these a try.
!!! That was my EXACT goal with these. Chocolate chunk cookies shouldn’t be difficult. ;)
Currently drooling over these. You hit it out of the park with this recipe!
Thank you so much, Alyssa!! I’m so tickled with how they turned out :)
Chocolate chunk cookies always win over chocolate chip cookies in my book and these look AMAAAAAAZING! <3
TOTALLY agree. I’ve never actually made chocolate chunk cookies before this recipe. Consider me a total and complete convert!
All your teasers of this post had me dreaming about cookies. You couldn’t have made these look or sound more delicious if you tried. I need them!
Haha! I’m glad the teasers worked! I hope you get the chance to try these, Megan!
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks so much, Maria!! Already dreaming of whipping up another batch :)
Legit question – is dark chocolate vegan?
Great question, Sarah! I believe most of the time it is, but I just updated the recipe to be a little more specific. Basically, you want to make sure that there’s no milk/dairy in the dark chocolate. :) Nice catch!
Oh my gosh…I am just DROOLING looking at these Alexa! I can’t wait to try these out :)
:) Thank you so much, Gretchen! I hope you get a chance to try ’em!
Chunky and rock’n roll! :)
YOURE A GENIUS! Making these ASAP!!
OK, so I’ve only baked one other time this year (I’m a recovery baked goods junkie – hah). These just looked sooo perfect and now I’m full of 3, count ’em 3 cookies. So soft and yummy. I did though, just for fun toss in some cinnamon and mistakenly grabbed a dark chocolate raspberry bar. I love it when mistakes turn out so well.
On another note I’m going to share my secret for nut flour recipes using only baking soda and that is between 1/8 and 1/4 tsp of citric acid added at the last. My cookies had that little bit of brown crunch on the outside and were soft and moist on the inside and did indeed grow and spread to nearly twice their size.
I don’t think there’s anything else I could want in a cookie – pillowy soft , a bit of crunch on the outside and chocolate. Genius!
Oops that’s between 1/16 tsp and 1/8 tsp of citric acid. You’ve got to be really careful not to use too much because if you use too much all you’ll taste is tartness.I used 1/8 tsp with these cookies
:) I’m so glad you liked these, Laurel! I love the idea of adding cinnamon into the mix – I’m trying that next time!
Thanks for the tops about baking soda here. I’m glad that the change you made worked and gave you a nice crunch on the outside! I’m a fan of puffier cookies myself, but I’m super excited to try it with less baking powder next time to see how the final result changes! I love science you can eat ;)
I’m glad I found this. One of my son’s homeschool lessons for the week has a cookie making activity and I Really didn’t want to go shopping for all the vegan butters and such, plus having to use white flour and sugar. I already have everything but the chocolate for this recipe! And I won’t feel quite as guilty eating it ;) Question, should I be keeping my flours in the fridge? I keep my nuts in the fridge so I guess maybe I should keep the flours there too?
That sounds SO fun, Lauren! I hope you guys enjoy these :) They’re one of my FAVORITES.
Like you, I keep my nuts in the fridge, so I always think it’s a good idea to keep my flours there too. I also buy my flours in bulk (5-lb. bags worth of almond flour ;) ), so I just don’t want to run the risk of them going rancid.
Let me know what you think of the cookies!
These look AMAZING. I used to have a super delicious grain free cookie recipe, but I just recently went vegan and I wasn’t able to make it vegan, so I can’t wait to try this out…thank you!
Rachel, you will LOVE these cookies! Your comment just inspired me to whip up another batch this weekend :) So so good. Let me know if you do end up trying them out!
Just wanted to say, I successfully made these double chocolate by replacing 1/4 cup of the almond flour with 1/4 cup cocoa! Sooo good! Used almond butter instead of peanut butter. Also, I found they rose better if they weren’t put in the freezer.
These look SO good!! Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!
They’re MY favorite, too! Thanks so much, Mikayla :)
I would love to make these for my nephew who no longer eats my baked goodies. He’s a paleo junkie now. The maple syrup may be a problem. Is there a substitute you would recommend?
Hi!!
Great question. I’d *maybe* suggest making up a date paste with soft blended medjool dates and some non-dairy milk. Not sure if that would work because maple syrup is a key “liquid” ingredient here, but it might be worth a try! Let me know if you do give it a go!
These are amazing!!!!!!!!! I have made them twice in the past 5 days… I don’t even have a sweet tooth but I am crazy about these. Thank you :)
Eeep! I’m SO happy you love them as much as I do! :) They are my all-time favorite recipe!
These are delicious! I just made them. I don’t think they are going to last. I see myself making them again tomorrow ;)
I’m so so glad you liked these, Carolyn! I’ll be making them again this week too – one of my absolute favorite recipes!
Should I use the fine almond flour or almond meal? I have both from Trader Joe’s.
Hey, Tom! Great question. Definitely go with the fine almond flour for these cookies :) Let me know how they turn out!
I would love to know the nutrition info on these cookies! I made the batter, did not cook them yet, but oh my so delicious! Just want to know how much to indulge ?
Hey, Brianne! I don’t typically calculate nutrition info for my recipes, but you can easily put the details into a nutrition calculator (like MyFitnessPal <-- there's an app for this one for your phone), and it'll spit out the nutrition info in a jiffy :) Hope you enjoy them!
omg! I’m not vegan and I didn’t have maple syrup so I used raw honey. came out amazing! so good! I also didn’t read directions all that well and had a bag of chocolate chips on hand and just dumped the whole bag into the first batch and realized that was way too much after trying to mix it. haha. gave me a perfect excuse to make a second batch ;)
Oh I am so so glad! I loved these cookies so much too :) I love the idea of using raw honey – I’ll have to try that next time!
Could you recommend anything to replace the nut butter? I am trying very hard to come up with an allergy-free desert for Christmas, and your cookies look so great! Thank you!
You could try a seed butter! That should work just as well :) Let me know if you give it a try!
I made these over the holidays, and they were amazing! I’ve tried many different gluten-free/dairy-free cookie recipes over the past couple months, and these have been my favorite thus far. Also, the rest of my family members (who eat gluten and dairy) – including a few kiddos – loved them, too! They’re beautiful, thick, and chewy, and the dark chocolate chunks in them are to die for. Great recipe!
This makes me so so happy. I’m thrilled they were a hit! They’re one of my faves too :)
WOW, i baked these the other day and you weren’t kidding when you said they’re the best gluten free vegan chocolate chunk cookies because THEY CERTAINLY ARE!! I’m so happy I came across your page! I’ll be making these cookies quite often :) Thank-you for sharing this recipe with us :D
I love this!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies – they are by far my favorite cookie :)
When you mix the dry and wet together is it sort of crumbly?
Yep! Just a little. It should come together though. Make sure your nut butter is smooth and creamy, rather than dry.
So this recipe looks awesome but I’m baking for a vegan who isn’t gluten free and I don’t have any of the flours in the ingredients. Could I just sub for all purpose flour?
Hey, Jess! Thanks so much :) I don’t think regular AP would work, but you can definitely try it out! The dough should be soft and tender. Let me know if you give it a try!
These are the best cookies!!!! I made them today and will make another batch. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Just made these and they were AMAZING!!! They may just be my favorite healthy cookie of all time. You are right the almond flour makes it chewy while the coconut flour gives it fluff. Thank you for a delicious, healthy treat!
Oh I’m so glad you liked these, Victoria! They’re DEFINITELY my favorite cookie of all-time. That texture gets me every time ;)
So excited to make these! Wondering though, do I need to include the coconut flour or can I sub something else? I don’t want to buy a whole bag to only need a few tablespoons. Thanks!
Hi! Great question. I like that the coconut flour gives this recipe a bit of fluff, but you could probably substitute it with extra almond flour. I haven’t tried it yet, but you might need to use a bit more than 3 Tbsp. almond flour just because coconut flour is so much more absorbent. It should be a little softer than typical cookie dough, but it should be able to be scooped and rolled into balls. :) Let me know if you try it!
I’m going vegan, refined sugar-free, plant-based for Lent, and I saw this recipe on Pinterest. I was wondering if I could sub the flours for white wheat or maybe oat flour. Do you think this will be okay, Alexa? Thanks!
Hi! Great question. I’m not sure, but I’d think oat flour could work. They might be a bit crumbly that way, but I’m thinking it might work. You’re looking for the consistency of a wet cookie dough before you measure them out and bake :) Let me know if you try it!
I ended up making these before my comment was approved. I used white wheat flour (I’m not eating gluten free) and the dough was a little dry and crumbly, so I added about an extra 1/8 cup of maple syrup. I’m glad I did that because these sure weren’t that sweet! I think that I cooked them for about 9 1/2 minutes and I just finished eating one and it’s still soft! I’d make these again! Great recipe! Thanks, Alexa!
Hi Alexa! Just curious – what is the purpose of freezing the cookies before baking them? Could you pop them into the oven right away and get the same results?
Hi, Cortney! Freezing the dough makes sure that these cookies don’t spread. Since they don’t spread, they’re nice and chewy and doughy and perfect in texture. You could pop them into the oven right away with similar results, but I definitely recommend freezing for a bit :) Let me know if you try it!
This is my first time baking vegan and I was very pleasantly surprised by the great texture of these cookies. Not mealy or grainy like other vegan baked good I’ve tried. The only thing I would change about them is maybe amping up the sweetness. Do you think adding coconut sugar could be a good idea? If so, how much?
YES! So glad you liked the texture! I’d think you could definitely add some coconut sugar. Now that you know what the texture should be like, you can experiment by adding a bit, mixing it up, and then seeing if the dough is too dry. If it’s too dry, you could add a touch of coconut oil to moisten it back up again :) OH! Or you can roll the cookies in coconut sugar before putting them on the baking sheet. That would be delicious, and it would provide a nice crunch around the outside. YUM.
Let me know if you try it!
Alexa!! I haven’t done your cookies yet but its the first thing I’ll do when I get home. I’ve always wondered what’s the difference in using the flours you chose against oatmeal flour. Would you recommend oatmeal flour as well? Thank You so much!!
Hey, Maria! Up to you, but I really like almond flour here. It’s a bit chewier and richer than oat flour!
I am currently making them!!!
Yay!! I hope you <3 them!
WONDERFUL! My kids and husband kept saying there’s no way these were vegan and gf. SO good! Thank you! This doesn’t make too much so I’ll have to make again to see if they taste as good the next day– none left. Can’t wait to try them on our non-vegan/gf friends. :)
SO so glad you liked these, Laurel! These are some of my favorite cookies EVER. :)
They turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe! I will try next time changing the peanut butter for almond butter, because my SO is allergic to peanuts…But I am sure they will taste as great as the batch I did yesterday.
Love from Brazil. <3
So glad you liked these, Yasmin! <3 Love that you will try almond butter next time!
I just made this and they are SO GOOD! I made x3 of what is listed, and added crushed almonds and hazelnuts, coconut flakes, cinnamon, a little lemon juice (squuezed fresh) – and i added a little hit of water cause the texture wasn’t mixing well enough prob due to the added dry ingredients! Thankyou for the recipe ♥️
So glad this recipe worked for you with your additions! I love the idea of throwing coconut flakes into them…yummmmm :)
Alexa,
I am SO excited that I just found this post and your blog on pinterest. I am 20 years old and I’ve had chronic migraines for nearly 7 years. I am going to try going completely gluten-free and vegan within the next month to see if it will finally give me some relief. I haven’t been excited about this transition because I am a huge foodie and absolutely obsessed with certain foods, like chocolate chip cookies. Your blog just gave me the hope and excitement that I needed for this next phase in my life. Thank you <3
You absolutely made my day! I’m so interested to hear how your GF/vegan month is going! Wishing you lots of luck and health!
These cookies are ridiculously easy! So easy I could easily whip up another batch no problem. The recipe made exactly 12 cookies which is small in the way of cookie recipes but can easily be doubled. After eating these… the recipe will be doubled! My wife would only try them because she said she would eat them all. I’m vegan gluten free and she’s vegetarian so she’s letting me have my sweets since I rarely indulge anymore. Thanks for the recipe.
So so so glad you liked them!! :) They’re so easy and one of my favorite recipes!
These are DELICIOUS. I have made them several times for my family, and my husband (he isn’t gluten-free) loves them too. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you like them, Jen!! They are a STAPLE in my house!
Hi Alexa, I don’t understand why need why need to freeze and than bake? Thanks
Hey, Roxana! It just prevents the cookies from spreading too much. They typically don’t spread much in the first place, so I bet you can skip it if you really want. :)
Hi alexa, i really love all of your recipes!!
but i have one question, if i want to use brown sugar instead of maple syrup, how much do i use?? thankyou
Eek that’s a tough one, Valeria. Maple syrup is a liquid and brown sugar is a solid. The cookies definitely don’t taste maple-y if that’s your worry. I’d suggest using something like honey instead if you’re just not a fan of maple syrup. OR you can try this recipe that uses brown sugar: https://www.fooduzzi.com/2017/09/chewy-vegan-cookie-dough-cookies/
This tasted so good!!!! It didn’t have the crunch of chocolate cookies I always look for on a vegan dupe. I’m not sure if I should have baked them longer? Or if they are actually supposed to be soft? Either way I’m making them again!
They’re supposed to be soft! But go ahead and bake them for 2ish minutes longer if you want them a bit crispier :)
these cookies were good but just too dry then what im used to !
Totally get that! They’re a bit cakey and chewy, but I hope you enjoyed them!
made these yesterday! truly a vegan, gluten-free game changer! saving this recipe no doubt. simply delicious
So glad to hear that, Kelsey! :)
Ummmm def not lying about how good these cookies are! Being gluten and dairy free has left very little choices unless you make them yourself and these my friend are my favorite!! I added pumpkin spice
/walnuts just to add a twist and oh my!!! AMAZING!!! Thanks so much
Woah!! Pumpkin spice walnut…that sounds amazing!
I’ve already made these twice in one week. I have tried at least a handful of gluten free vegan cookies and these are the best! Lives up to the title for sure! Thank you for sharing
Haha! So happy to hear that, Tessa :)
Mmm I’ve made these twice now! Both times subbing in oat flour for the almond flour with a little bit more coconut oil. Delicious! Thank you for creating a GF-V cookie without a million ingredients!!
<3 So happy you like them!
Thanks for your recipe
I don’t have almond flour, by which flour can I substitute it??
Subbing nut flours is tough. I’d suggest checking out my other cookies recipes instead! I have lots ;) https://www.fooduzzi.com/?s=cookies
Love this recipe! I love baking with almond flour. It is so much better for you than flour. I call them my guilt-free cookies haha
Glad to hear it!
I just made these and they turned out SO good! I like them better than regular chocolate chip cookies. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I love love LOVE to hear that, Mandy! Cheers for cookies!
I JUST did these cookies and are JUST AMAZING!!!!!!
as cookie dough is next level too!!!!
SO GOOD RIGHT?!
Hi,can I sub with coconut sugar?
Hey Alexa! I stumbled upon your blog and I have to say, you’ve outdone yourself with “The Best Damn Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies” recipe. As someone who enjoys baking, I know how difficult it can be to create gluten-free and vegan desserts that actually taste good. But these cookies are everything one could ask for, they’re delicious, gooey, and satisfying. You have truly accomplished the impossible with this recipe.
I love the fact that the ingredients are easily accessible and healthy, which is important for people who are watching their diets or have food sensitivities. Your use of almond flour and coconut flour instead of wheat flour was a genius idea, and the fact that it only requires four wet ingredients is very convenient. Also, adding dark chocolate chunks on top of the cookies is a game-changer! It’s just the right amount of sweetness to complement the chewy texture of the cookie.
I can’t wait to try making these cookies for my family and friends. They are going to be blown away by how good they are. Thank you for sharing this recipe on your blog, Alexa! It’s definitely going to be my go-to recipe for cookies from now on.