The other day, I was thinking through my rolodex of recipes and realized I don’t have a basic vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookie on the blog. I KNOW. It’s just wrong. So, obviously, I had to fix that. The rest is history. Friends, ready your aprons and let’s bake!
This 9-ingredient recipe starts with aquafaba! Yes, aquafaba knows no bounds. It acts as a binding and leavening agent in these cookies, which is kind of amazing.
If you haven’t jumped on the aquafaba bandwagon yet (which is just the liquid from a can of chickpeas), you totally should! Don’t dump that liquid gold out next time you’re making hummus! It keeps in the fridge up to a week and makes so many delicious things (like oil-free granola!).
Next comes your dry ingredients, which are organic brown sugar, vegan dark chocolate chips, almond flour (which is key to keeping these light and tender), and our gluten-free flour blend. Add a little coconut oil and vanilla to your whipped aquafaba, combine with the dry ingredients, and you’re halfway there!
These cookies benefit from a brief 30-minute chill before baking. But if you absolutely cannot wait (I mean, like you just can’t), march bravely onward toward baking. I just find they’re easier to work with (and bake better) when chilled.
Friends, you’re going to LOVE these cookies! They’re:
Tender on the inside
Slightly crisp on the outside
Perfectly sweet
Studded with chocolate chips
Easy to make
& SO delicious
True story: When we shared these cookies with a friend, she had to hide them from her family because they didn’t trust themselves around the whole batch. Also, they said they were “undetectably” gluten-free. That’s a win in our book!
Into cookies? Also check out our Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cookies, 5-Ingredient Vegan Gluten-Free Cookies, and the Best Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Perfect Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Perfect vegan chocolate chip cookies made with simple methods and 9 ingredients. Tender, sweet, studded with chocolate, and undetectably gluten-free. Print SAVE SAVED
from votes Prep Time 45 minutes Cook Time 12 minutes Total Time 57 minutes Servings 11 (Cookies)Course DessertCuisine Gluten-Free, VeganFreezer Friendly 1 monthDoes it keep? 4 Days
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Ingredients
US Customary – Metric1 1/4 cup almond flour (almond flour works best here as opposed to almond meal, which would give these more crunchy texture and nutty flavor // if avoiding nuts, see notes*)1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (we like Enjoy Life)1/3 cup gluten-free flour blend1/2 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp sea salt1/3 cup organic brown sugar (or sub muscovado sugar)1/4 cup aquafaba (the brine/liquid in a can of chickpeas // measured before whipping)3 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond flour, dark chocolate chips, gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, and organic brown sugar. Set aside.In a separate mixing bowl, beat aquafaba using a handheld mixer until light and fluffy and loose peaks have formed. (Add a little cream of tartar to help them along if not whipping.)To the aquafaba, add the melted coconut oil and vanilla and beat or whisk to combine. Then add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You should have a firm, semi-tacky dough. Loosely cover and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Scoop out 1 1/2-Tablespoon amounts of dough (I like this scoop) and transfer to your lined baking sheet. Use the palm of your hand to smash the cookies down slightly into small mounds. They won’t spread much, so no need to leave a ton of room between cookies. There should be about 11 cookies (amount as original recipe is written // expect a different yield if altering batch size).Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Be careful not to burn (especially on the bottoms).Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Then carefully loosen with a spatula and enjoy or continue to let cool.Store cooled leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature up to 4 days or 1 month in the freezer. These are super delicious when warm and dipped in almond milk or hot cocoa!
Video
Notes
*If avoiding nuts: try subbing a blend of oat flour, coconut flour, and ground flax or sesame seeds. Alternatively, we suspect the seed mixture called Superfood Burcha from Feel the Lean would be a nice substitution. Feel free to mix and match any of these seeds. If using large seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower seeds), give them a blitz in a blender or food processor or chop finely with a knife before using. We have not tested this idea – it is just a suggestion.
*Recipe adapted from our Trail Mix Cookies, originally adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 11 servings)
Serving: 1 Cookies Calories: 211 Carbohydrates: 23.5 g Protein: 3.9 g Fat: 12.5 g Saturated Fat: 4.9 g Sodium: 82 mg Potassium: 110 mg Fiber: 2.8 g Sugar: 6.8 g