Well, I finally did it—feast your eyes on these grain-free, nut-free vegan chocolate chunk beauties!! Whew. Nicole and I, along with a couple bonus mama testers (shout-out to Cynthia and Jen!), teamed up to test about 25 batches of cookies these past few weeks! High fives all around. I couldn’t do it without these amazing ladies.
Over the years I’ve been asked so many times to develop grain-free vegan cookies…and nut-free vegan cookies…and grain- AND nut-free vegan cookies! Haha. So you know what I did? I created grain-free and nut-free vegan cookies. It wasn’t easy, but the journey was rather delicious. These cookies have actually been in the making for a couple years as I went back to an old grain-free cookie recipe that I started developing and then forgot about. Score!
This recipe uses cassava flour, which is a grain- and gluten-free flour made from yuca with good binding properties and a neutral flavour. I wanted so badly to share a swap for the cassava flour (as I know it’s not a common ingredient), but I’m just not quite there yet—although I have been experimenting with arrowroot starch as an option! Stay tuned. So today, instead of a flour swap, I thought I’d share some other allergy-friendly OSG cookie recipes that might suit your needs in the list below. I’ve also included suggestions for where to find cassava flour within the recipe itself.
If you don’t have cassava flour on hand and still want to make some cookies (of course you do!), here are some of my nut- or grain-free vegan choco chip cookie options:
Nut-free vegan cookies:
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies from Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 213. You can swap the peanut butter for natural smooth sunflower seed butter.
- Crispy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 265. See the nut-free option on page 266.
Grain-free vegan cookies:
- Crispy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 265. See the grain-free option on page 266.
Gluten-free vegan cookies:
Any faves out there? I’d like to think there’s something for everyone. :)
Let baking season begin in 3…2…1…GO!
Grain-free, Nut-free Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Yield
9 medium/large cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
I’ve had so many requests for a grain- and nut-free version of my popular vegan chocolate chip cookies and I’m so happy to have one to share at long last. These delicate cookies are light as air and use sunflower seeds (both in butter and ground form) to create a rich and “nutty” cookie. Sometimes sunflower seeds can lend a bitter flavour, but these cookies have a mellow and pleasant taste! I also use cassava flour, which is a grain- and gluten-free flour made from dried yuca. I’ve found it has good binding properties and a neutral flavour for baking. You can purchase it on Amazon or find it in some health food stores. It’s very important to follow the instructions exactly as written as these cookies are sensitive to even small changes. This recipe is adapted from my Jumbo Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Ingredients
For the wet ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (63 g) natural smooth sunflower seed butter*
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (37.5 mL) coconut oil (room temp) or grapeseed oil**
For the dry ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons (54 g) raw sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) cassava flour***
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground chia seed****
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup (50 g) dark chocolate squares
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the wet ingredients (sunflower seed butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and oil) and stir until completely smooth.
- Place the sunflower seeds into a food processor and process for about 40 to 60 seconds until a fine meal forms. You want to process the seeds to as fine a meal as possible without them turning into butter!
- Add the dry ingredients (ground sunflower seeds, cassava flour, ground chia seeds, baking soda, and salt) to the wet mixture bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. The dough will be very sticky, but this is normal. Chop the chocolate, reserving one heaping tablespoon for later. Stir the remaining chopped chocolate into the dough until combined.
- Using a 2-tablespoon (30-mL) cookie scoop (or simply a spoon), scoop small mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart. There’s no need to flatten the mounds as they’ll spread out during baking. Now, using the chocolate you set aside, press a few chunks into each mound (this just helps the cookies look a bit more chocolaty when baked!).
- Bake for 10 to 11 minutes (I bake for 10 minutes) for a soft and tender cookie.
- Remove cookies from the oven and cool directly on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, gently transfer each cookie (they’ll be very fragile) to a cooling rack for another 10 to 15 minutes. The cookies will be crumbly until they are fully cooled, so it’s very important that you give them some time to firm on the rack (I know, it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do!).
- Serve and enjoy! Cooled cookies will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. I love the delightful “snappy” texture these cookies get as the chocolate firms up from chilling!
Tip:
* The sunflower seed butter should be 100% sunflower seeds without any added sugars or oils. I use Organic SunButter. Be sure to stir the sunflower seed butter before measuring and avoid using the dry/hard butter at the bottom of the jar. If using thicker seed butter, the cookies won’t spread as much when baking.
** If your coconut oil is hard as rock, you can melt it over very low heat and then cool before using. Avoid using warm coconut oil as it’ll melt the chocolate chips.
*** Cassava flour can be a bit tricky to locate. Your best bet is to buy from an online retailer (such as this one on Amazon) or a natural food store.
**** To make ground chia seed, add seeds to a high-speed blender or coffee grinder and blend/grind on high until a flour forms. An equal amount of ground flaxseed also works in place of chia, but it will yield a thicker cookie. I prefer using ground chia. Leftover ground seeds can be stored in the freezer in an airtight freezer bag for future use.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Hi Angela,
When using Tapioca flour, how many tablespoons would you recommend?
Thanks
Hi Ted, Another reader said tapioca did work well. Here is her comment: “These worked perfectly with tapioca flour. You were so right about letting them cool thoroughly. When they first emerged from the oven, I immediately thought they were a flop–crumbled to the lightest touch. 10 minutes of cool time (felt like forever!) and they had solidified and were great. Tender, as you note above, is the perfect way to describe them” To me it sounds like it was a 1:1 swap (so she used 3 tablespoons). I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
Yum!! These are groundbreaking. Seriously. Chocolate chip is one of my all-time faves, but I have a problem with grains. They make me tired! I can’t wait to try these. I shared these on my Facebook page too. Will tweet them too. Thanks again!
Hey Kristen, I’d love to hear what you think if you try the cookies! Thanks for sharing the recipe love too.
This recipe will make all the people in my house (big and little) happy! I don’t do very well with grains (read: so much bloating), but I love to have some sweet treats in the house. YUM.
I made those today and they were a hit with my family! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Definitely not the last time I’m making them! :)
YUM!!! I absolutely love this recipe. So grateful for a version without nuts, grains, eggs or baking powder. With this solid skeleton you created as a reference for play, I have been experimenting with replacing the sunflower seeds + butter with sesame seeds and tahini, slightly altering the ratios of cassava flour to sesame seeds powder, and have added AIP baking powder (cream of tartar and baking soda in a 2:1 ratio). THANK YOU for sharing this very valuable recipe!!
PS: I have been following your work since the very beginning, as I was recovering from orthorexia its been helpful to journey in the virtual world with your stories…
PPS: I am also from New Brunswick!
Hello fellow Maritimer! ;) Thank you so much for your kind words Josianne. I’m so glad you’ve been having so much fun with the cookie recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
Great Angela!
I have made this today. All of us of my family love Vegan Chocolate. Now I’m pro in Chocolate making. Credit Angela!! Thanks for sharing vague less presentation.
Hi Angela! These look great. Do you think that oat flour could work? Or maybe a combo of oat flour and coconut flour?
Hey Olivia, I’m not sure to be honest, but I would recommend making my One Bowl Chocolate Chunk Cookies which are made with oat flour and almond flour (if you can have nuts?) https://ohsheglows.com/2016/06/15/one-bowl-jumbo-chocolate-chunk-cookies-vegan-gf/ I’d love to hear what you think!
I do eat chocolate chunk cookies a lot but haven’t tried grain-free vegan cookies. I’ll definitely get this going on Saturday or Sunday.
I’d love to hear what you think if you try them Elizabeth!
Well, I learned my lesson – again – to read the recipe all the way through first! I went out yesterday and found cassava flour at the health food store and only bought it because it was on sale. Even so, $7.50/pound! Then I read I only need 3 T of it, AND I need sunbutter, which I don’t have. I’m wanting these too much NOW for another 40-minute drive so I’ll give them a whirl with almond butter instead and see how it goes. I’ll be back!
First tip, make a double batch!!! Seriously, I had to buy 2 lbs of cassava flour, so I’ll definitely be making these again. I had to use almond butter, so not nut-free, but they worked out well and not too crumbly. Hubbie says as long as a cookie doesn’t fall apart when he picks it up it’s OK by him. These passed the test! They were tender, as you say. I used grapeseed oil and will try coconut oil next time. Maybe I should have adjusted the oil down a bit since I used almond butter. I’m sure I’ll be trying variations for a long time to come! I also found tapioca flour at an Asian market quite a bit cheaper than at the health food store, so I’ll be trying that out too. Oh, I highly recommend using a Trader Joe’s 85% chocolate bar as it has a nice hit of vanilla in it and that was a wonderful finish. I had to put the last four in the freezer or they’d be gone in one sitting. Thanks for the new keeper!
Oh my goodness, these are the BEST cookies I’ve had in many, many years! They are seriously the perfect combination of chewy and crispy. I couldn’t stop raving to my mom about how good they are. And I keep stopping over there just to steal more…
These taste EXACTLY like normal, non gluten free/vegan cookies do. And they freeze very well. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Hey Brock, Im so glad to hear this! :) Thanks for letting me know
First of all, thank you, Angela, for sharing such a beautiful recipe with us. I made it today. Everyone in my family liked it.
Hey Cynthia, Oh I’m so glad to hear this. Thank you for letting me know!
Not sure what I did wrong, but the batter melted into one solid pan cookie – but I’m sure they will still be delicious.
I think I figured it out. I didn’t let the coconut oil cool down before I added it…oh well. I will try again!
These are our favourite cookies!! I use coconut sugar instead of brown which might be the reason but does anybody else notice the cookies go green inside? The taste amazing still but ya oddly turn green.
Also to cut back on oil I’ve done this recipe with applesauce and just cooked them longer. My favourite ration is halfing the required amount of oil with oil and applesauce.
Seriously the best recipe ever! Just weird to have the green inside. We also don’t refrigerate them because they stay softer that way.
Hey Angela, I tried this recipe this weekend and they were absolutely delicious! I am always looking for a new chocolate chip/chunk recipe and this will definitely be put on rotation.
No way to skip past the photos and talking to the recipe? That’s a lot of scrolling to have to do especially on a phone. :-\
Hi is it possible to omit the sugar and just use maple syrup? I made these and love them, but usually don’t like things so sweet so was hoping this would still work!