Having my mom here for the last several days was such a treat. I’ve felt a bit like a basket case lately as we’re dealing with some behavioural issues (the munchkin, not the mom!), and having her here made the world of difference. As I’ve written about in my birth story, the presence of other women who’ve been through it before (childbirth, raising a family, etc.) is a comforting feeling. There is strength to be found in hearing someone else’s child-rearing war stories (which are often hilarious in hindsight…seriously hilarious!). Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that everything is going to be ok, despite feeling like you’re doing most things wrong, unable to find solutions to ongoing issues, or worse yet, creating lifelong bad habits. I’m starting to realize that it’s ok not to have an immediate answer, to sift through the highs and lows of parenting, to do my best each day while troubleshooting through it all, and know that in the end love wins. We have so much love and laughter in this house—I have to remind myself not to lose sight of that. When my mom says to me that soon she’ll be grown and past these phases I find myself welling up with tears because I don’t want this time to pass, yet some days I’m at a loss as to how to get through them. “We are given what we’re able to handle,” she reminds me. Parenting is a humbling experience, and I laugh at my former self who had a long list of “things I’d never do as a parent”. Well, that list has been a running joke around here of late.
Cookies have felt so right lately, in every way possible. I’ve gotten lost in the testing of this recipe, probably 12 times in a few weeks (as you may have witnessed on Snapchat and Instagram!), and I’m so thrilled with how they turned out. I can’t even deal with how delicious these are, and how much joy they’ve brought into our lives. Total comfort food, right here.
Here are some things I love about these cookies:
+ They are jumbo (so glad I didn’t go with my original idea—mini cookies…temporary lapse in judgement, clearly.), chewy, and gooey (thanks to big chunks of chocolate and a short bake time) with a crispy edge (aka: my cookie nirvana).
+ They are vegan and gluten-free with a perfect texture…so pretty much unicorns of the cookie world given how amazing they taste.
+ Much like my beloved Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, they have a wholesome base made up of oats and almonds.
+ They are sweetened with pure maple syrup rather than cane and brown sugar (this is a big request I’ve had!).
+ You only need ONE bowl! And everything is stirred by hand—no electric mixer required!
+ They only contain a few tablespoons of virgin coconut oil—there’s no vegan butter to speak of, but the flavour isn’t compromised one bit.
+ They are bursting with gooey chunks of dark chocolate! I started my testing with 100 grams, then tried 125 grams, and finally settled on 150 grams of chocolate in this recipe. Trust me on this one. Normally, I gravitate toward this 70% dark chocolate, but we all preferred a slightly milder bar in this recipe—Camino 55% dark chocolate bars. Feel free to experiment and find your perfect chocolate in this recipe!
+ Arrowroot flour/starch helps bind these cookies rather than a flax egg (some of you requested a vegan/gf cookie without flax due to flax allergies so I’m happy you can enjoy them too!).
+ They are super fun to photograph (hence, the million pictures). Try it yourself and tag them #ohsheglows on social media so I can see!
+ Did I mention they’re the cookies of my dreams? Ok, I’ll stop now.
Jumbo Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Yield
13 jumbo (4-inch) cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These vegan and gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies will blow your mind! The cookie dough is sweetened with pure maple syrup—you'd never know they don't contain any granulated cane or brown sugar (aside from the chocolate, of course). Almond butter, oats, almond flour, and a small amount of coconut oil form the hearty and nutritious base of these irresistible cookies. Prepare yourself for an addiction. We love these warm, but they're also great straight from the freezer or fridge! This recipe is inspired by The Bojon Gourmet.
Ingredients
For the wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (120 g) natural smooth almond butter (no subs)*
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (105 mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) virgin coconut oil, softened but not hot**
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the dry ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (50 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (50 g) gluten-free oat flour
- 1/4 cup (33 g) arrowroot flour/starch
- 1/4 cup (25 g) almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- (150g) 55% non-dairy dark chocolate (about 1 1/2 bars)***
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a very large (approx. 21 by 15 inch) baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (almond butter, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla) until completely smooth.
- Stir the dry ingredients (oats, oat flour, arrowroot, almond flour, baking soda, and salt) into the wet mixture, one by one, until thoroughly combined. The dough will be a bit wet/oily, but this is normal.
- Chop the chocolate into small chunks. Set aside 3 tablespoons (for topping the cookie dough later), and stir the rest of the chocolate into the batter until combined.
- Using a large retractable cookie scoop (or simply a spoon and your hands), scoop mounds of dough (about 2 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie). Add each onto the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart, as they'll spread a lot while baking.
- Press the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate onto the tops of the cookie dough mounds, evenly distributed. (Reshape the cookie dough mounds if they flatten a bit.)
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (I prefer 8 1/2 to 9 minutes for gooey and soft cookies), until the cookies are spread out. If you prefer a crispy cookie, bake for about 12 minutes.
- Cool the cookies directly on the baking sheet for about 5 to 6 minutes. The cookies will be super delicate until they are cooled. Using a spatula, gently transfer each cookie directly onto a cooling rack for another 10 minutes, where they'll firm up even more. (It's normal to have a small amount of oil on the bottom of the cookies due to the almond butter. If this bothers you, simply place them on a couple sheets of paper towel.) Serve and enjoy! Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
Tip:
- * It's important to use natural smooth almond butter that has a fairly "drippy" consistency. Be sure to stir it very well before measuring and avoid using the dry/hard nut butter at the bottom of the jar as it's too difficult to mix with the other wet ingredients. Some readers have also said that using peanut butter resulted in cookies that didn't spread out and didn't hold together, so I wouldn't recommend subbing the almond butter.
- ** What is softened coconut oil? During the warm summer months, coconut oil is the perfect "softened" consistency at room temperature; it's neither solid nor completely melted. If you do need to use melted coconut oil, just be sure that it's not hot/warm or it could melt the chocolate.
- *** I prefer Camino 55% dark chocolate bars in this recipe, but feel free to use the chocolate of your choice.
- Tip: These cookies spread out a lot and are fairly thin. If you prefer a thicker cookie you can try chilling the dough before baking. (I haven't tried this yet myself.)
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
COOKIE FAQs:
I posted this recipe to the Oh She Glows Recipe App over the weekend, and I’ve already had some questions about these cookies that I will share here:
Can I sub natural peanut butter for almond butter? Some readers have commented that they tried this swap and it didn’t work out so well. The cookies didn’t spread out and they were very crumbly. So I wouldn’t recommend it.
Can I make these nut-free? I haven’t tried a nut-free version yet, but if I do it will likely involve trying out sunflower seed butter and finely ground toasted sunflower seeds. Obviously the flavour will change a lot and might be overpowering. The cookies might not spread out, too. If you try anything out, please leave a comment and let us know how it turns out!
Can I swap the arrowroot for another starch? Arrowroot flour is a starch and it helps bind these cookies together. I haven’t tested this recipe using another starch yet (such as tapioca or potato starch), so I can’t say for sure. Again, if you try anything out please report back!
Can I make regular-sized cookies as opposed to jumbo? You sure can!
How do you store these cookies? After cooling completely, I typically store these cookies in a zip bag or container in the fridge (where they’ll firm up even more thanks to the coconut oil solidifying) for a few days. You can also store them in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer (likely for up to 1 month, but we’ll probably never be able to verify this).
Best gluten free cookies ever. Perhaps the best cookie ever! Hubby, kids and I gobbled them up in no time. Thanks so much!!!!
Hi,
Am i able to sub gluten free oat flour for gluten free flour that has xantham gum in it? If so, would it be the same ratio?
Thanks,
Breanan
Hey Breanan, Oh good question. I’m not too sure…xanthan gum (and GF all-purpose mixes in general) can be a tricky one to work swap in at times. If you try anything please let us know how it goes…would love to hear!
I made these yesterday exactly as stated. Mine were not oily or moist prior to scooping them to bake. The consistency was on the dry side. The end result was that they were dry but good. I want to make them again but obviously need to change something. What could it have been? Thanks in advance, Judie
Hi Judie, It sounds like maybe your nut butter was on the dry/thick side. I recommend using an all natural variety that is nice and runny because it directly impacts the moisture in the cookies. Did you make any substitutions at all?
These look so so good! Although I’ve been vegan over three years now, I still have yet to attempt chocolate chip cookies on my own. It was such a childhood favorite that i’m afraid I won’t be able to do it justice! But this looks like it might do just the trick – I never ever would have thought of using almond butter, but that is such a brilliant idea!!
Hey Sam, Oh I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies if you try them out. :)
I made these with PB and they turned out great! It was good and runny, and I added a bit more almond flour as the batter seemed too runny after I mixed it up. (Maybe 1/3 Cup total) I also added a 1/4 t of xanthan gum which is great in GF baking to hold things together. Definitely some of the best GF and natural sugar cookies I’ve made to date!
Hey Kathleen, I’m so happy to hear that they worked out so well even with some tweaks! Don’t you love when that happens? Thanks for sharing.
These are literally the best cookies ever! I’ve tried a million cookie recipes in the last 4 years that I’ve been gluten/egg free and these are by far the best. Thank you thank you!
I’m so happy you think they’re so great Alyssa! They’re one of my top 3 for sure. Happy baking!
These are sooo good! I went vegan about 6 months ago and these cookies were the first substitute for a “traditional” cookie that I had tried. They are seriously amazing. Thank you for creating and posting. They require too many ingredients to make all the time- but they are just accessible enough to get you through a craving.
Hey Kim, I’m so glad you love them so much! Sometimes I mix the dry ingredients together in a zip bag or small jar and stash them in the cupboard for even faster cookies.
I made these yesterday and they are so good! I used sunflower seed butter and cornstarch, and also agave instead of maple syrup. I used an 88% cocoa bar (all these subs were because it’s what I had), and everyone loved them. I couldn’t believe how rich and delicious they were — thanks!! :)
Don’t you love when a recipe works with all kinds of swaps? That’s so great! Glad you enjoyed them Amanda
Hey Angela, I love this recipe. But I also wanted to inquire about a feature for Tyson Chicken that I often see advertised when I visit. I found it odd and a bit off-putting. And I suspect it is not in line with your lifestyle or values. I wanted to let you know in case you have any control over that or perhaps you didn’t know about it. Just seemed odd to be a vegan blogger with ads for factory meat farms all over the place.
Again, this recipe is awesome, I’m back to make it for the second time in just two weeks.
Hey Melissa, Thank you so much for letting me know! I was not aware of it and I will try to have it removed asap. The difficulty with our ad networks is that we don’t see all the ads that run (they run different ads in different locations), though we have hundreds of categories blocked (we block meat, dairy, leather, diet/weight loss, etc, but sadly some still sneak through). I really appreciate you mentioning it! I’ll look into this tomorrow morning.
And I’m so happy you love the cookies so much…they’re faves in this house!
Hi Angela, these cookies are amazing! I’ve been meaning to try out some vegan cookies for a while now with some hesitation, but now I’ll definitely be making these over and over again! I packed one for lunch today and my mouth waters every time I think about it.
I actually made a blunder when making them last night. I doubled up on the oat flour (oops) so I decided to skip on the almond flour. They still turned out great, but curious if they will taste different when done right! We shall see very soon. haha
By the way, last night was a total OhSheGlows kind of dinner. I made one of your super healthy, spinach-packed, green smoothies, your glowing spiced lentil soup, and of course the cookies. Not bad for someone who’s not even vegan ;) You should have seen the mess in the kitchen afterwards… oh boy! So grateful for my husband who took care of it all :)
Hey Alema, Wow, I love to hear about all of the recipe you’re making! That makes me so happy. :) And what a nice surprise that the cookies turned out with all oat flour too. Don’t you love when that happens?
Can you tell me the calories per cookie and the size you made, as well as the fat/sat. fat content / cookie? Thank you. They look amazing.
Hi there. Was going to make these cookies now. I’m knew to the dairy free and wheat free and no eggs as well so the almond butter comments are stumping me.
Is the almond butter in the pails you buy at the bulk barn the one to use ? It doesn’t seem very drippy and not exactly smooth. The girl at the store said this is smooth. So please help ?:) I’m exited to make these cookies
I would love to know which brand you use for the almond butter. Tnx sue
Hey Sue, That should work just fine as long as it’s not real dry or firm. :) I’d love to hear how the cookies go if you try them out!
These are wonderful! I only had the fairly solid almond butter that included palm oil and maple sugar, I heated this gently with with coconut oil till it was a liquidy consistency and stirred in the rest of the ingredients. They turned out perfectly.
Hey Nicka, That’s suc a great idea…I’m so glad it worked out!
I wanted this recipe to work out so badly for me, but they didn’t flatten out at all! Any idea why that might occur or where I went wrong?
Hey Krista, Oh I’m sorry to hear that! It could be due to the nut butter being too thick? Do you know if yours way on the thicker side? Also it’s important to use almond flour and not almond meal as almond meal can thicken up the dough. Hope this helps :)
If I had put chocolate chunks in fresh cow manure and baked it the results would have been better. This recipe tasted like garbage, even for vegan GF nonsense. Hard pass.
LOL…this comment. I die.
Oh my goodness gracious–these are incredible. I have eaten 3 tonight (big Friday night!) Best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried, honestly.
I’ve posted only a few other times, but I’ve truly followed your blog for about 7-8 years now. I have made tons of your recipes from the blog and both cookbooks. What a talent you have–it must feel so good to have found your calling! (Besides being a mommy, of course) Speaking of, I think you should write a cookbook with easy, kid friendly recipes. I know you have many that already are, but I know I’d buy it–my kids are 6 and 3.
Hey Katie, You are so sweet! Thank you so much. I really appreciate you following along for so long and for trying so many recipes. That means the world to me. :) Glad you love the cookies as much as we do too! Sometimes I don’t bake the dough and freeze it into cookie dough balls…omg. so good. Thanks for your suggestion about the kid-friendly book!
I have made these three times this week! (I am pregnant?) I haven’t had any almond flour on hand so I just used all oat flour. They turn out not thin and very fluffy! The next thing I will try is all almond flour and no oat flour for a grain free version!
hahah love it! Thanks for sharing Julia and I hope you have a great pregnancy!
These are to die for! I subbed tapioca starch for arrowroot starch and completely omitted the coconut oil with no sub…they turned out SO delicious!
So happy to hear you loved them so much, and that the swaps worked so well. :)
Is almond flour also called almond meal? Or is almond flour finer than almond meal?
Hi Lauren, almond flour is made up of blanched almonds (skinless) that have been ground and almond meal is made up of almonds (skin-on) which have been ground. Almond flour is much more fine while almond meal is coarse. Hope this helps!
Amazing!! my husband is allergic to eggs and I am doing an eating real food challenge but needed a special something and these were delicious. I did sub tapioca flour because that is what I had in the pantry and it made a crumbly cookie that did not flatten out. delicious but next time I will try arrow root so it binds together better!