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).
I really need cookies at this stage in my life as well. Our kids are a few months apart and I feel ya – they are starting to become toddlers and go nuts!! Love mine to bits but she is always testing me lately and definitely has a mind of her own. So excited that these cookies also don’t have a ton of different expensive flours. Super excited to try them. Hope you’re feeling good otherwise! Love reading your updates.
Ohhhh Angela, these look AHmazing!!! I can’t wait to try them as soon as I get home from my honeymoon! If they’re anything like your Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies… I know they will be divine! A question for you though…I have an almond intolerance so what would you suggest to substitute the almond flour with? I thought I could use natural peanut butter instead of the almond butter.
Lisa! Just my 2c ~ I blitz peanuts in my blender or grinder (careful not to go overboard) to make my own peanut flour. It’s cheap, quick and easy. I hope that helps! :)
Oh, I hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon, Lisa! :) I haven’t tried a substitution for the almond flour yet, but you could try using finely ground toasted sunflower seeds. For the almond butter, a number of readers reported that swapping with peanut butter resulted in cookies that didn’t quite work out — they didn’t spread out and ended up being crumbly (though, apparently they were still quite tasty–yay!). So I’m not sure what I’d recommend there. If you experiment, I would love it if you’d report back and let us know how it goes!
I must be so lovely to be with your mom. I don’t have children but I am sure they can be challenge sometimes and a little help and advice from your mom must be just wonderful!
And the cookies look so good. I have seen them on both Snapchat and Instagram and have been waiting for you to post the recipe. They just look so delicious. Hopefully, I’ll have the time to bake this Friday or Saturday – these would be the perfect weekend treat. Especially because I am home alone so I am dreaming of cuddling up with a book, a cup of tea, and one of these amazing chocolate cookies. The perfect Saturday :)
Sounds like the ideal weekend, Heidi! :)
So I made these today after seeing them. I LOVE that they are one bowl. That made me want to try them even more. I did not have arrowroot so I did sub tapioca starch and it worked wonderfully! I got huge, as big as my hand delicious chocolate chunk cookies. Edges were perfectly crisp and the middles soft and gooey perfection!
Thanks for reporting back on the tapioca sub, Jenn! It’s great to hear it worked out, and that the cookies were a success. :)
I made these after you posted on the app. I used smooth natural peanut butter instead of the almond butter because I was out. They were very tasty but didn’t spread out. They also seemed a bit on the drier side. We still enjoyed them! I made them again following the exact recipe today and wouldn’t substitute again– much better how you made them!
Yum! Can I use GF all purpose flour instead of oat flour?
Yaaaaahhssss jumbo vegan cookies!!!! I’ve been (impatiently) waiting for the recipe since I follow you on Snapchat and even almost tried my own recipe yesterday since I was dying for some chocolate chunk cookies, but I’m so glad I waited! I bought my man a dark chocolate bar last week as a special treat that he still hasn’t opened, so I think we both know where it’s now going ?
Yaaaaahhssss jumbo vegan cookies!!! I’ve been DYING to make these since I spotted them on your snapchat! I got my man a big dark chocolate bar last week that he somehow hasn’t touched, so I think we both know where it’s going now ?
can we substitute almond butter for peanut better? i’m allergic to almond.
Hi Nathalie, I haven’t tried the swap myself, but a few readers have commented that they tried using peanut butter and it didn’t work out so well. Though I believe the cookies still tasted alright, they didn’t spread out and were very crumbly! So I’m not sure I’d recommend it.
It’s been torture watching you tease us with this recipe on Snapchat over the past couple of weeks, haha! They look even more heavenly in this post. YUM.
Our family seriously loves every recipe you post! Thank you! I made these as soon as they hit the app…in a double batch because I’ve learned it’s always worth it;)
Question…they didnt spread out at all and they are super crumbly. I did sub peanut butter for almond butter because that’s all I had. It was however a new jar so it was drippy and smooth. Do you think that could have cause this?
Note…they still taste amazing…but I want them to be thin and chewy like yours!
Hey Stephanie! I used PB in mine as well and they turned out great! I also subbed in corn starch for the arrow root and it worked wonderfully! Only problem was I almost burned them…ooops! That’s why I can only cook alone, I get distracted otherwise! Perhaps the doubling of the batch shifted the ingredient ratios? That’s the only other cause I can think of. Hopefully your next batch goes better!
I made these as soon as they came out on the app and they are fabulous! Non-vegan hubby loved them too. Here’s the real question though, if you tested these 12 times, what did you do w them all, bc you sure don’t look like you’ve eaten 12 dozen cookies in a week. Do you give them to your friends or anyone that works in a large office? Freeze them for later and pray for some will power? Inquiring minds want to know.
These are great!! I made with natural peanut butter rather than almond butter and used tapioca flour instead of arrowroot. They have a delicately crisp exterior and a soft crumb inside . Yum!
Thanks for sharing the successful subs, Cassidy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’m allergic to coconut. What would suggest as a substitute?
I would sub any other light tasting oil that you are comfortable using…perhaps canola? Plain vegetable?
Hi Debra, Have you given a substitute a try yet? I’d love to hear back if you have!! If not, I’d suggest trying a vegan butter like Earth Balance.
When I was reading through this post and saw l….you only need one (bowl) I thought you meant cookie! I just made a batch of these bad boys and have already eaten two (yes in under 5 minutes) they are amazing! I did the recipe from your app. It’s so beautiful and easy to use, loving it! Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks so much for the kind words, Dani! It’s great to hear you’re enjoying the app (and the cookies too, of course!).
As soon as I saw these my mouth was watering!!! I have to try them! I love all your amazing recipes (and I’m not even vegan). It’s great to have alternatives to traditional cooking sometimes.
Thanks for the lovely comment, Jessica! I hope you love the cookies when you give them a try. :)
Cornstarch is meant as a binder to keep the cookies from spreading out, and staying thick. It’s no doubt working here, and why OPs cookies are puffy like that. This leads to a doughy center most times in chocolate chip cookies. The bread flour improves the overall gluten percentage. General purpose flour has less gluten, and therefore breaks down sooner. This makes a crumbly cookie. the more glucose, the chewier (for the right reason) the cookie. Your mouth will know the difference.
Thank you for this recipe! I will try them for sure!
I remember when my son was going through the same stage as your daughter. He was such a pill and I worried if I was doing things right. Well now he is 22 and is headed off to grad school to be a physical therapist. He is still spunky and has that same determination but it is serving him well to help him reach his goals. I am also a kindergarten teacher of 25 years and I have seen a lot of kids grow up. I know you are doing a good job. The main thing kids need is love and it is obvious you are giving her lots of love.
Oh my goodness these look amazing! We’re have a rainy weekend coming up where I live, so they’ll be perfect for some cozy baking. I adore my cookie nice and crispy. It makes them perfect for crumbling on top of coconut milk ice cream which has been my favorite treat as of late. I may not be a parent yet, but from babysitting I’ve definitely ecpirienced some tricky times with little kids. When in doubt, my strategy is always to turn on some music and declare a dance party.
That sounds like an awesome strategy! Who doesn’t love an impromptu dance party? :) I hope the cookies help chase away any rainy day blahs.
Sometimes I wish for an 8th day in the week devoted solely to making amazing things from Oh She Glows. This recipe clearly needs to be added to the rotation.
Aw, you’re too sweet Michelle! I hope you like the cookies when you try them. :)