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.
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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).
Is there a good substitute for oats and oat flour? I am allergic.
I just made these and for some reason I decided to half the recipe since it was my first time and they were just for my boyfriend and myself. Big mistake! I had to use major self-restraint not to eat all of the dough (okay maybe I had some of it…) and they are SOOOO good! My first vegan cookies and definately a big hit.
I didnt tell my guy that they were vegan, and he didnt notice. Thats the true test for a vegan cookie in my book..
:) I’m glad the cookies were such a hit, Kathrin!
This morning, I had to sub out PB2 powdered peanut butter because I accidentally left almond butter off my list! The cookies did not splay out like Angela’s photos but were still quite tasty! I have made them with the correct ingredients and had more visually appealing results.
So good to know they still turn out fairly well with that sub, Laura! Thanks for sharing.
Made these for a baby shower I went to last week and aside from Almond flour (cuz OMG expensive!) being subbed with spelt flour, I made them exactly as the recipe indicated….they were a hit! Everyone was really shocked once I told them they were vegan too (I always love that part). I had to make a second batch later in the week as my BF was so sad I took them all away ;) Awesome recipe!!
So glad they were such a hit, April!
These cookies look amazing! I want to make them, but I don’t have any Himalyan salt. Can I use 1/2 tsp sea salt instead or would that be too much?
What is a good substitute for coconut oil in recipes? I really am not a fan of the taste but it seems like all alternative recipes call for it. Help!
Hey Bethany, This is such a great question. In recipes where coconut oil is counted on to help harden/thicken the end product (like in my Coconut Oil Chocolate Bark), it can be tricky to replace. However, in other desserts where that’s less of a concern, you can often substitute it with another type of oil, preferably one without a heavy flavour, like grapeseed oil. (In my Fail-Proof Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, for example, you could use either coconut or grapeseed oil.) For these One Bowl Jumbo Chocolate Chunk Cookies in particular, however, I’d try vegan butter like Earth Balance. I buy the soy-free buttery spread. Hope this helps!!
Hi! I was wondering if I could substitute gluten free flour for the oats and oat flour (so like 3/4 cup gluten free flour – I use the Jovial brand mix). Unfortunately I am allergic to oats, but these look incredible!!
Hi Shannon, To be honest, I think it could throw off the cookies texture/thickness (and maybe dry them out a bit), but I also haven’t tried it myself! If you do, please report back and let us know how it goes. :)
Sounds delicious!
You have outdone yourself with this recipe! These cookies are absolutely amazing!!! I have one left in my first batch and I see another batch happening this weekend, most likely a double batch.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies, Tara!! Hope that second batch was just as tasty. ;)
Best cookies I have had in a long time! I was out of almond butter, but I had some of this delicious hazelnut butter : https://www.prana.bio/en_ca/organic-hazelnut-butter-bulk
They don’t melt as much as described in the recipe, but I just press them down with a fork when I realized their non melting status in the oven.
Thank you!
Every recipe of yours is a sure success!
Yum – I’m sure the hazelnut butter added a delicious twist!!
When I first made these, there was just a little something missing for me. So, inspired by vegan Richa’s single serve cookie recipe, I added 3 tbsp orange juice and 1 tbsp nutritionnal yeast to this recipe and I was quite blown away by the slightly saltier, more complex flavours. If, like me, you’re into the sweet-salty combination too, I really recommend trying these alterations ! I particularly like how they make the cookies taste once cold. Fantastic recipe, thanks Angela !!!
That’s such a great twist, Elisabeth! I’ll have to try that sometime; thanks for sharing! :)
These are crazy good! Made them last night and they turned out fluffy, crispy on the outside and gooey in the center. Expected them to flatten but they stayed fluffy and moist. I followed the recipe and used a 70% dark chocolate bar. I didn’t have any almond flour, so I added extra almonds to the food processor when I was making my almond butter and just took out 1/4 cup once it turned into a flour like consistency. Thanks for the recipe and look forward to trying more!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe so much, Lindsey! :)
These were so good! I used to bake a lot but haven’t really been baking lately because I don’t eat much sugar these days and most cookies don’t taste good to me any more. But I was inspired to make these and they’re SO delicious. I added walnuts and used flax meal instead of arrowroot and they still worked out. They’re my new go-to!
It’s great to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Caitlin! I bet the walnuts were a great addition, and it’s so great to hear the cookies worked out with arrowroot.
These were delicious!! Made them last night and ate them for dinner and breakfast and will likely have them for lunch as well, haha :) I threw in some chopped walnuts because I like a little crunch but next time I think I may cut down on the maple syrup just a smidge. My almond butter was pretty firm so I warmed up all the wet ingredients in the microwave for a few seconds and it all mixed together pretty well after that. I rolled a few balls of dough up and popped them in the freezer for when I need an ice-cream topping (pregnant with #2 and cravings have been cray cray!). I have a one year old who inhaled the tiny bit I gave her so I’d say they were well received by the entire family!
The cookies look incredible! Unfortunately, I cannot have coconut or butter! Is there a substitute for the coconut oil?
Hi Lisa, If you’re able to have a vegan butter like Earth Balance, I think that’s what I’d suggest! I buy the soy-free buttery spread. Please let me know if this helps, or if vegan butter is out, too. If so, I’ll put my thinking cap back on. :)
Made these yesterday and they are wonderful! We used a 70% and an 85% dark chocolate bar as my husband and I like the darker chocolate. We found that the chocolate chunks never hardened back up after baking, but stayed very soft. We used a good quality chocolate bar. I am wondering if you have any suggestions on why that may have happened. I couldn’t find anything on line as to why. I also looked through many comments but did not see it brought up as an issue with anyone…unless I missed it. We put them in the fridge to store them and the chocolate did firm up again. We will definitely make them again, but may try a lower % of dark as suggested. Thank you for a great website…we are looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
These are absolutely amazing! I made them on Saturday and my family and friends loved them! They couldn’t believe that they were vegan, they have the crazy idea that vegan food taste like cardboard but I prove them wrong! hehe Thank you for this great recipe! :)
I made these last week and they were amazing. Great recipe. <3
Hi Angela, I made these cookies today and they did not spread out very much. I was hoping for thinner cookies but instead got quite ones. I ended up pulling them out when the timer was done, squishing them down and cooking them for a couple more minutes. I did substitute cornstarch for the arrowroot powder, but in the past I’ve always found this substitute to be successful. Do you have any ideas of what might’ve gone wrong?
these are my new favorites. Made them to take to a cookout and they were a huge hit. Thank you for crafting these perfectly! I don’t bake much bc we try not to eat sweets…but this recipe is perfection!
Glad everyone liked the cookies, Kara!!