The Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies. Made with brown rice flour and almond butter, these are so soft, chewy and with a moist fudgy interior! You only need 8 ingredients and 20 minutes to make these! You would never guess they are oil-free!
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BEST VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
I have a lot of vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes here on the blog and these 6 Ingredient Crispy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies made with almond flour are a huge reader favorite. I wanted to share a classic and perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that really tastes like a traditional cookie made with butter, oil, white flour and white sugar, but so much healthier. These are amazing and so authentic!
Bonus is that these are gluten-free and oil-free and only 8 ingredients. You won’t miss the butter or white sugar, I can guarantee that. These are made with unrefined sweetener maple syrup. They are moist, fudgy and have an irresistible crispy edge. They are also ready in about 20 minutes!
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?
First, you will need to gather these 8 ingredients (+salt):
- brown rice flour
- roasted almond butter
- maple syrup
- molasses
- coconut sugar
- baking powder
- vanilla
- chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Add the brown rice flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar to a large bowl and whisk very well to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the almond butter, syrup, vanilla, molasses and water. Stir until completely smooth.
Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until all the dough comes together and no more flour is visible. It should be very sticky and thick, yet SOFT, not stiff.
Drop 2 tablespoons worth of batter (or use a cookie scoop) onto the pan about 2 inches apart to allow room for them to spread.
Take a small piece of parchment paper and press each cookie down to between 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Place extra chocolate chips on top.
Bake 1 pan at a time for 10-11 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown.
HOW LONG DO THESE COOKIES STAY FRESH?
These cookies are so buttery and moist and will stay moist and delicious for 3 days, as long as they are sealed in an airtight container. They will soften more as they are stored, but are still amazing.
ARE CHOCOLATE CHIPS VEGAN?
These days, many chocolate chip brands sell dairy-free options. Many, however, contain milk, so make sure to read the label first. Enjoy Life brand is labeled vegan but there are brands at Trader Joes, Sprouts and many grocery stores that simply use cocoa, cocoa butter, vanilla and sugar, just read the label!
OTHER VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Grain-free Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (120g) brown rice flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (30g) coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup (180g) semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips (plus extra to put on top if desired)
- 3/4 cup (192g) super creamy roasted almond butter**
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup*
- 2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (20g) regular unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap, I used Grandma's molasses)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) water
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Add the brown rice flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar to a large bowl and whisk very well to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the almond butter, syrup, vanilla, molasses and water. Stir until completely smooth.
Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until all the dough comes together and no more flour is visible. It should be very sticky and thick. (see photo)
Drop 2 tablespoons worth of batter (or use a cookie scoop) onto the pan about 2 inches apart to allow room for them to spread. Place only 9 on a sheet so they don't get overcrowded. Now, depending on the thickness of your almond butter used (as some are really drippy) it will affect how stiff/soft your cookie scoops are. If your cookie scoops slowly spread out once dropped onto the pan, then you don't need to flatten them. If they hold their shape (as in the photo), take a small piece of parchment paper and press each cookie down to between 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Smooth and piece together the edges to a round shape. Place extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie, if desired.
Bake 1 pan at a time for 10-11 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown. Mine were perfect at 11 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes on the pan and then cool another 10 on a cooling rack. They will crisp and firm up as they cool. You must wait for them to cool at least 10 minutes or they can crumble because of the rice flour, but will be fine after cooled. Keep sealed so they don't dry out.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition per cookie (based on 18): 136 calories, 8.5 g fat, 13.7 g carbs, 2.7 g protein, 1.9 g fiber
*Can sub the maple syrup with agave if desired.
**Can sub sunbutter for nut-free, just make sure it is really smooth and keep in mind that it will yield a sunbutter taste)
This little cookies look seriously tasty. I’m going to make these later on today, I’d have to use peanut butter in place of almond butter.
Hi Charlene! Great, just keep in mind that peanut butter is stickier and less oily than almond butter, so your batter will likely be thicker. You may need a teensy bit more water. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Brandi, I made these yesterday and added a tad more water to even out the heaviness of the peanut butter. I must say they came out nice, we literally ate the entire batch as soon as they came out the oven. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
I’m so happy to hear you loved these so much Charlene that you ate them all right away, haha! Thank you so much for the feedback!!
Just made these little beauties and they are fantastic! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Yay! I’m so incredibly happy to hear that Cheryl, thank you so much!!
I’m with your husband, these look perfect! You can tell they’ve got that lovely crisp outside and the perfect texture inside and packed with chocolate chips 😀
Need to get my hands on some brown rice flour – stat!
Thank you so much for your sweet words Emma, these are our new favorite cookie around here now!!
I’m not a maple syrup nor a molasses user 🙁
Have any other ideas as substitutes?
Just use agave instead of syrup and add one more tablespoon of agave instead of the molasses and reduce the coconut sugar by 1 tablespoon. I think that should work fine. Also, increase the salt from 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon since molasses has sodium in it and aids in the flavor, by eliminating it, you will need to increase the salt. Let me know how they turn out, I think those subs should work just fine! 🙂
Brandi! These cookies look insane! The texture looks so perfect.
I’ve had brown rice flour in my pantry for a while and don’t think I’ve ever used it! But now I have the perfect reason to 😉
Thank you so much Leah, you are so sweet! We absolutely devoured these cookies! Let me know if you try them!
AMEN!!! As a celiac who can’t tolerate even gluten free oats, its always frustrating when most vegan gluten free recipes call for oat flour. Thanks for the awesome recipe – as always!
Aww you are so welcome Casey!! I hope you try them and let me know if you do!!
I would never guess these were free of so many things, the texture looks classic and perfect and SO tasty! I love the chocolate chips on top to give them all that perfect polka-chocolate look 🙂
Thank you so much Natalie! The best part is they taste so incredible, yet so much healthier than traditional ones!
These look fantastic! Just like the real thing! I’m wondering if there’s a sub for the rice flour, though? I bet almond or coconut flour would work to make them paleo. Of course, coconut flour may be more trouble than its worth.
Thanks for making these! I can’t wait to try them!
Hi Christine! Since the rice flour is the main ingredient and focus here and worked SO incredibly well, subbing it will yield a different result. Most definitely do not sub with coconut flour…coconut flour is so incredibly absorbent that they would be dry pucks. I have only tested these with brown rice flour and the results were simply amazing. You could try almond flour but honestly, it will be possibly too chewy because that will be a lot of almond in the recipe (almond butter already) and may make them too moist since almond flour is so moist. The rice flour really did give them the classic traditional cookie texture. You could try maybe sorghum or buckwheat, but be warned, it will change the flavor since both of those are much stronger in flavor.
Oh, my word!! That first pic with the melty chocolate chips and the glass of milk had me drooling!!! They look perfect and sound like the classic chocolate chip cookies I had as a kid. It’s a true sign of success when even the picky eaters approve! I need to get more almond butter and then I’ll be baking these cookies! Hope you have a great weekend, Brandi!
Are blackstrap and unsulphered molasses the same thing?
Hi April! No, blackstrap is much more dark and richer in flavor…it would be too strong in flavor for these. I just used regular molasses….labeled Grandma’s original molasses on the bottle. I’ll update the recipe.
I only buy blackstrap and wouldn’t want to get a big jar of the other kind just to use a small amount… would it work to do half blackstrap and half maple or something? So the blackstrap isnt so strong?
Yes, you could do half and half and I think that would be just fine!
That top photo w/ the melty chocolate chip is killing me!!
Awww thanks Annie, so glad you like it!!
These sound amazing! I love a crispy cookie on the outside with a chewy soft center. Can’t wait to try these. I almost always have brown rice flour on hand…love it!
Thank you so much Jenn! I’ve had brown rice flour for years, but don’t use it very often for sweets, but will be more now!
These look delicious and love the pictures, Brandi! I really like that you used brown rice flour here, it’s so appealing to me, because I’ve had never been used this before. The use of almond butter is amazing, I bet it gives a little more creaminess and fluffiness to the cookies with a delicious hint of almond.
Thank you very much Florian! So glad you love the pictures, I appreciate that! These cookies turned out even better than I imagined!!
You are such a versatile baker I just love it!! These look great, I adore all kinds of unique cookies, but even for the skeptics these look perfect! Well done my friend.
Aww thank you so much Brittany, you are so sweet to say that!! xo
You have done it with these cookies, Brandi! I honestly cannot wait to try them – they look SO chewy and perfect! As soon as I get my hands on some brown rice flour I’m going to be whipping up a batch!!
You are so kind Ceara, thank you!!! They really are chewy, the molasses does that magic, which I love in these! Yes, get some brown rice flour….then you can make these AND the brownies, haha!
Those sounds so so good, Brandi! I have never used brown rice flour, as it is hard to find where I live, but the look of those cookies really makes me want to order some brown rice flour online and get baking <3
It is so worth it and you can use brown rice flour for so many things too Kat! Thank you so much!
Could I substitute white rice flour for the brown or will other changes be necessary? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sue! I have not tried it with regular white rice flour, but it’s worth a shot. Just make sure it’s regular rice flour and NOT the “sweet sticky” glutenous rice flour, which would be labeled that way. That kind definitely won’t work. Please come back and let me know if you try it with the white rice flour, thank you!
Hi Sue! Just letting you know I tested a batch last night making these with white rice flour and they were gritty…so definitely make sure to use brown rice flour as the cookies were sensational with that! They were still tasty with the white rice flour, but the texture was definitely gritty and not nearly as delicious!
I’ve had this email in my inbox to remind me to come tell you how bad I want to snuggle in with a giant pile of these babies, and I needed to just come do it because every time I look at my email I get hungry!! Love me a good chocolate chip cookie! Soft, pillowy, crisp, crunchy…you name it! It’s all good for me! I actually used to use brown rice flour in my cookies when I first changed my diet many years ago but haven’t used it in forever because that’s all I used for so long!! I need to start again since you reminded me how awesome it is! And you know the love affair I have with molasses…put it in everything! Such a great ingredient. Y.U.M.
Thank you so much Sophia! These were incredible and I’ll be making them quite often! I love molasses too and have used it my other cookie cake recipe and my dark chocolate molasses cookies and even in ice cream and muffins,lol, as you can I use it a lot in my desserts! It is a wonderful ingredient! Such depth of flavor when the right amount is used!
These cookies definitely look dreamy to me, and the photographs are incredible! They are so beautiful, and make the cookies look even more desirable! There aren’t many things I love more than a good chocolate chip cookie, and I can just tell that this is going to be my new favourite recipe for them. Mmm! You’ve outdone yourself again Brandi, you are such an amazing cook!
Awww thank you so much Harriet for the compliments on my photos, I really appreciate that so much!! You are so darn sweet, thank you! These are definitely my new favorite cookie! Hope you try them!
How have I NOT commented on your blog yet? Well…here I go! WOWZA! These cookies! Amazing! Wonderful photo, too! Now…I am hooked on your blog and will be commenting more often! Swing by my place when you get the chance! LOVE meeting fellow vegans!
Thank you so much Jennifer for such kind comments! I really appreciate it! Will definitely check out your blog!
Hi, would it be ok to use any other nut butter? I have cashew or a mixed cashew, peanut and hazelnut butter.
also the coconut sugar, is there any other I can use?
thanks Vivian
Hi Vivian! Sure, you could try pretty much any nut butter you like, as long as you don’t mind the cookies taking on that flavor. I would really suggest warming up slightly the nut butter prior to measuring so it’s very smooth and pourable, if it’s super thick to begin with. If after a couple of minutes your batter is stiff (it should be thick and sticky but not stiff) then add just another teaspoon or so of water until it comes together. You could try just regular white sugar or light brown sugar lightly packed. The brown sugar has molasses in it so it will change the texture a bit but should still be delicious. Please let me know how they turn out!
Hi Brandi,
I made these today I used cashew butter and caster sugar, my daughter is celiac and vegan so I made them for her, I personally loved them but she found them to sweet.
I was wondering if I could leave out the sugar, with having the sweetness of the maple syrup and molasses.
would this affect the recipe at all?
Hi Vivian! So glad you loved them, thank you! 🙂 The reason your daughter found them too sweet is because you used caster sugar, it is much more fine than coconut sugar, which is what I used for the recipe. Coconut sugar has a much different flavor and is caramel-like but not as intensely sweet. These cookies aren’t too sweet with the coconut sugar at all, so I would definitely try it with that next time and they will be less sweet. Also, cashew butter is mildly sweet too, so that had a slight affect. Almond butter is much more nutty-tasting. However, if you want to try them leaving out the sugar, I think they would almost not be sweet enough, so if anything I would just use 1 tablespoon of caster sugar if you don’t want to use coconut, but the result is a different flavor than with the almond butter and coconut sugar. Hope that helps! Thank you again for making them!
I do not make a lot of gluten-free & oat free cookies but these looked fabulous & that us why, I made them!
They were superb, really the max! So delicious with a vegan cafe latte! Xxx
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, thank you so much Sophie for making them!
I love all of your tasty recipes, dear Brandi! xxx
I think you should make a cook book! xx
I made these yesterday and they were delicious AND easy! My husband’s response was basically the same as your husband’s response…don’t change a thing!
I used sunflower seed butter instead because that is what I had on hand. I think I should have added the extra water that you mentioned, but was worried about them spreading too much. Half way through the cooking I flattened them a little with a spatula and cooked a little longer than the recipe recommended…all my own fault. Also, I did not know molasses is a binder so I learned something.
We love the cookies…thank you for a simple, delicious, grain free, vegan recipe!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear such awesome feedback and that your hubby loved these as much as mine did! Yes, it really just takes one trial to be certain since it all boils down to the thickness of the nut butter used and sunflower is definitely thicker than almond butter, so next time that one extra tablespoon of water should yield them perfectly! Thanks again for the feedback! 🙂
I made these yesterday and they were PERFECT! The first bite took me back to my childhood – definitely the classic chocolate chip cookie, but without the loads of butter and sugar. I always steal a little bite of the raw dough to see how it tastes and I was blown away at how amazing it tasted. Once again, it reminded me of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies and how my brother and I used to steal bites of the raw cookie dough. The texture of these cookies…incredible! My favorite cookies are those that have a combined crispy/chewy texture and these were spot on. Excellent recipe, as usual, my friend! xo
Oh wow, thank you so much for such fantastic feedback Mandy! I’m so glad you felt about these cookies the same way we do! They really are the perfect classic chocolate chip cookie without all the yucky ingredients! Thank you so much sweetheart!! xoxo
These look so good too, Brandi! Cute as a button comes to mind 🙂
They are the perfect chocolate chip cookie….just like a traditional classic cookie, thanks Audrey!
Thank you so much sweet Audrey!!
Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I’ve tried lots of small-bakery vegan cookies and never finished a single one, but your cookies look so good, and the ingredients sound so tasty, that I’m ready to try these. I wanted to pick one right up off the screen. They look absolutely scrumptious.”
In fact, I shared this on Facebook today with a few of my peeps who like a page called Cooking with Whole Grains & Real, Whole Foods, where it’s the Recipe of the Day. Hope it nets you a couple more readers!
Aww thanks so much Kathryn for your kind words!! Yeah, I agree, most vegan baked goods I’ve bought have been just horrible and not nearly as good as the ones I make at home. They just always taste bland or dry or too oily…always something! You will love these and let me know when you try them! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe on your page too, I will check it out! 🙂
I just finished making these..so delicious! I messed up the recipe and put too much baking powder, and used crunchy almond butter because that’s what I had on hand. The kids loved these!
Awesome Tania! I’m so glad to hear these were a hit with the kids, that makes me happy! Thank you so much for making them and the feedback!
I love these cookies! They’re perfect in every way. Easy to make and oh so easy to eat. Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Brandi!
Thank you so much Patty! I’m so glad you loved these. They are truly my idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie and I’m so glad to finally nail the recipe! Thank you so much for leaving feedback!!
These look awesome! I have all kinds of gluten-free flour on hand. I am following the low fat/high carb McDougall – Forks over knives diet. Is there anyway to trade out from using nut and seed butters with something like applesauce?
Really would love to try these,
Thanks!
Hi! You are welcome to try this with subbing with applesauce but just keep in mind that it will totally change the taste and texture of the cookies, they will not be the same cookie. The almond butter is what helps give them that fudgy/moist interior and helps crisp out the exterior….a traditional cookie texture. So, subbing with applesauce will make them much more soft and more cake-like, not cookie-like. I have not tested it with applesauce since I like the taste and texture of fat in my cookies, but I would love to hear how they turned out if you try them with all applesauce! Thank you! 🙂
Hi! For the person above who asked if you could sub applesauce for the almond butter….I tried it and loved the way they turned out! I just should have used slightly less applesauce and not a 1 to 1 ratio with the almond butter. Like you said though, the texture was softer and more cake like, but personally that’s how I like them anyway. It worked out perfect for me! Thanks for the great recipe!
Wonderful Sydney! So happy to hear that you loved them so much with the applesauce, that is great to hear!! Thank you for the feedback 🙂
I made your oat-free chocolate chip cookies a couple of days ago. My 5 year-old son is not a Cookie Monster usually. Well…he’s been loving your cookies and as soon as he comes from school asks if he can have one or two. They are delicious! I didn’t have any almond butter, so I used pb. Yum! Thanks for another awesome recipe Brandi!
Hey ! These cookies look very amazing ! I’m so excited to try them !
But, I want to know what do you use as a baking powder ? (healthy one without GMO corn, aluminium, etc.)
Can I substitute it with only baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) ? Or a mix with arrow root ?
Can’t wait ! ;P
Hi Alizee! The baking powder is necessary to help the cookies rise and keep them soft. The baking soda would make them too crispy I believe. I’ve only tried them with the baking powder. Let me know if you try them! 🙂
Oh, thank you for your quick answer ! ^.^
I see, I’m gonna check my organic stores to find out if they have oragnic gluten-free, aluminium-free, etc. baking powder.
I also read that leavening replacers can be :
– baking soda + warm water (+oil optional)
– flax seed egg replacer
Or for binding :
– cornstarch + water
– potato starch
I also find some recipes without baking powder, comments saying that’s great.
But I think my kitchen is gonna turn into a laboratory soon ! Let’s mess up these pans !
Hi Alizee! I just use aluminum-free double acting baking powder. I can’t remember the brand. Yes, I’m familiar with those binders, but cornstarch or flaxseed alone won’t make the cookies rise the way the baking powder does. I’ve only tried it with the baking powder, which I generally use for cookies because I like how it makes them fluffy and soft. Hope that helps! 🙂
I make these cookies every week! I always use peanut butter bcs it’s what’s on hand and I absolutely love them, so does my 5 year old and my husband (both very picky!). Another winner, Brandi! Thanks!
Oh, so awesome to hear that Silvana!! So happy they are such a hit! Thank you so much for the feedback!
I substituted 1/2 cup GF oat flour and 1/4 cup white rice flour(as I didn’t have any brown rice flour and was craving a good choc chip cookie) and they came out stunningly. Thank you so much for the recipe. I also didn’t know molasses was a good binder, so thank you for that word of knowledge:)
I’m so happy to hear that Melody! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! I’m glad that amount of oat flour was able to work for part of the rice flour! Thank you for letting me know!
These are in the oven now. Are they okay to freeze? I’m looking for something fairly healthy I can keep here for when the grandchildren visit.
Hi Linda! I have never tried freezing these, they don’t last that long, haha! But I “think” they’d be ok if you wrap them very tightly, there is a lot of almond butter (fat) in them, so they may be okay, but honestly I have never froze cookies in my life, so that is a huge guess.
Yummy these look incredible and I am going to make these on Christmas eve. I can’t wait. I am going to be making them with pecan butter. I hope I am able to find a super creamy pecan butter. I did have a pretty creamy one when I made your pumpkin pie chocolate chip cookies. But I ordered it online and I don’t have time to get more shipped to me before I make them. So I am crossing my fingers. If worse comes to worse I will make them with almond butter. Then I wont be able to eat them. 🙁 But my family and friends will 🙂 But I am pretty sure I need these in my belly so wish me luck finding a suitable pecan butter 🙂
No, just make your own pecan butter! That is what I always do for my recipes. I don’t buy storebought because they always have added oils! You likely will not need the added water then because pecan butter is much oilier than almond butter and not nearly as thick, so it will change the texture some. Here is how to make the pecan butter, just buy some pecans 🙂
https://thevegan8.com/2012/12/04/roasted-pecan-butter/
A quick question actually. I noticed this recipe calls for coconut sugar. Do you recommend grinding the coconut sugar for this recipe like you recommend for your sugar cookie recipe? Or is it ok to keep the sugar course? What brand coconut sugar do you use? The one I have is pretty course and I am wondering if maybe it is better to get the same one you have for the same texture.
Hi Christina! No, you don’t need to grind it for this. The only reason it’s needed to grind for the sugar cookies is because of how light those are and the coconut sugar didn’t work as well in them without grinding prior. These you won’t even notice since they are a brown color. Any coconut sugar is fine, mine is really coarse too. I’ve used many brands and they all work. Come back and let me know how they turn out, thank you Christina! xx
These cookies are so perfect. They are out of this world delicious. They are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Cookies don’t get any better than this. 🙂 They were a huge hit with friends and family. Thank you so much Brandi for creating such for working so hard to create such awesome and easy recipes. I love impressing the people I love with great vegan treats. My brother even said they were delicious and couldn’t tell they were vegan. And believe me that is a huge compliment coming from my brother 😀
So happy to hear that Christina, thank you so much for leaving such incredible feedback!!
Love, love, love! Thank you, Brandi! I have made these cookies several times now and we absolutely love them! They are so fragrant, chewy and amazingly delicious. I did not have coconut sugar on hand this time around, so I made them with just maple syrup. They turned out perfect. Thank YOU!
I’m so very happy to hear that Lana, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!! So glad to hear they work well with maple syrup too!
Hey, Cookie Queen! I made these again and because I didn’t have homemade almond butter, I used crunchy one. They turned out great with an extra crunch. Thank you so much! Love this recipe and they are my favorite cookies.
Haha, I love the title “cookie queen” that’s what my hubby calls me, lol! So glad to hear it works with crunch almond butter too, great idea!
I noticed you said not blackstrap on the molasses but that’s all I can find near me. Does it make a huge difference?
Hi Karen! The molasses is there just to add extra binding and chewy texture, not to taste, so I think blackstrap should be okay, it is just much stronger in flavor, so you may just slightly taste molasses and may make the cookies darker, but should be fine 🙂
What brand of almond butter do you use?
Hi Candy! I make my own. Here is the instructions how I make it on this post, just eliminate all the spices, sugar and salt just to make regular almond butter. https://thevegan8.com/2014/06/16/homemade-cinnamon-ginger-almond-butter/
I made a batch of these two days ago and they were delicious Brandi! Some of the best gluten-free cookies I’ve had. Can’t wait to make them for my brother who has celiac! I even dropped a few off to my neighbor and she loved them. we polished off the entire batch in a day, so will definitely be making another batch soon. I love how detailed you are in your instructions!
Wow, thank you so much Anjali! I’m so so happy to hear these were such a hit! They have been wildly popular with family members and none of them are vegan or gluten-free, so they are just yummy cookies for everybody! Thank you so much, I hear that often, I’m so glad my instructions help so much, I really want to make my recipes super easy for people!
Forgot to leave 5 stars! SO . DANG. GREAT!
Thank you so much Travis!!
Your recipes are my absolute FAVE Brandi! Subbed the almond butter for hazelnut, pecan and peanut butters and the molasses for brown rice malt syrup and they turned out absolutely dreamy – soft, chewy and sweet. Almost can’t believe they are gluten, oil and refined sugar free! Xx
Thank you so much Celina! I’m so happy you loved these so much, thank you for your kind words!
My husband and I love these! I make at a least one batch a week 🙂
So awesome to hear that Amy, thank you so much for the feedback!
OMG Brandi these are spectacular!!! I can’t believe it took me so long to make these! So easy and hands down the best chocolate chip cookie I ever had! Thank you for always coming up with the best recipes!
Thank you so very much Diana for such amazing feedback! Wow the best ever?! So happy to hear it! You rock, thank you!
THANK YOU! I was so happy to find this recipe, as I have quite a few food allergies, and it’s hard to find cookie recipes that I can enjoy. I was skeptical at first, but these cookies turned out beautifully! I also halved the recipe, and they still came out well. If anyone is wondering, I used “Once Again” unsweetened sunflower seed butter in place of almond butter. Again, thanks so much for a great recipe! 🙂
Yay Katie! Was so happy to read your amazing feedback! So thrilled you loved them, thank you so much!
Hi 🙂 Going to make these with pb (as it’s all I have) for my husband and daughter, with a bit less sugar. Might try with even less sugar for me once I have made sunbutter. I need more fat, not less so any tips to add some oil to this and your other recipes? (Allergic to nuts)
Thanks!!
I’m about to take your sunflower seed brownies out of the oven. I have reduced the maple and choc chips and the batter was still Amazing! Fingers crossed.
Hi Joy! These cookies are very high in fat already from all the almond butter and chocolate chips, so I wouldn’t worry about that in these. But for other recipes, you can always add some oil if you like to liquids I guess, it’s hard to say without knowing which specific recipe. I am not anti-fat, which is why I use nuts, seeds and avocados. I wouldn’t reduce the sugar too much or they can come out bitter, these cookies are not overly sweet. I hope the brownies turn out sweet enough, because the wet batter is always sweeter than once baked! The maple syrup helps keep them moist too so I hope they turn out moist and fudgy. Let me know and good luck!
I am new to the whole plant based baking. I came across your site on FB and made these cookies. They were super easy and delicious. My 8 year old daughter who does not eat plant based LOVED these cookies and so did my husband and father in law. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Everything looks delicious.
Yay! So very happy to hear this wonderful feedback Gretchen! So glad they were an all-around hit! Thank you so much for sharing!
I don’t use rice flower but am debating between using just chickpea flour or my usual blend of chickpea flour, teff flour and potato starch. I’ll be using cashew butter as well. Any suggestions on the flours?
Hi Alexandra! Since I wrote this recipe based on using brown rice flour, unfortunately I cannot make a suggestion of another flour since I’ve only tried the rice. I do know from what I’ve heard, that chickpea flour has a VERY strong taste and also I have used teff, and it is very strong as well. I would think it would ruin the taste of the cookies, that’s my guess. I just can’t say if it would work or not. Also, using cashew butter instead of almond, will additionally make them drier/stiffer since cashew butter has much less natural oil than almond. All those changes will definitely alter the result. Any reason you don’t want to use almond? As far as flours, it would be best to use the rice flour or another one that is a very similar texture. You can try oat flour, because that will not leave an off taste, but you will probably need closer to a cup than 3/4 since it’s not nearly as finely ground as rice flour.
Thanks for responding so quickly Brandi! I gave it a go since our family has had some allergy issues in the past with rice and almond. Cashew butter and chickpea flour worked amazingly well, though I obviously can’t compare it to the original recipe. I cooked mine for about double the time you suggested and they were more soft than crispy but incredibly chewy and rich. Everybody absolutely loved them! Looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes! Just out of curiosity do you think it was the switch to vegan that improved you and your husband’s health or do you think it was the switch to oil-free vegan? We’ve just made the switch to oil free in the new year so I’m curious to hear your experience. Thanks again, Brandi!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that Alexandra! Thank you so much for the feedback, so glad they still worked out!
Oh, and it was definitely the switch to veganism plant-based, not just vegan, since there is tons of vegan junk food out there. We rarely eat out and I cook everything from my blog 90% of the time. Eliminating the animal products was life changing for both of us, but especially my husband’s gout. Additionally, removing the oil further helped because oils are inflammatory, not to mention, extremely high calorie and not in a good way. I’m a big believer in not using oils in my cooking, but I do not stress about it if I’m eating out, since it’s not too often. I try to enjoy my life, make good choices but not worry myself if I’m not perfect. Hope that makes sense!
I made these cookies last night and they are sooo amazing! I didn’t have molasses so I added an extra tablespoon of maple syrup and one less tablespoon of coconut sugar. They came out absolutely perfect. Thanks so much for an amazing recipe!
This feedback makes me so happy to hear Sarah, thank you so much for letting me know! I really loved hearing it!
Another incredible recipe! These are my husbands new favorite cookie!!
Woohoo! Love to hear that Tina, thank you so much for the amazing feedback!!
I already posted about them on my blog & on Instagram but wanted to comment on here too–these are SO DELICIOUS–thanks so much for the recipe! I can’t wait to make them again. Also your photos are gorgeous!
You made them so beautifully Penny! Thank you so much for making them and blogging about them and leaving such a wonderful review!! Thank you so much!
Excellent! Rich and chewy, easy to make, and taste just as good after being frozen! I was very impressed by this recipe and already have it on the list of goodies to keep on hand for the upcoming holidays. CRAZY GOOD COOKIES!!!!!
Yay Aoife! So happy you loved these, your review made my day!
My absolute favorite and always “go-to” cookies!! Just made a batch and enjoying it with my coffee! Thank YOU!
Yay Lana! Best news ever, thank you so much!!
Once again, you do not disappoint. I offered to make cookies for a daughter’s recital performance and today she told me, “Oh and they need to get gluten free!” I didn’t even blink, just headed over to your blog for something I knew would be extensively tested, have lots of good feedback in the form of comments and would be delicious. Check, check, check, nailed it! Now I have to convince my daughters to let them out of the house for the recital before they eat them all! Thanks again, Brandi!
Yay! Thank you so much Elyse for the amazing review! That makes me so happy to hear, so glad they were a hit!
Excellent!! I made one mistake…had blackstrap molasses in the cupboard and had to use that but they still had a wonderful taste and perfect texture. I will try again with regular molasses. Thanks Brandi.
Yay! SO excited you loved these so much, thank you very much Andrea for the lovely review!
Hi! can i use coconut butter or shortening insted the butter?
thank you
Hi Maria! Do you mean the almond butter? Because there is no actual butter in this recipe. If so, then unfortunately, coconut butter would not be a good replacement for the almond butter. Almond butter is much thicker and texturally, coconut butter would completely melt and make the cookies rather flat and change the result. Since the dry and liquid ratio are written based on using a lot of almond butter, a nut butter needs to be used here. I’ve had readers try cashew butter and sunbutter, both with success. For best results, a really creamy smooth almond butter is recommended. Or, sunbutter if you need nut-free and don’t mind a sunbutter taste!
Hello Brandi! I’m 17 weeks pregnant and I even that I’m not having crazy cravings, today I was feeling like having cookies but I didn’t want to buy the one’s in the shop so I’ve just made these cookies. The colour of the dough is darker than yours but they taste very very yummy!
I had to vary a few ingredients I didn’t have almond butter and i used peanut instead and the same with the sugar I didn’t use coconut sugar. I had blackstrap in my pantry but you said not to blackstrap. I had molasses but not in liquid form… I took the risk and I added it. Phewww….all good ha!
Brandi thank you so much for sharing your lovely and healthy recipes, you have make a very happy pregnant woman today!! 🙂
Greetings from London xxx
SO so happy you loved these Esther! Thank you so much for making them!! The molasses you used may have altered the color a bit, but glad it still turned out fab!! Congrats on your pregnancy!
Vegan for about 7 months and most desserts seem to use maple syrup and dates. I choose not to use them as I am diabetic. If I use granular sugar substitute such as Sukrin I am wondering if it will affect the outcome. Will it work? Should I use a little more liquid? Thank you!
Hi Sharon! Yes, I love maple syrup since it is a natural sweetener and gives incredible flavor to baked goods. I have no idea what sukrin is or what it tastes like, so I can’t give advice on to how much you should use or what the outcome would be, but if you sub the 6 tablespoons of syrup, then you would need to add another liquid, like a milk in it’s place, maybe a tad less since milk is runnier than maple syrup. And still use the 3 tablespoons of dry sweetener as well. Not how much extra you would need of the sukrin in place of the syrup to reach the same sweetness, maybe 4 tablespoons? But I have NO idea how sweet that stuff is so it would definitely be something you would have to experiment with.
Hi there!
These look incredible!! We aren’t GF, so I’m wondering if I can sub all purpose plain flour 1:1?
Thank you!
Hi Pauline, I’ve never tried it with all-purpose so I’m not sure entirely, but likely it should work just fine. Sub with the same amount 3/4 cup but the weight of all-purpose flour is different, so the weight amount will be 96g 🙂
These are amazing! Most gluten free cookies ive made have a weird consistency. The texture and consistency of these is perfect and I like them more than my regular vegan choco chip recipe!!
Wow! Yay Sora! So thrilled you loved these so much!
This is really amazing, thanks for sharing this with us.
So glad you enjoyed them, thank you for making them!
These are amazing ! My son and I are eating them now.
Changed the coconut palm sugar for brown rice syrup. Added aboit a 1/4 cup or less of flour.
I love these! These will be saved amd re made often! Thank you so much for this yummy treat.
Awesome Nancy, I’m so glad you and your son love these! Glad the sugar swap worked out well too! Thank you so much for making them!
So yummy and easy to make, I only have 1 Cookie sheet (pan) so I used a big glass baking dish for the second batch 😟 big mistake, I didn’t know if it needed longer time to bake and was affraid to over cook, so I took them out after 11 minutes 😭 even waiting 10 minutes for cooling down thinking they might dry up and stay together,,, so I re-heat the oven 350 and put them back until they turn a little golden color aroung the edge, they were a little cryspier and not as most but still good. I’m getting more baking sheets tomorrow! Back to the first batch YUMMY PERFFECT IN EVERY WAY 👍💗
I’m so glad you loved these Diane! Oh yes, anything taller than a cookie sheet will steam them moreso than actually bake them. So you can just eat them with a spoon like that, haha! Honestly, you can just bake 1 pan at a time and let the remaining cookie batter sit, which will totally be fine!
I can’t stop baking cookies lately thanks to your blog! These are so good, I love the hint of molasses flavor <3
Haha, good problem to have! I’m so glad you love these Penny!
I felt I needed to increase the salt a fair amount but otherwise followed the recipe exactly using my kitchen scale. Turned out great! Thanks!!
Glad you enjoyed them! Hmmm, that’s odd, there is enough salt for the cookies to yield an overall balanced flavor but not so much that you would actually taste salt, which we don’t want. Never heard that before, haha!
Hi there! Sometimes baking with sunbutter causes the end product to turn green. If I used sunbutter in this recipe, do you know if my cookies will end up being green? Thanks!
I haven’t tested these personally with sunbutter, but in my experience, recipes make with baking SODA causes them to turn more green than just baking powder. There will likely be some green in these since so much nut butter is used and it will react with the baking powder, but it usually doesn’t set in for several hours (the color change). They will have a strong sunbutter taste since 3/4 cup is used, so if you don’t mind that, then give them a shot!