Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

These vegan, gluten-free stunners, which you can mix in one bowl without an electric mixer, have a candy-like crunch at the edges from caramelized brown sugar; a chewy, dense center from a mix of almond and oat flours; and a bittersweet speckling of mini chocolate chips strewn throughout. Adapted from Lee Farrington, LB. Kitchen in Portland, Maine, they bake up sturdy enough for picnics, lunchboxes and mailing to far-flung, cookie-loving family and friends, but note that the sticky batter does need to be frozen before baking so plan ahead. 

Yield: 36 cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons/435 grams packed light brown sugar

2⅓ cups/240 grams almond flour

2¼ cups/200 grams oat flour

2½ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cup/115 milliliters almond or other nondairy milk

¼ cup/56 grams vegan butter, preferably soy free, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 (9-ounce/255-gram) bag vegan mini chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt.

Add the almond milk, vegan butter and vanilla, and use your hands or a spatula to combine, kneading until it comes together into a sticky, wet, batter-like dough. (You can also make this in an electric mixer if that’s more convenient.) Mix in the chocolate chips.

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Use a 2-ounce cookie scoop or a ¼ cup measuring cup to form cookies, placing them close together on the pans. Freeze for at least 1½ hours. (If freezing for longer, transfer the frozen cookie balls to a container or resealable plastic bag before storing in the freezer for up to 3 months.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the frozen cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate trays, and bake until the cookies are golden at the edges and firm in the center, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven, bang tray once on the counter to let cookies crackle a bit, and transfer the pans to racks to cool.

TIP: Thanks to everyone's notes, the recipe has been corrected. Use 1/4 cup butter (56 grams) and add the vanilla with the vegan butter. And yes, the cookies will work using dairy milk and butter.