Grain free chocolate chip cookies

I know the world already has a million chocolate chip cookies and you have to wonder if it needs more- but I couldn’t find a chocolate chip cookie that suited our family perfectly. I wanted Grain free chocolate chip cookies that were easy, not too sweet, filled with ingredients I like to eat and have that perfect balance of crispy edges and soft melt-in-your-mouth centre. I want the cookie recipe tahini would be my forever chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Grain free chocolate chip cookies

Grain free olive oil chocolate chunk cookiesIs this that recipe. Well, time will tell. Haha.

Anyway. If you want a delicious chocolate chip cookie that is free from gluten, grains, eggs, dairy and refined sugar; this is it!

Grain free chocolate chip cookiesIngredients for the grain free chocolate chip cookies

  • Light olive oil. Olive oil replaces butter traditionally found in cookie or biscuit recipe, and is a healthier choice of fat. I have made these cookies many times and have used both light and full bodied olive oil- if you love the flavour of olive il then choose extra virgin, if you prefer a more subtle taste then id recommend using light olive oil. Always choose cold pressed olive oil if you’re after a healthier choice.
  • Almond milk. I use boxed or homemade almond milk but you can of course use whatever boxed or fresh milk you have.
  • Coconut sugar. Coconut sugar has a delicious malty flavour that adds a delicious element to these cookies. As it has less moisture than brown sugar it also bakes into a firmer cookie, however you can substitute for brown sugar (your cookie result will be a little softer through).
  • Vanilla extract. Vanilla is an essential, right? Real vanilla beans, vanilla paste or extract will all work well.
  • Blanched almond meal. The combination of the three flours listed gives the best result to these cookies, and almond meal adds essential fat to the ratio. You can find almond meal is all supermarkets in the baking isle.
  • Buckwheat flour. I love the nutty and slightly sweet flavour of buckwheat flour, and as a flour it is perfect for a cookie. Buckwheat flour can vary though, with some brands being a more bitter than others. This brand is my personal favourite. Despite its name buckwheat is not related to wheat, and it is in fact a seed (from the rhubarb family).
  • Salt. Always!
  • Tapioca flour (or tapioca starch). While we add only a tiny amount of tapioca flour to these grain free chocolate chip cookies it has an important role. As a starch flour it both adds to the crunchy golden crust and to prevent a crumbly cookie. You can find tapioca flour most supermarkets, health food stores and easily online.
  • Dark chocolate. I choose 85% but you do you!

Grain free chocolate chip cookiesGrain free chocolate chip cookiesCreating the perfect grain free baking blend

After much experimentation with flours and grain free baking I have found that the best result is a mixture of buckwheat flour, almond meal and tapioca flour. The 3 flours together is this recipe create a cookie that is firm and holds together, crunchy and soft in the middle and full bodied and long lasting.

For the best results use all 3 of these flours. I have not tried this recipe with an all purpose gluten free baking blend, but I presume it would work. I have tried subbing buckwheat flour for rice flour and I did NOT like the result. 

Grain free chocolate chip cookies

Tips for nailing these Grain free chocolate chip cookies

  • Use scales! One of the biggest mistakes in baking is incorrect measuring. Cups are often over filled and can have up to 25% extra flour into your recipe. If you do use measuring cups follow the spoon and sweep method as described here
  • Make sure your oven is running true to temperature. A cheap over thermometer like this one will help you discover if your oven is running hot or cold, which can make all the difference to baking cookies.
  • Do not skip the resting period. I get it- the biggest disappointment to this recipe is having to wait for the dough to stand… but trust me, you’ll be thankful that you did it. After mixing your dough together it will be wet and oily. The resting time allows the flour in the dough to absorb the liquid and create a stiff cookie dough that bakes to perfection.
  • Choose good quality oil. The flavour of olive oil adds to the profile of this cookie. While other oils will work it will be at a detriment to the flavour.
  • Choose good quality chocolate. Chocolate chips are over priced and often less than optimal. I prefer to buy a block of my favourite chocolate, smash it into chunks and use that.

After more delicious grain free vegan snacking recipes? We got you covered!

We hope you enjoy this gluten and dairy free choc chip cookies as much as we do. If you make them we would love your reviews or comments below- your feedback helps other people find this recipe to.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Grain free olive oil chocolate chunk cookies

Grain free chocolate chip cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Jade Woodd
  • Prep Time: 10 mis + 8 hours resting time
  • Cook Time: 14 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Snacks, grain free
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Australian
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

In the mood for cookies but you want the perfect grain free olive oil chocolate chunk cookies? Well these 8-ingredient vegan chocolate chip cookies will delight you in every way.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 90g (100ml / 1/3 cup + 1.2 Tbsp) light olive oil
  • 60g (60ml / 3 Tbsp) almond milk
  • 170g (1 cup) coconut sugar
  • 20g (1 Tbsp) vanilla extract or paste
  • 60g (1/2 cup) blanched almond meal
  • 150g (1 cup) buckwheat flour
  • 3g (3/4) tsp fine salt
  • 30g (3 Tbsp) tapioca flour
  • 100g dark chocolate (I use 70%)

Instructions

  1. I recommend using scales for this recipe for accuracy. If you use cups, I follow the spoon and scrap measurement method, and use Australian standard cups (250ml) .
  2. In a large mixing bowl add the olive oil, milk, coconut sugar and vanilla. Use a whisk to combine well, then sift in the remaining ingredients. Now, use a wooden spoon to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients together. The batter will seem quite wet, but that is as its meant to be.
  3. Chop your chocolate into chunks. You can do larger or smaller chunks, which ever you prefer. If you have chocolate chips you can of course use these as well/instead. Add chocolate to the bowl and fold through.
  4. Next we rest the batter overnight in the fridge- this is the hardest part of the recipe, but don’t skip it. If you’re in a rush/really need some cookies you could rest for a minimum of 4 hours however I would recommend overnight for the best cookies- during the resting stage the flour will absorb the extra liquid and create a stiffer dough (and better texture once baked). Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto cling film- I like to use a home compostable one- and wrap tightly.
  5. The next day preheat your oven to 180C (350F) fan forced. Line two cookie sheets and set aside. Measure out the dough Ito balls roughly 2 Tbsp in size each, placing 5-6 cookies per baking sheet, spaced out. Squash down the balls, but only slightly.
  6. Bake for 13-15 minutes. I find 14 minutes is perfect, but if you like a softer cookie bake for 13 minutes and if you like a crisper cookie bake for 15 minutes. Bang the baking tray on the bench a few times to help the cookies flatten little ,then allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • While we recommend olive oil as the best choice for these cookies, you can substitute for any oil you prefer.
  • Almond milk can be substituted for any boxed or homemade milk
  • I have tried these cookies using rice flour instead of buckwheat and they did not spread nearly as much. The taste was nice, but the texture wasn’t nearly as good.
22 Comments
  1. These cookies have a lovely deep toasty caramel taste and a good balance of chocolate. I keep this cookie dough in my fridge and lasts easily a good week or two. I bake one or two at a time for 4 mins in my air fryer. So handy for after school snacks and for when a guest drops round to have something freshly baked. So DELICIOUS!






    1. Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment Natalie. I worked hard on this recipe, and love seeing it be enjoyed. I’ll be trying that air fryer version for sure.

  2. These cookies are super yummy! Unable to eat nuts and seeds I made these AIP friendly with a few substitutions… I used coconut milk instead of almond milk and also used cassava flour to replace the buckwheat and coconut flour instead of almond flour. With the coconut flour I only used 2-3tbsp as it soaks up a lot of liquid. I don’t think the texture would be as good as Jades original recipe… they were slightly crumbly on the outside and the cassava flour makes them a tad spongy on the inside. You could try tigernut flour instead of cassava that might prevent this. I cooked for 14 minutes, I’d try 15/16 next time. But they still turned out really well overall and definitely delicious. Would recommend 🙂






    1. Thank you so much for sharing this info Jaymee. It must be difficult finding recipes that suit your diet, and I agree tiger it might be a better choice over cassava (which is a wonderful flour but perhaps too spongy for cookies). Really appreciate you leaving this info here.

  3. I tried this recipe and I love it, I used coconut oil (melted) instead of olive oil, just make sure to combine as soon as you can the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, I had a little problem because I leave it for a couple of minutes and the coconut oil solidified a little bit so it was a bit hard to combine but not a big deal. Next day I bake it for 14 minutes and was delicious :).

    1. Sorry for the delay here- Tablespoon measurements differ depending on which country you live in, which is why I always put the mis in. The ml measurement is correct,

    1. I have not tried it, but I think that would work just fine. Rye flour can absorb alot of liquid, which works well in this recipe. Please let me know how you go!

  4. Oh I can’t wait to try these! Can I check, what do you mean by Light Olive Oil? I assume that means not extra virgin olive oil, but what would I look for in the shops?
    Many thanks!xx

    1. Hi Kimberley. You can definitely use extra virgin if you love the taste of olive oil. I make it with extra virgin, because I love teh flavour- but it is very noticeable and so I recommend a light olive oil (one that is lighter in flavour) for those who want more subtle flavour.

    1. You could make a seed flour (by blitzing seeds like sunflower seeds in a food processor to make a flour) or you could sub for oat flour if tolerated?

  5. Hi ,
    I haven’t made these cookies yet however they look delicious and the ingredients look great too.
    I have a questions, I noticed that the recipe for these as well as for the paleo chocolate chip cookies doesn’t have neither baking soda nor baking powder. I would like to double check with you and make sure that is correct and I am not missing it somewhere? Thank you kindly for sharing your recipes 😊

  6. These are so delicious I just made a batch with dough I had frozen in a log shape. I sliced it up and baked and they were still great just a slightly different texture






    1. Hi Amanda- thanks for the lovely review and inspo. Great to know we can freeze and bake- always a handy time saver when in need 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star