Ultimate Vegan Gluten-free Choc Chip Cookies
DIETARY – Vegan/Gluten-free/Nut-free/Dairy-free/Vegetarian
Homemade gooey, chewy perfection – these crowd-pleasing vegan, gluten-free cookies must be tasted to be believed!
This is a recipe I have tried and tested again and again over the past three years, mostly because my husband and friends can’t get enough, so I had a fair few expert taste testers! These cookies are free from nuts, dairy, and gluten yet are still soft, gooey and rich with chocolate. You’ll be hard-pressed to tell there’s anything missing!
A cookie is a quintessentially American treat, and while there are hundreds of flavours to experiment with, sometimes you just can’t beat a classic choc chip. They’re unapologetically sweet, slightly firm but not hard and packed to the brim with dark chocolate chips. Now who doesn’t love that?!
You might be wondering why there’s apple sauce in a classic chocolate chip cookie, but don’t worry. The apple sauce is our egg replacement and is totally flavourless in the finished bake. Just make sure you get smooth sauce rather than one with chunks. I have tried and tested every kind of vegan egg replacement you can imagine, but none hold up quite as well as the apple sauce in this recipe. And best of all, it doesn’t alter the flavour or texture, which can happen with some other egg replacements like flaxseed.
Most recipes online will tell you resting cookie dough in the fridge for 24-36 hours before baking will result in even better cookies as this allows the dry ingredients to soak up the wet ones, leaving you with a firmer dough that’s easier to handle, and it develops the flavour. While it’s true the flavour does develop some delicious toffee notes, the texture will be much the same for vegan, gluten-free cookies as gluten-free flour absorbs moisture very quickly. I usually refrigerate my dough for one hour before baking if I’m in a rush, but if you can, it’s well worth leaving it for 24 hours for the best possible bake. The cookie will be a little more puffed up and chewy too.
Ingredients
Vegan butter – You can use any dairy-free brand you like (I usually use Nuttelex). Vegan butter is softer than dairy butter, so no need to soften before using – cold from the fridge is best.
Brown sugar – The addition of brown sugar helps achieve a denser, moister cookie as well as a richer, deeper flavour.
Caster sugar – This sugar has a light texture and aerates the dough when creamed with butter.
Apple sauce – This is your egg replacement. It’s important to use smooth apple sauce to avoid any unwanted lumps in the texture. The apple sauce will also add moisture to the cookies.
Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds a delicious flavour to the dough.
Soy milk – Just a small amount of milk helps to make the dough a little lighter and a little moister, which is needed when using gluten-free flour that absorbs a lot more moisture than wheat flour. You can use any dairy-free milk of your choosing, I personally use soy as it doesn’t alter the flavour of the baked cookies.
Gluten-free plain flour – A supermarket-own brand will do here. I use one without xanthan gum in as I add this later, but if yours has xanthan already in, just omit the extra xanthan gum later in the recipe.
Baking powder – The addition of baking powder inflates the cookies giving them a little more rise while producing a lighter baked cookie.
Bicarbonate of soda – This ingredient, also known as baking soda in the US, helps the cookies rise, encourages the cookies to spread out, helps the cookie bake more evenly and also contributes to the chewy texture.
Xanthan gum – This gum is used to thicken, provide elasticity, and stabilise in gluten-free baking. Essentially, it stops your cookies from spreading out into thin, messy splodges in the oven.
Salt – The addition of salt enhances the flavour of all the other ingredients in your cookies. It also helps to balance out the sweetness.
Vegan dark chocolate chips – I like to use a mix of vegan dark chocolate chips and 70% dark chocolate chopped up into chunks to add different textures to my cookies and ensure every cookie has plenty of dough-to-chocolate ratio.
All the ingredients in this recipe are readily available at the supermarket, and the recipe itself is very easy to follow. The cookie dough can be frozen for up to one month and can be baked from frozen too; just leave them in the oven for a couple of extra minutes. Happy baking!
Ultimate Vegan Gluten-free Cookies
Ingredients
- 125g vegan butter
- 110g brown sugar
- 85g caster sugar
- ¼ cup smooth unsweetened apple sauce
- 1½ tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp soy milk
- 300g gluten-free plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour already contains this)
- ½ tsp salt
- 250g vegan dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Method
- First, beat the vegan butter and two sugars together using an electric hand or stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy.
- Next, add the apple sauce, vanilla and soy milk. Beat again until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum and salt, and mix to form a dough. The dough will be slightly sticky.
- Mix in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I like to use a mix of both), then refrigerate your dough for 1 hour. If you have time, I recommend leaving your dough in the fridge for 24 hours to really develop the flavour. But if you’re short on time, 1 hour will still result in a delicious bake.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan)/ 350°F/Gas Mark 4.
- Shape your cookies (about 1 tbsp of mixture per cookie) by rolling in the palms of your hand and flattening them slightly on the baking tray.
- Bake for approx. 7 minutes, then take the trays out and drop them a couple of times on a hard surface to deflate them a little; you can use a fork to help if needed. This helps the cookies form a good shape, spread evenly and results in a chewier texture.
- Bake for another 7 minutes and repeat the drop again before allowing the cookies to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and enjoy warm or cold. These cookies are best on the day you make them but will keep in an airtight container for up to five days. The dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month.