chewy chocolate chip cookies

In my opinion, the hallmark of an exceptional chocolate chip cookie is a balance of crisp edges and a soft, chewy center. These gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookies are exactly that.

The one dessert I missed more than anything when I started my health journey was a classic chocolate chip cookie. I tried so many recipes, my own and from other food bloggers, but none satisfied that craving. They all tasted delicious, but the texture was never right. If you’ve tried gluten free baking, you know one thing we have to compromise on a lot of the time is texture. But not in this recipe. After many attempts, I’ve finally created a chocolate chip cookie that doesn’t compromise on texture or flavor. It’s the perfect gluten free and vegan chocolate chip cookie.

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Tips for Making the Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• Flax Egg

  • The flax egg is a crucial ingredient in this recipe, serving as a binder to hold the cookies together. To ensure the best results, be sure to prepare the flax egg first, allowing the flax meal to absorb the water and thicken before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

• Gluten-free Flour

  • In this recipe, I have only tested the use of Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour. While I cannot personally vouch for other gluten-free flour brands, if they have similar ingredients to Bob's Red Mill 1:1, they should work well in this recipe. However, it's important to keep in mind that using a different flour may alter the taste and texture of the final cookies.

• Vegan Butter

  • In my experience, I've had success using both Miyoko's plant-based butter and Kite Hill's plant-based butter in this recipe. However, the consistency of the dough can vary between the two brands. Miyoko's plant-based butter tends to create a more fluffy, cohesive dough, while Kite Hill's plant-based butter results in a slightly runnier consistency. Despite these differences, the end result of the baked cookies is the same.

  • While I haven't tested other vegan butter brands in this recipe, I believe they would likely work just fine.

• Chilling the Cookie Dough

  • Chilling the cookie dough before baking serves two important purposes:

    1. Ingredient Binding: Allowing the dough to chill helps the ingredients bind together more effectively, resulting in a more cohesive and structured cookie.

    2. Firmer Texture: Chilling the dough also helps to make the cookie dough a little firmer, which makes it easier to scoop before baking.

• Cooling the Cookies

  • Immediately after baking, the cookies will be incredibly soft and fragile. Attempting to transfer them to a cooling rack right out of the oven can cause them to fall apart or lose their shape. To prevent this, it's crucial to let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. This brief resting period allows the cookies to firm up slightly, making them much easier to handle without compromising their chewy texture.

• Customizing Cookie Size

  • When baking these chewy chocolate chip cookies, the size of the cookie dough portions can be adjusted to suit your personal preferences. While the recipe suggests scooping about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, you're free to experiment with different sizes.

  • It's important to keep in mind that altering the cookie size will require adjustments to the baking time. Larger cookies may need an extra minute or two in the oven to ensure they're fully cooked through, while smaller cookies may require less time to prevent over-baking.

• Freezing the Cookie Dough

  • My favorite hack is to flash freeze some of the cookie dough every time I make a batch of these chocolate chip cookies.

  • After scooping the cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, instead of popping them straight into the oven, place the entire sheet in the freezer for about an hour, or until the cookie dough balls are frozen solid. Once they've reached that point, gather all the frozen cookie dough balls and store them in a freezer-safe container, such as a Stasher bag.

  • Whenever a sudden craving for a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie hit, simply grab a frozen dough ball from the stash and bake it according to the recipe instructions. Enjoy a freshly baked cookie anytime, without having to go through the entire mixing and chilling process :)

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nourish your body.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes Chill time: 20 minutes Bake time: 15 minutes Total time: 45 minutes

ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp flax meal

• 2 Tbsp water

• 1 1/2 cup gluten free baking flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

• 1/4 cup tapioca flour

• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (I used Miyoko’s)

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

directions:

1. Make the Flax Egg: Mix flax meal and water together and set aside.

2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix together gluten-free flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a larger bowl, beat softened butter and coconut sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the flax egg until smooth. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Chill the Cookie Dough: Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

6. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

7. Bake the Cookies: Scoop about 1 Tbsp of cookie dough onto the lined baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

8. Cool the Cookies: After removing the cookies from the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for two minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

9. Enjoy :)