Growing up, I had the best mom in the world. She shuttled us to soccer practices, piano lessons, basketball practices, flute lessons, play dates, volleyball games, marching band rehearsals, the pool center, band concerts, baseball games, high school musicals… All while working part-time and still making huge contributions to her scientific field.
But because of all that driving, Mom barely had the time or energy to cook elaborate dinners, let alone bake sweet treats. (The baking gene probably skipped a generation on her side—or came from Dad instead!)
However, between her and my dad, they always packed my school lunches the night before, complete with a small dessert, because I was both too shy to stand in the line to buy hot lunches and afraid that I wouldn’t have enough time to eat if I did.
With my picky palate, they almost always sent the same main course (PB sandwich or bagel with cream cheese) and fruit (apple slices or grapes), but the treat at the end varied with what Mom bought from the grocery store that week. As a big cookie monster even back then, I loved it when she sent the softer kinds, especially ones with chocolate!
Mom usually picked up the chewy chip-laden brand because they were smaller and packed full of chocolate—perfect for us little sweet-toothed kids! However, we still happily munched away when she packed us Oreos, chocolate-filled elf cookies, oatmeal cream pies, or even the long wafer cookies.
But the one time she found the chewy brand with chocolate cookie dough… I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I came home from school that day and asked for an extra cookie for snack, along with my goldfish and pretzels, and I even nibbled away at two later that evening as my after-dinner dessert.
That must have been the start of my chocoholism.
Since those store-bought cookies aren’t exactly the healthiest treats out there, I created a clean-eating version to enjoy now instead: these Coconut Flour Double Chocolate Chip Cookies! They’re just as chocolaty and chewy as those of my childhood, but they’re low-carb, gluten-free, and practically sugar-free too!
These cookies are made low-carb from coconut flour and cocoa powder. If you haven’t worked with coconut flour before, it can be a little interesting! It’s about three times as absorbent as regular flour, so we use a lot less and also let the cookie dough rest before dropping it onto the baking sheet, which allows the coconut flour time to absorb the liquid ingredients.
Because of the absorbent coconut flour, these cookies also involve one slightly surprising ingredient: milk! The dough would be much too dry without it, and the cookies would turn out dry and crumbly. Although I generally prefer unsweetened cashew milk, anything you have on hand will work. Almond, soy, cow’s milk, you name it!
To keep the cookies almost sugar-free, I sweetened them with stevia. It’s a no-calorie plant-based sweetener, and you can find some form of it at most grocery stores. Because it sometimes has an unfamiliar aftertaste, I used a blend of three stevia sweeteners to lessen any strange flavors: Truvia, Swerve, and SweetLeaf.
These cookies do not spread while baking, so you must flatten the cookie dough before popping the tray in the oven. I always press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops just before doing that. It makes for a really cute—and seriously tempting—presentation!
Now… Who’s got the milk?
| Coconut Flour Double Chocolate Chip Cookies | | Print |
- ½ cup (56g) coconut flour (measured correctly)
- ⅓ cup (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (10g) SweetLeaf stevia powder
- 3 tbsp (40g) Truvia
- 2 tbsp (30g) granulated Swerve
- ½ cup (120mL) unsweetened cashew milk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30g) dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) miniature chocolate chips
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the SweetLeaf, Truvia, and Swerve. Mix in the milk. Add in the coconut flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips. Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough into 12 scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Moisten your hands, and gently shape into rounded mounds. Flatten to your desired thickness and width. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack.
Any milk (cow’s, soy, almond, etc.) may be substituted in place of the unsweetened cashew milk.
I do not recommend substituting anything for the coconut flour, nor omitting the xanthan gum. The xanthan gum imitates gluten, holds together the cookies, and makes them chewy.
In total, the cookie dough requires the equivalent of ⅞ cup of sugar, but you’ll need to tweak the amounts of sweetener and milk if substituting something entirely different that the sweeteners used. The Truvia and Swerve may be substituted for each other. However, the SweetLeaf is a highly concentrated version of stevia, and I cannot vouch for any substitutions for it.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, low sugar}
I love that your mom was in the science field too, smart cookies you are!
Thanks Brittany! We’re a family full of nerds, that’s for sure! 😉
Truvia is banned from sale in Australia. Can I double one of the other sweetners or can you suggest an alternative?
Yes Katrina! Substitute granulated Swerve for all of the Truvia (aka 5 tablespoons total). I hope you enjoy the cookies!
great minds think alike – I’m working on a low-carb pancake recipe today 🙂 but I’ll take cookies instead
How about a trade Heather?? 😉 If only we were neighbors!
These look incredibleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I want one right now!! Nom nom nom…
If only I had any left… You’d be the first one to get a cookie!
I have a big family, so 12 cookies wouldn’t get us very far. Does this recipe work well if doubled?
Thanks
Yes, doubling the recipe will work just fine. I hope you and your family enjoy the cookies Loti!
Can I just use stevia in all the recipient that call for different sugar substitutes at one time? Stevia is the only substitute I can have
It really depends on the recipe Lori. Different brands of stevia behave differently depending on the amount and the recipe, so I can’t guarantee that you can substitute stevia in every recipe of mine. Each recipe would most likely require additional modifications, and the resulting dish may not turn out with the same taste and texture as the original. I can try to work with you to figure out the best possible substitution for the individual recipes that you’d like to try if you leave a comment on that exact blog post, but like I mentioned, I can’t guarantee the results.
Can Erythritol and Liquid Stevia be used to replace the three types of name brand substitutes? If so, how much?
Also, can whole milk be substituted for unsweetened cashew milk?
Thanks in advance.
The Notes section underneath the Instructions explains what sugar equivalent you’ll need if substituting different sweeteners, and it also includes the answer to your milk question. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the cookies Jeff!
Thanks! Why do you use egg whites instead of whole eggs or even just egg yolks? Also, your double chocolate chip cookie uses cashew milk instead of almond milk, why is that?
You’re welcome Jeff! My blog focuses on clean-eating low-fat recipes, which is why I frequently use egg whites. However, many of my recipes do include whole eggs. I prefer the taste and texture of cashew milk over almond milk, but I almost always include in the Notes section whether other varieties of milk will work.
Can i use cornstarch instead of xanthan gum?
I’m honored that you’d like to try this recipe of mine too! Unfortunately, cornstarch won’t work as a substitute for xanthan gum. Xanthan gum imitates gluten’s structural properties, whereas cornstarch mainly absorbs liquid. If you don’t have xanthan gum, then this chocolate cookies recipe of mine might be a better option! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of either of these cookie recipes if you decide to try making them!