A few years ago, my mom decided to cut gluten out of her diet. Although she knew she wasn’t intolerant and wasn’t trying to jump on any “fad diet” bandwagon, she still did the experiment to try to lose weight…
Because she knew it was the best way to prevent her from eating the entire bread basket when she went out to dinner, picking out all of the crunchy croutons from a salad and leaving behind half the greens, or nibbling on the freshly baked treats her employer and coworkers left in the break room every afternoon!
Our family fully supported her as she tried to lose those last five pounds, but when her birthday rolled around that winter, I asked if I could still bake her something homemade (and healthier!) to celebrate. She agreed, so I started brainstorming ideas for gluten-free treats my mom would love.
I ended up baking a dozen nutella cookies with gluten-free flour I bought from the grocery store, and on her birthday, we stuck a candle in one for her. Even though that batch of cookies weren’t the best I had ever made, Mom still enjoyed and appreciated every bite.
When she and my dad planned a Hawaiian vacation right after New Year’s earlier this month, I had a feeling she might try cutting out gluten again as soon as Christmas ended… So I created this easy recipe for Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies so she could still enjoy a sweet treat on New Year’s Eve!
They’re perfectly soft and chewy, just the way my family prefers their chocolate chip cookies, and irresistibly sweet. Even with no eggs, refined flour or sugar, they still taste every bit as indulgent as traditional cookies—and they’re just 105 calories!
To make these easy chocolate chip cookies, you’ll start with oat flour (like this, or the gluten-free version!). Oat flour is simply finely ground oats… Which is why I’m not sure whether it technically counts as flour. It has “flour” in the title, but… It’s literally just oats in powdered form! Hence why I called these “practically flourless.” I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether that’s an appropriate title—or if I could’ve called them completely flourless! ?
Tip: You can actually make your own oat flour at home! I show you how here. It doesn’t always turn out as fine and powdery as store-bought versions (I’m obsessed with this one from Bob’s Red Mill!), but it’s a great trick to have when you want to make these cookies and don’t feel like driving to the grocery store!
However, it’s extremely important to measure the oat flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much oat flour will make your cookies turn out dry and crumbly, instead of soft and chewy, because oats act like sponges and soak up more moisture from your cookie dough compared to traditional flour.
For this reason, I highly recommend my kitchen scale! It only cost $20, and it has been the best kitchen gadget I’ve ever purchased. I use it to make every recipe that I share with you because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them!
Now getting off of my measuring soap box…
Next, you’ll need a small amount of melted butter or coconut oil. My mom is the queen of butter, so that’s what I always use for her treats! Instead of eggs, you’ll mix in a bit of milk. (My brother is allergic to eggs, so this means he can enjoy these cookies, too!)
To sweeten your cookies, you’ll use coconut sugar (like this!) instead of refined granulated sugar. Coconut sugar does come from coconuts, but it doesn’t actually taste like coconuts! It has a caramel-like flavor, very similar to brown sugar, which gives these cookies an even deeper, richer taste.
If made correctly, this cookie dough will be very wet when you first mix it up, so chilling is mandatory! Chilling stiffens the cookie dough so it holds it shape a bit better on the baking sheet. And of course, don’t forget to press mini chocolate chips into the tops of your cookie dough just before baking! (These mini chips are my current favorite!)
My family reported that these just might be the best chocolate chip cookies they’ve ever had… And that’s supremely high praise, coming from them! ??? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies!
| Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed and measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp (30mL) unsweetened cashew milk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a spoon and a spatula. Slightly flatten using a spatula. (The cookies should spread if there isn’t too much oat flour in the dough!) Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
It’s extremely important to measure the oat flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much oat flour will make your cookies turn out dry and crumbly, instead of soft and chewy, because oats act like sponges and soak up more moisture from your cookie dough compared to traditional flour.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the oat flour.
For a NON-oat-flour gluten-free option, I recommend the following: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft and chewy.
Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened cashew milk.
Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies
♡ Healthy Flourless Peppermint Mocha Brownie Bites
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Chunk Brownie Bites
♡ Healthy Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies
♡ Healthy Mini Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Hiya! Can I use honey instead of sugar?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Anna! You can’t do a straight 1-for-1 substitution of honey for sugar in this recipe because that adds too much liquid to the cookie dough. It’ll end up more like muffin batter, and your cookies will be bready in texture. If you’d like to sweeten your cookies with honey, then I recommend this chocolate chip cookie recipe of mine instead. It actually calls for honey! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making either of these recipes!
Hi Amy, thanks for the alternative recipe! Am I able to use oat flour to substitute wheat flour in the other recipe? Thanks!
It’s my pleasure Anna! Yes, you can use oat flour in my other recipe. Just be really careful when measuring it since it’s a bit more absorbent than wheat flour — I don’t want your cookie dough to turn out too dry! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how your cookies turn out!
I think this is my first time leaving a review on a recipe- these are the BEST. Mine turned out thin and slightly crisp because I flattened them a bit more. I love the texture and taste. Subbed coconut sugar with light brown sugar, so good! Thank you for sharing this game changing cookie!
Oh my goodness Lindsay — I’m SO honored that you’d take the time to leave a review!! That truly means the world to me, and I’m so glad you loved these cookies! Thank you for taking the time to let me know; you just made my entire day!! 🙂
You’re so welcome Amy 😊 It’s sweet to hear that my review helped brighten your day!!
It brought the biggest smile to my face, Lindsay! You’re such a sweetheart and a true gem! ♡
Can I sub coconut sugar with maple syrup?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these cookies, Sarah! Unfortunately, these cookies require a granulated sweetener, so maple syrup won’t work as a substitute. It adds too much liquid to the cookie dough, which would give it a more muffin batter-like consistency and would make your cookies taste bready or cakey, rather than chewy. However, you can use maple syrup as a sweetener in my oatmeal cookie recipes! You can find all of those here (and this is my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe! then this is my more classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe!). 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you decide to try making them — or any of my other cookie recipes too!
Can I use almond or soy milk instead of cashew milk?
I’m honored that you’d like to try this recipe, Esther! I’ve actually answered this exact question in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi Amy – will the liquid be enough to combine it with dry ingredients ? I mean Its just 2 tbs milk and oil and vanilla
Thanks
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Ayako! Because it dissolves in liquids, the coconut sugar actually contributes to the volume of wet ingredients. So yes! As long as you measure everything correctly and use the exact amounts of ingredients provided, you shouldn’t have any issues incorporating all of the flour mixture. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi! I dont understand if I should just flatten the cookie dough and put it in the oven or I should make balls when I pull it out of the refrigerator and then flatten the balls. Lookin at the pictures seems like you’ve made balls and then flatten them. Just to make sure!
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Matías! When you chill the cookie dough, it should still be in the bowl. Just pop the mixing bowl in the refrigerator — super easy! Then you’ll divide the cookie dough into the individual portions after chilling. Once those individual portions are on the baking sheet, just flatten them a little bit (not all the way!). As long as you’ve measured everything correctly, your cookies should spread while baking! Does that make more sense? 🙂 I’m really excited to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi,
Could I use arrowroot in place of corn starch? Thanks!
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Teresa! I haven’t personally tried that substitution, so I’m not 100% sure and don’t want to lead you astray. However, if you’ve been able to do that in other similar recipes, then I’m guessing it’ll work in this one too! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cookies if you try making them!
I love these cookies! Perfect texture. Its so hard finding a healthy cookie recipe that doesn’t turnout out cakey. I love chewy slightly crispy cookies.
You a are methodical when it comes to crafting your recipes. Keep it up.
If I wanted to reduce the sugar, I prefer less sweet, how can I adjust without compromising the texture?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Jewel! Thank you for taking the time to let me know, as well as your kind words. It truly means a lot! 🙂
If you’d like to reduce the amount of sugar, you can try adding a bit more milk to compensate. (In this recipe, the sugar contributes to the liquid volume, so adding milk will help reestablish that wet-to-dry ingredient ratio!) I haven’t personally tried, so I can’t vouch for the results firsthand… But my best guess would be to try 6 tablespoons of coconut sugar (72g) and add an extra 2-3 teaspoons of milk. Since you’ve already made the cookies, I’m guessing you have an idea of what the cookie dough consistency should be! 😉 So if 2 teaspoons isn’t quite enough, keep adding more ½ teaspoon at a time until the cookie dough seems to be the same consistency as before.
I’d love to hear how that modification turns out if you end up trying it!