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
Hi Amy, I prefer crunchy cookies. Do u recommend to bake longer? If so, how much longer? Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! I haven’t tried to make these crunchy, so I’m not entirely sure… But I’m guessing you could make them less chewy and more towards the crunchy side by baking them longer! Since I haven’t personally tried, I don’t know how much longer you should bake them. Maybe try 3-5 minutes to start? (It’s always easier to bake longer, but you can’t “bake shorter” if your cookies end up burnt! 😉 ) I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
You must have read my mind! I was bookmarking your other vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe for tomorrow and you seem to have a whipped up an even better recipe! Can’t wait to make these 🙂
Great minds must think alike Phoebe! 😉 I’m so excited to hear what you think of these cookies!
These are delicious! I doubled the recipe and used Trader Joe’s chocolate chips – a few more than the recipe called for ?. I love homemade chocolate chip cookies and these are a great healthier alternative. I will definitely be making again. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Amy! As a huge chocoholic, I’m always okay with extra chocolate chips. 😉 I’m honored that you plan on making these again — thank you so much for sharing that with me! 🙂 (And I love your name!)
Hi, i will definitely try these cookies, thanks ever so much .
I’m excited to hear what you think of these cookies Iris! 🙂
I LOVE the crinckles! These cookie look so good I just have to try them soon ♥
Thanks Natalie! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies! 🙂
How many oats does it take to make 1 cup (120g) oat flour?
If you read through my homemade oat flour tutorial, I answer than information there! The link to my tutorial is in the Notes section of the recipe, underneath the Instructions. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies Monika!
Hi! Oh these were so good! I love a soft and moist cookie and these didn’t disappoint. Also, they were so easy to make. My only switch was to use 2% milk because I’m allergic to cashews. I’m so excited to have this recipe because now I can have 2 excellent cookies after dinner and feel great about it! You’re the sweetest (literally) Amy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Kandice! That means so much to me!! 🙂
Loved these cookies! I can’t have gluten and struggle to find a simple recipe for GF chocolate chip cookies that are also light on sugar and butter like these; not to mention they taste delicious. Definitely more of an oatmeal cookie taste when using the oat flour, but super tasty and satisfying. Keeping this recipe around for sure! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies Hunter! That means a lot to me! I do have a recipe for gluten-free traditional chocolate chip cookies (it’s here!) that aren’t made with oat flour, so they won’t have that slight “oatmeal cookie” taste. Maybe it’s worth checking out? 🙂
I love the crackly tops on these! So gorgeous! And oat flour is actually my FAVORITE GF flour… mostly because it’s so easily accessible, but also because I love that oat-y flavor! 🙂
Thanks lovely!! SO glad you’ve found a good GF flour that works for you! 🙂
They look fantastic, I’m super keen to try these out!! Just one thing I would like to ask, do you know if the cookies would still bake nicely if the dough is chilled in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes, perhaps a few hours or overnight? Thanks Amy! 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sally! An hour or two should be fine, but I don’t recommend overnight. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies! 🙂