Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, GF

These cookies are high protein, low sugar, vegan, and naturally gluten-free. Plus with no grainy gluten-free flours, these cookies stay moist and gooey in the centre for days. I use roasted almond butter which gave the cookies nice nutty flavour. For the ground flax, I grind my own in my Vita-Mix from golden flax seeds. A coffee grinder also works to grind seeds. The first time I made these I used cocao nibs which made the overall cookie not very sweet. When made with chocolate chips, the cookies taste sweet with a lovely chocolate flavour.

 

Yield: 18 cookies

• ½ cup packed pitted medjool dates (about 6 to 8 dates)
• ¼ cup hot water
• ¼ cup virgin coconut oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup or agave
• ¼ cup ground flax seeds
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup coconut flour
• ½ cup almond meal flour (I grounded raw almond in my VitaMix)
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ to ½ cup mini chocolate chips (or cacao nibs)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet with coconut oil.
• Place the pitted dates and water in a blender and let them soak for about 5 minutes.
• Then add the coconut oil and maple surup. Blend until very smooth, about a minute.
•  Transfer date-oil mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl (scooping out every last bit) and add ground flax seeds and vanilla; beat on high with an electric mixture until combined.
• Add almond butter and beat again.
• Sprinkle the coconut flour, almond meal, baking soda, and salt over the almond butter mixture, beat again until well combined. 
• Drop dough by the large spoonful onto the greased cookie sheet.
• Lightly press each cookie down with the palm of your hand or fork.
• Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove gently with a thin spatula and transfer to a wire rack to cool.