Update: I’ve created a video to show you how to make these gluten free and vegan chocolate chip cookies.
The other day I received a call from Kelly about a potluck at my children’s school. This superwoman who doubles as first grade room parent and I spoke about taking the “luck” out of potluck.
During our chat, we touched on the significance of children breaking bread together and sharing in the most important part of the meal – dessert! To accommodate the different dietary needs of the first graders in my son’s class, I developed a dairy-free, gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Kelly and I enlisted five moms to bake these tasty cookies for the potluck and I’ve posted the recipe here for them.
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Dairy Free/Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup grapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup agave nectar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir together wet ingredients in a small bowl
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Form 1 inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 7-10 minutes
- Cool and serve
* Please note: Bob’s Red Mill almond flour does not yield successful results when used in this recipe. For more information regarding this matter please see my FAQs.
Marie says
First of all, these cookies are just awesome. My coworkers always ask if I’ve made another batch to share. I have used SO MANY of your recipes (esp with pumpkin fever this fall), as well as passed along your website to so many of my friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. I am in a women’s group that is making a cookbook & looking for recipes. I was wondering if I could submit this dairy-free/gluten-free cookie recipe. It would include your name & link to your website. I just wanted to include a good Gluten Free/Casein Free recipe as it is becoming increasing popular for families to adopt this diet, though many people still find it difficult to locate recipes & even ingredients. If your recipe & link was included in this cookbook, it would help people greatly by sending more people to your amazing blog. I’m not even gluten free & I love your recipes (I’m dairy free, but I really like eating gluten free too). Plus, people who aren’t gluten free would then have at least one recipe they could make if they have GF or CF guests, as well as a resource to expand for their guests. I am asking for your permission because if you do not feel comfortable with someone else passing along your recipes (but, again, YOU will be referenced), I understand and respect your wishes. You are the creator of something amazing (the blog & the community it is gathering globally) and I do not want to impose on you. No matter how you decide, I am grateful for your website & will continue to promote it, as well as cook from the recipes. I am learning so much & eating so well along the way! Thank you for considering my request, but more importantly, thank you for all your work!
elana says
Tracee,
Thanks for sharing your problem with us.
I like that problem :-)
Best,
Elana
Tracee says
Problem: My litle boy and I made a couple of batches of these for the Fall Festival at his school. We dropped them off and went home to get his costume and came back. When we went to get a cookie they were gone!! Everyone was curious and tried them, and then another man liked them so much be bought the rest. I have learned the hard way that two batches for a crowd is not enough.
elana says
Hi Tracee,
I have cooked a little with macadamia oil and like it a lot.
Thanks for stopping by to let us all know about your substitution success!
Elana
Tracee says
I substituted half of the oil with Macademia Nut Oil, it was very good. It’s my latest purchase from the health food store and smells wonderful.
elana says
andrea,
here’s what I would recommend:
1) please see my faq’s regarding substitutions
2) try some of my coconut flour recipes
3) post this query in the forums; readers with similar allergies have found some support and answers there
Hope this helps,
Elana
andrea says
Elana,
Quick question, I am allergic to almonds, and was hoping that you would have an alternative to almond flour for your awesome recipes. I was just diagnosed as being allergic to dairy, wheat, eggs, and nuts, so I have been going a little crazy trying to cook for my three year old and husband without starting a riot. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!!!
elana says
Hannah,
I know we can get to the bottom of this! I think it may be the raw agave that is adding excess moisture to your baking attempts –preventing them from rising and causing them to fall apart. This is my latest thought on solving the mystery.
Elana
Hannah says
I did use all the ingredients to the letter. I was wondering if the brand could make a difference. Spectrum grapeseed oil and wholesome raw agave, the honeywell almond flour. I know that the agave I use is darker in color than the one you use, perhaps it also has a different consistency. Have you used that one? Thanks for the help.
elana says
Hannah,
I’m not sure what the problem could be. Did you use:
If you did use all of the above and did not make any substitutions, please let me know which brand of each product you used, that might help me get to the bottom of this.
Also, is your oven baking at the temperature which reads on the dial? (you need an interior oven thermometer to make this comparison and verify this)
You should be able to make these cookies anywhere, with the correct
ingredients and following the instructions in the recipe above.
Thanks,
Elana
Sally Parrott Ashbrook says
I had the same issue with the cookies tonight–using one of your recommended almond flours. I did sub in ghee for the grapeseed and thought that must be the issue till I saw other people’s comments. Very interesting. In the end, I added about 1/2 cup more almond flour and refrigerated the dough for about half an hour to get it to work fairly well.