The Very Best Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Guys, stop what you're doing because I made the absolute very best gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies in all of the world. I have very little experience with gluten-free baking and up until now I've avoided it at all costs. I had my jar of all-purpose wheat flour, so why would I go out and buy 10 different gluten-free flours to make a cookie that would more closely resemble crumbly cardboard than a cookie? Now that my cupboard is full of all sorts of flour alternatives and my husband was craving some chocolate chip cookies, I figured I'd give it a try.

I decided to start off with my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and make substitutions rather than find an existing recipe online. Mostly since I knew I've perfected my chocolate chip cookies to exactly suit my tastes. I threw in all sorts of gluten-free flours in a somewhat educated manner and oddly enough, my concoction worked on the first try (which never happens) and the cookies turned out great.

This recipe makes super soft, non-crumbly, perfect cookies that you wouldn't even know were vegan, let alone gluten-free. They have even been likened to a "chewier Chips Ahoy" (direct quote from my husband).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

gluten-free, vegan, soy-free

makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup softened soy-free Earth Balance

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (mine is a rice flour, sorghum flour blend from Costco)

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 cup arrowroot powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon almond milk, optional

1/4-1 cup  dark chocolate chips, to your preference (I chopped up a Theo's dark chocolate bar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Stir in the sugars and vanilla until well combined.

In a different bowl, combine flours, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the sugar mixture.

If the mixture is too dry, add up to a tablespoon of almond milk. Otherwise, leave it out of the recipe. If you don't have almond milk, you can just use water.

Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Spoon cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. They spread out a little, so you will want to pat them into balls and place them about an inch or two apart. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are just beginning to brown. The cookies will look not done, but trust me, if the bottoms are browning, they are ready to come out. If you leave them in longer, the cookies will be crunchy once they cool. Cool on a wire rack.