The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Butter Chips + Candy Canes
/Let’s get right down to business today. I know you most likely don’t have a ton of time to be reading blogs this week, and I definitely do not blame you!
You’re most likely…
- on winter break
- at work with a million things to finish up
- cuddling with your kiddos
- trying to finish shopping
- taking an internet break
But I just HAD TO share these cookies. I haven’t stopped thinking about them (or eating them) since last Friday. I promise they are the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies you have ever tasted.
They’re a riff from last year’s chocolate chip cookies with pistachios and orange zest. I forgot how incredible the base chocolate chip cookie is. You will never, ever, ever (promise!) guess these are gluten-free. They are my dream cookie texture.
They’re thick, chewy, and super nutty from my favorite flour combination, oat flour and almond meal. And then to make things a little more exciting they’re studded with THREE different mix-ins.
One of which you may have seen me post about on instagram last week.
It starts with coconut butter.
The coconut butter is mixed with just a few ingredients to create COCONUT BUTTER CHIPS. This was one of my most exciting discoveries in the kitchen in quite some time.
I wasn’t sure if they’d hold up in the cookies or not but they did and way better than expected. I thickened them up with some cashew butter + homemade powdered sugar.
I tried making the coconut butter chips twice. The second time I added unsweetened shredded coconut for more coconut flavor, but they ended up slightly crumbly. They still cut into chunks but flaked more easily. Both batches were great but the original had less crumbs, so that is the recipe I’ll give you below. If you’d like to add shredded coconut, simply mix in 1/4 cup. They’re both excellent!
Coconut Butter Chips
gluten free, dairy free
- 1/2 cup melted coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons creamy cashew butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Line an 8x4 pan with parchment or wax paper. Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Pour into the pan, smooth out, and freeze for about 15-20 minutes, or until solid. Pull out from the pan and place on a cutting board. Chop into chunks (typical chocolate chunk size or slightly larger). Store in a sealed jar in the fridge.
Notes:
Can be baked into cookies, eaten alone, or topped on things like oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, etc.
There are no subs for coconut butter. Click link above for a detailed how-to.
You can make your own sugar easily with pure cane sugar (or white sugar). Place 1 cup in a blender with 1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch and blend until soft. Store in a sealed container. I typically like to use coconut sugar or sucanat to make powdered sugar but wanted to keep the white color for the chips.
You can use creamy (not overly oily) almond butter. I used cashew butter to keep the chips lighter in color.
Add in 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut if desired. They will be slightly crumblier when chopped.
And then there’s the crushed candy cane. I buy hippy-dip, natural candy canes (that I love!) and thought they’d be a fun, holiday mix-in. You can definitely incorporate these into the dough, but I pressed a few pieces on top of each cookie before baking.
I don’t think I mentioned the brown butter yet…
So, yeah. Brown butter. It adds an extra layer of richness that you definitely don’t want to miss out on.
I must admit I’m fully obsessed with the coconut butter chips. I have a jar leftover in the fridge that I constantly snack on throughout the day.
I’ve also plunked a few on top of my morning oatmeal and watched them slowly melt into a puddle of coconut deliciousness. Highly recommend.
Sea salt on top, of course. It’s the perfect contrast to the sweet chocolate chips + candy cane pieces.
Is it weird if I beg you to make these?
MAKE THESE!!!
And then snap a photo and instagram them with the #edibleperspective !
adapted from my: gluten-free chocolate chip cookies with pistachios
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chips Cookies with Coconut Butter Chips + Candy Canes
gluten-free // yields appx. 30-40 cookies
for the cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons brown butter, melted and cooled
- 2/3 cup packed muscovado sugar, or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons natural creamy cashew butter, or almond butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup coconut butter chips, refer to beginning of post
- crushed candy cane pieces
- large flaked sea salt
In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, almond meal, oats, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, pour the melted (and mostly cooled) butter and whisk together with the sugar, maple syrup, and cashew butter until well combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated. Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and stir with a fork and/or your hands until fully combined and stiff. Mix in the chocolate chips and coconut butter chips (if using). The dough will be tacky and thick. Cover with plastic-wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight (don’t skip).
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Spoon some of the dough into your hand and pack/roll into about a 1 1/2-inch ball (does not need to be smooth). Place on a nonstick baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough leaving 2-inches between each cookie. Lightly press some of the crushed candy cane pieces into the top of each cookie (do not flatten). Alternatively, you can mix in 1/2 – 3/4 cup crushed candy cane pieces into the dough. Sprinkle with large flaked sea salt (optional, but recommended.)
Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes depending on desired doneness. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before eating. Cookies firm as they cool. Once fully cooled store in a sealed bag or container on the counter.
Notes:
- If you don’t want to make brown butter, simply sub 6 tablespoons melted butter.
- If you want to keep these standard chocolate chip cookies up the chocolate chips to 1 cup and leave out the coconut butter chips and candy canes.
- I’m not sure if melted coconut oil will work with these or not. They may need an extra tablespoon or so of oat flour if they seem too sticky.
- Avoid cashew or almond butter that is overly oily. If oily, be sure to fully incorporate before using.
- How to make Brown Butter: Heat a light colored saucepan [so you can see when it browns] over medium/medium-low heat with 1 stick of butter cut into tablespoon sized pieces. Let melt then start whisking constantly. While you whisk the butter will start to foam, then simmer, then turn clear, and then foam a bit more and eventually little brown bits will start to show up after a few minutes. When brown bits start to form remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds. Pour into a jar, let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate or use in its liquid form. You’ll definitely be able to see and smell [very rich and nutty] when the butter starts to brown. Do not try and speed the process with a higher temperature or it will burn. You want golden brown liquid, not at all blackened.
I hope you all have a fabulous week with family and friends celebrating happiness + life.
Merry, Happy Everything.
See you next week with my new favorite soup recipe perfect for the new year!
Hugs,
Ashley
