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    Home » Recipes » Gluten-Free Vegan Baking

    Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Dates (Gluten Free)

    Published: Sep 1, 2012 · Updated: Aug 18, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookiesAs a vegan with celiac disease… one thing that I thought I may never enjoy again was a classic Tollhouse style chocolate chip cookie. So I took it upon myself to de-glutenize and veganize a recipe I happen to consider perfect in every way (except for all
    the animal ingredients it calls for, of course). Let me tell you … I kicked its ass.

    I am betting that no-one could tell these cookies are missing like 90% of the original ingredients- and why waste your time telling anyone when you can be stuffing your face with such deliciousness? And since I’m a glutton for tastiness–-I added little bits of Medjool dates. Recipe and photo contributed by Allyson Kramer, from Manifest Vegan.

    Makes: 24 cookies

    • 1 cup vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
    • ¾ cup vegan  brown sugar
    • ¾ cup vegan granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed)
      mixed with 4 tbsp warm water (let it set for about 1 minute)
    • 1 cup sorghum flour
    • ¾ cup brown rice flour
    • ½ cup tapioca starch
    • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
    • 1 cup Medjool dates, chopped into small pieces
    • 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 375° F.

    In large mixing bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Add prepared flaxseed meal.

    In separate, smaller bowl, combine sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum.

    On low speed of electric mixer, gradually add in flour mix until all is incorporated. At first, your dough will be crumbly… keep mixing (you may need to increase your speed a touch) until you achieve a soft cookie dough.

    Fold in chopped dates and chocolate chips.

    Scoop about 1 tablespoon worth of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving about 2″ between each cookie.

    Bake 10 to 11 minutes, and immediately remove from oven.

    I had to bake three separate batches, at 10 minutes each.

    The cookies WILL NOT look done at this point… oh, but they are. 🙂

    This is the hard part… let them stay on the cookie sheet until completely cool. This could take up to an hour or more (I know). Basically, when the chocolate chips have returned to a firm state, then they are ready to eat.  If you try to move them too soon, they will most definitely fall apart… so don’t do it. And, if you do, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

    Believe me, they are worth the wait. Enjoy with a tall glass of yummy non-dairy milk.

    • Sweet tooth still craving? Here are more Vegan Baking and Sweets.
    • Explore more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Cookies and Bars.
    • Explore more of VegKitchen’s Gluten-Free Vegan Baking.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. VeganLdyBug says

      June 02, 2011 at 9:41 am

      -I was just wondering if the xanthan was absolutely necessary?I also don't have sorghum..can I use another flour instead? These are so yummy I'm sure 🙂 Thanks!

    2. Allyson says

      June 02, 2011 at 10:51 am

      Hi VeganLdyBug!

      Great questions! I don't think the xanthan is absolutely necessary--but without it, the cookies may be a touch more delicate/crumbly.

      As far as the replacing of the sorghum flour...
      I've tried my hand at many variations of these cookies, and while I can say that other gluten-free flours work well here, sorghum is needed for this particular recipe to achieve a similar taste and texture to a Tollhouse cookie. However, I am sure they would still be delicious with other types of flours subbed in such as buckwheat, almond meal, millet, superfine brown rice, quinoa... really the possibilities are endless!

      And, if there's no need to eat gluten-free, then regular All-Purpose flour can be subbed for all the flours, starches and xanthan gum listed in the recipe!

    3. Pauline says

      May 12, 2012 at 1:33 pm

      I haven't had much success with gfcf egg free cookies but this recipe gave me the confidence to bake again! I baked a batch today, using chopped apricots and chocolate chips and the cookies came out perfect! Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!

    4. Gray says

      April 16, 2013 at 5:02 pm

      These sound good to me, but then I have a soft spot for cookies that don't taste like high fructose corn syrup.

    5. Nava says

      April 16, 2013 at 5:10 pm

      Let us know what you think, if you try this recipe!

    6. Sunshine says

      April 27, 2013 at 8:57 pm

      So I made these and they turned out pretty terrible. The dough was super tasty, but when I put them in the oven they flattened like a crepe rather than a chewy toll house cookie. I didn't put dates in them, but I don't think that should have affected the recipe that much.

      Sadly disappointed.

    7. Nava says

      April 28, 2013 at 10:16 am

      Hi Sunshine, I wonder what might have gone wrong. Another reader, Pauline, found that they came out perfectly. Let me see if the author of this recipe can weigh in.

    8. Allyson says

      April 29, 2013 at 9:58 am

      Hi Sunshine,

      Sorry to hear you had difficulty with the cookies. As with many cookies (and all baking, really), even a teeny change can make a good cookie go bad. It sounds to me like there may have been too little flour, or a little too much margarine if they came out so flat. You're right, the dates won't make a difference--I use this recipe often and change the mix-ins a lot. The dough for these cookies should be soft, but not sticky, and come together easily--with a few easy going folds throughout--sort of like the consistency of pla-doh. Oftentimes we all measure flours (especially gf flour) in different ways, which can certainly affect the outcome. Here's a helpful guide for diagnosing very common cookie issues--and even though basic cookie recipes all differ, the problems usually arise from the same general issues. I hope you find it helpful! http://www.yuppiechef.co.za/spatula/common-cookie-problems-and-how-to-avoid-them/

    9. Emily says

      October 17, 2015 at 7:34 pm

      I had the same problem as Sunshine and I also did not put the dates in. I had this problem before with making a GFV chocolate chip cookie recipe so I only baked one batch to see how they came out. Flat and crispy, not at all what I was going for. So, I read the link to the cookie problems and I then added a bit more sorghum, brown rice and tapioca and a tiny bit of Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF mix, and they look much better. I think i added a bit too much flour though, as they are a bit "dry" tasting right now. (Still warm, though I know I'm supposed to wait until they're cooled... So hard to do!)

    10. Sherri Harding says

      February 01, 2016 at 10:15 am

      Sugar, in my humble opinion is just as bad for us as wheat. I'm so disappointed.

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