Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

sweet treats

7 Jul

GLUTEN FREE · DAIRY FREE · GRAIN FREE · PALEO

It’s World Chocolate Day! Since chocolate is, without question, one of my favourite things on the planet, it seemed like the perfect timing to share this particular (and delicious, if I do say so myself) cookie recipe. So, let’s be clear: these are not chocolate chip cookies - these are chocolate chunk cookies! Perfect for times when only a substantial brick of melting chocolate will hit the spot! They are not overly sweet, but are dangerously more-ish, so bake with caution.

These beauties came about because, during the pandemic lockdown climate we all found ourselves in not too long ago, pantry items developed a whole new degree of preciousness, and throwing away expired products felt like an even greater waste than usual, because of course you couldn’t necessarily just pop out and replace the item as easily with all the movement restrictions that were being applied. So I went through everything in my pantry - everything - and made a list of items and their expiry dates (yes I did), and saw I had some almond flour, cashew butter and a bar of dark chocolate that were nearing expiration. So, using my Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as a sort of guide, I came up with these.

The Ingredients

Coconut Oil

Whisking is much easier if the coconut oil is soft or liquid, so if it is solid, warm it up a little before using.

Maple Syrup

A good natural sugar alternative, very versatile, and with a lovely and unique taste.

Vanilla Extract

Nut Butter

I love using nut butter in cookies, it somehow creates an extra depth of flavour and also helps achieve that fantastic soft, chewy texture.

I opted for cashew butter here, simply because it’s my favourite.

Egg

Coconut Sugar

A great substitute for refined sugar, also called coconut palm sugar (not to be confused with palm sugar), it is not as processed and even contains small amounts of certain nutrients.

These cookies are not overly sweet, so if you have a sweeter tooth, you could add in a little more coconut sugar.

Almond Flour

Sometimes also called almond meal, you can find this ready-made or you can simply throw some blanched almonds into a food processor and grind them down into a fine flour.

Almond flour has an impressive nutrient profile (rich in protein, fibre, vitamin E and good fats), and is also low-carb, making it a key player in gluten-free baking.

Coconut Flour

A great gluten-free and grain-free flour, rich in dietary fibre, and mild in taste. Also suitable for Paleo/AIP (though this recipe is not strict AIP because it contains nuts).

Raw Cacao Powder

Rich in antioxidants, iron, magnesium and tryptophan, raw cacao powder is a highly nutritious way to get your chocolate fix.

Sea Salt

Bicarbonate of soda (gluten free)

Not to be confused with baking powder, this ingredient goes by several names: sodium bicarbonate, bicarbonate of soda or baking soda.

Dairy-free Chocolate Chunks

This could technically be an optional ingredient, but as far as I’m concerned, it makes the cookie. The chunkier the better! And yes, I am making a clear distinction between the chunks in this recipe and their daintier cousins, chocolate chips.

Changes & Substitutions

Flour options

The combination of the coconut and almond flours contribute to the chewy texture of these cookies. I haven’t tried making them with any other flour, so I don’t know how alternatives would affect the outcome, but you can of course experiment - and let me know!

Egg substitute

I have not tried this recipe with an egg substitute so cannot comment on how the cookies would turn out. However, if you opt to use one (eg a flax egg, apple sauce or mashed banana), let me know how it turns out!