These vegan chickpea chocolate chip cookies with sea salt are soft, slightly chewy, and not cloyingly sweet. You will LOVE them! (This article has been updated from its original April 2018 version.)
Chocolate chip cookies are pretty much the national dessert of these united states – seeing as there are millions of recipes for them and bijillions of slightly different versions on store shelves. But tbh, this treat has always been something I could do without. (I know, I know – don’t stone me!)
It’s just that more often than not, I’ve found them one-note and frankly, boring. Sweet dough with sweet chocolate… sweet on sweet is just too much sweet for me. (Anyone else relate…?)
That is, until I tried these chickpea chocolate chip cookies from The New Nourishing. These magical cookies are made with chickpea flour and coconut oil, making them 100% vegan and gluten-free, yet still the only c.c. cookies I care to eat.
What Makes These Cookies Special
If you’re looking for a soft, slightly chewy, not cloyingly sweet, unique chocolate chip cookie, congrats, my friend – you’ve found it!
What ultimately sets this recipe apart is the chickpea flour. It has a savory, nutty flavor that’s unexpected for cookies and balances the sweetness of the chocolate perfectly. It makes a huge difference in comparison to traditional all-purpose flour (which has no flavor at all).
Virgin coconut oil is another superhero ingredient, lending a unique floral taste to the cookies. A sprinkle of sea salt on top does wonders for creating balance, too.
What’s In These Vegan Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
These magical cookies are made with just 7 ingredients! All you need is: chickpea flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and dark chocolate.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Flax “Egg”: To start, grab a bowl (large enough to hold all the ‘wet’ ingredients) and combine the flaxseed meal with water. Stir and set aside for 5-10 minutes. It should thicken and become slightly gelatinous – this is known as a “flax egg” because it works perfectly as a vegan egg substitute in recipes like cookies, muffins, pancakes, etc.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix the Wet Ingredients: To the flax mixture, add the sugar, oil, and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Pour into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until there are no dry bits of flour left. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chunks.
Chill the Dough: Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes; this will help it “set” and make it easier to scoop into cookies. Be patient and don’t skip this step.
Portion and Bake: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and burning. Using an ice cream scoop (or a regular ol’ tablespoon), portion the dough into golf ball-sized chunks by scooping it into your hand and quickly rolling into a ball. Then place the cookie down and gently press to flatten lightly. Space the cookies at least 1-2 inches apart (they will spread while baking). Finally, sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Cool: Cool the cookies for at least 15 minutes before moving them off the baking sheet; if you touch them while still hot, they will crumble. Be sure to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Flaxseed meal: Ground flaxseeds work as a vegan egg substitute here; ground chia seeds will work the same. If you eat eggs, you can skip this step and whisk 2 large eggs into the wet ingredients (step 3) instead.
- Chickpea flour: This high-protein gluten-free flour is made from ground up chickpeas. Look for it in the alternative grains aisle or online.
- Baking powder: This helps the cookies rise and makes them airy; don’t skip it.
- Raw sugar: is less refined than white sugar and contains trace minerals. You can sub with coconut sugar or maple crystals. White sugar will work, too, if it’s all you have.
- Virgin coconut oil: This unrefined oil gives the cookies a delicious floral aroma. If you don’t like coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil instead.
- Dark chocolate: I prefer using good quality chopped chocolate versus chips because chips tend to have more additives and don’t taste as good. I recommend 70% Lindt or something similar.
- Coarse sea salt: Maldon or fleur de sel balances and intensifies the chocolate flavor. If you don’t have coarse salt, sprinkle lightly with regular salt instead.
More vegan things to bake…
- The Easiest Brownies with a Tahini-Miso Swirl
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Scones
- Vegan Blueberry-Lemon Muffins
- Vegan Date Brownies
Let me know if you try these cookies! Give them a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with #TheNewBaguette and @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
PrintChickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan chickpea chocolate chip cookies with sea salt are soft, slightly chewy, and not cloyingly sweet.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal or ground chia seeds* (see note below)
- 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup raw sugar*
- 1/2 cup melted unrefined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate like Lindt (about 1/2 standard bar) or chocolate chips
- About 1 heaping teaspoon flaky sea salt (like Jacobsen or Maldon), for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water and let stand while you prep the rest of the ingredients, about 5 minutes. This should form a gel-like consistency known as a “flax egg.”
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- To the bowl with the flax, add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup melted oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add to the flour mixture and fold to combine. When the mixture is homogenous, fold in 1/3 cup chocolate chunks. Place the dough in the fridge to firm up for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into golf ball-sized balls, roll between your palms, and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Lightly press on each cookie to flatten it a bit. Sprinkle each cookie with flaky salt. Bake for 12-14 minutes. (If the cookies look a little underdone, that’s okay.)
- Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving – the cookies will firm up as they cool. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Leftovers may be kept at room temp for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7.
Notes
- Ground flaxseeds work as an egg substitute here; ground chia seeds will work the same. If you eat eggs, you can skip this step and whisk 2 large eggs into the wet ingredients (step 3) instead.
- You can sub raw sugar with coconut sugar or maple crystals. White sugar will work, too.
- If you don’t have coarse salt, sprinkle lightly with regular salt instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 170
- Carbohydrates: 15.4 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
Melanee says
These are my all-time favorite cookies.
Alexandra Shytsman says
Ahh mine too! So glad you like them 😀
lorie says
I agree 100% — American cookies are cloyingly sweet. In the spirit of nutrient rich ingredients, could we replace the sugar with dates as a sweeting substitute?
Alexandra says
Glad we’re on the same page, Lorie! I would not replace sugar with dates here because this dough calls for a dry sweetener. But you could use maple crystals (dehydrated maple syrup) for a slightly more virtuous option… If you’re looking for a date-sweetened dessert, check out these brownies! https://thenewbaguette.com/sugar-free-date-brownies-vegan/