These vegan chocolate hazelnut cookies came together by accident and I am so very happy they did. I was planning on developing a chocolate cake recipe and the first attempt came out too flat, but our girls and I devoured it nonetheless. I pivoted and decided to make a few tweaks to create a vegan grain free chocolate cookie instead and after a few more batches refining the recipe, this is what I came up with. These cookies are rich and soft and have a melt in your mouth texture.
Ground chia acts as the main binder in place of eggs in this recipe, but chickpea flour also has some binding properties, helping create the sturdy, yet tender texture in these cookies. You can grind chia seeds at home with a spice or coffee grinder.
Hazelnut flour can be purchased at most grocery stores or you can make your own by adding blanched or toasted hazelnuts to your food processor or blender.
Step by step instructions for Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Gather all ingredients: Cacao powder, chickpea flour, hazelnut flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, ground chia seeds, water, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and tahini.
Sift the cacao powder into a medium bowl and whisk together with the remaining dry ingredients.
Combine the ground chia and water in another bowl.
Stir the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the ground chia and water.
Whisk together the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated.
Scoop the batter onto a baking sheet and gently flatten each dough ball.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are set.
Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (Grain Free)
These vegan chocolate hazelnut cookies are rich and soft with a cake like texture. Hazelnut and chickpea flour ensure that these cookies are grain free and ground chia stands in for eggs for a perfectly tender cookie.
18
cookies15
minutes10
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients
1/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup hazelnut flour*
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Wet Ingredients
1 Tbsp ground chia seeds**
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup tahini
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 325F and position a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift the cacao powder into a medium sized bowl and whisk in the chickpea flour, hazelnut flour, baking soda and fine sea salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, stir together the ground chia and water. Let the mixture rest for a minute or two so the chia can absorb the liquid and thicken. Whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla extract, extra virgin olive oil, and tahini until smooth and creamy. Gradually mix in the flour blend and whisk just until all ingredients are fully incorporated
- Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop the dough into 1.5 inch sized balls onto your prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Dab your fingertips with water and gently flatten each dough ball slightly to encourage even spreading in the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up lightly and the edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy!
Notes
- *I love hazelnut flour here and it plays a big role in the overall flavor of these cookies, but it can be harder to come by and tends to be more expensive. You can try almond flour instead if you like.
- **You can purchase already ground chia, but I simply keep chia seeds on hand and grind them as needed, as it helps retain the nutrient content. You can use a spice or coffee grinder or pulse them in a food processor or blender.
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Absolutely delicious. Rich chocolate flavor and healthy. What could be better!
So happy to hear this:)