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Chocolate chip cookies that are vegan, gluten-free and delicious

Erin McKenna displays a stack of her bestselling chocolate chip cookies in her bakery. You can bake them at home too.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
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Adapted from Erin McKenna of her eponymous bakery, these cookies have the crunchy edges of classic chocolate chip. Fragrant with vanilla, the cookies taste extra rich from a generous proportion of coconut oil.

Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

View this recipe in our California Cookbook »

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2 hours, largely unattended. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

  • 2 ¾ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup organic cane sugar
  • ¼ cup arrowroot starch
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup melted refined coconut oil
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips

1 Whisk together the flour, sugar, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the coconut oil, applesauce and vanilla extract and stir with a spoon until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

2 Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper (or work in 3 batches).

3 Using a measuring tablespoon or 1/2-ounce cookie scoop, drop spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass, press gently on each dough ball to flatten it into a 1/3-inch-thick round. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

LOS ANGELES, CA-June 6, 2019: Erin McKenna's Chocolate Chip Cookies in process, cooked and styled by Genevieve Ko, prop styled by Joni Noe, on Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
LOS ANGELES, CA-June 6, 2019: Erin McKenna’s Chocolate Chip Cookies in process, cooked and styled by Genevieve Ko, prop styled by Joni Noe, on Thursday, June 6, 2019. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

4 Working with one sheet at a time, bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake until golden brown, about 4 minutes longer.

5 Let cool completely on the sheets on wire racks, at least 30 minutes. The cookies need to cool completely before handling or they will break.

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Make Ahead: The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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