These soft and chewy oat flour chocolate chip cookies are easy to make and ready in under 20 minutes. Made with just 8 ingredients (including flaxseed!) and without butter, oil and refined sugar, these delicious cookies are total guilt-free dessert. Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
This recipe is proof that a healthy cookie does not have to compromise on taste! I love baking with oat flour as it has a subtle nutty flavor that other flours just don't have. Add in the fact that it provides loads of nutritional benefits including fiber and protein, it's no wonder I use oat flour in my classic chocolate chip cookies, soft baked gingersnaps and oatmeal raisin cookies too!
I have quite a few cookie recipes on the blog, and while I have no plans to stop adding more, these oat flour cookies are definitely going to be hard to top. They simply have everything I've ever wanted in a cookie!
Why You'll Love these Oat Flour Cookies
- Sweet and chocolaty
- Perfect texture - soft and chewy center with crispy edges
- Healthy and nutritious - having a background in public health, I say this with confidence!
- Quick and easy recipe (less than 10 minutes of prep time) - no equipment needed (not even a hand mixer) and no need to let the dough chill
- Uses just one bowl - makes for easy cleanup
- Simple ingredients - all easily found in the grocery store
- Allergy-friendly - dairy-free, vegan, refined sugar-free and gluten-free cookies
Ingredients
Below are all the ingredients you need. See the recipe card for quantities and full instructions.
- Oat flour - I recommend using store-bought oat flour for best results as it needs to be very fine. You can certainly make your own but it will likely lead to denser cookies.
- Ground flaxseed - helps with cholesterol and digestion. It has a slightly nutty flavor but its taste will not be noticed in this recipe.
- Baking powder - helps the cookies rise.
- Salt
- Almond butter - I prefer raw, unsalted creamy almond butter but any nut or seed butter can be used.
- Maple syrup - for sweetness that is refined sugar-free.
- Vanilla extract
- Dark chocolate chips - I love the vegan dark chocolate chips from Hu but any chocolate chips will do!
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oat flour, flaxseed, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk together.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Add the almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix together until well combined.
4. Add the chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips using a large wooden spoon.
5. Form the cookies. Use a retractable cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls and place them on the lined baking sheet (1 heaping tablespoon each makes about 15 cookies). Roll each ball together betwen your hands and slightly flatten each cookie.
6. Bake for 8 minutes. After removing from the oven, allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Enjoy! Serve immediately or store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
What Makes these Cookies so Healthy?
The nutritional benefits of these cookies cannot be overstated. The three main ingredients are oat flour, flaxseed and almond butter, each of which offers nutritional value.
Oat Flour
Oat flour is made simply from grinding whole grain oats into a flour. It is a source of fiber, phosphorous, thiamine, magnesium and zinc (source). Additionally, it provides plant-based protein and is rich in copper, selenium and iron (source).
Studies have shown that whole grains (including oats) are associated with heart health, may benefit gut health and aid in digestive health and weight control (source).
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is the richest natural source of an omega-3 fat (alpha linolenic acid) that our bodies cannot make on their own (source). Other types of omega-3s are found mainly in fish, so flaxseeds are especially important for those following a plant-based diet.
In addition to omega-3s, flaxseeds also contain protein and fiber.
Almond Butter
Almond butter, which is made from almonds, is a staple in many of my recipes. Whether using a jar from the store (I love the raw, creamy unsalted version from Trader Joe's) or making it from scratch, it has plenty to offer in terms of health and nutritional benefits.
Almonds offer plant-based protein and are low in carbohydrates. They are also a good source of fiber, healthy fats, vitamin E, copper, magnesium, manganese, riboflavin and phosphorus, while also providing iron, calcium and zinc.
Is All Oat Flour Gluten-Free?
Oat flour is naturally gluten-free but there may be cross-contamination in certain flours if processed in a facility that contains gluten. Therefore, it is important to buy certified gluten-free oat flour if you have celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten.
Store-Bought vs. Homemade Oat Flour
Oat flour is popular as a gluten-free substitute because the ratio for regular flour is 1:1. However, it is important to note that the ratio is based on weight rather than volume so a kitchen scale should be used when making this substitution. Given this recipe is specifically for oat flour though, that is not a problem here!
Making your own oat flour is actually really easy and takes less than a minute. Simply add rolled oats to a mini food processor and process for 30-60 seconds until it forms a fine powder.
However, I do not recommend using homemade oat flour when baking cookies. Even with the use of a high-speed blender, the oat flour will likely not be as fine as store-bought versions and therefore the cookies will come out more dense.
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes using Oat Flour
I hope you all enjoy this nutritious and allergy-friendly cookie recipe! If you give it a try, please snap and tag me @eatingbyelaine so I can see you enjoying your creations of this perfectly sweet treat.
1-Bowl Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These soft and chewy oat flour chocolate chip cookies are easy to make and ready in under 20 minutes. Made with just 8 ingredients (including flaxseed!) and without butter, oil and refined sugar, these delicious cookies are total guilt-free dessert. Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup gluten-free oat flour*
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raw, unsalted creamy almond butter (or any nut or seed butter you prefer)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup mini vegan dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oat flour, flaxseed, baking powder and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix together until well combined.
- Add the chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips using a large wooden spoon.
- Form the cookies. Use a retractable cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls and place them on the lined baking sheet (1 heaping tablespoon each makes about 15 cookies). Roll each ball together betwen your hands and slightly flatten each cookie.
- Bake for 8 minutes. After removing from the oven, allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately or store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Making your own oat flour is actually really easy and takes less than a minute. Simply add rolled oats to a mini food processor and process for 30-60 seconds until it forms a fine powder. However, I do not recommend using homemade oat flour when baking cookies. Even with the use of a high-speed blender, the oat flour will likely not be as fine as store-bought versions and therefore the cookies will come out more dense.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
Tiffany says
These cookies are delicious! I love that I only get one bowl dirty and I love that all my daughters allergies are covered (I used sunflower butter)!
Elaine Gordon says
So happy you could make these for your daughters! Thank you for sharing!
Erik says
Really enjoyed these. It's fun to swap out the ap flour for oat flour somtimes.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you for sharing!