Fudgy, Gluten-Free, Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Even after a holiday season full of baking, I’m nowhere near done yet- and this time, I’m craving chocolate. I’ve already posted several vegan desserts to tempt your chocolate cravings, including this Chocolate Pudding and Chocolate Salami (an easy no-bake dessert). I’ve recently even posted some vegan cookie recipes, including these Vegan Snickerdoodles. Now here are some chewy, decadent flourless chocolate fudge cookies. These double chocolate chip cookies use cocoa powder and dairy-free chocolate with a little espresso powder and a pinch of salt for depths of chocolatey flavor to die for. Combine that with gluten-free sunflower (or almond) flour, coconut oil, a nut/seed butter, baking powder, and a chia egg, and you have dense, fudgy vegan chocolate cookies that are still surprisingly healthy in comparison to store-bought options. Eat them alone or with a glass of your favorite plant-based milk for a refreshing, sweet treat. If you’re in a large household – make sure to hide some of these cookies, or else they may all be gone before you know it! Best of all, this vegan chocolate cookie recipe is super simple and requires just 10 ingredients, one bowl, and less than 30 minutes of your time. Then it’s just up to you to try not to eat them all in a single sitting!
The Ingredients & Substitutions
Ground sunflower seeds*: Or any nut flour of choice, e.g., almond meal, almond flour, etc. Please do not use coconut flour, though, as it’s too absorbent. Chia egg: A combination of ground chia seeds (or flax seeds) and water. This is a wonderful option when making any cookies without eggs. Sugar: I used cane sugar, but you can also use regular sugar or brown sugar. Use coconut sugar/ date sugar for refined sugar-free cookies. I haven’t tried low-carb sweeteners like Xylitol, Erythritol, or monk fruit in this recipe, but they might work. Nut/Seed Butter: Feel free to use peanut butter (that’s what I used), almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. Cocoa powder: Or cacao powder if preferred, though the flavor will change slightly. Espresso powder will enhance and add depth to the chocolate flavor in these gluten-free double chocolate chip cookies. Vegan chocolate chips: Or chocolate chunks. Certain chips won’t melt – in comparison to roughly chopped chocolate, so the texture will vary. Coconut oil: You can use melted vegan butter or vegan margarine instead of coconut oil. You can most likely also leave it out completely, and use a little more nut/seed butter of choice. Baking powder: Will affect the texture and lift of the vegan chocolate fudge cookies for a slightly more ‘cakey’ texture. Vanilla extract: For additional flavor. Salt: Will enhance the chocolate flavor.
*I grind sunflower seeds in my electric coffee/spice grinder to make sunflower seed flour. A blender works too, but you can also use store-bought sunflower seed flour. For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cookies?
Please measure all ingredients in grams (use my written measurements) on a kitchen scale, if possible.
Step 1: Prepare the chia egg
In a small bowl, combine the ground chia seeds (or ground flax seeds) and 1/4 cup of water. Stir to combine and set aside. Also, preheat the oven to 350 °F/175 °C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Mix the cookie dough
In a medium-sized bowl (or food processor), add the ground sunflower seeds (or almond meal), cane sugar (or granulated sugar of choice), cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Then mix until there are no lumps. Add nut/seed butter of your choice, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and the chia seed mixture. Stir (or blend, if using a food processor) until combined. Finally, add the dairy-free chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks) and mix with your hands until you achieve a smooth dough.
Step 3: Shape & Bake the chocolate fudge cookies
Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each weighing about 50 grams) and roll each piece into a ball. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared parchment paper and flatten them with your hand. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes.
The flourless chocolate cookies will be soft when you take them out of the oven but will firm up more once cooled. Then enjoy!
Can you make these cookies without butter?
Yes, I actually tend to use coconut oil instead of butter or margarine. Though all three will work. I haven’t tried to make an oil-free version yet, but I think it should work as well.
How to store these flourless chocolate chip cookies?
Keep the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the fridge) for up to a week. Alternatively, store them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Can you prepare the cookie dough in advance?
Yes – prepare the dough and leave it covered in the fridge overnight. Then bake the vegan chocolate cookies when you’re ready the following day. Alternatively, wrap the dough up tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month before baking – I haven’t personally tried this yet, but it should work fine.
What chocolate should you use in the double chocolate chip cookies?
You can use chocolate chips, chunks, or chopped chocolate within the fudge cookies. Just make sure to use dairy-free for vegan chocolate cookies. Choose whether you want to use dark chocolate or vegan ‘milk chocolate‘ based on personal preference. Note that whether you use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate will also affect the vegan chocolate cookies differently. Whereas chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape in high heat, the chopped chocolate will usually melt – plus all the tiny slithers will distribute throughout the cookies, for different levels of chocolate in every bite. I used a combination of both.
Recipe Notes & Variations
You can chill the cookies before baking or bake them immediately. It doesn’t really make a huge difference, as they do not spread much. You could use a combination of Dutch-processed cocoa powder (used for Oreos) and cocoa powder for a richer flavor. I prefer to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder since the flavor of that cocoa alone is very strong. The type of sugar you use will affect the flavor and consistency of the chocolate fudge cookies differently. Though it changes from bake to bake, brown sugar tends to yield moister, chewier cookies compared to more ‘crisp’ cookies using white sugar.
Other Vegan Cookie Recipes
German Hazelnut Cookies Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars) Chocolate Stuffed Cookies 3-Ingredient Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies Vegan Snickerdoodles Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (Keto, Vegan)
Other Vegan Chocolate Recipes
Vegan Nutella Recipe Homemade Ferrero Rocher Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
If you give this vegan chocolate fudge cookies recipe a try, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.
