Are you even a recipe blogger if you don’t have a chocolate chip cookie recipe?
There are endless chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, each one claiming to be the best and all insisting they’re comparable to the classics: from Nestle or Pillsbury to the notable aroma of Mrs. Fields that swirls around the mall to even your grandmother’s cookies.
What makes this one any different? I could say that they’re healthier, dairy-free, and gluten-free friendly (which they are!) but so are countless other sweet treats.
This isn’t yet another cookie recipe with a nameless blogger behind it campaigning that these are going to be *THE* ones that trump all other chocolate chip cookies. If I’m being honest, I’d rather not join the crowd, attempt to sell you on my recipe, or promise that these cookies will be the best you’ve ever had. Because there’s a fat chance they won’t be! The dense, soft texture that’s tender in the center and a little crumbly around the edges might not be your cup of tea. Another cookie recipe – and with a quick Google search, there instantly are infinite others to choose from – might be more for you.
That’s the beauty of baking – every recipe is different and there’s likely a recipe out there for everyone!
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 TBSP oil, room temperature: walnut, almond, coconut*
- 2 eggs, room temperature*
- 4 tsp. stevia brown sugar*
- 2 TBSP stevia
- 240 g (2 C) flour: WW, AP, GF, spelt* (please see notes)
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 60 g chocolate chips or chunks dairy-free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Cream the oil, eggs, stevia brown sugar, and stevia together
- In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients, minus the chocolate chips
- Mix the wet and dry together, folding the chocolate chips in halfway through to prevent overworking the dough – it will seem dry initially, be patient and continue to work the dry into the wet and press the ingredients together
- Scoop the dough onto a prepared baking sheet (the cookies don’t spread much while baking, so they don’t need to be spaced the traditional 2” apart), then lightly press down on each ball of dough to flatten the top into a cookie shape*
- Bake for 8-10 minutes (8, for a softer, slightly gooier cookie) and let them cool before removing from the pan
Notes
- *Room temperature: the oil and eggs being room temperature is very important as it impacts the texture and dryness of the cookie. Keep that in mind when planning to bake, it’s helpful to get the oil and eggs out of the fridge at least 1 hour, preferably more, before starting the recipe
- *Oil: a neutral tasting oil, such as walnut or almond, is preferred but coconut works perfectly well too! In my opinion with coconut oil, it becomes one of the first and more prominent flavors which makes the cookies “taste healthy” when the goal is always to make it *taste too good to be healthy* – butter, vegan or regular, can also be used 1:1 in place of oil
- *Stevia brown sugar: can also use regular brown sugar or date sugar
- *Flour: different types of flour can oftentimes be substituted in recipes, but not as much in cookie recipes. Flour is finicky in cookies; the type and amount directly impacts whether the cookies turn out to be dry, puffy, cakey, soft, or fudgy. Cake flours, which are typically lower in protein so there’s less gluten formation, yield softer cookies while bread flours make for chewier, denser cookies. One of my favorite flours to use is spelt, a bread flour known for keeping baked goods moist. Spelt isn’t the most common flour to have on hand, so all-purpose or whole wheat are the next best flours to use. Always measure flour with the scoop and level method. And for this recipe, measure in grams if possible (checking the nutrition label to determine how many grams are in 2 cups of the flour being used). The exact measurement will vary based on the flour used. For example, 2 cups of the spelt flour I often use is 280 grams where 2 cups of Bob’s 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is 296 grams.
- *5. When scooping, firmly press the dough into the scooper similar to packing brown sugar. If the dough is still too try, add a touch more oil or a dash of unsweetened dairy-free milk.
- As with most of my recipes, this recipe can easily be halved or doubled! When I’m testing and finalizing recipes, I work with half of the recipe to minimize ingredient waste.
What pairs perfectly with cookies? Milk, of course.
Growing up, I was unaware there were “right” and “wrong” foods to pair with milk until I was at a friends house and her mom was asking everyone what they wanted to drink with the pizza. Going around the table one by one, each kid requested their favorite soda. All eyes turned to me with shock and a hint of disgust when I innocently asked for milk. Pizza, steak, bagel bites – it didn’t matter how unconventional it was, milk was my drink of choice.
While my love for milk hasn’t wavered over the years, I do prefer dairy-free now; it’s gentler on digestion, lower in carbohydrates (I’d rather eat than drink my carbs), and less inflammatory for the body, especially skin. But most dairy-free milks on the market are filled with unnecessary added ingredients such as lecithins, gums, and oils which are known to cause digestive stress and bloating.
After searching for a non-dairy alternative with minimal ingredients and not having much luck, I finally came upon a brand named JOI (which stands for Just One Ingredient – you can’t get more minimal than that!). With the single ingredient of either almonds or cashews, JOI is a creamy base free from gut-disrupting additives and thickeners. When it’s blended with water, homemade dairy-free milk is made in 30 seconds. Or it can even be used in a number of recipes to make soups, sauces, desserts, and other dishes (I’ve made vegan mac n cheese, queso, and cheese dip so far)!
When it comes to the companies I work with (such as for a product review or one-time social media post), I’m very particular; even more so with the select brands I decide to partner with – it’s not a decision I take lightly. But the quality of JOI’s bases, care for their customers, and regard for health, proper nutrition, and the environment are unmatched where I’m genuinely honored to have had the opportunity to partner with them and I’m confident in recommending their products. So with that being said, if you want to give JOI a try, my code SU10, can be used at checkout for a discount (in which I will receive a very small commission). While I am a bit bias, JOI really does complement these chocolate chip cookies!
As mentioned earlier, I don’t want to hop on the bandwagon and try to sell you on these cookies – I’m not good at “selling” to people because I don’t like it and I can’t put my heart into something I don’t like or agree with. But I do love baking for people, so putting my heart into recipes comes natural to me. That’s something I hope is evident to those who are on the receiving end of my baking or utilizing the recipes I create.
Recently, someone messaged me on Instagram saying “God bless you and your cookies!” along with a picture of these chocolate chip cookies and they went on to tell me that this recipe is now a regular in their household. And hopefully, after biting into one of these soft cookies loaded with melty chunks of chocolate, your sentiment is similar!
If interested, the macronutrients are below. They are kept separate at the very end of each recipe blog so that this can remain a safe, positive space for all as not everyone wishes to see the nutritional information.
Macros per cookie (makes 20): 11 C | 5.2 F | 2.4 P
If you make more or less than 20 cookies and want to know the macros per cookie, just divide the macros of the whole batch (below) by the number of cookies you make!
Whole batch: 220 C | 104 F | 48 P
The macros for recipes are also available on MyFitnessPal. Simply search the name of the recipe followed by “ – SUNutrition” (so for this recipe, search “Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies – SUNutrition”).
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