butterfly bakery blog

These cookies are on my top 5 list for my best vegan cookie recipes. They are soft, chewy, and filled with dark chocolate chunks that form puddles on the top (!!). The drizzle of almond butter goes slightly crisp in the oven, bursting with toasty flavour (and makes them look really cool). This recipe is also vegan, gluten-free, and wholesome. As always, top with a little flaky sea salt before serving!

My inspiration for this recipe was from one of my favourite treats, the dark chocolate almond cookie from Pret a Manger. And since I’m a cookie baking enthusiast, it was only fair that I recreated them myself (but gluten-free & wholesome ofc). I LOVE the Pret version, but I can’t lie, I love my ones more. Because of how much I enjoy Pret’s cookie, I had to develop a recipe that everyone can enjoy, even our gluten-free and refined-sugar free friends.

JUMP TO:
• What you’ll need
• FAQ’s
• The history of cookies
• Recipe

What you’ll need

Ingredients:

• Coconut oil | This is the fat used in this recipe, so you can’t omit it. However, if you are looking for a substitute, vegan butter will work. Make sure the coconut oil is room temperature, if it’s too cold it might form lumps.

• Coconut sugar | This is an un-refined natural sugar which provides a little sweetness and a wonderful flavour. If you don’t have any, try brown sugar.

• Aquafaba | This is the egg replacement. It helps the cookies spread, and acts as a binder. It’s the liquid residue from canned legumes, chickpeas are best, but green lentils work too (it’s weird but trust me).

• Vanilla | I use bean paste but extract will also work, just add a little more. I wouldn’t omit this, it provides a depth of flavour.

• Coffee | This is more of an underlying flavour, it brings out the flavour of the chocolate. It’s not needed, but I highly recommend it.

• Almond butter | Use this both in the dough and for drizzling to get the best almond flavour, without it overpowering.

• Vegan milk | This will help bind the dough together, you can also use water.

• Flax meal | Because there is no gluten or egg in these cookies, flax helps keep them together. If you don’t have flax meal, you could also use chia meal.

• Baking soda | This will help the cookies spread.

• Salt | Use fine sea salt in the dough and flaky sea salt on the top, trust me.

• Oat flour | The only gluten-free flour I really use is oat flour. If you don’t have any, you can blend up oats until a powder, however it may not be as fine.

• Cocoa powder | This will provide the double chocolate element.

• Vegan dark chocolate | I prefer dark in this recipe, because the Pret a Manger uses dark, however I only use 60% dark chocolate (so it’s not too bitter). If you go above that, you may taste a little bitterness. Feel free to also use vegan milk chocolate. I used Tony’s Chocolonelys vegan salted almond dark chocolate (it fits really well with this recipe).

FAQ’s

• What is aquafaba? | Aquafaba is the liquid residue in canned chickpeas. It acts as the “egg” in these cookies, allowing them to spread while holding their shape in the oven.

• What if I don’t have canned chickpeas? | Aquafaba comes from canned legumes, so if you don’t have chickpeas, lentil residue will work too.

• Can I replace coconut oil? | I use coconut oil to keep these cookies wholesome, but vegan butter will work just the same.

• My cookies are oily, why? | This is because either your coconut oil wasn’t room temperature, or you didn’t beat it long enough. If this is the case, your cookies may have coconut oil “clumps”, which will melt in the oven, causing them to be a little oily.

The history of cookies

Cookies place of origin is in Persia where they date back as early as the 7th century AD. Persia was one of the first countries ever to grow and harvest sugar cane. Cookies are thought to have started off being an oven temperature tester. So many bakers would bake what are now known as ‘cookies’ to test if the oven temperature was right, before putting their baked good into the oven. By the 14th century, cookies had spread through out the whole of Europe and were enjoyed by all levels of society, from royal cuisine to street venders. Cookies were first introduced to America by the English in the 1600s. At this time, cookies went by many names like small cakes, seed biscuits, and tea cakes. Cookies got their name as we know it today in America. 

Vegan dark chocolate & almond cookies
prep time: 15mins / serves: 12 / cook time: 11mins

Ingredients:

for the dough:
• 55g coconut oil, room temp
• 35g almond butter
• 172g coconut sugar
• 3 tbsp aquafaba
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp coffee, dissolved in 1tsp hot water
• 2tbsp vegan milk
• 2 tbsp hot water, only if needed
• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 1tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 165g oat flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1 bar vegan dark chocolate (60% cocoa, ~1/3c)

additional:
• almond butter to swirl on top
• dark chocolate for pressing on top
• flaky sea salt for topping

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 180c (conventional oven) / 160c (fan oven).
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• To a large bowl, add the coconut oil, beat until soft (no lumps).
• Add the almond butter, whip again to combine.
• Add the coconut sugar, aquafaba and vanilla. Combine fully.
• Add the oat flour, flax, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
• Add the dissolved coffee and vegan milk. Mix to briefly combine.
• Add the chocolate chunks, fold to combine.
• Scoop into 12 equally sized balls. Place on a baking sheet.
• Press some extra chocolate chunks on the top of each ball.
• Swirl a little almond butter over the top of each ball.
• Arrange the balls on a cookie sheet, allowing enough room for spread.
• Bake for 11 minutes until they have flattened.
• If they are not perfectly circle, scoot them with a large cookie cutter whilst hot, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let cook.
• Enjoy!