It’s that time of year. The time of year where baking and eating cookies is as routine as brushing your teeth. For instance, this morning, I came to work (on a Monday), and two of my coworkers had brought homemade cookies and left them out on the common table before 10 a.m. And when I went to a holiday party this past weekend, the first edible item that greeted me was a giant, rotating lazy Susan platter of cookies. Given this ubiquitousness nature of cookies this time of year, I decided I had to do the only reasonable thing: share a new cookie recipe with you.
And because I am an unashamed chocolate lover, these are Triple Chocolate Cookies! These cookies are really rich and chocolatey (there are three kinds of chocolate), a bit more like a brownie than traditional cookie, and they taste like a mug of hot chocolate when eaten warm. The dense, brownie-ish texture is a result of (a) using very little flour (just over a half cup), using nut or seed butter as the primary fat source, (c) and using lots of melted dark chocolate in the batter.
But before you go thinking that these cookies are too naughty for you, let me remind you that they are vegan, oil-free, and easily made gluten-free!
Table of Contents:
1. Ingredient notes
2. Tips for making this recipe
3. Frequently Asked Questions
4. Recipe card with notes
Ingredient notes
Flour. Regarding the flour, I use an organic, unbleached all-purpose flour, but a gluten-free flour blend would work well if you are avoiding gluten. I’ve tried a similar cookie recipe with an all-purpose gluten-free flour with good results. Plus, there’s not very much flour in the recipe, so there won’t be a big difference.
Unsweetened cocoa powder. Now for the chocolate (yay)! The first form of chocolate is unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed).
Dark chocolate. Next comes a generous amount of dark chocolate. You can either buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up finely, or just buy dark chocolate chunks or dairy-free chocolate chunks (affiliate links).
Vegan chocolate chips. The third type of chocolate is vegan chocolate chips (affiliate link), but of course, if you don’t want to buy another type of chocolate, you can use just more dark chocolate chunks!
Cashew butter. Aside from the chocolate, the only fat source is the cashew butter, which is why I use a full cup of it. I recommend using a natural, no-added variety that is creamy (as opposed to chunky).
Using a natural variety keeps the cookies oil-free (if that’s important to you) and ensures that the recipe doesn’t get any additional sugar; the creamy variety ensures that your cookie dough is smooth and not full of chunky lumps (that sounds gross, now doesn’t it?).
Tips for making this recipe
I haven’t tried this, but I have a feeling that a dash of peppermint extract would take these Triple Chocolate Cookies over the top (chocolate mint is my favorite baking combo during the holidays). Since peppermint extract is very powerful, I’d substitute just one teaspoon of the vanilla extract with peppermint extract.
Sticky Dough? Once you’ve made the cookie dough, if you find that the dough is too sticky to scoop up, just refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes. This will make it much easier to scoop into perfectly shaped rounds.
And if I can make two final recommendations, it would be to (1) add the flaky sea salt (the sweet-salty combination is electrifying!); (2) EAT THESE COOKIES WARM. Yes, the cookies need to rest for 5 minutes or whatever so they don’t fall apart, but they seriously taste like a mug of hot chocolate when you eat them warm!
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using a double boiler on the stove. Simply fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer on the stove over low heat. Place the chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks in a heatproof glass bowl that fits snugly over the saucepan. The bowl should be at least 3 inches above the boiling water. Stir the chocolate regularly for even melting, and once melted, remove from the heat.
If that sounds like too much work for you (I get it), you can safely melt the chocolate in the microwave, but be sure to do it in short intervals. I usually heat the chocolate chunks for 25-30 seconds, give it a stir with a rubber spatula, and repeat two more times until the chocolate is almost fully melted, then give it a final stir to melt the remaining chocolate.
Cashew butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter all work well in these cookies!
Regarding the flour a gluten-free flour blend would work well in this recipe if you are avoiding gluten. I’ve tried a similar cookie recipe with an all-purpose gluten-free flour with good results.
Plus, there’s not very much flour in the recipe, so there won’t be a big difference.
The ideal bake time depends on how you like your cookies.
If you like them soft and gooey, just 9 minutes will be sufficient. If you want them to be a bit firmer and fluffy, I recommend baking them 11-12 minutes.
If you love these cookies, please be sure to leave a rating and review below! It’s always much appreciated :) And tag me on Instagram – I love hearing your feedback. Happy baking, friends!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Triple Chocolate Cookies (Oil-Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 ounces dark chocolate chunks or dairy-free chocolate chunks (see notes above)
- 1 cup natural creamy cashew butter or almond butter
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips or more dark chocolate chunks + extra for topping
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
- Melt the 6 ounces of dark chocolate in a glass bowl over a double boiler on the stove (complete instructions are in the blog post). Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Allow the melted chocolate to cool slightly.
- Add the cashew butter or almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the melted chocolate. Whisk until completely combined and smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture to the flour-cocoa mixture and stir until just combined with a wooden spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- If the cookie dough is too sticky to scoop up, refrigerate the batter for 10- 15 minutes (but not any longer).
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form 22-24 cookies. Flatten each cookie slightly with your palm. If desired, press a few extra chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie for presentation.
- Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes (see blog post above for precise times). Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before devouring.
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can I sub cornstarch for tapioca flour?
Hi Jan, tapioca flour helps improve the texture of these cookies (and baked goods in general) – it creates a lighter texture with these cookies and it’s also tasteless and odorless. Cornstarch can add a gummy texture, and can also have an off putting background flavor.
My wife made these for my birthday!
Absolutely the best cookie she has ever made.
Ridiculously delicious. She is killing it with your recipes as I transition to a plant based diet.
Keep up the great work!
Hi John, that’s amazing to hear! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, and happy belated birthday! :)
hi! Can I use buckwheat flour instead of all purpose?
Hi Palak, we haven’t tested buckwheat flour with these cookies in the RPL kitchen. Because buckwheat flour lacks gluten which helps bind ingredients together, you may need to use additional binders. You may also need to add more liquid because buckwheat flour tends to absorb more liquid than all-purpose flour. There’s not a ton of flour in this recipe so I think it’s worth trying if you’re gluten free!
wow, i made these today and they are sooo yummy, it has been so hard to find a really good chocolate crunchy and chewy biscuit recipe. They usually have oats and banana and stuff going on but these are not only delicious but pantry staple ingredients. Thank you so much – from a happy mum and kids!!!!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Jo! It makes us happy to know that you and your family enjoyed the recipe.
Delicious! I used peanut butter (natural, smooth) instead of cashew but otherwise followed the recipe. I prefer my cookies a bit sweeter so I might use a whole cup of maple syrup next time, or maybe melt semisweet chocolate instead of dark? (I’m not sure which of these approaches would work best, opinions welcomed!) This recipe is definitely a keeper though, and would be great for Christmas baking!
Thanks for sharing, Theresa! We’d say go with a lower % chocolate instead of trying to add the maple syrup, which may mess up the balance of ingredients since baking is such an exact science. Enjoy!
Thank you, I will try that.
You’re welcome, Theresa!
Okay so I tried the recipe again with 53% dairy-free chocolate chunks (I used 69% in my first batch). Sweetness was just right, thanks for the advice!
Can I use peanut butter instead of cashew butter ?
Hi Sammy, yes you can! Just keep in mind peanut butter has a more distinct taste so you’ll be able to taste it more in the recipe. Enjoy!
Hands down my favorite chocolate cookie I’ve ever had! Met by highest approvals by non-vegan friends and family alike. (The batter is amaazziiing too, I was lucky to get some in the oven!)
Awesome, Erin. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
So delicious!! Wow ❤️ We appreciate you at our house, thank you!
Justine, So glad to hear you loved this recipe! Thanks for the review!
I made these tonight since I was having a massive chocolate craving and didn’t want to drive to the store for a pint of ice cream and man, oh man, it hit the spot. I added a tad more of the separated oil from the almond butter jar to help it come together, I was also a little short on chocolate so I found hidden Halloween kisses/ Christmas Lindt balls for the add-in chunks and they came out awesome. Each mouthful was a lovely chocolate explosion with warm, melty chocolate bits. Each cookie is about 130 calories! Thank you for the stellar recipe, Nisha :)
These are ahhhhmaaahhhhzing!!
These cookies are so delicious and easy to make! They have been my go-to sweet treats to make this season. I love to add mint extract to mine! :) Make these ASAP!
So happy these are your go-to cookies :) The addition of mint extract is such a fabulous idea! It reminds me of the peppermint hot chocolate I like to make this time of year!
I don’t have tapioca flour- what else can I use? Garbanzo? Spelt?
Hi Maren, you can just use more all-purpose flour – that will be the easiest substitute :) Or you can try potato starch if you have that.
Triple chocolate.. TRIPLE! I’m sold haha great recipe!
Haha yay! I am glad you are sold. You can never have enough chocolate :)
Wow, these are the ultimate chocolate cookies! I am literally wiping off drool from my phone as I write this 😂 I can’t wait to try these, thank you for the amazing recipe!
You are so sweet and funny, Meredith! Hope you’re done drooling by now and ready to start baking!