These vegan double chocolate espresso cookies are so rich and chocolatey, you'd never guess they're gluten-free, oil-free, and whole grain.
I'm totally starting this post with a story, and I usually hate that shit because I JUST WANT THE DAMN RECIPE, but hear me out. These gloriously decadent cookies are worth suffering through a bit of my writing.
Waaaay back in the olden days (like, 2008), Shaun and I owned a coffee shop and bakery in Denver's Cherry Creek North neighborhood. Our shop was right next door to a fur shop (so gross, I know 🤢). This turned out to be an excellent thing, believe it or not.
Every Saturday, a large group of anti-fur people would come protest right outside the fur shop. They were all super nice and they would often come into our shop to buy coffee and use our restrooms. One day, they left a stack of flyers in the bathroom.
These flyers introduced me to veganism.
I wasn't ready to fully commit right away, but I was very interested from an ethical standpoint. So, to show my support to the protesters who had enlightened me, I decided to add a few vegan baked goods to our menu. These vegan double chocolate espresso cookies were born.
Well, not exactly these cookies. The original version was made with white flour and cane sugar and canola oil. The version I'm sharing with you today is gluten-free (as long as your oats are), whole-grain, oil-free, and sweetened with coconut sugar (aside from the cane sugar in the chocolate chunks, because apparently the technology doesn't exist to make more wholesomely-sweetened chocolate chips 😤 UPDATE - Thanks to an awesome comment from Jody, I now know coconut sugar-sweetened chocolate chips exist!).
Anyway. Enough story time. Let's talk about these cookies!
Contents
Recipe Highlights
- This vegan double chocolate espresso cookie recipe is egg-free and dairy-free, and it's also made without wheat, gluten, or oil. Oat flour makes it whole grain.
- These also make some excellent espresso-free vegan double chocolate cookies. If you don't want the added coffee flavor, you can use 2 tablespoons of your favorite unsweetened plant milk in place of the espresso, and omit the coffee grounds.
- They're super easy. This cookie recipe is simple to make with no weird ingredients or difficult techniques. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool!
Ingredients
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here's a quick look at the ingredients you'll need to make your own batch of vegan double chocolate cookies.
- oat flour (you can make your own by grinding rolled oats in a spice grinder or high speed blender)
- almond flour (the finely ground blanched kind, not almond meal)
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- salt
- a vegan chocolate bar or chocolate chips (sweetness/darkness is up to you!)
- coconut sugar
- almond butter made from 100% almonds (like this one; watch out for sugar, salt, and oil)
- espresso or strong coffee (optional) or your favorite plant milk
- used coffee grounds (yes, really!) (also optional)
- vanilla extract
- flaked sea salt for sprinkling (optional, but highly recommended)
Recipe Steps
First, make your espresso and let it cool to room temperature while you chop your chocolate bar up.
Now gather all your ingredients, preheat your oven, and line your baking sheet.
Next, combine your dry ingredients and chocolate chunks. Combine your wet ingredients and pour them into the dry ingredients. Mix until a yummy dough forms.
Now scoop the cookie dough, roll it up, and flatten the dough balls onto your baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are done. Sprinkle them with sea salt when you take them out of the oven.
Finally, wait for the cookies to cool. This part is THE WORST.
Helpful Tips
- Use cold coffee. This is so important, I'll probably mention it several times. Hot coffee will melt your chocolate chips and make a mess of your cookie dough.
- Chocolate chips will work just fine. I love the way a chopped up chocolate bar melts and I love super dark chocolate (88%, baby!), so I use that option. Use what makes you happy!
- Don't over-bake these cookies. I think 8-10 minutes is perfect. They will be very dry if they're in the oven for too long.
FAQs & Substitutions
Can I use instant espresso?
Yes! Follow the instructions on your package to make a couple shots of espresso. Mix until the espresso powder is combined. Let the espresso cool to room temperature before measuring out two tablespoons for the cookies. If using instant espresso, don't worry about adding used coffee grounds and don't add dry espresso powder in its place. It doesn't dissolve well and could create very bitter pockets of espresso flavor in your cookies.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Absolutely! Back in the coffee shop days, I baked these for a local ice cream shop to use for their vegan ice cream sandwiches. They freeze amazingly well and they're even delicious straight out of the freezer.
Can I make these without espresso?
Yes! Use 2 tablespoons of unsweetened plant milk instead of the coffee or espresso, and leave the coffee grounds out if you want vegan double chocolate cookies without the espresso flavor.
If you make this recipe, I would love to hear what you think. Please gimme some stars and leave a review below.
I would also love to see a photo of your creation on Instagram. Let's be insta-friends!
Vegan Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup (75 g) oat flour
- 2 Tablespoons (14 g) almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons (12 g) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Chunks
- ¼ cup (40 g) chopped chocolate bar or chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (80 g) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (64 g) smooth almond butter, unsalted and unsweetened
- 2 Tablespoons brewed espresso or strong coffee, make sure it's cold or it will melt the chocolate chunks! see notes
- 1 Tablespoon used espresso/coffee grounds, see notes
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
To Finish
- Flaked sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Stir in the chocolate chunks and set aside.
- Stir the wet ingredients together in a large bowl until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.
- Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons, roll it into balls, and place on the balls on your parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten each ball to ½” thick, leaving 1” between cookies.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies look puffed up on top and start to crack.
- Remove them from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, if using.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days, or wrap cookies tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutrition Disclaimer*
Nutrition information is an estimate. If you are concerned about the accuracy of nutrition information, I encourage you to weigh your ingredients and use a tracking app like Cronometer for more accurate nutritional data.
Jody (goodcrikey over at Instagram - hi!) says
These look amazing and I'm definitely going to bake some for my mocha-loving husband. I also wanted to add, because I don't get along with sugar (but get along just fine with coconut sugar, thankfully) that you can indeed get coconut sugar-sweetened chocolate chips! In my hunt for them, I've found it's easier to find them looking up "paleo chocolate chips" or "coconut sugar-sweetened chocolate chips". In the Before Times I found a big bag of them at Costco, even, which blew my mind. I haven't been able to find the same brand since, but just now found these by Davis Chocolate: https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Chocolate-Baking-Chips-Coconut/dp/B01MXW21P7/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1VK2TTZ5B9768&dchild=1&keywords=coconut+sugar+sweetened+chocolate+chips&qid=1616437646&sprefix=coconut+sugar+sweeten%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-8
Oof, that's a long link!
Thanks for the awesome-looking recipe!
Amber says
Jody! Thank you! I'm the same way with sugar. My body (especially my skin!) absolutely hates cane sugar, but I can handle coconut sugar just fine. I admit, it has been quite a few years since I searched for coconut sugar-sweetened chocolate chips, and I never thought to use "paleo" to find them. You are wonderful for sharing this with me. I am so excited to see that they exist. Thanks again, friend!
Amber says
These vegan double chocolate espresso cookies are so rich and chocolatey, you'd never guess they're gluten-free, oil-free, and whole grain. If you've been looking for decadent vegan mocha cookies, you're gonna love these!