These cassava flour cookies are everything you want a gluten free cookie to be, but without the hassle of combining several flours and starches! This no-nonsense recipe uses only cassava flour (plus the usual cookie ingredients) to turn out perfectly soft and chewy cookies sprinkled with dark chocolate chips.
Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? They're quite possibly one of the most popular (and delicious) things to bake, and having a good cookie recipe at your disposal is essential. Gluten free cookies can be a bit trickier to bake, but as long as you have the right ingredients, these cassava flour cookies are a breeze.
Want more cassava flour recipes? Check out these cassava tortillas and this cassava bread. And reference this cassava vs. tapioca flour post!
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Table of contents
Why this recipe is the best!
This is the ultimate gluten and dairy free cookie recipe to keep on hand. Whether you're baking for a crowd or fulfilling a chocolate chip cookie craving, these cassava flour cookies are just perfect. Here are a few more reasons you'll love these cookies:
- These cookies are gluten and dairy free, with no complicated ingredients.
- It only takes 15 minutes to prepare the cookie dough before you pop it into the fridge and let it chill.
- Like this tiramisu, these cookies are a great make-ahead dessert, just make and chill the dough the day before you need to bake and serve them!
- This recipe yields 60 cookies - enough to serve at a party, potluck meal, or bake sale.
- There are endless options for customizing the add-ins: choose your favorite nuts, chocolate, or both!
💭Pro tips for making these cookies
1. Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature
For the best results, make sure you bring the butter and eggs to room temperature before mixing. Room temperature ingredients combine easily and quickly, which makes the dough prep a breeze. If you store flours in the refrigerator, this goes for them as well.
2. Measure the ingredients by weight
The most accurate way to measure ingredients is to weigh them with a scale. So make sure you weigh the ingredients that are listed with a specific weight next to them.
3. Refrigerate the dough overnight
To ensure the cookies have the right structure and texture, the dough needs to chill for at least 8 hours. Chilling the dough allows it to firm up so that the cookies don't spread too much when they bake. Remember that waiting the full chill time is so worth it!
4. Make the dough ahead of time
Since the dough needs 8 hours to chill, why not make it ahead of time and leave it in the refrigerator until you need to bake it? This dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, and will be ready to go into the oven right before you want to serve the cookies!
5. Helpful tools
Here are a few tools that will help you make these cookies:
- Digital scale
- Stand mixer
- Spatula
- Medium-sized bowl
- Baking sheets
- Cookie scoop
- Wire rack
Ingredients & substitutions
- Vegan butter - This recipe was tested with Country Crock vegan butter, but Earth's Balance vegan butter would also work well.
- Granulated sugar - Sugar can be substituted with Swerve sweetener (granular).
- Brown sugar - Brown sugar can be substituted with Swerve sweetener (brown).
- Vanilla extract - There is no alternative for the vanilla extract.
- Eggs - This recipe hasn't been tested with an egg substitute, but I recommend JUST egg if you want to try to make this recipe eggless.
- Cassava flour - I recommend this brand.
- Baking soda - There is no alternative for the baking soda.
- Baking powder - There is no alternative for the baking powder.
- Salt - The salt can be omitted if you are following a low salt diet.
- Dark chocolate chips - The dairy free dark chocolate chips can be swapped with semi-sweet, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or milk chocolate chips.
Measurements for each ingredient, along with instructions for making the cookies are in the recipe card below.
Note about add-ins
You can take the customization of these cookies to a new level by adding chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, macadamias, or other varieties of chocolate. Add whatever you like in your cookies!
Mixing
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on low speed for 30 seconds (step 1 above). Mix until combined and creamy, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and mix on low speed for 15 seconds (step 2). Scrape the bowl and mix again for 15 more seconds.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the cassava flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (step 3). Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix on low speed for 10 seconds (step 4). Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 10 seconds until combined (step 5). Stir in the chocolate chips (step 6). Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Baking & serving
Preheat the oven to 375F and place parchment on the baking sheets. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, place balls of dough on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The middle of the cookies may look pale and soft, but they will continue baking after they come out of the oven. After 5-7 minutes of cooling on the pan, place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Storing
After the party has died down (or once the cookies have cooled down), you can store any leftover cookies in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Though in my experience, these cookies don't usually last for 3 whole days!
FAQ's
Cassava flour is an excellent gluten free flour option made from the root of the cassava plant. The entire root of the plant is peeled, dried, and ground into a fine powder that works great in gluten free baking.
I don't recommend skipping the chill time and baking the dough right away. It needs time to firm up so that it won't result in thin, runny cookies.
I would not recommend substituting the cassava flour. Here are some other gluten free cookies with other flours.
They are definitely on the chewy side. Soft and tender. Nothing crunchy about them! These graham crackers are crunchy.
Other cookie recipes you may like!
Recipe
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Recipe
Cassava Flour Cookies (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter softened
- 200 grams granulated sugar about 1 cup
- 210 grams brown sugar about 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 270 grams cassava flour about 2 ¼ cups
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 grams dark chocolate chips dairy free, about 1 ½ cup
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars on low speed for 30 seconds. Mix until thoroughly, until combined and creamy. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides.
- Add the vanilla extract and eggs to the bowl and mix again on low speed for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides and mix on medium speed for 15 more seconds.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add to the creamed mixture and mix on low speed for 10 seconds. Stop machine and scrape down the sides. Mix on low speed for another 10 seconds until completely combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Place parchment on baking sheets.
- Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, place balls of dough on the prepared sheets.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Middle of cookies may still appear pale and soft.
- Remove pans to wire racks to cool for 5 -7 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure ingredients are at room temperature.
- Measure by weight where weight is given.
- This recipe was developed with Country Crock vegan butter. Earth's Balance vegan butter would also work well.
- Swerve sweetener would be a good substitute for the sugars. Note that it does change the flavor of the cookies.
- This recipe has not been tested with an egg substitute.
- This is the cassava flour that I recommend.
- There are no substitutes for the baking soda or baking powder.
- As a substitute for the dairy free dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or even milk chocolate chips may be used.
- Other add-in ideas for the cookies: chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, chopped macadamias, other varieties of chocolate or even peanut butter chips.
- For best results, refrigerate the batter overnight before baking.
- Store these cookies at room temperature in a sealed plastic bag for up to 3 days.
- Cookie batter may be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Bev
I haven't tried making these, yet, but can't wait to do so! However, I do need to mention that I printed the recipe so I could have it handy in the kitchen while I baked. The printer printed out 33 PAGES WITH JUST THE TOP BIT OF THE RECIPE'S TITLE! Only one of the pages contained SOME of the recipe, through to the cassava flour in the ingredients list. I checked my printer, and nothing is wrong with it. Something in your program, perhaps?
Christine
Hi Bev,
Oh goodness, I will check. It certainly should not be that many! So sorry about that. And you clicked the Print Recipe button right?
I will definitely do some investigating.
Christine
Jen
Do you bake the dough straight out of the refrigerator or do you let it come to room temperature first?
Christine
Hi Jen,
Bake it straight from the refrigerator. 🙂
Christine
Reagan
Instead of vegan butter or regular butter could you use a neutral oil?
Christine
Hi Reagan,
So I have not tested coconut oil, but it may work. If you want to try it, make sure it is solid coconut oil, not melted. You are creaming the fat and sugars together so it should result in a light creamy texture. Melted oil will not have that same consistency.
Hope that helps!
Christine