If you don’t tell people these cookies are gluten-free and vegan, they’ll never know, says chef Ryan Scott, owner of San Francisco’s Ryan Scott 2Go Catering. Scott recently showcased the cookies on “The Today Show,” along with a recipe for his taco-spiced salmon. Both recipes are featured in his new collection, “The No-Fuss Family Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Everyday Life” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30).
The cookies, which are made with coconut oil instead of butter, make the perfect sweet treat for vegan dads this Father’s Day. And if you don’t need the cookies to be gluten-free, you can use regular all-purpose flour.
Insanely Delicious Vegan and Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients
2⁄3 cup coconut oil, at room temperature but solid, not liquid
2⁄3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 1⁄2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Cup4Cup
1⁄2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed or extra-dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups vegan dark chocolate chunks, divided use
2 tablespoons Maldon sea salt
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream the coconut oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the almond milk and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 1 minute more.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated and well mixed. Add 1½ cups of the chocolate chunks and mix by hand until they are evenly distributed.
Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Press the remaining chocolate chunks onto the tops of the cookie dough balls and sprinkle a small pinch of Maldon salt onto each one. Bake for 9 minutes. When you gently touch the center of a cookie, it should be soft and won’t spring back, but it shouldn’t be jiggly.
Let cool completely on the pans. Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.
— From Ryan Scott’s “The No-Fuss Family Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Everyday Life” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30)
