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Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies

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There’s something about the holidays that makes me want to throw sprinkles on everything. I’m usually pretty reserved with dessert decorations, but all the colorful, shiny little bits and bobs of sprinkles found at the store during this time just make me so happy! In recent years, I’ve become more conscious of consuming artificial dyes, and I’ve been super disappointed in the lack of affordable, readily available naturally dyed sprinkle options (anyone else?). The sprinkles I used for these cookies are regular ‘ole sprinkles that have been sitting in my cabinet for the last three years, and I figured it was time to put them to use! Ya know, just being resourceful.

So I decided to take a chocolate chip cookie, add a ton of sprinkles and a bit of almond extract. These cookies are sweet, chocolatey, and just the right amount of festive! Of course, you can make them at any time of the year with any kind of sprinkles! I don’t recommend baking sugar sprinkles into the dough since the color may seep off into the dough (I sprinkled mine on post-bake).

Since I used melted coconut oil in these cookies, refrigerating the dough is key and cannot be skipped. To ensure maximum cookie thickness, you’ll want to roll your dough balls a little tall, a trick I learned from Sally’s Baking Addiction before I went dairy-free! Once your cookies come out of the oven, you can immediately press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops for prettier cookies. Happy baking!

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies
Makes 17 cookies

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted/liquid (if measured as a solid it will be 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (can be replaced with coconut sugar)
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1 + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (1/4 cup is for topping the dough balls)

1.) Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Then add the egg and mix until totally combined; set aside.

2.) In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the liquid ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until nearly combined. Add the sprinkles and chocolate chips and mix until well incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for 45 minutes.

3.) Remove dough from the refrigerator and begin shaping dough balls 2 Tbsp in size. You want them to be more tall then they are wide – think the shape of a tater tot. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate again for 30 minutes.

4.) Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Let the dough balls sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before baking at 325°F for 10 minutes, turning your pan around at the halfway point for even baking. Immediately press extra chocolate chips into the tops of your baked cookies, let sit on the baking sheet for one minute, and then move cookies to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with extra sprinkles if desired. Enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.  

Dairy-Free Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

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Okay, friends, we’re a few days into my 12 Days of Dairy-Free Cookies, and I could not be more excited to share these cookies with you!! The whole reason I started posting food to Instagram is because I was in search of good dairy-free recipes that were lower in sugar or utilized a low GI sugar like coconut sugar. These cookies are delicious. I brought my leftovers (after testing and shooting) to Thanksgiving, and they flew off the counter! I’d wished I’d baked more!

These cookies are full of chocolate. No cocoa powder needed here, because you’re going to use a whole 1/2 pound of chocolate for these. These cookies are rich, fudgy, and so satisfying, especially when they’re warmed up or fresh from the oven. I added a little bit of instant coffee to amp up the chocolate flavor – you won’t taste coffee at all. Espresso powder will work, too.

I used three whole tablespoons of dough per cookie, because I really wanted a thick cookie. If you follow the chilling instructions below, I believe you’ll have no problem with too much spread. I like my cookies fudgy, so I only baked them until the outside was set. You want the middle to look under-baked when you pull them out of the oven. Your cookies should come out thick, ultra fudgy, and seriously irresistible. Happy baking!

 

Dairy-Free Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies
Makes ~11 cookies

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil, solid
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup dark rye flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 + 1/4 cup chocolate chips (1/4 cup is for topping)
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes to sprinkle

1.) Add an inch of water to a saucepan on medium heat. Set a heatproof bowl on the saucepan, making sure it doesn’t touch the water, and add the chopped chocolate, coconut oil, and instant coffee. Stir frequently until chocolate and oil are totally melted. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool down.

2.) Meanwhile, in a bowl attached to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and coconut sugar. Whisk on medium speed until mixture becomes thick and light brown in color, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.

3.) Gently fold the chocolate into the egg mixture. Add the flour and baking powder and fold until nearly combined, leaving some flour streaks. Mix in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, or overnight for best flavor.

4.) Allow dough to set at room temp for 30 minutes to 1 hour before you begin to roll your dough balls. The dough will be sticky, but for proper spreading, you don’t want it to be too cold. Once your dough is soft enough to roll, preheat your oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5.) Roll dough balls 3 Tbsp in size and place on your parchment-lined baking sheet (6 at a time). Press extra chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball. Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes or until cookies look nearly set in the middle – you want them to look a little under-baked when you take them out. Immediately sprinkle your cookies with salt, and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container*

*cookies can be refrigerated or frozen ahead of time. If frozen, allow them to thaw in their container. Then, before serving, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up again!

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins

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So I’ve been meaning to make a pumpkin quick bread for quite a while now, but then Halloween came and went and I was afraid everybody would be over pumpkin. Well, turns out, people are still totally into pumpkin leading up to Thanksgiving, too! Unlike gingerbread or peppermint, pumpkin basically has two holidays. Good news for me!

When Nathan started talking about a coffee pumpkin bread that he used to bake (complete with tons of sugar + milk-filled butterscotch chips) I knew I wanted to tackle a recipe for dairy-free, healthier Pumpkin Coffee Muffins. I decided to add chocolate chips – no one is surprised – because there’s nothing better than biting into a warm, freshly baked muffin loaded with melted chocolate! I’ve been craving that exact bite for over a week, and these muffins did not disappoint. We all love them, including my toddler who couldn’t get enough. I just might be adding these to the Thanksgiving playlist.

Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 9 regular muffins

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temp
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup for topping
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan – spray with olive oil or line with paper liners. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for ~10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, mix the almond milk and instant coffee until granules have dissolved. Whisk in the coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs until totally combined. Whisk in the pumpkin until smooth.

3.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Add the pumpkin coffee mixture and gently mix until no flour pockets remain.

4.) Divide your batter into nine regular muffins, filling the muffin pan nearly to the top. Top with chocolate chips, pressing them slightly into the batter. Bake at 350°F for 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean – you’ll have to prick around the melty chocolate chips.

5.) Allow your muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These cookies are everything you want in a pumpkin cookie! The dough is loaded with all of the familiar pumpkin pie spices and juuust the right amount of pumpkin puree. And then, of course, I couldn’t resist adding chocolate chips! This dough doesn’t need to be chilled, so the cookies are ready to bake as soon as you whip them up! I used a wooden spoon for the whole mixing process, and then I let the flavors really come to life by refrigerating my dough overnight. It’s important to allow your dough to come back to room temp if you decide to chill it, or else your cookies will not spread enough. Happy baking!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes ~14 cookies

1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg yolk, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips + more for topping dough balls

1.) Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.) In a large bowl, cream together the solid coconut oil and coconut sugar. Beat or stir in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Next, add the pumpkin puree and stir until combined; set aside.

3.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Add your chocolate chips and stir until the dough is well mixed.

4.) Roll dough into 2 Tbsp-size balls. Press chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball and place 2″ apart on your parchment-lined baking sheet. Slightly press down each dough ball. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Live Well Bake Often

Tahini Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Since becoming dairy-free in 2017 it’s been such a challenge to find or develop dairy-free desserts that taste like the real deal. A few months ago, one of my followers suggested tahini as a substitute for butter. I’d made Double Chocolate Tahini Cookies, but I thought it would be difficult to incorporate the ground sesame into regular cookies. Well, after seeing tahini explode onto the dessert scene in the recent months, I finally decided to add tahini to my Dairy-Free Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. I started with that recipe as my base and played around until I came up with these perfect chocolate chip cookies. I’m telling you, these cookies are big, chewy, and just the right amount of sweet. I love these cookies.

If you’re wondering if the tahini taste is noticeable, you’ll have to see for yourself! My mom, who didn’t know what tahini was (nor did I until earlier this year), thought these were regular chocolate chip cookies! I used half spelt flour to amp up the cookies’ nuttiness, but this recipe will totally work with just all-purpose flour, too! Aside from the flour, I don’t recommend any substitutes for this recipe as cookies can be quite finicky. The dough will be very sticky, which is why I suggest letting it sit out at room temp for about 30 minutes; it will be much more manageable and less sticky after sitting for a bit. Anyway, I hope you love these cookies as much as I do! Happy baking!

Tahini Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes ~11 cookies

1/2 cup tahini
1 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour*
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

1.) Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2.) In a large bowl, stir together the tahini and coconut sugar with a large spoon. Stir in the egg and egg yolk, the vanilla extract, and water, making sure the ingredients are totally combined and the egg is well mixed in; set aside.

3.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until almost combined (your dough will be thick and sticky). Add the chocolate chips and stir until totally combined. For easier handling, allow your dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (this makes the dough much less sticky and easier to roll).

4.) Roll the dough into balls 2 Tbsp in size, making sure there is chocolate exposed at the top of each dough ball (I don’t recommend using a cookie scoop since the dough is so thick). Place 6 dough balls on your parchment-lined baking sheet, and, if needed, press extra chocolate chips into the tops of your cookies. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. Your cookies will look puffy, but as they rest, they will settle.

5.) Allow your cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy your cookies warm or cooled!

*I’ve made these cookies with just all-purpose flour, too. They still came out perfect. The dough seemed a bit more sticky, so keep that in mind.