These sunbutter chocolate chip cookies are thin and chewy with a nutty, buttery flavor. They're made with SunButter, sweetened with coconut sugar and loaded with mini dark chocolate chips. This recipe is paleo, gluten free and dairy free.
Chocolate chip cookies will forever be my favorite type of cookie. Thin and crispy or thick and chewy, no matter how they're made, they always make the top of my list.
These sunbutter chocolate chip cookies are my newest cookie creation and have quickly become a family favorite. They taste similar to a classic chocolate chip cookie, but with a hint of that nutty-caramel sunbutter flavor.
I love that these cookies are paleo friendly and nut free, so they're great for anyone with common food allergies. These cookies have a slightly crisp, chewy texture with bits of chocolate in every bite. You can add a pinch of flaked salt on top to really bring them to the next level.
Why You'll Love these Sunbutter Cookies
- paleo friendly - made with simple, wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about.
- gluten free and nut free - made with tigernut flour and tapioca starch instead of regular flour or almond flour (although almond flour works too).
- dairy free - these sunbutter cookies use palm shortening and dark chocolate chips to keep the recipe dairy free.
- easy to make - a one bowl cookie dough that bakes in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
The full recipe for these gluten free sunbutter cookies can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- SunButter - I recommend an unsweetened, salted SunButter (aka sunflower seed butter) for this recipe.
- coconut sugar - to sweeten the cookies.
- palm shortening (or butter) - palm shortening is a great dairy free and paleo substitute for butter, but you can use butter instead.
- egg - binds the ingredients. I have not tested an egg substitute.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- tigernut flour (or almond flour) - I used tigernut flour in these cookies to keep them nut free, but almond flour can be used instead. You can read all about tigernut flour in my tigernut flour guide.
- tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch) - for texture purposes.
- baking soda - so the cookies spread
- miniature dark chocolate chips - I used 70% dark miniature chocolate chips, but you could also chop up larger chocolate chips or a chocolate bar.
- flaked salt - optional topping that brings out more flavor
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sunbutter
These sunbutter chocolate chip cookies are made in one bowl, baked in the oven and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. Here's what you need to do:
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the SunButter, coconut sugar, shortening, egg and vanilla. Whisk using a fork until well combined.
- Mix in the tigernut flour, tapioca starch, and baking soda. Then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto your lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
- After baking, sprinkle the cookies with flaked salt. Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Tips and Tricks
- Use unsweetened SunButter - I like an unsweetened, but salted sunflower seed butter for this recipe. You don't need any extra sweetener and since the cookies don't contain salt (except what's added after baking) the salt in the sunbutter brings out more flavor.
- Swap the chocolate - While I used 70% dark miniature chocolate chips, any chocolate will do. You can use a lighter chocolate or chop up full-sized chocolate chips or even a chocolate bar. If you aren't nut free, then feel free to swap the chocolate for chopped walnuts or pecans.
Storage
These sunbutter cookies should be kept in an airtight container or baggie. You can store them in at room temperature for a couple days, in the fridge up to two weeks or the freezer up to 3 months. Like with most of my cookie recipes, I like these best stored in the freezer.
FAQ
No, none of the batches I tested turned green after cooling. Some baked goods using SunButter will turn green after cooling due to the chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds reacting with the baking soda. But that wasn't the case for these cookies.
Yes, you can use almond flour in place of tigernut flour. Another possible swap would be ground sunflower seeds, but I have not tested this myself.
More Recipes Using Sunbutter
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
SunButter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 15-16 cookies 1x
Description
Healthy chocolate chip cookies made with SunButter. They're paleo, gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup SunButter (unsweetened, salted)
- ⅓ cup palm shortening (room temperature), or butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup tigernut flour (60g), or almond flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch (30g)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅓ cup miniature dark chocolate chips
- flaked salt (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the SunButter, coconut sugar, shortening, egg and vanilla. Whisk using a fork until well combined.
- Mix in the tigernut flour, tapioca starch, and baking soda.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto your lined baking sheet. The cookies do spread, so leave about 2-3 inches between each cookie.
- Place the cookies in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
- After baking, sprinkle the cookies with flaked salt. Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Katie
My family and I love these cookies and we hope you all do too!
Patricia L Carlin
I have a lot of tigernut flour so I was looking for recipes that use it so I tried these using butter and a flax egg. These are SO good! Definitely one I will use again and again. Thanks!!
Katie
Oh wonderful! I'm glad the flax egg worked for you 🙂