Dairy-free coconut butter chocolate chip cookies. No butter, margarine or oil here - these are cookies made with coconut butter! Naturally-sweetened too, these cookies are crispy on the edges and ultra chewy in the middle. A crowd-pleasing recipe.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat or other sillicone liner.
In a nonreactive bowl, combine the coconut sugar, (optional) molasses, brown rice syrup, coconut butter, milk, tapioca flour, cornstarch, and vanilla. Use a fork and mix aggressively until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Continue stirring for another 90-120 seconds (and be ready for sore arms).
In a separate, smaller bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Add them to the wet mixture and stir until completely combined. This dough is rather stiff and sticky, so this will be somewhat difficult, but it will work - don't be tempted to add more liquid.
Fold the chocolate chips into the dough. Form the dough into balls about two tablespoons in size and place them at least an inch apart on the baking sheet. Flatten them slightly.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges feel firm and a little crisp or you see any browning. The centers will still be very soft at this point.
(Optional step for chewier cookies) at the 10-minute mark, remove the baking sheet from the oven and, working quickly, press down gently on the cookies with a spatula or your fingers to give them a flat shape. Return to the oven.
Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes (they will continue to get chewier until they reach room temperature). Gently remove with a spatula and enjoy.
Notes
You can use store-bought coconut butter, but it's a bit of a rip-off! Make your own by putting unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut in your food processor and running until a smooth, almost liquidy butter forms, about 10 minutes (a quick Google will get you step-by-step instructions/pictures if needed).I recommend coconut sugar and brown rice syrup as sweeteners because they are less refined and not terribly expensive. But I of course don't want you to buy a whole container just for one recipe. You can try substituting brown sugar for the coconut sugar (omit the optional molasses) and agave nectar or honey (not suitable for vegans) for the brown rice syrup. Brown rice syrup is not as sweet as these other sweeteners, but these cookies aren't incredibly sweet to begin with, so the substitution should work. If you try these subs, let me know how it goes!