Nut-Free “Peanut Butter” Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Combine the flax meal with 2½ tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Let stand for 7 to 10 minutes to thicken. This will be used as an egg replacer in this recipe.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using electric hand beaters), beat the coconut oil, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth and combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times and continue mixing until the sugar is well incorporated.

Add the sunflower butter, flax egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides as needed. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes—it’ll start to soften and look much more creamy at this point.

In a small, separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and beat on medium until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough will look like large pebbles at first, but keep beating and it will eventually become smooth and more uniform in about 2 minutes. Turn off the mixer and knead the dough a few times with your hands to ensure all the dry bits come up from the bottom of the bowl and are incorporated.

Incorporate chocolate chips with your hands by kneading and mixing them gently into the dough.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Using 2 heaping tablespoons of dough per cookie, roll the dough until it forms a ball. It doesn’t need to be perfect—if the dough crumbles a little, just press it back together.

Place each ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced about 1½ inches apart (they’ll spread a bit). Using the palm of one’s hand, flatten each cookie slightly to about ½-inch thickness. If the cookies start to crack or break as they are flattened, just use hands to form them back together.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden brown. The cookies will still feel soft but will firm up as they cool.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Keep the cookies covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to 3 months.