Cinnamon Coffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Gluten-free, vegan

When I lived in Brooklyn, my favorite thing to do on the weekends was to take long walks and find cozy coffee shops and cafes to settle into for a rest and a treat. Ovenly was one of those places that I would purposefully walk towards and would always get a peanut butter cookie or their unreal salted chocolate chunk. My memories of Brooklyn will always be dotted with Ovenly cookies.  

Now, living on Boston, I dream of those cookies. There are not really many options in cafes around here that measure up to that cookie so I decided to tackle it on my own. I did want to make a few changes to it.

First, I wanted to make it gluten-free. Finding the right blend of gluten-free flours can be really tricky so that I didn’t end up with a cookie that was too dry, too crumbly or too gummy (which gluten-free flours can tend to be). I adore buckwheat flour for its unique taste, but it is notoriously difficult to work with. I would not use it on its own since it would turn far too crumbly. To help the buckwheat along, oat flour is a bit of a sturdier gluten-free flour (and one that I love and use in almost every recipe). Sorghum flour is another popular gluten-free flour (you will find it in most store-bought gluten-free mixes) because it acts very similar to traditional wheat flour and has a very neutral taste. 

Now, these flours together work very well, but still need a little help: hello potato starch. I do not like to use Xantham gum, which is a stabilizer in many gluten-free baked goods and mixes. Potato starch acts in the same way, binding the flours together a bit. Potato starch (not potato flour) is found in many supermarkets or online and is worth keeping in your pantry if you do a lot of gluten-free baking. 

Second, coffee, spice and everything nice. I love coffee. I fully admit that I have a slight addiction to it. It is not only great to drink, but also can add so much flavor to baked goods. In brownies, coffee or espresso added to the batter enhances the chocolate flavor. The roasted flavor of the ground beans adds a depth. With these cookies, the coffee adds a slight savoriness that can help balance out the sweetness of the cane sugar. And now the cinnamon. I have a deep love of cinnamon. I put so much in my oatmeal that it almost looks like chocolate oatmeal. 

I put 2 whole teaspoons of cinnamon in these cookies because I love the spice that it adds to the coffee-chocolate combination. If you are not as big a fan of cinnamon, you can add 1 teaspoon and still get a subtle spicy warmth, but it won’t be as potent. 

Lastly, the chocolate. Not all chocolates are created equal. First, not all chocolates are vegan and gluten-free. For example, Valrhona chocolate, which I love to use for decadent brownies, is gluten-free, but cannot be certified vegan because it is made in a facility that contains traces of milk products. Taza Chocolate is my personal favorite for gluten-free and vegan chocolate. Their chocolate is organic, direct trade, soy free and tastes delicious. I used two of their Deliciously Dark chocolate bar, chopped up and tossed in the flour. If you can’t get your hands on Taza Chocolate, then Enjoy Life is a great allergen free chocolate product as well. As long as it is dark chocolate, you are good. 

Alright, let’s bake some cookies. 

Recipe (Adapted from Ovenly’s Recipe )

3/4 cup gluten-free sorghum flour

3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 tbsp finely ground coffee

2 tsps potato starch

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

5 oz (2 whole bars) Taza Chocolate (Wicked Dark bars are my favorite for this)

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 cup +1 tbsp water at room temperature

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp avocado oil 

Flaky salt for topping

In a medium bowl, add the sorghum, oat and buckwheat flours, potato starch, ground coffee, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together to mix together and get out any lumps. Add the chocolate chunks and toss them in the flour to coat. 

In a large bowl, add the cane sugar, brown sugar, oil, coffee and vanilla extract and whisk together until the oil is emulsified into the water and sugar. What you don’t want is to see any oil sitting on top of the mixture. 

Add the flour-chocolate mixture to the sugar-oil mixture and fold until just combined. Make sure to get any flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight (at least 8 hours, at best a full 24 hours). 

After the chill period, preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

Using an ice cream/cookie scoop, scoop dough onto the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each. Top each dough mound with the flaky sea salt. 

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before tucking in. 

Note: store these cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to a week. In a sealed package, they will last in the freezer for a month.