You know what doesn’t get ever get old? Cookies.
Fresh-baked, hot out of the oven, a tray of them waiting for you to help yourself… cookies are one of my favorite things to bake, and probably always will be. Maybe that’s why bringing you this new recipe, riddled with finely chopped walnuts and gobs of dark chocolate, feels entirely appropriate today.
I first made them last week and have made them two more times since, during which time I have emailed the recipe to friends, mailed a fresh batch to Texas, and eaten four or five cookies in one sitting more than once. They’re sturdy and nutty, firm enough for dunking and so delicious you’d never guess they happen to be vegan.
The key is the walnuts, chopped so fine in a nut grinder that they form a sort of meal or flour, which creates a texture nothing short of revolutionary, unlike anything I’ve had before.
If you were here, they’re exactly what I’d give you, with a big hug and a smile.
You deserve a treat today. Make a batch of these cookies, and share them with someone you love!
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Spelt Walnut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
If you’re looking for the ideal baked goodie, these spelt walnut dark chocolate chip cookies are where it’s at. Plus, they’re vegan.
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup Sucanat
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 4 ounces 80% dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup very finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients: spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, Sucanat, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the wet ingredients: maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract, and coconut oil..
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in dark chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Place spoonfuls of batter 2 tablespoons at a time on baking sheets, spaced 1-2 inches apart. Sprinkle remaining sea salt on top of each and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges with soft centers.
- Remove from oven. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Keywords: spelt flour, walnut, dark chocolate
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Melt Coconut Oil, Chop Chocolate and Walnuts, and Measure Remaining Ingredients
Melt the coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Set aside to cool.
Chop 4 ounces of dark chocolate, at least 80% dark, into tiny pieces. You can also use homemade chocolate chunks!
Chop walnuts finely until you have 2/3 cup total. Note that you can chop the walnuts in a nut grinder to get them more finely chopped into more of a meal if you like. Either way is delicious.
Measure out all of the remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.
Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
Step 2 – Mix Dry Ingredients
Add the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, Sucanat natural cane sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt to a large bowl.
Stir to combine. Set aside.
Step 3 – Mix Wet Ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, add the maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract, and coconut oil.
Stir to combine.
Step 4 – Finish Batter
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until they are just combined.
Gently fold in the chocolate and walnuts until just combined.
Step 5 – Bake
Portion dough 2 tablespoons as a time on cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats. Space the dough balls about 1-2 inches apart.
Sprinkle the remaining sea salt on top.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. The centers will still be soft and look slightly underbaked.
Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to finish cooling.
Why Use Spelt Flour?
Spelt flour isn’t just a fantastic substitute for all-purpose flour. It adds heartiness to baked goods that really can’t be beat.
Similar to whole wheat, spelt is a whole grain that’s high in fiber and a good source of many important vitamins and minerals. In fact, this ancient grain is actually higher in zinc and protein than regular whole wheat.
Some even find it easier to digest than whole wheat as it’s lower in a group of short-chain carbohydrates known as FODMAPs, which can cause GI distress in some individuals.
In my book, this means you get to eat three instead of two at a time… Right?
But if you are trying to find something entirely gluten-free, consider buckwheat flour! We incorporate this ingredient in our deliciously chewy buckwheat chocolate chip cookies.
Looking for even more cookie inspiration? Check out the following chocolate chip options next:
What’s your favorite part about a cookie like this one – the chocolate, the crispy edge, or the soft center? Tell us in the comments below, and be sure to come back to rate the recipe after you try it.
Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on June 5, 2010. Last updated: December 30, 2021 at 17:44 pm. With additional writing and editing by Meghan Yager, Kelli McGrane, and Allison Sidhu.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
The written contents of this article have been reviewed and verified by a registered dietitian for informational purposes only. This article should not be construed as personalized or professional medical advice. Foodal and Ask the Experts, LLC assume no liability for the use or misuse of the material presented above. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet, or using supplements or manufactured or natural medications.
About Shanna Mallon
Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.
I can’t wait to hear about your adventures. It’s all very exciting. I’m sure I’ll be seeing your writing pop up all over the place 🙂
And you’re right… cookies definitely don’t get old.
Im so envious! I wish I could do what you’ve done right now 🙂 SO exciting! I still need a few more years in the work force to get my stuff together and then I’m right there with you! Congratulations and those cookies look delicious..now I need to get into the kitchen to make some myself 🙂
I wish I had a dozen of these cookies right now. I envy the fact that you don’t have to go to the office tomorrow!
Are you going to develop a website for your freelance services and whatnot?
I agree! Blogging friends and cookies are 2 things that never ever get old 🙂 Congrats on your leap to the freelance world! I did it 2.5 years ago, and while it’s not always easy, I always LOVE it. I feel sooo lucky and so happy to be doing this at age 27 and hope I can do it forever 🙂
i need to come over and have a few cookies. these look amazing!
I want to eat a batch of these cookies right off the screen. I bet the molasses gives it such a deep flavor! I love the use of walnuts and dark chocolate; two of my fave things. Maybe I’ll make these this weekend? Or Friday night!
Delighted to find these cookies. They look AMAZING.
PS. I agree. Blogging gets better and better!
I love when you find a vegan or otherwise “healthy” dessert that just tastes good, without explanation of how virtuous it is. I’m sure the walnut meal helped out in that regard…yum!
Loving all the ‘healthy’ cookie recipes you’re posting! Now I will add spelt to the list) but I recently made some Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies with a mix of AP and whole wheat flours – delicious! Enjoy the extra time cooking!
Lisa, I’m loving all the cookies I’ve been eating! : ) Zucchini chocolate chip cookies sound so interesting – and I’ve heard a lot of good results come from mixing AP and wheat flours. Way to experiment!
These look so delicious! I’m intrigued by the coconut oil, does it add a coconut flavor to the cookies?
Caroline – in this recipe, I didn’t even notice the coconut! It seems the more you cook with it, the less pronounced the flavor becomes, so it could be me…. But either way it’s not very strong. Try it!
The cookies look terrific!
So, we devoured these in 2-1/2 days. We can’t decide if it’s the nuttiness of the spelt, the nuttiness of the nuts, the maple syrup, or the chocolate that makes them so addictive. I only wish I had doubled it!
Oh, Joanna. Reading your comment made me want these all over again!
i just found this on pinterest and i am so excited i stumbled on you in my one word search for spelt:) i just started a big food adventure with my family and i will definitely be following you:) thank you so much for the insp! lovely lovely blog.
Lindsey, What an exciting comment—starting a big food adventure! Rooting for you. Let me know if I can do anything to help!
Can’t wait to try these, Shanalee. ANYTHING that comes out of your kitchen inspires me.
Hi Shanalee, I just discovered your blog a couple days ago through a Facebook post that I follow, and am new to alternative and gluten free cooking. I purchased the ingredients and made these cookies today but had to fudge a couple times because I didn’t end up with 2 full cups of spelt flour from the bulk bin at HEB and my maple syrup bottle wasn’t as full as I thought it was… The GREAT news is they were good even with my mini substitutions and my husband LIKES them!
I plan to browse around and find more recipes 🙂
Thank you for all your hard work with this page
I’m so glad, Kathy! Tim and I made these Monday night and cannot stop eating them! : )
Love these cookies, been making for a couple of years and wanted to comment and thank you. I bake on my preheated pizza stone for 13 minutes and then let cool for another 2 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack. I reduce the succanat and maple syrup by equal amounts just because I prefer them a little less sweet. I love the idea of making a walnut meal, almost, by throwing into my little Krups coffee grinder, really adds to the structure and taste of the cookie. They always come out amazing…again, thanks!
I love to hear this, Anyalouise, thank you! These are some of the cookies we keep coming back to, too. They’re so reliable!
I changed a few ingredients to match my needs. I subbed sugar for coconut sugar and used an agave/maple syrup mixture. I also added a little chickpea flour to dry out the dough, but let me tell you. I have tried so many recipes to make vegan chocolate chip cookies taste like the real thing for SO long. You wouldn’t believe it. But this recipe was the ABSOLUTE best and I’m so glad I found it. Thank you!!
★★★★★