What Makes Gemma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies so GOOD

Now that I have you here, let me preach some INGREDIENT essentials you’ll want to stock for this recipe.

Coconut Oil

Our daughter Minka is allergic to dairy, so I’ve grown accustomed to using coconut oil in place of animal fats in baking. I love that coconut oil can be substituted 1:1 for butter and find it works best when softened, rather than melted. Since the rest of the ingredients are room temperature, it won’t solidify when mixed into Gemma’s Chocolate Chunk Cookie batter. I always choose the least processed version of everything, so I buy unrefined, virgin, cold pressed coconut oil. If you’re not allergic or vegan, you can simply use butter and I recommend grass-fed for the BEST buttery taste!

Coconut Sugar

Sugar doesn’t do great things for our bodies, no matter what kind is consumed. It’s not lower in calories or “healthier” than regular sugar, but it is lower on the glycemic index meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar as much as regular sugar. Coconut sugar is also not as processed as regular sugar. I like that it doesn’t make Gemma’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies overly sweet, but just sweet enough.

Flax Eggs

Minka also has a severe egg allergy, and it’s looking like baby Cash is following in her footsteps. I always bake without eggs and I’m going to teach you how. First, let me clarify – Gemma’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies would be just as divine with a equal substitution of real eggs. However maybe you’re vegan, allergic to eggs or just don’t want to waste two perfectly good morning eggs on dessert, when you can’t tell the difference anyway? And that’s the truth guys – you won’t know the difference! This recipe calls for 2 flax eggs, and here’s how you do it:

1. 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
2. 5 tablespoons of water
3. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes before adding to recipe

Oat Flour

This is the magic ingredient to a perfectly chewy texture! Oat flour is made by grinding up oats, and it’s naturally gluten-free so it’ll be gentle on your gut. If you don’t have oat flour on hand, you an simply grind up oats. Oat flour makes Gemma’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies texture really stand out, as it lends the cookies a nice chew. White flour is overly processed and bleached, has no nutritional substance and is simply not good for our bodies at all. Alternatively, oat flour is a nutrient-dense source of carbohydrates and helps lower blood cholesterol, blood pressure and adds extra fiber to your day. Oat flour works great in cookies! For a gluten-free version, almond flour works perfectly!

Redmond Real Salt

If you’re new to Big Little Bites, let me share that Redmond Salt has been my go-to daily salt since I first discovered it in 2015 for being so pure and unadulterated with all of the natural minerals still in tact. This discovery was made prior to blogging, but since then I have developed a relationship with the brand and am so proud to offer you 15% off with code “BLB” when you shop Redmond Salt and their products. 

Vanilla Bean Paste

Sure you can just use vanilla extract, but if you’re not using vanilla bean paste in your baking – you are missing out on LIFE. The flavor profile is vanilla, vanilla, vanilla – out of this world, and if you don’t know what that means, just know it’s 100x better than your average joe vanilla extract. Here’s the thing though, most pastes list sugar as the first ingredient, meaning there’s more sugar than vanilla in the bottle. I’ve found the best vanilla bean paste there is, and they have 376 positive reviews for a reason. It’s expensive compared to imitation vanilla and even to vanilla extract, but I promise the 8 ounces will last you a long time, and it’s totally worth it. Your mind will be blown. 

Sea Salt Flakes

Sea salt flakes are large, thin slivers, pyramids or even small little chunks of sea salt. Why are sea salt flakes necessary if you’ve already added salt to the dough? Well, I’m so happy you asked! Topping Gemma’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies with these beautiful sea salt flakes adds a complex flavor that instantly elevates the cookie as soon as you bite in! Make it your last step and piece de resistance! I use this brand of sea salt flakes because they are so trusted in the food industry and have been making flakes since 1882, using traditional artisan methods. Also, because Redmond doesn’t make sea salt flakes yet.

Dark Chocolate Chunks 

Regular chocolate chip morsels are good… but they don’t really stand a chance next to dark chocolate chunks. Once you make a cookie with my favorite dark chocolate chunks, you will never look back. The dark chocolate chunks I love have the simplest ingredient list you can find at the store when you’re not making the chocolate yourself: sugar, unsweetened chocolate and cocoa butter. Their chocolate chip morsels are also just as delicious and of the same quality and standards! I love buying in packs of 2 to save money, but if you must use a different brand, look for one that doesn’t include soy lechitin and natural flavors.  

Quality ingredients make all the difference in flavor for Gemma’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies, separating the big girls from the little girls, if you will.