These may seriously be the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! These Tigernut Flour Cookies have delicious crispy edges with perfect chewy centers. Everything you need from a chocolate chip cookie!
I’ve mentioned it on many occasions before that we don’t actually follow any specific diet restrictions. We try to eat a diet that includes lots of vegetables and is clean about 80% of the time – otherwise we embrace gluten free, vegan, or omnivore recipes alike.
What we really love is variety! And you all know my love for experimenting with gluten free baking from my coconut flour recipes.
So it’s no wonder I got all giddy when Tiger Nuts USA asked if I wanted to try out their flour.
What is Tigernut Flour
Luckily, my sample came with an informational flyer and there is also some information printed on every bag. Because I had really no idea what tiger nuts or tigernut flour were.
Turns out the tiger nut, also called chufa, is not a nut at all. And they have nothing to do with actual tigers either.
Tiger nuts are actually a tuber that is grown underground just like potatoes.
After being sun-dried tiger nuts can be enjoyed as a delicious snack all by themselves. And they also get milled into flour for baking or to be added to smoothies.
They have been around for a really, really long time (over 4 thousand years). Tiger nuts are also the main ingredient of Spanish-style horchata.
The tiger nuts for this flour brand are grown on an organic farm in Spain. But tiger nuts can be found all over Southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and also in India. And now they are also making their way into North American markets.
Tigernut Flour Benefits
There are many reasons you should give tigernut flour a try. To give you a better overview of all the benefits, let me just list them in simple point format:
- Tigernut flour is an all natural gluten-free and nut-free flour alternative
- Allergy friendly: no nuts, no gluten, no lactose
- Organic and non-GMO (at least the Tiger Nuts USA brand)
- It is very high in prebiotic fiber (a resistant starch that feeds the friendly gut bacteria and aids digestion)
- Paleo-friendly and lower in carbohydrates
- Nutritional minerals: iron, zinc, copper, magnesium
- Natural sweet, coconutty flavor
- Can be replaced 1 for 1 for flour in most baking recipes
How to Make Tigernut Flour Cookies
Ingredients
Despite having just said that it can be replaced in equal parts with flour, I still made a few changes from my go-to Clean Eating Chocolate Chip Cookies and Coconut Oil Cookies.
Because of the tigernut flour’s natural sweetness, I reduced the usual amount of sugar. And in the next test batch I had to reduce it even more. Otherwise the cookies were just too overwhelmingly sweet.
For the same reason I also used quite a bit less chocolate chips than I usually would. Even when using dark chocolate chips or chunks they add to the overall sweetness of the already sweet tigernut flour cookies.
This also makes the cookies perfect for dunking into a glass of really really cold (dairy-free) milk.
Method
In terms of method, this is a really easy healthy cookie recipe. You can stir it all together in one bowl with just a wooden spoon.
First combine all of the wet ingredients (sugar, melted butter or coconut oil, egg*, and vanilla extract). And then add the dry ingredients (there are just the tigernut flour, sea salt, baking soda, and chocolate chips).
I am just realizing that this is a super simple 8 ingredient cookie recipe (4 dry, 4 wet). And aside from the tigernut flour you probably have all of them already in your pantry and fridge.
To get your hands on tigernut flour, unless you live near a really well stocked health food store, your best bet is probably ordering it online.
*A note about the egg. I have not tried replacing it with a vegan alternative like flax egg in this recipe. But in my experience with other cookie recipes, if it is just one or two eggs you are trying to replace, usually the flax or chia egg alternative is a viable substitute.
So again, I haven’t tested it, but with the vegan egg option and using coconut oil (instead of butter) you can totally make this into a vegan cookie recipe, too.
More Tigernut Flour Recipes
Once you have tiger nuts or tigernut flour in the house you are probably looking for other ways to use them.
Since I have only this one recipe so far, I looked around some other trusted food blogger’s websites and found these other delicious tigernut flour recipes for you:
Tigernut Flour Cookies
These may seriously be the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! These Tigernut Flour Cookies have delicious crispy edges with perfect chewy centers. Everything you need from a chocolate chip cookie!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar, muscovado, etc.
- 1/4 cup butter melted (or coconut oil)
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups tigernut flour *
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips and/or chunks
Instructions
In a medium bowl whisk together sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Either by hand or with an electric hand mixer.
Add tigernut flour, sea salt, baking soda and stir in until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips/chunks and chill the dough in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once chilled, scoop 12 cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet (about 6 fit on a regular baking sheet). Top with a few more chocolate chips/chunks.
Bake the chocolate cookies for 12-15 minutes until the edges are just set. Don't overbake them. Leave the cookies one the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature 2-4 days.
Recipe Notes
*Measuring TIP: Tigernut flour (and any flour) should be loosely spooned into a measuring cup. If you dip the measuring cup into the flour, you are compacting it and end up with much more flour. Which would result in dry cookies that don’t spread.
Disclaimer: I didn’t receive any monetary compensation aside from the sample bag of tigernut flour. This post contains affiliate links.
susan ryan
I have to say that these cookies (I used the melted butter/coconut sugar option and added more chocolate chips…of course I did!) are incredibly tasty. I had a bag of tiger nut flour in my pantry for several months and finally decided to find a recipe and make something. I prefer crunchy cookies and these are caky but I love ’em! The flour has such a lovely, sweet taste and I love that the cookies don’t have a lot of sugar added. I felt so healthy I think I ate about 5 of them yesterday (ay, yay, yay!) I’m so happy I found this recipe.
Kitty
Do you have the amount of tiger nut flour needed In weight? That would be a lot more foolproof! I’m going to try it anyway
R
Can I ask you, for the cookies in the picture, what did you use…butter or coconut oil? Which sugar? I’ve been baking for many years and the cookies I just made don’t look anything like yours. I followed the directions.
Regina | Leelalicious
The version in th pictures was made with butter and organic cane sugar. Using coconut oil and a darker sugar (coconut or muscovado) will result in a different look. But in my experience they are just as tasty
Nanetta Roberson
Since Tigernut flour is slightly sweet, do you recommend reducing the amount of granulated sugar and/or brown sugar in other cookie recipes?
Mindy
Could I use monkfruit or a different sweetener in place of the coconut or cane sugar?
Regina
Yes, granulated sugar-free sweetener should work just fine in this cookie recipe
Lauren
These cookies are by far my favorite. My kids are obsessed too! I replace the egg with a “chia egg”. Great recipe and so easy to make!! Thank you!
Regina
So great to hear your kids love the cookies. And that a chia egg replacement works for this recipe 😀