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.
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 😀
Liz
I added molasses for some extra cookie flavor and increased the chocolate chips but otherwise followed the recipe. I noticed that after a few minutes in the oven, the cookies didn’t start spreading. I quickly took them out of the oven and flattened them with the back of a spatula, then finished cooking for about 12 minutes. They have a surprisingly light texture, crispy edges and a soft middle. Surprisingly good for my first attempt with tigernut flour!
Rennie
Made these last night because I was looking for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that didn’t use almond flour. WOW! They are my new favorite recipe! I used coconut oil, was careful to lightly spoon out the flour to measure, and didn’t even fridge them before baking. Oh, and I added extra chocolate chips. Delicious and simple to make!
Elisha
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but with baking the cookies stayed as balls, didn’t turn out like the picture you have
Regina
I am wondering if you maybe had too much flour? How do you measure the flour? Tigernut flour, and any flour, should be loosely spooned into a measuring cup. If you dip the measuring cup into the flour to measure, you are compacting it and end up with much more flour. Which would result in dry cookies that don’t spread.
Elisha
Yes! Than I think I used to much flour and got 100% dark unsweetened chocolate chip and that didn’t tast good lol I will try again.
Julia
Delicious! I used maple sugar.
Regina
Yum! That sounds great
Dani
Only used 1/4 C swerve and used my own Paleo chocolate chips (admittedly a LOT!), but these truly are the best CC cookies! Was my first try using tiger nut flour and was blown away! Thank you!!
Regina
Awesome! So happy to hear you like cookies
Diane
We bought tigernut flour two years ago so I could bake with it, as I can not eat any grains or nuts (coconut is fine)
Well, my husband opened the bag and just spooned it into his mouth…DRY! He liced it so much that in two years of buying tigernut, I’ve never baked anything with it!
It doesn’t last long enough!
We sprinkle several rounded tablespoons over thawed frozen org. pineapple or cherries, blueberries, raspberries with its juices and give it a light mix and guess what?! If you use your imagination, it tastes like cobbler! It’s amazing!
And the super bonus? This stuff will keep you very regular, if you know what I’m saying!
Diane
Can’t wait to bake these CC cookies!!
Regina
I hope you enjoy them
Regina
Haha that’s too funny but also totally makes sense. Whole tiger nuts are a popular snack so I can imagine the flour is quite tasty by itself too
Angela
Just finished baking these! Yummy! Now I can indulge gluten-free. Thanks.
Regina
Enjoy! These are definitely one of my favorite cookies ever
Kimberly
I just made these with vanilla ghee instead of coconut oil. I baked mine at 13 minutes without putting them in the fridge because the dough was hard enough beforehand [ I hurt my shoulder and was concerned about scooping them after hardening in the fridge. ] They came out soft, delicious! I had two and they’re very filling. Thanks!
Rawan
wow…is it 184 cals per cookie? Seems like a little much.
Regina
It’s the tigernut flour. It is very calorie dense
Bryan
I followed the recipe and took them out at 11min and they were super dry. What should I do differently?
Regina
Hi Bryan, I am sorry the cookies didn’t turn out as expected. Here are a couple ideas for troubleshooting:
1. How did you measure your flour. It has to be loosely spooned into the measuring cup. If you dip the cup right into the flour it will be more compacted and you’ll end up with too much flour.
2. Do you have an oven thermometer? Could it be your oven runs too high? In that case I’d recommend watching the cookies closely and removing from the oven as soon as the edges are set.
Bryan Ausinheiler
I scooped the flour right from the bag. The dough was hard to mix and the cookies stayed round and never flattened on the cookie sheet. Next time I will loosely spoon the flour into the cup. Thanks for the advice!
Richa Gupta
Wow! I can’t believe these cookies are made with alternate flour because these look like the real deal! Amazing!
Regina
Right!? I couldn’t believe it either when they first came out of the oven