Simple and quick to make, these tiger nut chocolate chip cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and fudgy in the middle. They have the added bonus of being vegan, comparatively healthy and gluten free.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my cookie and privacy statement for further details.
One of my most exciting Christmas presents this year was some tiger nut flour from CT. I’m easily pleased. It resulted in a flurry of baking. These tiger nut chocolate chip cookies were one of the delights I conjured up.
They are, without doubt, the easiest and quickest cookies I’ve ever made. Vegan, gluten-free and relatively healthy, they make a perfect sweet treat if you’re participating in Veganuary. They’re also my contribution to this month’s #WeShouldCocoa.
Tiger Nuts or Chufas
Tiger nuts earned their name from the orange stripes found on their tubers. They’re also known as chufas or earth almonds, though their scientific name is Cyperus esculentus. CT has grown them on and off for many years, but has never managed to cultivate them on a large enough scale for me to play with.
Chufas are sweet and tasty with a slightly nutty texture. They are, however, neither nut nor seed; they are in fact tubers produced by a member of the sedge family. Chufas are an ancient crop eaten way back when in Africa and they formed an important part of the early human diet.
They’re gluten-free, high in fibre and contain significant quantities of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and a whole heap of antioxidants.
I first came across tiger nuts in Spain on one of my epic hitchhiking trips many years ago. The Spanish make it into horchata, a delicious creamy drink I’ve never forgotten. I’m still waiting for CT to grow enough for me to make my own horchata. Tiger nut flour is quite sweet, so you can add less sugar to recipes when you use it. It’s also quite sticky, so it works particularly well in baking.
Where To Buy Chufa Flour
Chufa flour is perhaps not the easiest flour to get hold of, but it’s definitely worth searching out. Any good whole food establishment or health food shop should stock it. And if all else fails, you can buy organic tiger nut flour* online.
Tiger Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies
The first thing I made with my tiger nut flour were some super duper fudgy brownies. We were entertaining friends so served them up with ice cream. They went down a storm, though nobody had heard of tiger nuts or chufas. Sadly I never got around to taking any photos or even writing up the recipe. Perhaps this is a call to make them again.
These tiger nut chocolate chip cookies are the simplest and easiest cookies I’ve ever made. It’s pretty much just a case of stirring all the ingredients together, then forming the mixture into balls with your hands.
I didn’t want to use vast amounts of fat in the cookies as I was trying to keep them as healthy as possible, so I ended up using water to bind the dough. I wasn’t at all sure how well this would work, but I needn’t have worried. The biscuits held together just fine. The ingredients needed are few, although I do understand not everyone is going to have a bag of tiger nut flour lying around in their pantry.
These tiger nut chocolate chip cookies are sweet, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and fudgy in the middle. They do soften if kept for more than a day, but are still quite delicious. A friend helped us demolish them a couple of days after I baked them and she was mightily impressed.
The flavour is hard to describe, but it’s almost coconutty. The chocolate chips broke up the intensity of the sweetness wonderfully and are very much an integral part of the biscuit.
Other Recipes for Vegan Biscuits & Cookies You Might Like
If you fancy baking a more typical choc chip cookie, I have a recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies here on Tin and Thyme. They’re not as healthy as these ones, but they sure are delicious.
- Amaretti via Tin and Thyme
- Chocolate sesame cookies via Green Gourmet Giraffe
- Coconut shortbread with chocolate drizzle via Emily’s Recipes and Reviews
- Ginger cookies via Thinly Spread
- Purple corn flour Easter biscuits via Tin and Thyme
- Vanilla almond cookies via Tin and Thyme
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these tiger nut chocolate chip cookies, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more gluten-free recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Tiger Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies. PIN IT.
Tiger Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies – The Recipe
Tiger Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 50 g coconut oil
- 100 g coconut sugar
- 125 g chufa flour (I used organic chufa flour*)
- 1 tsp baking powder gluten-free
- 50 g dark chocolate chips vegan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Warm the coconut oil gently in a large pan until virtually melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar.50 g coconut oil, 100 g coconut sugar
- Add the tiger nut flour, baking powder and chocolate chips and stir until everything is well mixed.125 g chufa flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 50 g dark chocolate chips
- Make a well in the centre and add the water and vanilla extract. Stir with a knife from the inside out until everything is well combined.1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp water
- Take a tablespoonful of the mixture and roll into a ball with your hands. Place on a lined baking tray and flatten slightly.
- Repeat with the rest of the mixture, leaving room on the tray for the dough to spread. I made 12 cookies.
- Bake in the centre of the oven at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 15 minutes.
- Leave on the tray for a couple of minutes to firm up, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Linkies
These tiger nut chocolate chip cookies are my submission to this month’s #WeShouldCocoa.
I’m also sending these splendid chufa flour biscuits to Only Crumbs Remain for #BakingCrumbs
And finally my gluten-free chocolate chip cookies go to Easy Peasy Foodie for #CookBlogShare
This post contains affiliate links which are marked with an asterisk* or (affiliate link). If you buy through a link, it won’t cost you any more, but I might get a small commission. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
I am constantly amazed by the proliferation of new flours on the market. They are so often more nutritious too. These cookies sound wonderful….. I could happily eat the whole batch. x
Choclette says
Thanks Kate. I get very excited about flours, especially nutritious ones that are easy to use.
Mel says
I’ve heard of tiger nuts before, but the whole prepping process with the soaking etc. sounded tedious and I never bought them to try. Now using tiger nut flour sounds a lot more appealing! I really want to try these cookies 🙂 Will pin now so I don’t forget. Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.
Choclette says
Ah yes, soaking things can be a real pain. Tiger nut flour is definitely easier to use 😀
Claire Jessiman says
Reading thought this I was like – I’ve never head of tiger nuts. Then you mentioned horchata. That I have drank!
Such a great name for a cookie though!
Choclette says
Ah horchata. I really need to try making some of that. My memory of it was so good.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
I’m absolutely fascinated by this recipe Choclette, I’ve never come across Tiger Nuts let alone the flour before, so am going to have a search in our local health food shop later today! Thankyou so much for sharing with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
Choclette says
Good luck Angela. I hope you were successful in your search.
Elizabeth says
Tiger nuts sound like the most exotic thing ever! I’d love to get my hands on some of those. Gorgeous looking cookies too!
Choclette says
Haha, thanks Elizabeth. They may be exotic, but we evolved on them – apparently!
helen @ family-friends-food.com says
Wow! I’ve never even heard of tiger nuts before. Those cookies look great and the flavour sounds delicious. I’ll have to look out for tiger nut flour on my next trip to the whole foods co-op!
Choclette says
Oh yes do Helen. It’s well worth experimenting with.
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
I love experimenting with new ingredients and had been looking into tiger nuts… Def saving this recipe for later!
Choclette says
Ooh let me know what you make with those tiger nuts and what you think of them.
jenny paulin says
oooh these look very tasty and I love how simple the recipe is too. I have to admit to having never heard of tiger but flour, but I am loving its name ad will look out for it next time I am browsing the baking aisles.
thank you for linking to #Bakeoftheweek x
Choclette says
Thanks Jenny. I think it might take a while for tiger nut flour to hit the supermarket baking aisles, but you should find it in a good health food shop.
Emily says
Mmm these look delicious. My vegan friend would love these too x
Choclette says
Thanks Emily. I sort of hope that everyone would love them 😉
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
I’ve never heard of tiger nut flour – but it does sound very good! And these cookies look delicious. Thanks for linking them up to #CookBlogShare. Eb x
Choclette says
It seems tiger nut flour needs a bit of PR. It’s good stuff.
Nicole says
I love learning about new types of food, and I’d never heard of the tiger nut before! Thanks for such a great recipe. I also eat and share too many results before taking pics, but I’ll try to remember and share this one all around. 🙂
Choclette says
Thanks Nicole. It can be tough being a food blogger 😉
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe says
I saw tiger nuts while in Edinburgh or Paris in 2016 and regretted not buying them as I have never seen them again and was intrigues. So am pleased to see you sing the praises of this elusive nut – no doubt one day they will reach our shores!
Choclette says
Oh I bet there are people growing them in Australia Johanna and I’d be surprised if they weren’t available somewhere. Your country always seems to be at the forefront of interesting ingredients and healthy eating.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I’ve never heard of tiger nut flour before, but these cookies look delicious so I think I need to find out more!
Choclette says
It’s a really nice flour to work with Kat and of course, super good for us too 😀
Mary says
I am sorry to say that I have not ever heard of Tiger Nuts. I would love to get some that flour so will haunt the Health Food Shop till I find it. Thanks for telling us about this lovely sounding new product. Bring on the Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies!!
Choclette says
Good luck Mary. It’s well worth hunting out if you can.
Galina Varese says
I don’t think I’ve ever tried tiger nuts or flour. Love the sound of these healthy cookies.
Choclette says
I’ve only ever found dried tiger nuts in health food shops before, so the availability of tiger nut flour now is really exciting.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
These are super healthy and delicious too! Really need to order some tiger nut flour to try!
Choclette says
Thanks Angie. It’s amazing stuff and great fun to experiment with.