These miso olive oil chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy, and so flavorful! Vegan, gluten-free, and no butter substitute needed.

Hear me out: chocolate chip cookies but with miso, olive oil, and peanut butter, and made without eggs, milk, butter, or gluten! It’s very unconventional, but it’s also extremely delicious – my boyfriend says it’s the best cookie I’ve ever made 🥲 (personally I’m torn between these and my Miso Lemon Senbei Cookies). Usually I make my cookies with vegan butter for a little more flavor, but it’s not always easy to find vegan block butter, and I wanted to make these cookies with simple (vegan) pantry ingredients. As it turns out, you don’t need vegan butter to make good cookies! These miso olive oil chocolate chip cookies are amazing and I’m sure you’ll love them too!

ingredients for miso olive oil chocolate chip cookies

Key Ingredients

Miso ⟶ For more complex salty, umami undertones to balance the sweetness. So much better than salt!
Olive Oil ⟶ Extra virgin or light, whatever you have in your pantry is good.
Peanut Butter ⟶ Adds flavor and makes the cookies more thick and chewy.
Oat Flour ⟶ I make my own by grinding oats in a blender – easy and cheap! Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
Potato Starch ⟶ Just a little softens the cookies a bit and gives them slightly more chew.
Ground Flax ⟶ To hold the cookies together. Oat flour is very dry, and without the ground flax your cookies will crumble easily.

Tips for Success

Chill dough ⟶ Technically this step is optional if you’re in a time-crunch, but I highly recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) before baking. This allows the flour to hydrate and break down into sugars, resulting in a more flavorful cookie with better browning. It also gives the dough time to thicken so it’s not a sticky mess when you portion it out.

Flatten and bang cookies ⟶ Since these cookies are made with olive oil and less sugar, they don’t spread as much as conventional chocolate chip cookies. To help them spread, we first flatten them before baking – just press down on the tops to round them out into a disc, but don’t make them too thin. When the cookies are baked, we bang them on the oven rack or countertop – drop the pan from a few inches above. This destroys the air bubbles that form during baking, helping the cookies flatten and crack on top.

Round out the edges ⟶ Immediately after banging the cookies, take a cookie cutter, mason jar lid, or cup that’s slightly larger than the cookies. Place it over each hot cookie and move in a circular motion on the cookie sheet to round out the cookie’s edges. This must be done when the cookies are still hot, otherwise the edges will set. This step is optional but creates beautifully round cookies.

Miso Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQ

What kind of miso should I use?
I prefer red or awase miso for a stronger umami flavor, but if you’re new to miso you can start with white or yellow miso which is more mild and sweet.

Can I omit the miso?
You can, but you will miss out on a ton of flavor! If you omit the miso, add a couple pinches of salt.

Can I substitute the peanut butter?
Sure, any runny nut/seed butter should work. Almond butter, walnut butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter (be aware that sunflower seed butter may tint the cookies a little green).

Can I use vegan butter instead of olive oil?
I have only tested these cookies with olive oil, but if you’d like to make them with vegan butter, you can try using ¼ cup (52 grams) vegan butter (instead of 42 grams olive oil), and reduce milk to 2 tbsp.

Can I omit the potato starch?
You can if absolutely necessary, but your cookies will turn out slightly more dry/crumbly. If you don’t have potato starch, you can try cornstarch, arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch.

How do I store olive oil chocolate chip cookies?
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for 2 months. If you like your cookies warm, you can pop them in the microwave in 10 second intervals until warm and gooey to your liking.

miso olive oil chocolate chip cookie with a bite taken out of it

More Plant-Based Cookies!

If you make these miso olive oil chocolate chip cookies, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:10

Chill Time:30

Servings: 12

Ingredients

40 ml (2 tbsp + 2 tsp) soy milk or other milk of choice
2 tsp ground flax
60 grams (¼ cup) peanut butter**¹
42 grams (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) olive oil
48 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
48 grams (¼ cup) brown sugar
1 tsp miso**²
1 tsp vanilla extract
160 grams (1 cup + 6 tbsp) oat flour* gluten-free if needed
10 grams (2 tsp) potato starch*
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup vegan chocolate chips*

Instructions

Mix milk and ground flax in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes to gel.
In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and olive oil.
Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and whisk until well combined.
Add flax mixture, miso, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
Add oat flour, potato starch, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until a thick, cohesive dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips.
Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Tip: If you're short on time, you can skip the chilling step, but I do think the cookies are more flavorful after resting.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat*. Remove dough from fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough and roll into balls. Place on baking sheet with at least an inch of space between each dough ball. Slightly flatten into discs to help the cookies spread.
Bake for 10 minutes. Drop the cookie sheet a few inches from the top of the baking rack once to deflate the cookies (this helps form crackly tops), then remove from the oven.
Tip: For perfectly round edges, take a cookie cutter, mason jar lid, or cup that's slightly larger than the cookies. Place it over the hot cookie and move in a circular motion on the cookie sheet to round out the cookie's edges. This must be done right when you take the cookies out of the oven, before the edges have fully set.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

1) I used unsweetened and unsalted peanut butter. I recommend using a natural peanut butter that is just made from peanuts and maybe salt. More processed peanut butters like Skippy and Jif are very thick while natural peanut butter is more thin and runny. If your peanut butter is too thick, your cookies may turn out more dense.

2) I used red miso since I like the stronger salty, umami flavor, but white, yellow, or awase miso is fine too.

Nutrition Facts

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