Almond Milk Pulp Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Vegan & Gluten-Free
I love making homemade almond milk*. It’s so creamy and fresh, and it tastes so much nuttier than store-bought brands.
The one thing I don’t love about making almond milk is the leftover almond pulp. Every time I toss the pulp in the compost bin I sigh and think about how expensive almonds are (even though making homemade almond milk is cheaper than store-bought), and I feel so wasteful.
Then last week when I was whipping up a fresh batch of almond milk, Ross came in the kitchen and asked what I do with the leftover almond milk pulp. At that moment I decided enough was enough- I’m putting that pulp to good use!
What could possibly be a better use than…cookies! Later that night I proudly handed him a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie and said, “This is what I do with the pulp!!” Apparently he doesn’t spend as much time thinking about almond milk pulp as I do because he had no clue what I was talking about, but he sure loved the Vegan & Gluten-Free Almond Milk Pulp Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
The recipe is adapted from my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. I swapped most of the flour out for almond milk pulp and oats, which give the cookies a chunky, oatmeal cookie-ish texture. Keeping with the chunky theme, I used chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips, which i think make the cookies extra fun.
Don’t forget to dunk them in your homemade almond milk!
*My homemade almond milk is recipe below. If you’ve never made nut milk before, I promise it’s actually super easy!
- 1 tbs ground flaxseed
- 3 tbs warm water
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup flour of your choice (I used spelt but your favorite gluten-free flour should work too)
- ½ cup almond milk pulp
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup vegan butter or coconut oil, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chunks
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a baking sheet.
- Prepare the flax "egg" by stirring together flax and water in a small bowl or cup. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a small bowl, stir the wet ingredients together and add the flax "egg".
- Add the contents of the small bowl to the large and mix until thoroughly combined (you can use electric mixer or do it by hand). Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Scoop a little more than 1 tablespoon of batter onto the baking sheet for each cookie. Use your hand to slightly flatten each scoop of batter.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before enjoying them.
- 1 cup raw almonds, soaked in water overnight
- 4 cups water
- 1-2 pitted dates (omit for unsweetened milk)
- dash of salt
- Drain and rinse the almonds. Place them in the blender with the remaining ingredients and blend on high for at least a minute.
- Strain the milk by pouring it through a nut milk bag over a large bowl. The bag will catch the pulp and you’ll be left with a smooth and creamy milk.
- Transfer the milk to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
These chocolate chip cookies look wonderful! I’ve never made my own almond milk, but I can imagine that using the pulp for cookies would be so much fun!
I made the almond milk and the almond milk pulp cookies today. The household verdict is this is a winner. 5 of 5 stars. Yesterday I made your original chocolate chip cookies. They are also 5 of 5 stars when I am in between having almond milk pulp. Your directions are clear and easy to follow. Your photographs are amazing.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for the kind words! 🙂
Great stuff! I’m on a no-sugar (or low sugar, really) diet and I used honey for this, but came out fantastic. I also love the natural sweetness of home made almond milk:)