These chewy oatmeal cookies are loaded with sunbutter, chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and are topped with flaky sea salt. These nut free, gluten free cookies are sure to satisfy. Pour yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy these warm from the oven.

Of all the cookies, chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.
And really, if I’m being honest, I prefer chocolate chip oatmeal over plain chocolate chip cookies.
My favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies back in the day had lots of chocolate chips and lots of nuts. Since we can’t have nuts now, I was trying to figure out a way to still get a little bit of a nutty flavor in these cookies without adding any nuts.
I discovered that a tablespoon of sunbutter in the batter lends a bit of nutty flavor without truly tasting of sunflower seeds. It’s just enough of an extra savory taste to give your taste buds the impression of nuts.
These cookies are one of my very favorite desserts right now. They are yummy – chewy, crispy, salty, delicious, chocolatey. Everything a cookie should be.
Ingredient Notes
- Sunbutter – As I mentioned, the sunbutter gives these cookies a little bit of a nutty taste. You could use a different seed butter if you prefer, or even Wowbutter if you can have soy.
- Grated Chocolate – The other thing that makes these cookies extra special is some grated chocolate. I took three squares from an Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Bar and finely grated them into the batter. My mom used to make those famous Neiman Marcus cookies – (you know, the ones from the urban legend?) and I loved those cookies. The grated chocolate adds a really nice richness and flavor to this batter.
- Gluten Free Oats – If you’re following a gluten free diet, it’s important that you use certified gluten free oats. Oats are often cross contaminated with gluten because they’re manufactured in facilities with wheat. Be sure you choose a brand that says that it’s certified gluten free. One brand to look at is GF Harvest, which you can order on Amazon.
- Sea Salt Flakes – The finishing touch on these chewy, crispy, chocolatey cookies is a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. If sweet and salty isn’t your thing, you can leave them off, but I think the large flakes of salt pair perfectly with the dark chocolate and make these irresistible.
Substitutions
- If you don’t like sunbutter, you can use pumpkin seed butter or wowbutter.
- If you are able to have nuts, go ahead and use your favorite nut butter.
- Not gluten free? Go ahead and use regular all-purpose flour.
Baking Tips
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. This will prevent the cookies from getting stuck to the cookie sheet.
- Leave space between the cookies – they will spread during baking.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet before moving them.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for about 4 days. You can include a piece of gluten free bread in the container to help these cookies stay soft.
More Sunbutter Recipes
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Recipe
Dark Chocolate Salted Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies.
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan buttery spread
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon sunbutter
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend Namaste Perfect Flour Blend works well
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1½ cups certified gluten free old fashioned oats
- 3 squares of Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Bar grated
- 1 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
- large sea salt flakes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Cream together the vegan buttery spread, organic cane sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and sunbutter and mix until smooth.
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Add the gluten free flour blend, baking soda, and sea salt, and mix until combined.
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Stop the mixer and add the gluten free oats and stir by hand. Add the grated dark chocolate and dark chocolate chips and stir by hand until combined.
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Scoop the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet using a cookie scoop (the scoops should be about two tablespoons). Leave 1.5 inches between cookies – they will spread during baking. Sprinkle the cookies with large flake sea salt (I used the Maldon brand).
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Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Repeat steps 5-6 with remaining dough.
Recipe Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for 4-5 days.
Feel free to use whatever chocolate bar you like! You can use a milk chocolate or dark chocolate bar. Two allergy friendly brands are Enjoy Life or No Whey Chocolate.
You can use a different seed butter if sunbutter doesn’t work for your dietary needs.
Kirstey
Just made these cookies, and they automatically became a family favourite!!! Absolutely delicious, and very easy to make!
Kelly Roenicke
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know!
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry
These look absolutely divine, Kelly! I’v never tried sunflower seed butter, but I’m very keen to now. I’m curious to see what kind of flavour it would contribute to these cookies – a delicious one, without a doubt!
Kelly
Thank you, Lisa! It’s a small amount, so it just adds a little nuttiness.
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet
I love using sun butter in cookies! Yours look wonderful! :D Happy Friday Kelly!
Kelly
Thanks, Lauren!
cleaneatingveggiegirl
Doesn’t sunflower seed butter taste AMAZING in cookies? I just absolutely love it. I bet these are pretty darn delicious!
Kelly
Yes, sunbutter is the best!