This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure.
These chocolate chip cookies are crispy outside with a slight chewiness inside and a brown sugar + toasted nut flavor; they’re perfect for Passover (Pesach) or any time you need a great gluten free cookie!
Are you a fan of Chick-fil-A? Their chicken sandwiches have what seems like a cult-like following. (Which has always blown my mind a little!) But I admit to getting out-of-the-blue cravings for their crispy chicken. And of course these random cravings only strike on Sundays when they’re closed, lol!
And funnily enough, I’ve had a few other people tell me they’re the same way. It has to be something to do with the psychology of wanting what we can’t have.
Along those lines, during Passover is typically when I crave a really great chocolate chip cookie.
You know, the cookies your mom probably made too, the recipe from the back of the yellow Nestle bag! They were always crisp along the outside and chewy inside, and absolute perfection with the chocolate chips still melted and gooey from the oven. I take that back. Add a glass of milk and they were perfection.
I make a few different Passover desserts (here’s my Passover recipe collection if you want more inspiration), but I was still lacking a great chocolate chip cookie. I’ve been working on this recipe off and on for about three years! I’m thrilled to report that it’s finally where I want it. The kosher for Passover chocolate chip cookie of my dreams (and hopefully yours too!), if you will.
What Makes These Cookies Special?
For starters, they’re kosher for Passover, which means they’re completely chametz free! (And I’ll be honest, chametz can show up in some pretty unexpected places, such as vanilla extract made with alcohol. But I’ll get into that more later.)
Any time you’re coming up with a restrictive recipe that omits certain types of foods (such as keto baking, gluten free baking, Passover friendly baking, etc.), it’s more of a challenge to get it right. But after much trial and error, this recipe nails it!
These cookies are perfect: crisp outside with a slight chewiness inside. Use good quality chocolate chips because they make or break the flavor of these cookies. (I share a few Passover friendly chocolate chip brands below!)
Walnut in chocolate chippers is nostalgic for me, so I added them here. And they serve double duty in this recipe! We use ground walnuts in the dough to act as flour, and chopped walnuts stirred into the dough along with chocolate chips for nutty crunch.
The ground nuts in the dough are the secret ingredient that takes these cookies over the top. Walnut meal helps create the perfect cookie texture, and adds an underlying toasted nut flavor that you wouldn’t get if you were only to stir chopped nuts into the cookie dough.
These cookies are perfect for Pesach, or any time you need a really great gluten free chocolate chip cookie.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- If a cookie craving comes during Passover, you’re all set! You’re going to be pleasantly surprised at just how similar these are to regular chocolate chippers.
- For those of you who can’t have gluten, these cookies are a great one to have in your repertoire! They’re naturally gluten free.
- With how prevalent almond flour is in gluten free and keto baking, I wanted to go a different route (almond flour has its place, but variety is the spice of life!). If you want to try something unique (aka walnut meal) that tastes like a closer replica of the iconic classic chocolate chip cookies (the recipe from the back of the bag!), then this will be your new favorite.
- Also, this recipe doesn’t have an extensive ingredient list. The only thing you might not be familiar with is potato starch, which is a type of gluten free flour that’s similar to cornstarch. If you don’t want to get potato starch, you can substitute 1:1 with cornstarch for a similar result (unless of course if you avoid kitniyot).
Chocolate Chip Passover Cookies Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Walnuts – Use raw walnuts here (not toasted) because they’ll toast as the cookies bake. In this recipe, walnuts serve two purposes: 1) we grind some into nut meal to act as a gluten free flour in the dough, and 2) we coarsely chop some and stir them in along with the chocolate chips.
- Virgin coconut oil – I like the subtle coconut flavor that virgin coconut oil adds to these cookies. However, you can use refined coconut oil if you don’t want a slight underlying coconut flavor.
- Light brown sugar – This helps create the classic chocolate chip cookie flavor. Or you can use coconut sugar.
- Granulated white sugar – We use a blend of brown sugar + white sugar to achieve the perfect flavor and sweetness level.
- Vanilla – I like to use 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder or the scrapings from 1 vanilla bean for these cookies. If you want a vanilla product that’s certified kosher for Passover, you could go with Gefen, which makes imitation vanilla extract and vanilla sugar.
- Egg – Egg acts as a binder here. For best results, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before making the dough.
- Salt – Salt is a natural flavor enhancer that helps make sure our cookies aren’t bland.
- Potato starch – Along with ground walnuts, potato starch is the main gluten free flour in these cookies. In this recipe, you can use cornflour instead of potato starch in a 1:1 ratio (unless if you don’t eat kitniyot during Passover). However, I slightly prefer the flavor of the cookies made with potato starch (I find they taste a bit less “starchy”).
- Chocolate chips – If you’re looking for chocolate chips that are certified kosher for Passover, there are a ton of options. Here are a few: Glicks, California Gourmet, Equal Exchange (you can read about their certification here), Enjoy Life, and Oh! Nuts.
- Flaky sea salt – This is an optional topping, but I highly recommend it! Just a little touch of flaky sea salt on top wakes these cookies up.
Instructions
Step 1: Grind the Walnuts
Add 1 cup walnuts to a food processor and process until they’re finely ground. (Don’t overdo it, or they’ll turn into nut butter!)
Coarsely chop the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts and set them aside. (They get stirred into the dough along with the chocolate chips.)
Step 2: Make the Dough
- Add the coconut oil, brown sugar, and white sugar to a large bowl, and stir to combine. Add the vanilla bean powder, egg, and salt, and stir to combine.
- Stir in the potato starch and ground walnuts.
- This is how the dough looks before stirring in the nuts and chocolate chips. It’s gritty, sort-of like wet sand.
- Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts. Cover the bowl and chill 12 to 24 hours.
Step 3: Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Use a 1-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough, and then roll each into a ball and arrange them on the prepared baking trays. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden along the outside and on the bottom, about 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through. Let the cookies cool completely on the trays before removing with a thin metal spatula.
Tips
- Be careful not to over-process the walnuts. We’re going for a very coarse walnut meal, or very finely chopped nuts. Don’t over-do it or you’ll end up with walnut butter (which is delicious in its own right, but not what we need for this recipe).
- Don’t skip the chill time for these cookies. In order to actually bake up as cookies (and not as flat little disks, or as a giant piece of cookie brittle), the dough needs to be well-chilled. A minimum of 12 hours is fine, but 24 hours is even better.
- To avoid the cookies sticking and to let them set, make sure to let them cool completely. After that, use a thin metal spatula to remove them from the baking tray.
- It’s not a mistake in the recipe; we don’t use a leavening agent in these cookies. Unlike natural leaving agents like yeast and sourdough starter, chemical leavening agents (such as baking powder and baking soda) are not considered chametz. I don’t personally avoid chemical leavening agents per se if they’re incorporated into a Passover friendly dish, but in the spirit of the holiday I wanted to keep these cookies completely free of all leaveners.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Pesach Cookies FAQs
What Makes These Cookies Kosher for Passover?
During the Jewish holiday of Passover (Pesach), we don’t eat anything containing chametz, which is leaven or foods that contain leaven.
Chabad definites chametz as:
Any food product made from wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt that has come into contact with water and been allowed to ferment and “rise.”
Chabad
Chametz is easy to spot with ingredients like flour. However, it’s also found in ingredients that might not immediately come to mind, such as vanilla extract, which is frequently made with a grain alcohol.
To make sure these cookies are kosher for Passover, we use potato starch and ground walnuts in place of flour, vanilla bean powder instead of vanilla extract, and Passover-friendly chocolate chips.
Can I Use Almond Flour Instead of Ground Walnuts?
For this recipe, we don’t want the nuts ground into a flour, but rather a coarse meal. Almonds would likely work, but I haven’t tried it to know for sure. If you want to experiment with this recipe and use almonds instead of walnuts, I would suggest grinding them yourself so you get the right texture.
Do I Have to Chill the Dough For These Cookies?
Yes! At least, if you want them to come out as cookies.
During testing and development, at one point I made these cookies without chilling the dough and ended up with cookie brittle. The dough balls melted into one giant cookie while baking! It was still delicious but definitely not what I was going for.
More Passover Desserts to Make
Let’s Connect
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Passover (Pesach) Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Email This Recipe
Get this recipe link emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts divided into 1 cup + 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (see Notes)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup potato starch
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips divided into 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup (see Notes)
- Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Add 1 cup walnuts to a food processor and process until they’re finely ground. (Don’t overdo it, or they’ll turn into nut butter!) Coarsely chop the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts and set them aside.
- Add the coconut oil, brown sugar, and white sugar to a large bowl, and stir to combine. Add the vanilla bean powder, egg, and salt, and stir to combine. Stir in the potato starch and ground walnuts. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts.
- Cover the bowl and chill 12 to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
- Use a 1-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough, and then roll each into a ball and arrange them on the prepared baking trays. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
- Bake until the cookies are light golden along the outside and on the bottom, about 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the trays before removing with a thin metal spatula.
Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 38 cookies, for a total of 19 servings. Each serving is 2 cookies.
- Don’t Over-Process the Walnuts: We’re going for a very coarse walnut meal, or very finely chopped nuts. Don’t over-do it or you’ll end up with walnut butter (which is delicious in its own right, but not what we need for this recipe).
- Vanilla: I like to use 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder or the scrapings from 1 vanilla bean for these cookies. If you want a vanilla product that’s certified kosher for Passover, you could go with Gefen, which makes imitation vanilla extract and vanilla sugar.
- Chocolate Chips: If you’re looking for chocolate chips that are certified kosher for Passover, there are a ton of options. Here are a few: Glicks, California Gourmet, Equal Exchange (you can read about their certification here), Enjoy Life, and Oh! Nuts.
- Don’t Skip the Chill Time: In order to actually bake up as cookies (and not as flat little disks, or as a giant piece of cookie brittle), the dough needs to be well-chilled. A minimum of 12 hours is fine, but 24 hours is even better.
- Cool Completely on the Trays Before Removing: To avoid the cookies sticking and to let them set, make sure to let them cool completely. After that, use a thin metal spatula to remove them from the baking tray.
- No Leavening Agent: It’s not a mistake in the recipe; we don’t use a leavening agent in these cookies. Unlike natural leaving agents like yeast and sourdough starter, chemical leavening agents (such as baking powder and baking soda) are not considered chametz. I don’t personally avoid chemical leavening agents per se if they’re incorporated into a Passover friendly dish, but in the spirit of the holiday I wanted to keep these cookies completely free of all leaveners.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
