Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 05, 2018

First things first: I am not a vegan. I love butter more than the average bear and go through an ungodly amount of eggs each week. Give me heavy cream and regular ice cream any day, okay? But sometimes we want options. We want to share food with our health-concious friends and make desserts that those on diet restrictions can enjoy too. I started working on these vegan chocolate chip cookies for my sister who had been following a vegan diet for a few years. In a strange turn of events, she liberalized her diet right around the time that I finally nailed these cookies, but I’m thrilled either way because these cookies are the bomb. They’re just really good. Let me give you the scoop on them.

These vegan chocolate chip cookies are a coconut oil-based treat made with organic sugars, all-purpose flour, and dark vegan chocolate. A flaxseed egg (flaxseed meal mixed with a bit of water) holds the whole thing together to create a cookie that is chewy throughout and slightly caramel in flavor. In creating these cookies, I knew I wanted them to be adaptable for a number of scenarios, so I tested one million (well, more like 25) versions of these cookies to identify which were the most pleasing. I had several road bumps along the way, but I think I’ve ironed out enough of the wrinkles so that you can enjoy delicious vegan chocolate chip cookies in your own home kitchen.

Sugars

This recipe calls for organic sugar and organic brown sugar. You can use regular granulated and brown sugar, although you may find that your final cookie spreads differently than the ones pictured here. A lot of people are unaware that most processed sugars are not actually vegan, so organic sugars are your best bet if you want to stay on the safe side.

Fat

I chose coconut oil for this recipe because vegan butters are hard to come by in my local grocery store. It’s important to buy coconut oil that is solid at room temperature and not the liquid variety. I did not test this recipe with vegan butter or other plant-based fats, but if you try it let me know how they turn out!

Flour

I tested this recipe both with regular all-purpose flour and gluten free cup-for-cup flour. I noticed that the GF flour cookies were a bit thicker than the original recipe, but you may also notice differences from brand to brand. For reference, I typically use King Arthur Flours. I opted to not use alternative grains here, primarily because I wanted to create a cookie that tasted like a classic chocolate chipper. Please note that even just a small change in the amount of flour can alter this dough. If you find that your cookies are consistently way too thick or a little dry, it could be that you need to add a tablespoon or two less flour. If they spread way too much, you may benefit from adding an extra tablespoon or two of flour the next time around. Every person measures flour differently, so for best results you may want to weigh your ingredients.

Chocolate

After quite a bit of research on vegan chocolate, I learned that some varieties of chocolate are “accidentally” vegan. Lindt baking bars and Trader Joe’s Pound Plus baking bars are two options for people not wanting to spend crazy dollars on fancy chocolate. I did find that the Lindt chocolate bubbled oddly on the tops of the cookies, but they still tasted terrific. I shot for 68-72% cacao chocolate, but you can use whatever works for you. Please note that if you use chocolate chips, your final cookie will turn out differently. The chips are not meant to melt as easily as the baking bars, so expect cookies that are thicker with less spread. One of the things I love about these cookies are the pools of chocolate on top. If you like this look too, chop up most of your chocolate into 1/4″-1/2″ pieces to incorporate into the dough and save a few larger 3/4″-1″ chunks to press on top of the cookie dough balls before baking. Just a little bit of chunky chocolate on top (or near the top!) of each ball should do the trick.

Temperature

This is the least predictable variable here. I almost lost sleep over these cookies due to problems with oven temp. Here’s the deal: in a super hot oven, the cookies will melt and spread like crazy, making little puddles of greasy dough with weirdly crispy edges. If you know your oven bakes hot, I’d encourage you to do a test run cookie and adjust the temp by 10 or so degrees as needed. If your cookie melts insanely, just notch the heat down and bake the rest at a slightly lower temperature. You can also chill your dough a bit, but I found that adjusting the heat was the best bet. For best results, use a heavy, non-insulated pan lined with a sheet of parchment paper.

Final Word

Just when I think I’ve figured baking out, something surprises me and I learn something new. If you have interesting results with these cookies, please tell me about it! We can troubleshoot issues or celebrate triumphs, because at the end of the day everyone learns a little bit more when they share their experience. So if you make these, tell me about it! I think you’ll love them, and I can’t wait to hear all about it. Happy baking, friends!

If you like these vegan chocolate chip cookies you should check out:

Vegan Coconut Lime Ice Cream Pie with Strawberries

Almost Paleo Coconut Almond Chocolate Cookies

Candied Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flaxseed Bread