These vegan chocolate chip cookies have a soft center with crispy chewy edges. The dough doesn’t need to be chilled beforehand, and you don’t need any special egg replacers!
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Vegan block butter (or buttery sticks) at room temperature. Make sure your butter isn’t too soft otherwise your cookies will feel greasy and spread more. Instead of butter, you can use softened coconut oil for crispier cookies (use refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor). A vegan spreadable butter will work but your cookies will be softer and less rich.
Light brown sugar. The molasses in brown sugar helps make these cookies soft, chewy and have depth of flavor!
Vegan chocolate chips and/or chocolate chunks (chopped from chocolate bars). I like using both for a range of flavor and texture. Chocolate chips are nostalgic and keep their shape whereas chunks are more gooey and tend to taste better. These cookies are delicious with either dark chocolate or milk chocolate (and yes, vegan milk chocolate exists)!
Non-dairy milk. I always like using soy milk because it adds body to baked goods. Other milks like oat milk and almond milk will work. Alternatively, dairy-free yogurt and apple sauce work well; these will keep the cookies softer for longer compared to cookies made with milk.
Preparing the cookie dough
First, we need to beat the butter with the sugar, then beat in the liquid ingredients. This is a form of ‘mechanical leavening’ as it aerates the butter and adds body to your vegan chocolate chip cookies. It also helps dissolve the sugar so the cookies spread and have a lovely chewy texture.
Next, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined and you can’t see any pockets of butter, sugar or flour.
Finally, mix in your chocolate chips/chunks! The final cookie dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky. If your cookie dough is sticky, it is probably due to the consistency of your butter. In this case, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes or until it’s firmer. A drier cookie dough can be due to overmeasuring the flour. If so, add 1 teaspoon of milk and mix again.
Baking the cookies
If you want all your vegan chocolate chip cookies to be the same size, I recommend baking them on one oven rack at a time. When you place a baking sheet above another, some sheets may get less heat and those cookies will spread differently. If you’re happy with differently-sized cookies, feel free to bake all the cookies at the same time!
For softer cookies, bake them for around 12 minutes. For more chewy cookies, bake them for 14 minutes or longer. The cookies will initially look puffy, but will sink as they cool.
Troubleshooting Tips
This happens when your butter is too warm. Room-temperature butter should be cool to the touch, and this can be cooler than your kitchen. If your mixture feels greasy or sticky, cover and chill the bowl until it has firmed up.
This can happen when you pack your measuring cup with too much flour or if you reduce the sugar in the recipe. Make sure you measure flour accurately, using the spoon and level method, or weighing the flour with an electric scale.
This is usually because the butter was too warm or if your oven runs cool.
If your dough is sticky, chill the cookie dough until it firms up. If your cookies are larger than you want, when they’re still hot from the oven, use a large cookie cutter or bowl to ‘swivel’ around the cookies to shape them.
Customizing this recipe
Yes! To the dough, you can add:
– chopped pecans and walnuts
– chopped pretzels
– white chocolate chips
– freeze-dried fruit such as strawberries or raspberries
– flaky sea salt, sprinkled on the cookies when they’re still warm from the oven!
I have only tested this recipe as it’s written. Replacing any of the ingredients will change the final results but you’re welcome to experiment!
For gluten-free cookies made with almond flour, olive oil and coconut sugar, see my triple chocolate chip cookies.
Yes! Roll the cookie dough into balls and store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. You can bake them straight from the freezer, but will need to bake them for a few extra minutes as the cookie dough is cooler. Over time, the cookie dough will oxidize and darken in color (but the cookies will still taste great).
More vegan cookie recipes
Or you may like my edible vegan cookie dough!
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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These vegan chocolate chip cookies have a soft center with crispy chewy edges. The dough doesn’t need to be chilled beforehand, and you don’t need any special egg replacers!
Servings: 20 cookies
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper
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Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Beat untul the mixture is light, fluffy and well combined. Add the milk (or yogurt) and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
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Add the all-purpose flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips/chunks and mix through. The dough should be soft and tacky, but not sticky.
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Use a cookie scoop to divide the dough into around 20 balls. Arrange the cookie dough balls on your prepared baking sheets leaving around 2 inches (5 cm) between them as they will spread.
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Bake the cookies for around 12-15 minutes or until their edges look set. For softer cookies, bake them for less time, or for chewier cookies, bake them for longer. When you remove the cookie , they will look very soft and will continue baking on the sheets. After around 20 minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
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Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Instead of butter, you can use softened coconut oil for crispier cookies (use refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor). These cookies will work with a vegan spreadable butter but your cookies will be softer, less chewy and rich. If using a spread, omit the milk from the recipe.
- Alternatively, you can use 3 tablespoons (50g) applesauce. The cookies with made with milk, yogurt or applesauce all taste the same on the day of baking. However, the cookies with yogurt and applesauce stay softer for a few extra days.
- If you’re using measuring cups, ensure you spoon and level your flour otherwise your cookies won’t spread as much and will be cakey. To do this, fluff up the flour in the bag, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. For the best results, use an electric kitchen scale and the grams measurements.
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