This Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is for all the soft & chewy-loving cookie monsters out there. Chocolatey pillows on the inside and slightly golden and crispy on the outside, these just may be your next favorite cookie recipe.
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Truth be told, this chocolate chip cookie recipe is probably my best vegan cookie to date. For me a cookie must be crispy on the edges and soft and gooey in the middle. I want both. I need both. Thankfully this cookie recipe delivers. It doesn’t require chill time and the cookie batter comes together quickly enough that you’ll be eating warm gooey cookies in 30 minutes flat.
What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe
- Flax egg (ground flaxseed & water)
- Vegan chocolate chips – Any non-dairy chocolate chip will work. I use Enjoy Life or Nature’s Promise.
- Plant-based milk – I used almond milk but soy or oat milk are good options as well.
- All-purpose flour – A gluten free or wheat flour may also work here, but I have not tested for it yet. Stay tuned!
- Salt
- Baking-soda
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar, or a mix of the two, will work great.
- Coconut oil – You can also use vegan butter instead.
- Vanilla extract
- Cane Sugar
How to Make Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugars, vanilla, salt, and baking soda, beating until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the flax egg and plant-based milk. Continue beating until smooth.
- Mix in the flour.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Roll 1-2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and place onto the cookie sheets, leaving a few inches between each cookie. For small cookies (1 1/2”) cookies, use 1 TBSP of cookie dough. For larger cookies (2 1/2”), use 2 TBSP of cookie dough.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are starting to turn a chestnut brown and the tops are lightly golden.
Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQ & Tips
If you’re making these cookies with coconut oil, make sure the oil is slightly softened but not melted. It should be solid but easily scoopable. Since coconut oil melts at a lower temperature than vegan butter, you may need to place the batter into the fridge before rolling the dough into balls to solidify the oil again. Vegan butter, like Earth Balance, I’ve found to be stable at room temperature.
If the cookie dough feels too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour. If the dough feels too dry, add a tablespoon of plant-based milk. More flour will make the cookies crispier. More milk will make the cookies spread out and flatten a bit more while baking.
Baking times will vary from oven to oven. Make sure to keep an eye on the cookies so they don’t over-bake. Cookies will still need to finish baking completely after being taken out of the oven.
As a topping option, you can add a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies after they come out of the oven, and sprinkle a little salt over them as well.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Store cookie dough in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days. The dough will be ready to roll into cookie balls straight from the fridge. Alternatively, you can also freeze the cookie dough after rolling them into balls and store them in the freezer in ziplock bags. When you’re ready to bake, do not thaw, just add 1-2 minutes on the total bake time.
To make these cookies a little healthier you can omit the vegan butter/coconut oil and instead use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. They’ll still turn out great and taste just as chewy.
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Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg (1 TBSP ground flaxseed, 2.5 TBSP water)
- ½ cup (108 g) coconut oil or vegan butter softened
- ¾ cup (115 g) light or dark brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (50 mL) plant-based milk unsweetened
- 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1.5 cups (246 g) vegan chocolate chip cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190 °C) degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Set aside.
- Make the flax egg: In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed and water to make the flax egg. Let it thicken for about 15 minutes.
- Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugars, vanilla, salt, and baking soda, beating until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the flax egg and plant-based milk. Continue beating until smooth.
- Mix in the flour, followed by the chocolate chips.
- Roll 1-2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and place onto the cookie sheets, leaving a few inches between each cookie. For small cookies (1 1/2 inches [3.81 cm]) cookies, use 1 TBSP of cookie dough. For larger cookies (2 1/2 inches [6.35 cm]), use 2 TBSP of cookie dough.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are starting to turn a chestnut brown and the tops are lightly golden.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Cookie storage – Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Dough storage – Store cookie dough in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days. The dough will be ready to roll into cookie balls straight from the fridge. Alternatively, you can also freeze the cookie dough after rolling them into balls and store them in the freezer in ziplock bags. When you’re ready to bake, do not thaw, just add 1-2 minutes on the total bake time.
- Dough troubleshooting – If the cookie dough feels too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour. If the dough feels too dry, add a tablespoon of plant-based milk. More flour will make the cookies crispier. More milk will make the cookies spread out and flatten a bit more while baking.
- Baking times – Baking times will vary from oven to oven. Make sure to keep an eye on the cookies so they don’t over-bake. Cookies will still need to finish baking completely after being taken out of the oven.
- Coconut oil – If you’re making these cookies with coconut oil, make sure the oil is slightly softened but not melted. It should be solid but easily scoopable. Since coconut oil melts as a lower temperature than vegan butter, you may need to place the batter into the fridge before rolling the dough into balls to solidify the oil again. Vegan butter, like Earth Balance, I’ve found to be stable at room temperature.
- Toppings – As an option, you can add a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies after they come out of the oven, and sprinkle a little salt over them as well.
- Healthier Version – To make these cookies a little healthier you can omit the vegan butter/coconut oil and instead use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. They’ll still turn out great and taste just as chewy.
- This recipe was inspired by Baker by Nature.
