The Best Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

In honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (August 4), I’ve created the chewiest chip packed vegan cookies you’ll ever eat. I’m not a huge fan of cakey cookies, and I know a lot of people say they have the “best” recipe, but I think these will surprise you with how baller they are. They have a slightly crisp outside, yet are chewy and gooey inside. I’ve eaten and baked a lot of cookies over the years (anyone else memorize the original Toll House recipe from the bag of chips?), but these may be the best I’ve ever made. One of my first jobs was working for Mrs. Field’s cookies in college (when they were hand made in store), so me and chocolate chip cookies go way back. I feel these are the vegan equivalent of those and would stack up against them vegan or not.

Let’s talk about equipment first. You could certainly mix these by hand, but a stand or hand mixer will make quick work of the job. The type of sheet pans are also important and make a difference in the final bake. I’m not a fan of nonstick pans. They tend to make baked items cook faster and can lead to over cooked bottoms (and who wants that?!). If you can, invest in a good half sheet commercial quality aluminum pan. I’ve seen 2 packs of these pans at Costco especially around the holidays and they’re always a good deal. Restaurant supply stores have them as well as Big Box stores like Target, Walmart and specialty stores like Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma. PRO TIP: if you’re really concerned about burned bottoms, stack two pans together for more heat cushioning.

Also, an ice cream scoop is a great item to have to make cookies all the same size so they all bake evenly. There’s different sizes so I actually own a mini 1.5” scoop, a 2” scoop (the one I used for these and most cookies I make) and a jumbo 3” size when you want to make bakery style monster cookies.

This recipe uses melted vegan margarine and the reason that makes a chewy cookie is that the fat separates from the water and bonds with the flour to form strands of gluten making the cookie chewy. The additional fat from the coconut milk helps to keep them chewy once cooled and mixed with the flax seed is the egg substitute in this recipe. Another key point is to not over-bake these. If using a 2” scoop or about 3 tbsp of dough per cookie, they should only bake for 13 minutes and no more. Let them cool for 10 minutes on the trays to finish cooking and they’ll be perfect.

I use Trader Joe’s vegan chips, but feel free to use your favorite brand. I’ve even mixed half semisweet and half bittersweet chips before with great results. Good vanilla is also essential. Trader Joe’s comes through again with their Madagascar bourbon vanilla at only $9.99 for a 4oz bottle. It’s a certified BIG DEAL!

This is also the kind of dough you want to eat raw and may want to save some for snacking! No eggs = no worries. I usually bake half the recipe then scoop the extra dough into balls and freeze them on a tray then transfer them to a plastic freezer bag for snacking on later  or for an emergency cookie fix.

Some mix in ideas:

• Go nuts and add your favorite kind. Macadamia nuts are a fave of mine.

• Add flaked coconut for a tropical flavor.

• Make a kitchen sink version with all of the above plus cranberries or raisins and if you can find vegan white chocolate chips you’re golden!

The Best Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 5 votes

Cuisine: Cookies, Dessert, Vegan

Servings

18

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

13

minutes

Amazing vegan chocolate chippers!

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 3/4 tsp kosher salt

• 12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) Earth Balance or 3/4 cup vegan butter, melted and cooled

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup vegan granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp full fat coconut milk

• 1 tbsp finely ground flax seed

• 2 tsp good vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups vegan semisweet chocolate chips (one 12 oz bag)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Either by hand, or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars together until blended thoroughly.
• Whisk the flax seed into the coconut milk and let stand for 5 minutes. Add flax egg mixture with vanilla into butter and sugar mixture until combined.
• Add dry ingredients on low speed until combined.
  Stir in the chocolate chips. Let mixture stand for at least 15 minutes so flour absorbs in completely. Mixture may look shiny at first. You can chill mixture overnight or bake right away.
• Using a medium 2″ sized ice cream scoop or 3 tablespoons of dough, place on sheet 2.5” apart.
• Bake for 13 minutes, then let cool on trays for 10 minutes to finish cooking. Remove cooled cookies onto a wire rack.

Notes

• You can use semisweet, bittersweet or even chop an entire block of chocolate to use in these cookies. I don’t judge.

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