You may have seen these thin, large chocolate chunk “pan banging” cookies featured in The NY Times and elsewhere online but there were very few recipes I could find that were vegan so I decided to make my own version. I’m no stranger to the chocolate chip cookie as I have a number of recipes already on the blog but I wanted these to be thin, super chewy and tasty. I think I’ve accomplished all of that!
These have the usual cast of ingredients you’d find in most chocolate chip cookie recipes but there’s a few differences in the measurements and method that make these different. Pan banging isn’t a new baking technique but it does help the cookies spread and develop those crispy edges while maintaining a gooey chewy interior. You’re going to bang the tray down on the oven rack a few times during baking. Mine don’t have all the ripples some others may have but I was more concerned with them being thin and chewy and not necessarily super wavy.
So there’s a few things to mention to have success in making these.
- Use a good vegan butter. By that I mean a solid block or stick style. Vegan butter from tubs are often softer with more water added. I used Trader Joe’s new block butter but Country Crock or Earth Balance sticks would work as well.
- Use a good vegan chocolate. The key to these are big chunks of chocolate that pool when baked. I chopped down some large bars and added the chunks along with all the shavings into the batter. Can you use chocolate chips? Sure, but they won’t be the same. There’s lot of vegan bar chocolates out there so use your favorite.
- I also used an extra thick flax egg made with aquafaba. It’s key to the recipe so use any other egg replacer at your own risk.
- If you want to bake these right away you can freeze the dough balls for 15 minutes before baking. If you can wait, refrigerate the dough for two hours or overnight and scoop cold dough balls, freeze for just five minutes, then bake. I found they come out the same regardless as I tried them both ways.
You want to bake these just until the edges are browned but the middles are still light. Don’t over bake. This will ensure the cookies are chewy yet crisp at the edges. I used parchment paper to line the baking pans as well as aluminum foil (turned to the dull non-shiny side) and didn’t notice much difference in the final ripples or bake. Some recipes have said foil bakes them better but just make sure to leave room for these to spread! About four cookies for a standard sheet pan should work. I hope you love these as much as I do. These are great warm but just as good days after they’re baked.
Thin & Chewy Pan Banging Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies
12
servings15
minutes15
minutesGiant chewy chocolate chunk cookies with crispy edges that are irresistible and vegan!
Ingredients
8 oz (2 sticks) vegan butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup vegan granulated sugar
1/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) or water
3 tablespoons flax meal
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegan milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz 1 cup good quality vegan chocolate, chopped into bite sized pieces (see notes)
flaky salt for sprinkling
Directions
- Whisk the flax meal into the aquafaba or water and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or using a hand mixer, beat the vegan butter on medium until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugar and beat on medium until speed until well mixed, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the flax egg, vanilla, and vegan milk and mix on low to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate along with any shards and shavings and mix on low speed into the batter.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil turned to the dull side. If baking right away, form large 3 oz balls (about 1/3 cup – I use a 3 inch ice cream scoop) and space 4 apart evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes and preheat your oven to 350°. If baking later, refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. Scoop into the same sized dough balls, freeze for just five minutes and bake as outlined in the next step.
- Place the chilled baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cookies start to puff slightly in the center. Lift the side of the baking sheet up a few inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack. You’ll see the edges start to spread out. After they start to puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan doing this every few minutes to create the ripples around the edges of the cookies. Bake 15 to 16 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are lighter in color and not completely cooked. This will ensure they’re still chewy when they cool.
- After removing from the oven, sprinkle immediately with some flaky salt if desired. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes then lift up the parchment or foil and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use a good quality vegan bittersweet bar chocolate and cut with a knife into bite sized pieces about 1/4 inch in size. Any shards or flakes of chocolate should also be added to the batter. You can use chips but chunks are the way to go.
- If you don’t freeze or refrigerate the dough they’ll spread too quickly and you won’t get any ripples.
- Some have described these type of cookies as “greasy” but I prefer to call them “buttery”.
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