While chocolate chip cookies have a special place in my heart, I wanted to mix things up (literally!) with a fresh take on the classic and my bakery-style lemon white chocolate chip cookies fit the bill! With a perfect balance of zesty lemon and creamy vegan white chocolate chips, these cookies are soft, chewy, and oh-so-delicious. Whether you’re a long-time vegan or just looking for a dairy-free dessert, this recipe will easily become a favorite.
All of the ingredients follow a pretty standard recipe for a chocolate chip cookie but with a few twists! First is using super cold vegan butter (I actually keep mine in the freezer) and it helps the cookies stay thick and not spread. So many recipes always call for room temperature ingredients but this is one time you’ll need it very cold right from the fridge or freezer. Next, you’ll need vegan white chocolate chips. More about that after the jump.
What you’ll need to make these:
- Vegan butter. I prefer stick style butter for these as it usually contains less water than spreads and results in a better bake. Look for brands like Earth Balance, Country Crock and others at your local stores.
- Vegan white chocolate chips. These can be hard to find but my favorite are Enjoy Life mini white chocolate chips. They’re now at Sprouts and Whole Foods Market stores nationwide as well as regional retailers. They’re also available online. Link to my Amazon storefront is at the bottom of the recipe.
- Applesauce and flax meal. These are the egg replacers in the recipe. I also add a little coconut oil to mimic the fat in egg yolks as these are replacing two eggs. You can use unrefined or refined or plain vegetable oil if preferred.
- Lemon zest: Don’t skip the lemon zest—it adds a burst of flavor that makes these cookies special!
Tips for success:
- Use COLD vegan butter. I can’t stress this enough. Using a stand mixer will really help mix these quickly with cold butter but a hand mixer should work as well. I don’t suggest mixing these by hand.
- Measure your flour correctly. I use the “dip and sweep” method. First, I lighten up the flour by tossing it lightly with my measuring cup then I dip the cup into the flour completely filling the cup until it’s overflowing. Then using the straight back edge of a knife, I “sweep” it over the top to remove the excess. Never tamp flour down into a measuring cup as you’ll wind up using more than you need.
- Measure your dough. I measure the dough with a retractable ice cream scoop so they’re all uniform in size. Another tip for perfectly round cookies is to place a glass larger than the size of the cookies over them immediately after they come out of the oven and swirl it quickly around the edge of the cookie to make it perfectly round.
- Adding the chips. You can either add the chips right to the dough and bake like regular chocolate chip cookies or you can make balls of dough and dip the tops into the chips like I did. It makes a nice presentation but either way, they’ll taste the same!
These vegan lemon white chocolate chip chewy cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and tart, making them a delightful treat for any occasion. Happy baking! Please rate and review if you have the time!
Vegan Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies
12
servings15
minutes12
minutesSuper thick and chewy vegan white chocolate chip cookies with a burst of lemon!
Ingredients
1 cup cold vegan butter (sticks preferred) cut into small cubes
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan cane sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1 tablespoon finely ground flax meal
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (depending on the size of your lemons, this could take 2-3 total)
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cups vegan white chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Using a small bowl, whisk the flax meal and coconut oil into the applesauce. Make sure all are at room temperature or the coconut oil may seize.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the cold cubed vegan butter with the sugars until well blended and lighter in color. This might take up to 5 minutes. Add the flax mixture and lemon zest and blend for 2 minutes scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients to remove any lumps and add to the wet mixture. Mix just until it starts to come together and there is still some flour showing. Add the chips by hand and mix with a spoon or rubber spatula just until there are no streaks of flour left. Don’t over-mix!! This will make the cookies tough. You can also leave the chips out of the dough and just top the cookies with them by dipping them if preferred.
- Using a large retractable ice cream scoop (my preferred method) or a large spoon, scoop out equal pieces of dough and place on a parchment lined or sprayed cookie and bake for 10-12 minutes until they’re just starting to brown. I use a convection oven so mine tend to bake a bit faster. Remove the pan and drop it onto the counter once to flatten the cookies slightly. Cool for 15 minutes so they can set and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- When zesting lemons, be careful not to get too much of the white pith and just zest the bright lemon rind. I use a rasp but the fine side of a box grater works as well.
- These cookies will stay soft and chewy for days! You can store them in an airtight container or freeze them for up to 6 months. You can even freeze dough balls to make cookies on demand when the mood strikes.
- Unrefined coconut oil will lend a slight coconut taste but you can use refined instead or plain vegetable oil if preferred.
Did you make this?
Tag @bigboxveganeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bigboxvegan
Pin this recipe!
Follow @bigboxvegan on Pinterest
Like Big Box Vegan on Facebook!
Follow us on Facebook
