Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Sarah

in Cookies, Dairy-Free, Desserts, Egg-Free, vegan

These are the *yummiest* chocolate chip cookies that I have made yet. They are chewy, with a soft chocolatey center that fills your mouth with melted chocolate when they are warm right out of the oven.

And the best part is, these cookies are vegan! Many people equate vegan baked goods to bland or less tasty, but by far this cookie is much tastier than the many non-vegan chocolate cookies I have tried in the past. The recipe comes from Chloe’s Vegan baking book, which highlights some classic baked goods made vegan. I first came across Chloe watching the show Cupcake Wars on which she was a winning contestant.

Her kind demeanor, paired with her delicious vegan cupcakes that won in the taste category over the non-vegan competitors, convinced me I needed to read her book if I wanted to try vegan baking. Since getting her book a few months ago, I’ve tried a few of her recipes, and I have been impressed by many of them. This cookie is certainly one of my favorites.

To make this cookie vegan, the main thing is to use vegan margarine, and vegan semisweet chocolate chips. Now you may be thinking, where do I get these? Vegan margarine comes in many kinds, but after some research online, Earth Balance seems to be the kind best suited for baking. I use the Earth Balance Buttery Spread original. You can pick these up online, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, pretty much any major grocery store. Vegan margarine is healthier than butter (vegan margarine does not have cholesterol!), and after substituting it for butter in many recipes I see no difference in taste.

Vegan chocolate chips are harder to come by. Some grocery stores have them (I got mine at Sprouts) but not a lot. Online might be a good option if you don’t live next to a grocery with these. The Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips is by far my favorite brand and I use this every time I say I’m using “chocolate chips” ~ I think they taste better than the non-vegan chocolate chips I’ve gotten in the past.

The recipe in the book is simple, and I made the cookie some very slight modifications:

Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Creamed ingredients

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup vegan margarine
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Other

1 cup chocolate chips dairy free

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
With an electric mixer, beat creamed ingredients till creamy. Add dry ingredients and continue beating till well incorporated.
Add 1 cup chocolate chips. Put 1 round tablespoon of dough at a time onto the baking sheet, with 2 inches between each dough ball (cookies will spread). Bake 15 minutes till edges turn golden brown. It's okay if the center is still a little soft, the cookie will cool to a chewy texture at room temperature.
Let cool on a baking rack, and serve.

For more vegan baking ideas, try these recipes:

1. Cranberry Pear Pear Pie (pie recipe also from Chloe’s Vegan Baking Book)