Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
they need no introduction
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I make these cookies about once a week. Over the years, recipes change as I add a little bit of this and that, question if adding something else would make it taste better, and the ultimate burst of inspiration: running out of an ingredient.
This chocolate chip cookie is the result of years of tweaking and perfecting into what I think is the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. They are crispy on the edges, chewy in the middles, full of two types of chocolate chips for maximum chocolate (that really is important!), and topped with flaky sea salt to balance out all the sweet.
When people first find out that I am vegan, these cookies are one of the first things I make for them. No one believes me when I tell them they are dairy and egg free.
Give these a try and let me know what you think.
My Perfected Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 32 Cookies
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Bake Time: 12-14 Minutes
Total Time: 1 hours (to bake all the rounds of trays)
Equipment
Hand mixer or stand mixer recommended
Mixing bowls and spoons
Measuring cups and spoons
parchment paper or silicone baking sheet
Baking trays
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup bread flour
2 cups chocolate chunks
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top
Method
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Make sure the oven rack is set to the middle of the oven.
Make the flax seed egg. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax seeds and the hot water. Set aside for 5 minutes to gel.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip together the softened vegan butter and both brown and granulated sugars. Mix this on medium speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is soft and fluffy looking. Add the now gelled flax seed egg and vanilla extract. Mix again on a medium speed until the flax seed is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Add the dry ingredients. Now in a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Turn the mixer off and add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix on low speed before adding the two types of chocolate chips. Mix together until the dough forms. Depending on the weather and type of vegan butter brand used, you may need to add an additional spoonful of flour.
Shape the cookies. Using a one tablespoon scoop, measure out the cookies onto the prepared trays, 12 to a tray. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips and flaky sea salt on top.
Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. In my oven, exactly 13 minutes is perfect but you will have to judge based on your unique oven. Remove them from the oven when the edges are golden brown and the cookies no longer look wet.
Chill and enjoy! Let the cookies rest on the hot tray for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Click above for the printable version of this recipe!
Why use bread flour?
So in lots and lots of testing, I found that adding a little bit of bread flour does a few things. Mainly, it helps to make for a chewier cookie thanks to the extra protein content of the bread flour. The extra protein makes not only for more gluten development, but also better moisture retention. All those add up to a chewier cookie center.
Tip! You can add bread flour to any chewy cookie recipe and have it turn out even chewier. I suggest trying this out with sugar cookies or snickerdoodles.
A note on bread flours: I bake with King Arthur flours. This post isn’t sponsored by them, I just want you to know the exact brands I use so you can have the same results as me. I like King Arthur because they print the protein content right onto the bags so you always know you’ll have consistent results when baking.
Double the Chocolate Chips
Next up, I recommend that you use two types of chocolate chips in these cookies.
The big chunks make for those delicious puddles of melted chocolate in the cookies.
The mini chocolate chips almost melt into the cookie itself, turning them into not quite a double chocolate cookie, but close.
If you don’t have a chunk or mini chocolate chip you like, use your favorite chocolate bar and roughly chop it into chunks and slivers. This will yield for the most incredible cookies and it’s what I do when I want to get fancy.
Flax Seed Egg
In the original recipe, I used cornstarch as an egg replacer and even tried using some commercial based egg replacers to make these cookies. However, over time and testing, I found that using a flax seed egg not only made for a chewier cookie, it made for a more consistent one.
For more about flax seeds and their uses, check out my ingredient spotlight on the flax seed!
Here is how to tweak this cookie recipe to be YOUR best chocolate chip cookie recipe, ever.
Crispier: Add 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar and bake an additional 2 minutes.
The extra sugar will melt down and give off more of the Maillard reaction, resulting in not only a crispier cookie but a darker and more flavorful cookie. The extra sugar does change the fat:sugar:flour ratios, so these cookies will spread a little bit more in the oven. Place only 8 or 9 cookies to a tray if you bake these. Finally, allow the cookies to cool completely in order to be the most crispy of all time.
Chewier: Replace 2 tablespoons of the white granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Brown sugar is a slightly different molecular structure than white sugar as it is made up of invert sugars. These invert sugars caramelize at lower temperatures and absorb more moisture, making for a softer and chewier cookie after baking.
Cake-like Cookies: Add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite plant based milk (soy milk or almond milk recommended)
Adding more moisture gives the cookies a more cake like texture after baking. As the plant milk bakes off in the oven, it creates little steam pockets for the cookie to rise up a bit, giving it that cake-like texture. The extra moisture also helps with the hydration of the flours, which again leads to more cakey textures.
The cookie dough itself will be stickier so if you are baking these, I recommend that you chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping and baking. This aids in the hydration of the flour as well.
How To Store
Countertop: Store leftover baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store leftover baked and cooled cookies in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow cookies to thaw before enjoying after freezing.
How to Make Ahead: Yes, you can make the cookie dough itself and freeze before baking! Then, you can always have fresh cookies whenever you like. Make the cookies up to and through the scooping and shaping of the cookie dough. Place onto a lined baking sheet, really packing them in a single layer of cookies. Freeze for 1 hour or until the cookie dough has frozen solid. Then you can store in any freezer safe bag or container. To bake after freezing dough, you can allow the dough to thaw in the fridge for a few hours, or simply add a few extra minutes of baking time.
Before you go!
I hope that you love these chocolate chip cookies as much as my family and friends do!
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That’s all for now!
Love and Sprinkles,
Laura