Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These vegan chocolate chip cookies will melt in your mouth. They are soft and chewy with a crispy edge, and jam-packed with delicious chunks of dairy-free milk chocolate!
I don’t know about you but I LOVE the kind of cookies that are soft and chewy.
You know the kind that you can buy fresh from the bakeries?
Perfection.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all kinds of cookies! But when it comes to the soft and chewy ones, something about them just makes me lose all willpower and self-control.
One cookie always becomes 2, 3… then all of a sudden there are none left.
Oops.
These cookies were one of the first things I ever made when I first started Baked by Clo.
Since then, I’ve (not to toot my own horn) absolutely perfected my chewy cookie recipe and thought this post could use some updating!
Check out my other cookie recipes:
- Double chocolate chip cookies
- White chocolate cookies
- Scottish shortbread cookies
- Rainbow chip cookies
- Low(er) carb almond flour cookies
- Peanut butter cookies
How to make vegan chocolate chip cookies
Step 1:
First things first!
Preheat your oven to 400°C/350°F. If you’re using a fan or convection oven, turn the heat down to 180°C or 350°F instead.
You’ll also need to line two medium to large trays with baking paper. This recipe makes 12 large cookies.
They spread out quite a lot during baking so I recommend spacing them out between the two trays to avoid ending up with a giant cookie sheet.
Step 2:
Next, you’ll need to make your flax “egg”, which will act as a binder and prevent the cookies from crumbling.
You can do this by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 1 tablespoon of water. Leave it to sit for a few minutes to gelatinise.
I experimented with a few different vegan egg replacements for this recipe but found the others interfered too much with the flavour or texture. Flax eggs came out on top this time!
Note: It’s important that you use ground flax seeds (rather than whole) for best results. I buy the golden seeds from Tesco and grind them up myself in my Ninja blender.
Step 3:
To a large bowl, add 200g of vegan margarine (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon), 100g of soft brown sugar (1/2 cup, packed), and 150g of caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar, 3/4 cup).
Beat them together using a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.
Step 4:
Add the flax seed mixture to the bowl along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and stir everything together.
Step 5:
Measure out 320g of self-raising flour* (2 + 1/2 cups) and add it to the bowl. Mix it with a wooden spoon until it starts to stick together, then use your hands to press it into a dough.
The dough should be soft but easy to handle and shouldn’t stick to your hands. You may need to add more flour, depending on the brand of margarine you use and the temperature of the room.
*If you don’t have self-raising flour where you live, just use plain flour instead, and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda to the recipe.
Step 6:
Add 150g of vegan milk chocolate chips or chunks (1 cup) and use your hands to fold them into the dough.
I used Nomo salted caramel chocolate in my cookies but you can use whatever kind of chocolate you like! You can use a bar chopped up into chunks like I did or use chocolate chips.
Step 7:
Once you’ve got the dough together, divide it into 12 equal pieces. I use a scale to do this for accuracy.
Roll each piece into a ball and place it onto the lined baking tray, leaving ~2-3 inches between each piece to allow room for spreading.
Press down on the balls with your fingers to slightly flatten them.
Step 8:
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.
When you remove them from the oven, they’ll be slightly wobbly in the middle but will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to keep baking them or they’ll turn out hard and crispy.
Top tips
- Use a scale to measure out the pieces of dough, to ensure the cookies are all the same size.
- Don’t overcrowd the tray! These cookies spread out quite a lot while baking so I’d recommend leaving a few inches between them to prevent them from sticking together.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before attempting to remove them from the tray. They will break apart otherwise.
- Dark chocolate will work fine but for the closest thing to milk chocolate chip cookies, use semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate such as Nomo creamy choc.
FAQ
They are best stored in an airtight container and in a cool, dry place such as a cupboard. If it’s warmer, they may soften, but you can pop them in the fridge for half an hour to make them chewy again.
Another good tip is to make sure there’s parchment paper underneath the cookies in the storage container. This helps prevent them from drying out or going crumbly.
Absolutely! Freezing the dough can be so handy for those days that you don’t have a lot of time to bake, but need freshly baked cookies for whatever reason.
If you want to save your cookie dough for a later date, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap first. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Unwrap it and let it sit on a plate at room temperature until thawed before baking.
For vegan milk chocolate chip cookies, use semi-sweet chocolate. Some of my favourite vegan ones are:
–Nomo sea-salt caramel
–The Free From Kitchen milk chocolate alternative
–Tesco free-from chocolate
Some of my favourite dark chocolate to use:
-Lovett’s
–Lindt 70%
–Tesco 74%
Find more options in my vegan chocolate post.
Simply bake them for a few minutes longer, until they turn golden brown all over!
I hope you enjoy these cookies! If you make them yourself, please let me know how it goes by leaving a comment or rating below.
Happy baking! xo
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dairy-free milk chocolate chip cookies that are soft and chewy with a crispy edge.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Ground flax seeds + 1 tablespoon cold water
- 200 g Vegan margarine (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 100 g Soft brown sugar (½ packed cup)
- 150 g Caster / super-fine sugar (¾ cup)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 320 g Self-raising flour (2 + ½ cups)
- 150 g Vegan chocolate chips or chunks (1 cup)
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F (or 180°C / 350°F if using a fan or convection oven). Line 2 large trays with baking paper.
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In a small bowl, mix the flax seeds and water together and set aside for a few minutes to allow it to congeal.
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In a large bowl, cream the margarine with the brown sugar and caster sugar.
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Add the vanilla and the flax seed mixture then stir.
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Add the flour to the bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to stick together, then use your hands to press it into a dough. You may need to add a bit more flour depending on the brand of butter you use. You should be able to shape the dough without it sticking to your hands.
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Add the chocolate chips into the dough then divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
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Place the balls onto the baking trays and flatten them slightly with your hands. Make sure to leave a few inches between each cookie as they will spread a lot while baking.
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Bake the cookies for 12 minutes and allow them to cool completely on the tray before removing. They will still be wobbly when they come out of the oven but will firm up to be crisp and chewy once cooled.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- This recipe makes 12 extra-large cookies. If you want smaller cookies, you can divide the dough up into more pieces and bake them for less time.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
