These vegan chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with the perfect amount of sweetness and a gluten-free option!
Why I Love These Cookies
I’ve hesitated to create my own chocolate chip cookie recipe since there are thousands of vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes out there already. But many of them are way too sweet for my sensitive sweet tooth. So I set out to create a chocolate chip cookie that would appease my taste buds, aka a cookie that isn’t overpoweringly sweet. I tested these about 20 times, and probably ate near a hundred chocolate chip cookies in the process. At one point I was ready to give up, but I’m so glad I didn’t because I can now share with you my favorite, not-too-sweet, vegan chocolate chip cookies!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie FAQ
How do I make them gluten-free?
Oat flour is my favorite gluten-free flour for cookies as it results in a chewy texture with nutty flavor. To make these cookies gluten-free, replace the all purpose flour with oat flour + cornstarch. Using just oat flour makes the cookies too dense, so we use some cornstarch to lighten it up a bit. I haven’t tested this yet, but you can also try a gluten-free 1-1 flour blend (I usually have success with Bob’s Red Mill*).
Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?
If you don’t have vegan butter, you can use coconut oil but the cookies will be more thick and firm.
What vegan butter should I use?
I used homemade vegan butter following this recipe from A Virtual Vegan. If using store bought butter, be sure to use block butter and not the spreadable tub butter as these contain more water.
Tips for Success
Use melted butter ⟶ Melted butter makes for chewier cookies. Softened butter gets aerated when creaming with sugar and thus will result in a more cake-like texture.
Chill dough ⟶ Technically this step is optional if you’re in a time-crunch, but I highly recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) before baking. This allows the flour to hydrate and break down into sugars, resulting in a more flavorful cookie with better browning.
Tap pan on counter throughout baking ⟶ Because these cookies contain less sugar than normal, they don’t spread as easily. To help the cookies spread, we take the pan out of the oven and bang it on the counter a few times throughout the baking process. This destroys the air bubbles that form during baking, helping the cookies flatten and crack on top.
Use baking soda AND baking powder ⟶ Chocolate chip cookies usually just call for baking soda. But again, since these cookies contain less sugar they don’t spread and crack easily. The addition of baking powder makes the cookies rise more initially, then flatten and crack during the cooling process.
Chopped chocolate vs chocolate chips ⟶ Chopped chocolate bars melt more readily than chocolate chips. So if you want messy, melty (when warm) chocolate chip cookies, chop up a chocolate bar.
Use gram measurements! ⟶ I highly recommend weighing your ingredients (mainly flour, sugar, and butter) with a kitchen scale*.
More Vegan Cookies!
- Flourless Brownie Cookies (GF)
- Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF)
- Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (GF)
- Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
- Easy Vegan Snickerdoodles
If you try out these vegan chocolate chip cookies, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free Option)
Ingredients
- 52 grams (¼ cup) melted vegan butter
- 2 tsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp soy milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 36 grams (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 36 grams (3 tbsp) brown sugar
- 100 grams (3/4 cup + 4 tsp) all purpose flour**
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips/chopped chocolate
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, ground flaxseed, and soy milk. Mix until a cohesive mixture forms.
- Add vanilla and sugars and mix to combine.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a dough forms and no dry flour is left.
- Stir in chocolate.
- Cover and transfer the dough to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).
- Take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough and roll into balls. Place 2-inches apart on a baking sheet.
- When the oven is ready, place the cookies in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and bang the pan on the counter a couple times. Place back in the oven and bake 2 minutes. Remove the pan now for soft cookies, or bang the pan on the counter again and bake another 2 minutes for firm, crispy edged cookies. Bang the pan on the counter one more time after removing from the oven. (So you will bake 12-14 minutes total depending on how soft you want your cookies. Bang the pan at 10 minutes, then bake 2 more minutes and bang the pan. Let the cookies cool now for soft cookies, or return to the oven for another 2 minutes, then bang the pan and let them cool.)
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
*Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but the price remains the same to you. Thank you for supporting Ellie Likes Cooking!
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