These best vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies ever are so good, you might find yourself craving them all times of the day, and dreaming of them at night. In that case, make a double batch and make them even more healthy by using whole wheat.
Your eyeballs won’t pop all the way out of their sockets and you certainly won’t sprout blue fuzz all over your body, but you’ll know just what goes through the Cookie Monster’s brain when you sample one of these vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
They are barely crispy around the edges but mostly soft and chewy, and they are studded with enough chocolate chips to make you go om nom nom nom.
I have made and shared with you recipes for vegan chocolate cookies before, including one for a chocolate chip and oats cookie, but this time I wanted to give you a classic chocolate chip cookie with absolutely nothing in between you and all that deliciousness.
You’ll be hooked, especially if you like cookies with divine little gooey pockets of chocolate. But these are so much more.
How to make the best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- It’s really easy. For starters, you don’t need any egg replacer to make these cookies, or aquafaba, or even flaxmeal.
- The molasses adds a great richness and punch of flavor. You can leave it out if you don’t have it, though. You’ll still have a delicious cookie.
- The almond flour, likewise, adds more rich flavor without adding too many calories, but if you don’t have it, or would rather not use it, just use more all purpose flour instead. Sub an equal amount.
- Use either coconut oil or olive oil. I made these vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies twice over the last couple of days, the first time with coconut oil, and then with olive oil. Both oils make excellent cookies, but the coconut oil has a way of adding a strong coconut flavor to baked goods that I don’t exactly love. The fruity flavor or olive oil, on the other hand, goes well with baked goods and doesn’t overpower them. If I had to choose one of the cookies, I’d pick the one with olive oil.
Here’s the ingredient list for these Chocolate Chip Cookies. It’s pretty short– just 10 items:
- Flour, all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
- Almond flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Coconut or olive oil or any vegetable oil
- Applesauce
- Vanilla extract
- Cane or Turbinado sugar
- Molasses
- Chocolate chips.
Before I sign off, I want to briefly address recent research from the American Heart Association that says coconut oil is actually worse for you than butter, beef drippings and lard. If you’ve seen those articles, you’ve probably also seen dozens more contradicting the AHA’s assertion.
Coconut oil tends to be a popular fat among vegans, and you will often find it taking the place of butter in vegan baked goods, because it was touted in the last few years as a healthy fat with medium chain fatty acids that actually help you lose fat, and also because it remains solid at cooler temperatures, making it a good substitute for butter and shortening in pies and shortbreads.
But no matter what research you believe in, don’t toss that coconut oil in the trash. Instead, use something else you already have — hopefully in spades — to determine what you should do: your common sense. And remember that research isn’t always what it seems, even when it comes from sources that are seemingly unbiased.
Coconut oil is a natural fat, and it has been eaten for centuries. You don’t need to eat a gallon of it, but used sparingly, I can’t imagine it’s any worse for you than any other fat.
I have always loved, and used, coconut oil in some Indian foods where it is traditionally used, like south Indian recipes, and I am certainly not stopping now. Even in those Indian recipes, I use just a teaspoon or two for a recipe that makes more than four servings. And I daresay coconut oil is still a healthier vegan substitute than a processed vegan “butter” product is.
There is just one-fourth of a cup of coconut oil — or olive oil, if you swing my way — in this vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, so you will certainly not be overdoing it You might just overdo the eating, though, as I did, especially because when it comes to the calories in these vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, you have a winner: just 120 calories each. How great is that?
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup coconut or olive oil
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup turbinado sugar or vegan cane sugar
- 1 tbsp molasses (optional)
- 1 1/4 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix the two flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a larger bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, vanilla, sugar and molasses.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a spatula until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour. Prepare three cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
Scoop balls of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet using an ice cream scoop. You should get about 20 cookies.
Bake each batch of cookies in the oven for 16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet or on a wire rack. Remove with a spatula to serve.
***
Try these vegan cookies next:
Vegan Gingersnap Cookies
Vegan Coconut Almond Macaroons
Vegan and Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
© The recipe Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies first appeared on HolyCowVegan.net
I’m with you on the oil. I think you definitely have to consider your source. I believe coconut oil is a healthier choice than any animal fat. That said, its still a fat, so I just practice moderation. Although, these cookies look awfully tempting, lol! The look lovely! I have a question though. In your blog post you mention there is only 1/4 cup of oil in the cookies, but in the recipe, it calls for 1/2 cup. Which is the correct amount? Thank you. 🙂
Hey Aimee, that was a typo– sorry! It is 1/4th of a cup. Corrected now!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Cookie recipe with just 1/4 cup of oil 😮 ? Whoa that’s amazing! Normally cookie recipes call for more oil so I seldom bake them. This one I should try! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hey Namrata, yes, the applesauce really helps keep these cookies from drying up and subs nicely for the oil. Hope you try!
I also have a question. Is the calorie count 120 calories or 120,000 (kcal) as stated in the beginning of the recipe.
120,000 sounds too high, so i’m betting on a typo?
Hey Wolp, thanks for the question! I’ve left my science days far behind, so this question really messed with my head (in a good way) and I spent a good part of this morning researching it. Here’s what I found: a kilocalorie, or a kcal, in Britain, is the same as a calorie listed on American nutrition food labels. So whenever you see a calorie on our food labels here, it is actually a British kilocalorie, and yes, we are supposed to be consuming 2000 kcal per day, according to the USDA. Here’s one little snippet of info that might make it somewhat clearer: http://www.uta.edu/faculty/sawasthi/Lecture%20Notes%20Chem1451/Calorie.htm
OMG Vaishali! These really are the best chocolate chip cookies. I made these for my son, who is lactose-intolerant, and this recipe is going to replace my regular one. Thank you, thank you.
Ruth, that’s lovely to hear. Thanks for letting me know!
Hi vaishali
Can I substitute almond flour with app flour?
Hi Priya, yes, that’s fine.
Hi! What would be your suggested substitute for the almond flour? I have an allergy..thanks!
Shauna, try coconut flour.
Hi vaishali, made the cookies last weekend. Best cookies I have ever baked. Thanks a lot.
That’s awesome, Priya, so glad you tried ’em!
What can I substitute the wheat flour for?
Allergic.
You can try a gluten-free flour mix. If you do, I’d love to hear how they turn out.
Hi, Would you know how long do they stay fresh in a sealed container. I am hosting a vegan baby shower, would love to make them in advance? Thank you!
Cathy, about a week. You can refrigerate for longer.
Hi Vaishali,
I stumbled upon your site and I have gone crazy ever since. Can’t wait to try each one of your recipes.
In this recipe, why do you use molassis? Can I choose not to add it? Or is there a substitute for this?
Big fan,
Vasudha
Hi Vasudha, thanks for the kind words! The molasses adds deep, rich flavor, but yes, you can totally leave it out. Hope you try the cookies! 🙂
Hi Vaishali,
Is it ok to use 2.5cups of oat flour instead of the wheat & almond flour?
Thanks!
Hi Mya, you might find it difficult for the cookies to bind, with only oat flour. If you want to go gluten-free, an all purpose gluten-free flour could work better.
Hi! Can you substitute the applesauce for mashed banana or will the flavor be overpowering?
You will have some banana flavor but it should taste great.