Update 01/2016: I recently made these and decided, again, that they are in fact the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Not just the perfect vegan version, but the perfect chocolate chip cookies in general, though yes, they are vegan. Highly recommended!
Update 05/2017: This recipe has been updated to address the “flat cookie problem” that some readers had experienced.
I recently had a craving for chocolate chip cookies (as happens rather often) and went in search of a recipe that offered just that – a good, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie.
I started my search where I normally do – at some of my favorite food blogs. I was really surprised to find, however, that most of the blogs did not have a single recipe for plain ol’ chocolate chips!
If there was a recipe, it most likely had some sort of odd addition – chocolate chip mint. Double chocolate. Peanut butter chocolate chip. Sugar-free chocolate chip. (Ahem. What?!)
Us food bloggers get caught up a lot of the time in making new and interesting food that surprises and inspires. While this is awesome (and surprising! and inspiring!), I think it’s really important to cover all the basics, too.
I know that when I want a recipe, my favorite food blogs are the first place I go. I feel like I know the cook who makes each recipe, so I feel like I get to share a meal with them. I trust the blogger and her recipes, so I know that whatever it is I decide to make will turn out well. It’s a win-win.
But what happens when I can’t find the recipe I’m looking for? I end up resorting to other less-trusted corners of the internet, and the results are often varied. Some will turn out fabulous, others will be complete flops. I end up putting my cookie future into the hands of a complete and utter stranger, which is not something you usually want to mess with.
So here: for our current readers and all of those to come, I give you the ultimate plain ol’ traditional variety. Nothing fancy, nothing new. But they’re mighty special, and I know you’ll be back here to look them up again.
You’ll make them tonight or this weekend, and your significant other will request them again on Thursday night, so you’ll come back.
Your friends will ask you to bring dessert to a potluck, and here you’ll be. Your parents will be in town, and you’d like to impress them, or just make them feel at home. So here you’ll come.
Print it out. Keep it safe – or give it away. It’ll always be here, so you can always find a bulletproof recipe for your favorite traditional cookie.
These are just slightly crispy on the outside, and nice and soft on the inside. If you like them a bit more crispy, just bake them for a minute or two longer.
Serve them with a glass of almond milk, and enjoy a couple while you’re sitting in bed reading a book. This is definitely my favorite way to enjoy this particular sweet treat, and it’s much more satisfying than just stuffing three of them in your face after lunch. (Yes, I’m guilty of this as well…)
These are meant to be savored, but I won’t judge if you eat a few on the run after lunch.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Author: Raquel Smith
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Description
A traditional, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie that entirely satisfies that cookie craving. A simple vegan recipe that you’ll make time and time again!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour*
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance), room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup vegan granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a piece of parchment or a silicone liner over a baking sheet, or lightly oil the pan.
- Combine the flax seed and water in a small bowl to make a flax egg. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. Set aside.
- Place the room-temperature margarine (I warm up chilled margarine in the microwave for about 20 seconds) in another bowl. Add the sugars and whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes. The mixture should become light and fluffy and take on a light beige color.
- Add the flax egg and the vanilla to the butter mixture, and whisk well until combined.
- Add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture, and stir together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until combined – do not overmix.
- Add the chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter.
- Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating once, until just barely beginning to brown on the bottom. They will look underdone on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes before enjoying – if you can wait!
Notes
Measuring the flour by spooning it lightly into a measuring cup. If you generally scoop your flour out of the bin, you may want to use 1 1/4 cups (though scooping is never a great way to measure flour and can leadto inconsistent results – so it’s best if you spoon it).
I recommend using the Earth Balance stick margarine, as the tub version can be a bit greasy.However, I have made these cookies with the tub margarine just fine as well.
These are rather sweet, but that’s how I like my cookies. If you like cookies that are a bit less sweet, decrease the brown sugar to 1/3 cup.
- Prep Time: 8 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: vegan cookies, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookies
We love sticking with the classic flavors of a chocolate chip cookie, but with small alternatives for all to enjoy, like these vegan ones. If you have other diet concerns, we’ve got you covered with our Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, and our Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies, too!
If you’ve love this recipe be sure to check out some of our other tasty vegan cookie recipes such as:
- Caramel-Stuffed Double Chocolate
- Spelt Walnut Dark Chocolate Chip
- Raw Lemon Bars
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Last updated: December 27, 2019 at 22:13 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
