Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think I’m a little late to the game, but I’m finally into holiday recipes! (This is my first year on a regular posting schedule and I’m finding that late September was the beginning of fall and, therefore, the beginning of soups, recipes for larger gatherings, holiday sweets, etc.)

Also, have I mentioned that I’m a dessert person? And that chocolate in my Achilles heel? Special occasions are honestly just an excuse for me to make some kind of dessert and eat most of it myself, so I want to start the holiday season of right by giving you a delicious baked sweet to warm up the kitchen as the weather starts to cool down. Though by mid-late October here in Southern California we’re still swimming in sunshine…

Chocolate chip cookies also being an absolute classic dessert meant I had to come up with a ‘healthier’ option.

(don’t worry, I have two entrees coming out back to back starting next week, so I’ll have you covered there too!)

I’ve made some damn good chocolate chip cookies in the past, but they always had vegan butter or coconut oil on the ingredient list – without some kind of fat in the recipe, I find that cookies, crusts, or anything flakey just won’t have the right texture (saturated fat, specifically, is what gives these types of recipes their iconic texture). So my trick with these is almond butter; not too much, but just enough to get you the delicious flakey-goodness rather than cookies with texture like doughy bread.

Now, cookies can have all kinds of textures, and preferences are preferences. These ones are soft rather than crunchy, light and fluffy rather than dense, and maintain that fresh-out-of-the-oven consistency even after they’ve cooled down – though I do tend to microwave them for a short bit to melt the chocolate again for the full ‘just baked’ experience.

These cookies are:

• Soft & Flakey
• Rich
• Chocolately
• Soooo good!

They are also pretty easy to make all things considered, but I have struggled with the right consistency living in an un-airconditioned condo in Los Angeles – but I think that’s the struggle with baking no matter the recipe? They’re also healthier than a store-bought dough or comparative non-vegan or vegan-substitutes recipe, and as always are whole food, plant based, vegan-friendly, and made without any oil.

If you try out this recipe, please share it with me by commenting or tagging me in a photo on Instagram @plantsnotplastic. Enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Plants Not Plastic

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 cookies

Calories 178.3 kcal

Equipment

• baking sheet

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup oat flour ~12oz rolled oats, blended
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 4-5 tbsp unsweetened plant milk
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl
• Add plant milk, almond butter, vanilla extract, and 1-2 tbsp of water and combine
• Add additional water 1 tbsp at a time until cookie texture forms (1), then transfer to freezer for ~20 minutes to chill the dough before baking (2)
• Once dough is ready, preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Form into cookie balls using ~2-3 tbsp per cookie and place on nonstick baking tray, leaving enough space for cookies to spread slightly as they bake
• Bake 15-18 minutes on the center rack, then remove and let cool for 10 minutes on the tray
• If needed, press down with a spoon after baking to flatten slightly
• Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Stores on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for up to a week. Microwave for 30 seconds to reheat and regain 'fresh out of the oven' texture.

1. The dough should be able to be pulled together and stick to itself without being so dry that it can fully form into a ball, but not be so runny that it flattens out once you've stopped pulling it together in the bowl. As you're chilling the dough, if you notice it's to wet, you can add more flour; if it's too dry, you can add more water.
2. You can freeze extra balls to make into cookies later, or to enjoy as frozen treats on their own; you can also store in fridge for two hours or more to chill the dough rather than the freezer, but I'm too impatient for that!