Thanks to #bakingscience, over two dozen tests, a careful blend of ingredients, and a little baking magic, we’ve arrived at the perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Every bite is textural heaven, with soft and gooey middles, crisp edges, and a serious chewiness throughout.
And their flavor? These cookies are rich and buttery, with notes of caramel interspersed with melty pools of dark chocolate and flaky sea salt.
I can’t think of anything better. It’s truly my ultimate chocolate chip cookie! And they can even be made gluten-free, YAY!
Table of Contents:
1. Baking Science
2. Ingredient notes
3. Step-by-step instructions
4. Tips for making this recipe
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. Recipe card with notes
Watch: How to Make Amazing Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
With over 160K views on YouTube, these chocolate chip cookies are a huge hit with my audience. I hope you love them just as much!
Baking Science = The Perfect Cookie
No shortage of research and testing went into this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. I spent days if not weeks reading about cookie science from the experts and only then we got started with recipe testing:
Armed with research, my recipe tester Callie and I tested every practical variable:
a) chocolate chips vs. chopped chocolate vs. chocolate feves
b) browned butter vs. creamed butter vs. coconut oil
c) brown sugar vs. white sugar vs. both
d) the ideal time to rest cookie dough before baking
e) various oven temperatures
f) gluten-free alternatives
g) different vegan butter brands
All in all, we baked 300+ cookies to develop our perfect grown-up chocolate chip cookie that has:
– a soft and rich middle
– lovely crispy edges
– wonderful chewiness throughout
– a deep caramel-esque flavor
– big melty pools of chocolate
Here’s just a very small sampling of some of the variables we tested.
Ingredient notes
Vegan butter
You’ll rarely find a chocolate chip cookie recipe without butter…and a lot of it. Most cookie recipes either use creamed, softened butter or melted butter…or a variation of melted butter: browned butter. In our tests, browned butter was the clear winner.
Melting butter, as opposed to creaming it, produces a more pronounced chewy texture. Taking the melting a step further to browning adds a more mature, nutty, and caramelized flavor.
We recommend butter sticks, not in a tub (the sticks are formulated to mimic dairy-based butter better).
Tips for browning vegan butter
Vegan butter doesn’t brown the same way as dairy butter because it doesn’t contain milk proteins, but it will still become slightly darker in color and nutty in aroma after 5 to 6 minutes, depending on the brand used.
Use a stainless steel or light-colored skillet or saucepan so you can see the color change.
Sadly, our favorite vegan butter brand (Violife) was discontinued as of summer 2026, but we recently re-tested this recipe with Earth Balance buttery sticks, which are widely available, and it worked great!
The butter doesn’t brown as much as dairy-based butter but still changes a color a bit (and the flavor improves over time).
NOTE: If your butter is unsalted, use a bit of extra salt, a heaping ¾ teaspoon instead of ½ teaspoon.
Flax egg
We tested these cookies with a few other vegan egg replacers and found that flax eggs (ground flaxseed mixed with water) worked the best. They bind the dough together and, when baked, give the cookies a delightful chewiness, which is typically what eggs do.
All-purpose flour
No fancy flour is needed here. All-purpose flour worked best at giving the cookies a classic chewy-soft texture.
Gluten-free? Check out the FAQ section to find out which flour substitutions work best.
Dark brown sugar + cane sugar
There’s a reason why most chocolate chip cookies combine brown sugar and white sugar: white sugar only = thin and crispy cookies; brown sugar only = the cookies don’t spread much so you have a soft, almost cakey center.
Here, a 2:1 ratio of dark brown sugar to white sugar delivers soft centers, chewiness throughout, and nicely crisped edges.
Shopping Tips: For strictly vegan cookies, buy organic sugars (at least in the US, where conventional sugars are typically processed with animal bone char). If you can’t find dark brown sugar, light brown sugar still works well.
Baking soda
Baking soda (AKA bicarbonate of soda outside the U.S.) helps the cookies spread while baking, leading to evenly baked cookies that aren’t too thick.
We tested a variation of this recipe with baking powder as a substitute, and it gave us cookies that were puffy and cakey—no thanks!
How to tell if baking soda is fresh
Combine ¼ tsp baking soda + 2 teaspoons vinegar in a small bowl. If it bubbles immediately, it’s still fresh.
If you see no bubbles or only slight bubbles, it’s time for new baking soda.
Bittersweet or dark chocolate
In our many tests, the best cookies were made not with chocolate chips but with dark chocolate bars, somewhere in the 60% to 75% cacao content range.
Chopped dark chocolate bars offer several advantages over chocolate chips.
- Most chocolate chips contain melt-resistant chocolate → cookies with localized pockets of chocolate.
- In contrast, chopped chocolate bars = melty chocolate pools and chocolate interspersed throughout the dough 😋
- Chopped chocolate bars melt better → more moisture in the dough → the cookies spread a bit more and don’t end up cakey.
- It’s easier to find dark chocolate in bar form than in chips, which prevents the cookies from being overly sweet.
Pure vanilla extract and sea salt
I always pair vanilla and salt together in desserts because they work together to bring out the other layers of flavors. Without them, the flavor would be a bit flat.
A little flaky sea salt sprinkled on top of the freshly baked cookies also balances the sweetness and enhances the dark chocolate flavor. We love Maldon flaky salt—just a little goes a long way!
Step-by-step instructions
Brown the butter: Add the vegan butter to a light-colored skillet or saucepan. Turn to medium heat and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally.
Once foamy and at a bubble, stir or swirl the pan frequently, or until it gives off a nutty aroma and is slightly darker in color. Immediately pour it into a bowl, then refrigerate for ~30 minutes to bring the butter to room temp.
Tip: Wait until the butter cools to room temp or your dough will be too sticky!
Next, make the flax eggs: whisk the flaxseed meal with warm water. Set it aside to gel.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop the chocolate.
Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the flax eggs, cooled brown butter, brown sugar, cane sugar, and vanilla.
Beat the liquid ingredients with an electric mixer until well combined, thick, and gooey.
Use a silicone spatula to fold half of the dry ingredients into the fluffy wet mixture until no dry spots remain.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and the chocolate chips and fold until just combined.
Scoop out cookie dough rounds with a ¼ cup measuring cup (or a large cookie scoop like this or this) onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. No need to space them out since they’re going to chill.
Refrigerate until cookie dough balls are set. Afterward, you can transfer them to a reusable bag or container and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 72 hours.
When it’s time to bake:
Preheat your oven and line a sheet pan with parchment. Space 6 cookie dough rounds on the pan, leaving 3 inches (7.5 cm) of space in between each (these babies are going to spread).
Bake until the edges are golden brown and a bit set but still gooey and soft in the center, 14 to 16 minutes.
Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for another 5 minutes.
Tips for nailing this recipe
TL;DR: the 2 most important tips
The best cookies have two important features: (1) chopped chocolate bars (not chips) and (2) the dough has rested in the fridge for 24 hours or longer.
So, if you don’t have time to refrigerate the cookie dough: it’s even more important to use chopped dark chocolate over chocolate chips.
Or, if you only have access to chocolate chips, not dark chocolate bars, it’s even more important to rest the dough for 24 hours or longer.
Resting the dough is the most important thing you can do
When the cookie dough rests in the fridge, the flavors meld together and the dough gets hydrated, giving you a cookie with significantly better flavor (more complex, richer, caramel-like) AND significantly better texture (crisp edges and the chewiest, gooey-ist center; not at all cakey or thick).
Tips for resting cookie dough
If you’re really short on time, even a shorter rest of 8 hours (or even 2 to 4 hours!) makes a difference. Or, if a 12 hour rest works better for your schedule, that’s totally fine.
You can refrigerate the cookie dough for up to 72 hours. Any longer than that, and the rested cookie dough should then go into the freezer.
Life hack: Need a cookie NOW? Bake one cookie after making the dough but save the rest of the cookie dough rounds for tomorrow or the next day.
Use dark chocolate bars (not chocolate chips)
In our many tests, dark or bittersweet chocolate bars between 65-75% gave us the best result. If you prefer things a bit sweeter, use 60% dark chocolate. If you prefer less sweet desserts, use chocolate in the 75+% to 80% range.
If you only have chocolate chips: a few important notes:
(1) use dark chocolate chips (anything below 60% cacao, and these will be too sweet);
(2) refrigerating the dough for 24 hours (or longer) will dramatically improve the cookies.
In our tests, cookies made with chocolate chips that were baked immediately were underwhelming in flavor and were thicker, puffier, and cakier. Luckily, after a 24-hour rest, though, the cookies improved A LOT.
Large cookies > small cookies (by a long shot)
Here’s why: larger cookies don’t bake through as quickly as small cookies, which means you get gooey, soft centers paired with irresistibly crisp edges—a perfect balance of textures.
On the other hand, small cookies bake too evenly, resulting in a uniform texture that lacks depth. And the fine folks at America’s Test Kitchen agree.
Worried the big cookies are too much for one sitting? No problem! Share with a friend, or slice them in half for a smaller treat. Trust me, this is infinitely more satisfying than settling for a batch of tiny cookies.
Measure with a digital scale
If you have a kitchen scale, use it to measure all of the ingredients. Not only is it more precise than measuring cups, but you will have fewer dishes to wash (win-win!).
Don’t bake on warm pans
Let your sheet pan cool to room temperature before putting more cookie dough balls on the pan. Warm sheet pans will cause the cookies to spread more.
To speed things up, simply run your pan under cool water.
Resist the urge to overbake
Pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges are just starting to set, but when the middle is still soft and gooey. They’ll continue to bake a bit on the pans for ~10 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
As much as I want you to indulge in these cookies as quickly as possible, letting the dough rest for 24 hours really does make a big difference (check out the Tips section for more on this).
Even an 8- or 12-hour rest makes a big difference. Really short on time? In our tests, even a 2-hour rest yielded a better cookie than a cookie baked immediately.
And cookies rested for 48 hours taste even better, so you can always “prep” the cookie dough and bake them a couple days later.
If you can’t bake the cookies with 72 hours of refrigeration, though, you should freeze the cookie dough.
We recommend using vegan butter sticks, as they are formulated to mimic dairy butter in baking better than the margarine or butter in tubs.
Our long-time favorite butter brand, Violife, was recently discontinued. Luckily, our recent tests with Earth Balance Buttery Sticks turned out great (in fact, my partner Max thinks the cookies made with Earth Balance are even better).
Use the same amount of refined coconut oil (12 tablespoons / ~150g) instead.
The cookies won’t have the same amazing flavor without the browned butter and won’t be as chewy with crisp edges, but they’ll still be tasty (and will NOT taste like coconut if you use refined coconut oil).
I’d also recommend using good-quality dark chocolate to compensate for the loss of flavor and texture.
The coconut oil will harden in the dough, so before baking, let the cookie dough balls sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, or until pliable. If the dough balls have lost their shape, reshape them into balls before baking.
Good news! Our gluten-free test worked out very well!
Replace the 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 ⅓ cups (192g) of gluten-free all-purpose flour and ⅔ cup (76g) of oat flour (certified gluten-free).
It’s also important that your gluten-free flour blend contains xanthan gum, something like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour or King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF Flour (affiliate links).
In our testing, we also found that the gluten-free dough was a bit sticky, so you will likely need to refrigerate it for 10 to 20 minutes before shaping it into balls.
Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes.
Baking one pan of cookies at a time yields the best texture. This is because hot air doesn’t circulate as efficiently in an overcrowded oven.
That said, if you’re in a real rush, you can arrange a rack in the upper-middle and lower-middle of the oven. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Remove one pan from the oven (closing the door in between to avoid too much heat escaping), then remove the other pan.
Switch the pans’ positions on the racks for even baking and browning, and bake for another 8 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a bit set but still gooey and soft in the center.
There could be a few potential reasons for this.
(1) Your baking soda isn’t fresh. To test if it’s fresh: combine ¼ tsp baking soda + 2 teaspoons vinegar in a small bowl. If it bubbles immediately, it’s still fresh. If you see no bubbles or only slight bubbles, it’s time for new baking soda.
(2) You accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda.
(3) You didn’t chill the browned butter for long enough. Make sure it’s not warm!
(4) The brand of butter makes a difference. In our tests, Earth Balance buttery sticks didn’t spread quite as much as our previous favorite butter, Violife, but the flavor/texture ended up being great.
Recommendation: After baking, if your cookies don’t appear to have spread very much, try the Sarah Kieffer’s pan-banging technique to encourage a bit more spreading (video instructions here): lift up the pan about 4 inches and bang it down on the oven rack or kitchen counter several times.
If eating within 1 day: store the cookies in an airtight container or sealed ziploc bag on the kitchen counter.
Storing for more than 1 day? These are best stored in the freezer.
1) Stack cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container, separating each one with a piece of parchment paper, then freeze.
2) Take as many cookies as you want to eat out of the freezer.
3) Defrost by setting each cookie on a paper-towel, without the cookies touching. They defrost in ~10 minutes and taste almost identical to freshly baked cookies.
To warm the cookies in the oven: place on a sheet pan (lined with parchment for easier cleanup) and heat at 350ºF / 175ºC for 3 to 5 minutes, or until warm.
You can microwave the cookies but I think the texture isn’t as good.
Absolutely. Shape the dough into balls, chill in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours per the recipe, then freeze any dough balls you don’t bake.
Freeze the balls on a tray until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.
Yes!
Best results: thaw frozen cookies in the fridge until softened (~ 24 hours). If they have thawed but are still a bit hard, let them sit at room temp for 15 to 30 minutes, then bake.
Don’t have time to thaw in the fridge? Let the frozen cookie dough balls sit out at room temp for 30 minutes, then bake for 16 minutes, or a bit longer.
For crispier cookies:
1) Use more cane sugar (white sugar) than brown sugar. For this recipe, use 3/4 cup (155g) cane sugar. And ¼ cup + 2 TBSP (80g) dark brown sugar, tightly packed.
2) Use 3 TBSP dough (54g) per cookie instead of 1/4 cup (72g).
3) Reduce oven temperatuer to 325ºF / 165ºC.
4) Don’t use parchment paper on your baking pans.
For softer, fluffy cookies:
1) Use all brown sugar, no cane/white sugar. Since dark brown sugar can be a little potent, I recommend ~ half light brown and half dark brown sugar (117g of each).
2) Add 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch to the dry ingredients.
3) Use 3 TBSP dough (54g) per cookie instead of 1/4 cup (72g).
You may need to refrigerate the dough before scooping into rounds.
My recommendation is no. This is because sugar doesn’t just bring sweetness; it also lends structure and moisture. Reducing the amount of sugar will impact the texture of these cookies…and not in a good way.
For a less sweet cookie, use a darker chocolate: 75 to 80% dark chocolate.
More delicious vegan cookies!
If you loved these Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies as much as we do, please give the recipe a rating and review below! And of course, tag me with your remakes on Instagram!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 TBSP (168g / 1.5 sticks) vegan butter, sliced into thick pats (see Note 1)
- 2 TBSP (14g) ground flaxseed meal
- 70 mL (~5 TBSP) warm water
- 6 oz (170g) 65% to 75% dark chocolate (see Note 2)
- 2 cups (250g) spooned and leveled all-purpose flour (see Note 3 for GF)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda (make sure it's fresh, see Note 4)
- ¾ cup (155g) organic dark brown sugar, tightly packed (see Note 5)
- ¼ cup + 2 TBSP (80g) organic cane sugar
- 1 TBSP (15 mL) pure vanilla extract (not imitation extract!)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Brown the butter first, as it needs time to cool: Add sliced butter to a stainless steel or light-colored skillet or saucepan. Turn to medium heat. Swirl the pan or stir with a silicone spatula occasionally until melted, foamy, and at a bubble (~ 2 ½ to 3 minutes).Heat for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring frequently until nutty in aroma and slightly darker (it won't fully brown like dairy butter). Turn off the heat before it starts foaming up the sides of the pan.Immediately pour into a medium bowl to stop cooking, scraping out all of the butter from the pan with the spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until no longer warm but still in liquid form (if the butter is warm, the cookie dough will be sticky).
- Line a large plate or mini sheet pan with parchment paper and place in the fridge to chill.
- Make the flax eggs. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed meal with 70 mL warm water (this is ~ 5 heaped tablespoons).Whisk well to combine and rest for 15 minutes, whisking again halfway through and once more at the end of the 15 minutes.
- Coarsely chop the dark chocolate (some variation in small/large pieces is nice). Reserve 12 pieces of chopped chocolate to press into the top of each cookie.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda until well incorporated.
- Wet ingredients: Once the flax eggs have gelled and brown butter has cooled, add both to a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, cane sugar, and vanilla. Use an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined, gooey, and thick, about 30 seconds (or use a whisk and arm power for ~45 to 60 seconds).
- Combine: Remove the beaters and switch to a silicone spatula. Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold with a silicone spatula until just combined.Add the remaining dry ingredients and chopped chocolate (minus reserved 12 pieces for topping). Fold together just until no dry spots remain. If the folding becomes difficult, use your hands to finish the dough. NOTE: The dough should be thick but somewhat soft, not stodgy.
- Scoop out cookie dough rounds. Use a large cookie scoop to measure out ~72g per cookie dough round. OR, use a ¼ cup measuring cup: level off the top and use a small silicone spatula to get the dough out of the measuring cup.TIP: If the dough is too sticky to handle, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, then shape.
- Chill the dough: Place the dough rounds on the lined plate from the fridge*, but no need to space them out right now. Press a piece of reserved chocolate into the top of each cookie.Refrigerate for 24 hours, or up to 72 hours. If short on time, chill for as long as you can (even 2 hours will give you a better cookie than baking immediately). *Once firm, you can transfer the dough balls to a ziploc bag and refrigerate.
- To bake: preheat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper, or you can leave it bare if your pan is well-worn and made of aluminum or nonstick (see Note 6).Add five or six cookie dough rounds, spacing them 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart, as they’ll spread quite a bit.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and a bit set but still gooey and soft in the center (16 minutes if you prefer a slightly crispier edge). TIP: If the cookies have not spread much, lift the pan up by ~4 inches and bang it against the oven rack or your kitchen counter several times—this helps them spread a bit more.
- Finish: While still warm, sprinkle cookies with a little flaky sea salt.Cool in the pans for 10 minutes (5 minutes if lined with parchment), then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for 5 more minutes.
- Cool the pan and bake remaining cookies (or freeze dough to bake later).
Video
Notes
- Since publishing this recipe, our favorite vegan butter (Violife) has been discontinued. That said, we’ve tested these with Earth Balance buttery sticks and they work great.
- Chopped dark chocolate bars = much better than choc chips. For more details & substitutions, check out the Ingredient Notes and Tips sections (tips #1 and #2).
- Check out the FAQ for gluten-free instructions.
- If the baking soda is not fresh, your cookies won’t spread. Combine ¼ tsp baking soda + 2 tsp vinegar in a small bowl. If it doesn’t fizz up immediately, it’s no longer fresh.
- I love dark brown sugar b/c it has nearly double the molasses content, but light brown sugar still works well.
- Unlined sheet pans yield slightly crisper edges. But if your pan is new or not made of aluminum or nonstick, line the pan with parchment paper; otherwise, the cookies stick.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
Just baked these. They’re exactly like a brand of cookies we get here in NZ so I’m very happy. Although, they didn’t spread out as much as I hoped for. They only got to 3 inches wide and 1.5 inches tall. Hopefully the next batch flatten out more like the photos!
Hi Rhys, I wonder if your baking soda might have expired? The baking soda is the primary ingredient that helps cookies spread (the secondary ingredient would be the white sugar and butter, but they play a smaller role).
And just confirming you used baking soda, not baking powder? Baking powder will make the cookies puffy and not spread as much.
If you’re not sure if your baking soda is still fresh, try combining ¼ teaspoon baking soda + 2 teaspoons vinegar in a small bowl. If it bubbles immediately, it’s still fresh. No bubbles? It’s time to buy new baking soda.
Thanks for the reply! I just checked, and the baking soda I used is still fresh. I don’t live in the States, so maybe the combination of sugar and butter I used is slightly different here in NZ. Would you suggest a little more baking soda next time?
Hi Rhys, yes, it is possible that the different brands of butter in New Zealand and/or different types of sugar could impact spread.
For instance, if the butter you’re using isn’t as high as fat as typical vegan butters here, that can affect spread. As the fat in butter warms, it slackens and helps spread the cookies. Also, the higher the proportion of butter, the more the spread. So it’s possible a lower-fat butter means less spread.
If you’re not sure about the butter, you can try these with coconut oil. We made these with coconut oil and they still turn out pretty good.
Use 150g of refined coconut oil instead of butter, and refrigerate teh dough balls for 24 hours as listed in the recipe card. Let the refrigerated dough balls rest for 20 minutes or so at room temperature, then reshape into balls as needed.
Here are some other common reasons why they wouldn’t spread much. Do any of these seem possible?
1. Using too much flour. Since you live outside of the US, I assume you measured in metric using a scale, but just want to confirm. If you accidentally overmeasured the flour, that can prevent cookies from spreading appropriately.
2. Similarly for sugar, using too little sugar will prevent cookies from spreading well. Since white sugar helps cookies spread more than brown sugar, you can try increasing the ratio of white sugar relative to brown sugar. Maybe a 1:1 ratio?
3. Oven temperature. Do you have an oven thermometer? This can be helpful to ensure the oven temperature is accurate. If your oven is too hot or too cold, it will influence whether or not the cookies spread properly.
4. Are you using a convection oven or fan-assisted oven? This could also affect the way the cookies spread. I almost never use this setting (it’s not that common in the US). If I do use it, I will write it out in the instructions.
5. Temperature of cookie dough before baking. While I’ve had no issues when baking these cookie dough balls straight from the fridge, you can also try leaving them out at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before baking. Generally, cold cookies stay a bit more compact, while those at room temp spread more.
Edited: One last thing. Just confirming you added the 5 TBSP (70 mL) of warm water to the flaxseed meal? I realize now that the water wasn’t in the ingredients list, only in the instructions, so is it possible you missed that step?
Hope this helps you troubleshoot!
I made these cookies for my boyfriend for his birthday (he requested them since he loves chewy cookies) and we both loved them. The salt on top is a great finishing touch.
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Tamar!
I have a massive sweet tooth, so I’m always making cookies and can’t resist making chocolate chip cookies in order to find The One, the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe to end all others.
It’s this one. This is the recipe you need. These made the Epitome of what a chocolate chip cookie should be, and I’m obsessed. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Thanks for the stellar review, Sayuri 🙂
I am chaneling your dad when he said in the YouTube video “cookie should be like this.” I agree wholeheartedly. Mad these for my best friend’s birthday and she was over the moon. So was I. I will forever have these cookies on my list when I have guests coming over.
Thanks for the outstanding review, Rhiya 🙂
I made these as soon as you posted the YouTube video. Well, really, I made the cookie dough as soon as you posted it, then let the dough sit in the fridge per your advice. I refrigerated for 36 hours or so (convenient for my schedule). And let me just say that it was the best 36 hours I’ve ever spent waiting for something. I’ve never had a cookie so exceptional. The flavor was out of this world. The only bad part is I am now spoiled and I don’t know if I can eat “regular” chocolate chip cookies anymore.
Thank you for the magnificent review, Jocelyn! We truly appreciate it 🙂
I usually love all the recipes from this website, but unfortunately, this chocolate chip cookie recipe didn’t turn out well for me. The cookies came out very dark brown and had a strong earthy, bitter flavor that I didn’t enjoy. I followed the recipe closely and measured everything with a scale, so I’m not sure what went wrong.
I’m a Dutch resident, so it’s possible I didn’t translate some of the ingredients correctly—maybe “donkere basterdsuiker” isn’t quite the same as dark brown sugar? I also used the espresso powder as listed, which might have added to the bitterness. I’m planning to try the recipe again without the espresso powder and with a lighter sugar.
If anyone has tips for making this recipe work better or knows more about ingredient swaps in the Netherlands, I’d love the help!
Hi Stoel,
I just made them with “donkere basterdsuiker” + cane sugar, as listed, but without any espresso powder. They turned out very good, without any bitterness besides the expected bitterness from dark chocolate 🙂 So my guess is also that it’s your espresso powder. Or over-baked? But that is quite unlikely.
My batter with basterdsuiker was much darker, however, which scared me a bit, but the end product was beautiful and very tasty.
I’m a bit picky with my coffee, and I don’t have a grinder that can grind down to espresso fine, but I might try adding a little bit of coffee to my next batch to find out!
It must have been the espresso powder because dark brown sugar is the same as donkere basterdsuiker (I grew up in the Netherlands).
Hi Stoel, I’m sorry to hear that! The dark color is from the espresso powder, but it also could be partially the sugar you’re using. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with that type of sugar and couldn’t find out too much information online as to what its equivalent might be.
The bitterness is likely coming from the espresso powder (it is certainly brand dependent and some coffees are more bitter than others, and it’s possible that espresso powder here is a bit different than in the Netherlands), so I think you are right about trying to use lighter sugar and no espresso powder next time. Hope that works out better!
Very excited to make these! How should I store them? Will they last in room temperature or should I refrigerate them?
Hi Viivi, check out the FAQ section, specifically questions 6 and 7.
The short answer is they store best in the freezer if you don’t plan to eat them in one day. You can try refrigerating them too, but I think freezer is best. After 1 day at room temp, they’ll start to lose some of their great texture.
Hi
Good recipe
Anyway I can use normal butter and milk chocolate?
Hi KT, since I am vegan and haven’t cooked with dairy for 8+ years, I can’t say for sure, but vegan butter is designed to work similarly to regular butter. As for milk chocolate, I think it would make the cookies too sweet, as it has nearly twice the amount of sugar, gram for gram, as the dark chocolate I suggest.
these were so good! as you mentioned, non-dairy butter doesn’t really “brown,” so I added a tsp of cashew butter to my saucepan to give it that nuttiness. it was incredible. thank you so much!
PS – I tried both the 8hr and 24hr method – can confirm the 24hr method is better, though both are excellent
Thanks for the thorough review, Ashleigh! We’re thrilled you’re such a fan of the cookies.
Recipe looks sooo good! I don’t really use flax seeds in my cooking, so was wondering what if I can sub with yogurt or cornstarch?
Hi Meenakshi, apologies, my earlier reply to you was incorrect. I spoke to Nisha and she recommends against deviating from the recipe (aside from the ways in which she outlines in the recipe post). Baking is a pretty precise science, so making small changes can radically change the outcome.
I’ve baked these cookies, tailored to my taste (no espresso, with oatmeal & nuts), over a dozen times now. Everyone agrees they are the best! It’s taken me this long to realize that I can now eat the best cookie dough raw, thanks to flax “eggs”! I wonder what my future ratio of raw to baked consumption will be?
Hi Sara, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
And FYI, as far as I know raw flour is not safe to eat as it’s not treated to kill bacteria, so I think you’re best off still baking them! 🙂
Nisha!! I needed a recipe to make for meeting my boyfriend’s mom for the first time. This recipe is INCREDIBLE! Very bakery style and very adult 🙂 It’s not too sweet and the dark chocolate is perfect. I always look to your recipes when I have someone I need to impress. You’ve been part of all my important life events!! Thank you ❤️
It means so much to me to know that my recipes have been a part of your important life events 🥹 I’m so delighted that the cookies turned out incredible for the important first meeting! I love that they’re not-too-sweet adult cookies too!
hi! what brand dark chocolate bar do you suggest? making them this weekend!
Hi Adi, it’s mostly personal preference. We prefer a dark chocolate bar in the 65 to 70% range (Thee or Chocolove are go-tos), but as long as you use a quality bar that you enjoy, it will be fine. We hope you enjoyed the cookies!
I’m an avid home baker and have tried a dozen vegan chocolate chip cookie variations. This recipe simply rises above – I can’t bring myself to bake any other now. These cookies are absolutely perfect – they’re my go to for gifts and guests.
Thank you for showing people how delicious plants can be – I loved your latest book + frequent many of your recipes!! ❤️
Your review made our day, Meagan! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
These cookies are incredible! Wonderful texture and taste!
Alex, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Wow! My quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie is officially over. These are so good that they’ve ruined all other cookies for me. Seriously, I will have to hide the rest of the batch from myself. The texture is the perfect balance of chewy and gooey, and the chocolate chips are like little pockets of pure joy. I ate several…let’s just say my workout tomorrow is going to be intense. But zero regrets. These cookies are worth every single calorie (and sit-up).
Omg, this is the best kind of review! 😂 So glad you love them, Chip! No regrets, just cookie happiness. 🍪
These cookies are the best I’ve ever had. I had high hopes already making a Rainbowplantlife recipe for Valentine’s Day, but these exceeded those expectations.
( I’m allergic to cashews and have been loving Miyoko’s new Oat milk butter.) I’m grateful to Nisha and the Rainbowplant life team for making my life more delicious. 😊
Thank you so much for the amazing comment, Victoria! 🙂 I need to try this recipe myself ASAP!
Amazing cookies! Loved the techniques and they produced my favorite texture, will be my go to chocolate chip for sure. Please do this for oatmeal raisin next!!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Camille! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
Really tasty – I love all your recipes and appreciate your hard work scientifically testing them! Two questions:
1. Should I press them down if I want to have a thinner cookie? They didn’t spread as much as I had hoped so were puffier (but still with crispy edges and gooey middles)
2. If I taste my flax egg, does this mean that perhaps my flax is a bit old? I keep it in the freezer and often find that I prefer using Chia seed because it imparts less flavour. Would that work here as well?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Sara, thanks for your kind words!
These spread quite a bit for us in our tests, so it could possibly be that your baking soda is not fresh? You can test it by adding a small amount to a glass, and adding a splash of something acidic like vinegar. If it fizzles immediately, it’s fresh.
If that’s not the issue, then yes, you can try pressing down on the cookie dough rounds before baking.
And, I’m afraid your flaxseed meal may have gone bad if you can taste it in the baked cookie. The cookies may have some sort of subtle nuttiness from the browned butter but you shouldn’t taste the flax eggs. I always store my flaxseed meal in the freezer, as it can go rancid at room temperature. It doesn’t need to be thawed before using either.
Hope that helps!
Thx – I will check the baking soda. I do keep my flax in the freezer so I may be more sensitive to its taste; my husband and son don’t notice it at all. The cookies are so good (and big) that I’ve been baking only 3 at a time to prevent a major binge! They are shaped and in the freezer for a quick fix🙃. And super fast in my toaster oven on cookie mode (only 10 minutes needed baking for the perfect texture). Thx for your reply.
The ONLY cookies I will make from now on. Followed the recipe to a T, as Nisha’s recipes never disapoint. I had to remake more in the same week. Thank you Nisha for all your hard work !
Hi Lydia, we’re thrilled to hear you are such a fan of the recipe! 🙂