it's a common misconception that baking "vegan" is significantly harder and more time-consuming than baking the old-fashioned way. but in reality, it takes the same exact amount of time to bake something that plant based. of course, it depends on the individual recipe, but everything in this recipe is a simple substitution. i love these chocolate chip cookies; they are so so simple to whip up (i've timed myself before and have had them in the oven in under 10 minutes). my trick is to bake intuitively. it takes some practice to be able to bake intuitively, but it makes so much more sense and you can easily problem-solve and trouble-shoot as you're baking. i got a kitchen-aide stand mixer recently that has been a game changer in my baking. I get the best results from using a mixer, but using a wooden spoon works just fine. i'll write this recipe as if you're mixing by hand!
vegan chocolate chip cookies
ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt (pinch more for sprinkling)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (softened if you have a stand mixer)
1/4 cup vegetable/sunflower oil
1/4 room temperature plant based milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (1/4 LESS extra if using softened coconut oil)
1/2 tsp baking soda
more or less 1 cup chocolate chips
steps
1) gather tools to make cookies: large bowl, sifter, wooden spoon, measuring cups and spoons, ice cream scoop, two (2) parchment paper lined baking sheets.
2) mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, and oil in the large bowl until fully combined.
3) add room temperature milk and vanilla, stir to combine. (see note below)
4) add in as many chocolate chips as you want girl ...
5) place sifter on top of large bowl and measure flour, and baking soda directly into sifter and sift away!
6) mix with wooden spoon until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
7) check your consistency. your cookie dough should be a stiff paste that stays in place after mixed. (troubleshooting below)
8) preheat your oven to 350Ëš F (180Ëš C)
9) scoop your dough onto your parchment paper lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart
10) bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, depending on your crunch preference
11) remove baking sheet from oven and let cookies cool completely
12) share your beautiful cookies with your beautiful friends!
notes
- room temperature milk is very important in this recipe because we are using melted coconut oil. if the milk is cold and hits a warm mixture, the coconut oil will begin to harden because of it's low melting point. NOT cute, let me tell you
- if the dough is super sticky on your fingers, you need to add more flour one tbsp at a time. if you are hand rolling the cookies, a little dough will get on your hands. if the dough is dry and crumbly, you need to add more plant based milk one tsp at a time. maybe add more chocolate ...
- some people like pecans in their cookies. i don't quite understand it, but you can always add either 1/4 or 1/2 cup pecans when you add the chocolate chips if that's your thing.
- if you like soft cookies, take them out of the oven at 8 minutes, when they are golden brown on the edges. they might look undercooked, but they will harden when they are cool!
- store leftover cookies in an airtight container. if the cookies get harder than you'd like, add a piece of bread to the airtight container and replace as necessary.