I’m wandering around my kitchen. I’m harboring a dull urge for chocolate. If I don’t indulge it soon, it will intensify. It’s nearing that time of the month. I fix a cuppa tea, grab my iPad and start tapping. I find an interesting recipe. One that intrigues me, and might take care of my chocolate craving, but also makes me pause. It’s a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. I know right, don’t panic–I had the same doubts as you may have with vegan food, the same issues with previous vegan recipes that were dry or odd tasting or awful. But this one would be different I hoped.
Stockton drove me to the store to buy the needed bittersweet chocolate chips. I had everything else in my cabinet like a good little baker. Always read the recipe ahead of time, cooks. Warning: this one requires you to chill the dough for at least 12 hours. No immediate treat gratification, but enough time to keep a chocolate craving from turning into a cookie monster.
Back at home, I set a mixing bowl on the counter. I stirred together the flour/baking soda/baking powder/salt before adding the chips so the flourish mix would coat them. Side note: I really like the feel of the Ghirardelli chips bag. It’s smoother than the other packages, the equivalent of Crane stationary to printer paper. I digress.
In a second bowl I mixed the sugars/oil/water until combined then I added the flour mixture to create the cookie dough. It looked good, like an imposter Toll House chocolate chip cookie batch. I think I might’ve added a teaspoon of vanilla extract at this point for flavor, but I can’t be sure.
As directed I chilled the dough overnight. I admit I did eat a nibble of the raw dough and it was glorious. Jump cut to Day 2.
I reach into my refrigerator and take out the chilled dough. With a hint of myrrh, ’tis almost the season, I portioned out balls onto baking sheets with a cookie scoop. The dough requires a little extra extra chill so I placed the baking sheets into the freezer for 10 minutes then sprinkled on sea salt, a gourmet must, before I baked them in my preheated oven. Then the magic happened.
When my oven timer announced the final countdown I put on my big oven mitts and pulled my cookie trays from the warmth. I stared at my cookies. My vegan chocolate chip cookies. I made vegan chocolate chip cookies. Oh. My. God.
The vegan cookies did not disappoint. A nice crispy crunch with gooey chocolate balanced with a hint of salt. At times I could taste a little too much of an oil flavor, but I’ll just try a different neutral oil next time. They don’t take the crown from my favorite go-to Smitten Kitchen crispy, chewy, chocolate chip cookies, but they’re still a great cookie. Most importantly, they satisfy that chocolate hankering. I win this month, cookie monster.
Do you ever cook vegan? What is your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe? What are you cooking/craving this week? Tell me about it.
Note: I used this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe from Food52.
Adventures in Low Vision 
I am craving chocolate SO badly! Sugar is one of the things I was recently deemed allergic to so I have to completely avoid it for six weeks. It’s been two. I’m going crazy! I’ve already ready through your recipe and googled “unsweetened chocolate” to see if I can make a cane sugar-free, gluten-free version of your cookies. I’m going to give it a try. I MUST have chocolate!
It turns out I’m very allergic to eggs so I’ve tried a few vegan pumpkin bread recipes this week. They all turned out absolutely terrible. I’ve made some really good vegan baked goods in the past so I know it’s possible!
Vegan can be hit or miss. Good luck Trisha with your sugarless recipe.(no sugar for six weeks, I would not be a happy camper) Let me know how your it turns out.
I like the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. That being said, I especially like it when somebody else makes the cookies and I get to eat them!
Can’t argue that point, Genevieve! You can’t go wrong being a taster.
Sounds good and I admire your patience! I wonder if you can get a download of The Great British Bake Off on BBC1. I have a feeling you would love it. It is as addictive as chocolate!
I think it might be on Netflix here. I keep hearing people mention it and with your recommendation, I will have to pursue it.
I am currently on day 10 of giving up sugar for but dreams of chocolate chip cookies haunt me. 🙂 I have had mostly “miss” when it comes to vegan recipes. Other than lusting for the cookies I have not missed the added sugar and I am even drinking my coffee black with no cream and sugar. I may give myself permission on Christmas to have a slice of pie but I am hoping by then to have weaned myself off of the desire for sugar altogether. I eat too much of it and I would be healthier and probably lose a few pounds as I already have. A nice added bonus.
A noble effort in health. Casee, I would not have the willpower to forego sugar.
It’s so good to know that your vegan cookies turned out well Susan. I had some vegan brownies a few years back (love, love, love brownies), they looked so darned good I was practically salivating but one bite and, well, they weren’t as good as they looked. So disappointing but your recipe gives me hope.
I haven’t found a great vegan brownie either. One day, one day I will!
And when you do you simply must share. I thought it was me being picky but the brownie tasted like I imagine dirt would taste – yuck.