Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies
The most amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe! They are easy to make (no mixer required) with basic, wholesome ingredients. They're miraculously vegan, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
For years, Iโve been searching for my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I want outrageously delicious bakery-style chocolate chip cookies that completely capture my attention upon first bite. I want a chewy middle, barely crisp edges, complex flavor, and rich chocolate chips.
I want all of that in a cookie recipe thatโs easy to make. No mixer required. No creaming of softened-but-not-too-soft butter. No chilling the dough for 24 hours. I donโt have the patience for any of that. Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie!
These chocolate chip cookies are the best homemade chocolate chip cookies Iโve ever had.ย My cookie search is over.
These cookies are so delicious and supremely easy to make. The dough needs a very reasonable 30-minute chill in the refrigerator, and let me tell you, theyโre worth the brief wait.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Also amazing? These cookies are (shockingly) vegan. Thatโs right, thereโs no butter or eggs in this recipe, but youโd never guess it.
How? Instead of butter, these cookies use melted coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or a neutral-flavored oil like avocado oil. The eggs are simply omitted with no downsides.
For non-vegans like me, this means that the recipe is even easier to make than standard chocolate chip cookies.
For those with dairy or egg allergies, these cookies are a total game changer.
The remaining ingredients are simple and wholesome. Youโll need whole wheat flour, chocolate chips, sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar, and your basic salt and leavening agents. I sprinkled my cookies with some flaky sea salt to make them even more irresistible.
How These Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies Came to Be
I canโt take full credit for this recipe. I was intrigued by the original recipe offered in the Ovenly Cookbook, via Food52. I made several adjustments to their ingredients and method.
I swapped whole wheat flour for all-purpose, which is undetectable in the final product. I also substituted coconut sugar for brown sugar, which is less refined (for those wondering, it is impossible to make bakery-style cookies using liquid natural sweeteners). I experimented with oils other than canola, which is highly processed and high in omega-6s.
I also found a chilling time shortcut. If you scoop the dough onto the sheets and then chill it, 30 minutes in the freezer works just as well as their 24-hour recommendation. That way, the recipe works with coconut oil, which solidifies at cool temperatures.
Coconut Oil vs. Olive Oil
We should talk a little bit about how your choice of oil affects the final product. I didnโt notice any textural differences with any of the oils, but virgin coconut oil offers a slight coconut flavor. Olive oil tastes like, well, olive oil, especially when the cookies are warm.
If you enjoy the flavor of either of those oils on their own, I think youโll love how they shine through in these cookies and make the flavor more interesting. Iโm partial to coconut oil. If you want cookies that taste like standard bakery chocolate chip cookies, use refined coconut oil or a neutral oil like avocado oil or safflower oil.
Cookie Dough Safety Note
Since the dough is egg free, it doesnโt carry the usual risk of salmonella poisoning. However, raw flour can carry a slight risk for E.Coli or other pathogens. So, I donโt recommend eating this dough, either!
Hereโs more information from the CDC about raw flour (thank you to Tara for sharing).
More Cookie Recipes to Enjoy
Please let me know how these cookies turn out for you in the comments. I hope they become your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, too.
Watch How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe! These cookies are easy to make with basic, wholesome ingredients. No mixer required! Theyโre miraculously vegan, too (no softened butter here). Recipe yields 13 large cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ยพ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ยผ cups chocolate chips*
- โ cup lightly packed coconut sugar or ยฝ cup packed brown sugar
- ยฝ cup sugar
- ยฝ cup plus 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil**
- ยผ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- Maldon flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine, then add the chocolate chips and toss to coat.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar, regular sugar, oil and water. Whisk until the sugar has incorporated into the oil and the mixture is smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, then stir just until combined and no more flour is visible (donโt overdo it).
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Fill an ice cream scoop two-thirds with dough (or spoon the mixture into even 2-inch mounds), and place the dough onto one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving several inches of space around each cookie.
- Freeze the cookies on their pans for 30 minutes, or chill them for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- When youโre ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden, about 14 to 17 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt, if using. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Notes
Recipe adapted fromย Ovenlyโs Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies.
*Chocolate chip notes: I like Ghiradelliโs bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate chips. Use vegan/dairy free chocolate chips if necessary.
**Oil notes:ย You can taste the coconut or olive oil flavor lightly in these cookies. Use whichever one you prefer. For completely neutral-flavored cookies, use a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil or safflower oil.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Simply useย dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.
Make it gluten free: Bobโs Red Millโs gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works great!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Can you use almond flour instead of whole wheat?
Almond flour isnโt a 1:1 substitute, sorry!
What do you say about spelt flour? Can I sub 1:1?
Cut sugar by 50%. Cut chocolate chips by 50%
Can unsweetened applesauce replace the oil?
I havenโt tried it so I canโt say for sure.
These cookies are truly amazing and so easy to make!! They are my new favorite chocolate chip cookie, not dry at all, but very tender. I used olive oil and could not discern it in the final product. I used olive oil because I had no coconut oil in my kitchen today and it was rainy and I really felt like baking! :)
Thanks for all your work on this one. Itโs great.
Iโm happy you loved it, Sharon!
These were great. Soft and not too dry. Used whole wheat flour and coconut oil. Thank you for creating a healthier cookie option. I love your recipes!
Thank you, Terra!
Could 1/2 cup coconut flour be substituted?
Coconut flour isnโt a great alternative as it just soaks up all the moisture.
Ummmmโฆthese were beyond amazing!!!! I was skeptical (water as a cookie ingredient?), but these exceeded my expectations and are my #1 go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks and it just made a magical explosion of deliciousness in my mouth. My kids (4) LOVED them and I need to stop typing this so I can go make a batch.
Thank you for sharing, Hope!
Pretty good! You can tell they are vegan, maybe itโs the lack of egg, but I was looking for a dairy-free option since I am off dairy these days and these were satisfying.
I like that they have an exterior crisp but they are soft and gooey inside. They are quite sweet so you could cut back on the sugar easily to make them a bit healthier.
Hello and thank you for this recipe !
I tried freezing them and not freezing them (meaning putting them directly into the oven after I made the dough) and I donโt get the difference. Whatโs the need to freeze/chill them ? (I used coconut oil).
Also, they taste good, a bit too sweet for me but thatโs me. Thanks
As always, wonderful recipe to follow. Thank you Kate!
Next time, I will lower the quantity of sugar as they are a quite sweet ;)
I started vegan baking a little over a year ago and this is my new favorite recipe! Iโve made this almost every week for the past month for my kids (and well, for me too :-) ). This is so easy to make and theyโre DELICIOUS! I love that they have whole grains and can be made with olive oil instead of vegan butter. They can be made with ingredients that I usually have on-hand.
I love to hear that, Denise! Thank you for your erview.
These sound amazing, but I need to watch my sugar as I am diabetic. An a sugar substitute be used, like Swerve which is erythritol? Also, how to store? Can they be kept in a cookie jar on the counter?
Iโm not sure on trying with a different sugar, sorry!
Amazing cookies! Crisp outside and soft & chewy on the inside. Can you tell me please if they freeze well? I look forward to trying more of your recipes!!
I find that most cookies freeze well. Thank you for your comment, Jackie!
May I ask, can I use substitute coconut sugar for the cane sugar?
Metric measurements?
Hi! Can you eliminate the 1/2 cup of regular sugar for this recipe?
These cookies are amazing. My family prefers them over traditional cookies. People ask me for the recipe all the time. The texture is absolutely perfect and the flavor is addictive.
Not sure if I did something wrong. My โdoughโ was very crumbly and didnโt hold together like dough. I used avocado oil and brown sugar rather than coconut sugar. Any tips on how to get a more dense dough?
Love these! So easy to make and even better than the non-vegan ones. Iโve made them every year for our Christmas party and everyone raves about them!
Can you freeze the dough and then thaw it out to bake another time? Iโd love that option:)
Hello, yes, you can bake these from frozen, there is no need to thaw. Just be sure to store the dough in balls in an airtight container.
I have tried this recipe and Ovenlyโs Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (ingredients and process basically identical) but I find that the cookies seem a bit โoilyโ especially on my fingers.
I am wondering if using butter (wrecking the vegan part) would lead to a better product?
Hi Joan, if these cookies arenโt to your taste, you can definitely experiment with other options. Butter is a staple of many chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Thanks for the reply, they are a good cookie with butter. Wondering if the same will work for the Spice up the Curry ginger cookies!
These cookies turned out absolutely perfectโchewy, flavorful, and so easy to make! Thanks for a go-to recipe.
These are fantastic. Almost hated to send them to my daughter who is now begging for more. My new favorite. I made them with canola oil because I didnโt have any coconut, and I didnโt want olive oil flavor in my cookies. :)