I recently made these and decided, again, that these are in fact the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Not just the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookies, but the perfect chocolate chip cookies in general, though yes, they are vegan. Highly recommended!
I recently had a craving for chocolate chip cookies (as happens rather often) and went in search of a recipe that offered just that – a good, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie.
I started my search where I normally do – at some of my favorite food blogs. I was really surprised to find, however, that most of the blogs did not have a single recipe for plain ol’ chocolate chip cookies! If there was a recipe, it most likely had some sort of odd addition – chocolate chip mint cookies. Double chocolate cookies. Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Sugar-free chocolate chip cookies (Ahem. What?!).
Us food bloggers get caught up a lot of the time in making new and interesting food that surprises and inspires. While this is awesome (and surprising! and inspiring!), I think it’s really important to cover all the basics, too. I know that when I want a recipe, my favorite food blogs are the first place I go. I feel like I know the cook who makes the recipe, so I feel like I get to share a meal with them. I trust the blogger and her recipes, so I know whatever it is I decide to make will turn out well. It’s a win-win.
But what happens when I can’t find the recipe I’m looking for? I end up resorting to other less-trusted corners of the internet, and the results are often varied. Some will turn out fabulous, others will be complete flops. I end up putting my cookie-future into the hands of a complete and utter stranger, which is not something you usually want to mess with.
So here: for my current readers and all those to come, I give you plain ol’ chocolate chip cookies. Nothing fancy, nothing new. But they’re mighty special, because I know you’ll be back here to look them up again. You’ll make them tonight or this weekend, and your significant other will request them again on Thursday night, so you’ll come back. Your friends will ask you to bring dessert to a potluck, and here you’ll be. Your parents will be in town, and you’d like to impress them, or just make them feel at home. So here you’ll come. Print it out. Keep it safe – or give it away. It’ll always be here, so you can always find a bullet-proof recipe for a favorite traditional cookie.
These cookies are just slightly crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. If you like them a bit more crispy, just cook them a minute or two longer.
Serve them with a glass of almond milk, and eat it while sitting in bed reading a book. This is definitely my favorite way to enjoy a cookie, and it’s much more satisfying than just stuffing 3 of them in your face after lunch (yes. guilty.). These are cookies to be savored (but I won’t judge if you eat a few after lunch).
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup Earth Balance butter (original, not whipped)
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips*
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 350F. Place a piece of parchment over a baking sheet, or lightly oil a baking sheet.
- Combine the flax seed and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place the room-temperature butter (I place the cold butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds) in another bowl. Add the sugars and whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes. It should become light and fluffy and be a light beige color.
- Add the flax mixture and the vanilla to the butter mix, and whisk well until combined.
- Add the flour mix to the butter mixture and stir together with a rubber spatula or wood spoon just until combined – do not overmix. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter.
- Drop by the heaping tablespoon onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating once, until just barely beginning to brown on the bottom. They will look underdone on top. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes before enjoying – if you can wait!
NOTES
– These are rather sweet, but that’s how I like my cookies. If you like cookies that are a bit less sweet, decrease the brown sugar to ⅓ cup.