Everybody has their guilty pleasures: that one thing that they crave above all else. Mine happens to be cookies. The perfect cookie needs to achieve that delicate balance between crunch and chewiness, and of course, be loaded with chocolate chips. Since going vegan I will admit that I have struggled to find many good vegan cookie recipes that really satisfy me, but with this one, I promise you that you won’t even tell the difference. Plus, it’s so easy to make!
I find these cookies are best enjoyed the day after baking, but they can also be eaten straight out of the oven if you can’t wait (just make sure to wait for the chocolate to cool to avoid burning yourself!). So impress all those vegan-skeptical friends and colleagues by proving that vegan recipes can still satisfy a sweet tooth.
Ingredients (makes 9):
120g vegan butter (see notes in the FA
200g coconut sugar
40ml almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
300g plain white flour (or a GF alternative)
150g dark chocolate roughly cut into cubes
Method:
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C.
Add the butter, coconut sugar and vanilla to a bowl, and combine using an electric hand mixer until it forms a breadcrumb-like consistency.
Once combined, stir in the almond milk and continue to mix until it forms a thick paste.
Then, pour in the flour and two tsp of baking powder, and mix everything together until it forms a thick cookie-dough mixture - this may take several minutes.
Roughly chop the chocolate into small chunks and pour them into the bowl, mixing them into the cookie dough with a wooden spoon until everything is nicely incorporated and resembles a classic, raw cookie dough mixture. Note: You may want to save a few extra chocolate chunks to put on top of the cookies later, just before you put them into the oven.
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray. Divide the cookie dough into 9 even-sized balls. Place the balls onto the lined baking tray, leaving some space between them to allow space for them to spread as they bake. Before adding them to the oven, press down on each cookie with your hand to flatten the mixture slightly.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This timing may vary slightly depending on your oven.
When the outer layer of the cookies looks cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Don’t worry if they still feel a bit soft when you take them out – they will harden up quickly once they’ve cooled down. Note: Leaving them in the oven for too long can result in them going hard, so be careful to avoid overbaking! When it doubt, remove them earlier.
Enjoy!
FAQs
Q: Can I use other types of sugar?
A: The coconut sugar is what gives these cookies their rich, almost caramel-like flavour, which for me is what makes them taste really special. I've tried making this recipe with different sugars, but none of them work quite as well as coconut sugar. However, whilst I really do recommend using coconut sugar if you can get some, other brown sugars can be used if it isn't available.
Q: How big should the cookies be?
A: This recipe makes 9 'large-ish' cookies, which in my opinion are the perfect size: big enough to satisfy but still the right portion for a personal serving. If you'd prefer to make smaller, bite-sized cookies, simply divide the mixture into 18 instead, halving the size of the individual cookie whilst doubling the output.
Comments