These chewy and soft small batch chocolate chip cookies are made with a dairy free brown butter and no eggs! So quick and easy for just 8 perfect cookies!

vegan small batch chocolate chip cookies on parchment paper

Why You Will Love This Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe:

Okay I so get it- as much as I would LOVE to just be baking hundreds of chocolate chip cookies all the time, sometimes we DO acknowledge that we really only need like 6 or 8.

That’s what this small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe is all about. Like my small batch brownies, small batch cinnamon rolls, and small batch cupcakes, you get just the perfect amount for you and me.

We’re basing it off of my vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe (a CLASSIC- literally gets 5 stars every time!) but making them even better. 

How so? Here’s how:

  • We’re using vegan brown butter! The liquid gold of cookie standards, this is where we get that nutty toffee-like flavor in perfectly chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies. And the best part? You don’t need to allow your butter to come to room temperature- you just need to allow it cool before using in this recipe.
  • This small batch cookie recipe yields 6 to 8 cookies: Depending on whether you want mega cookies or just regular cookies!
  • We’ve increased the amount of brown sugar to yield an ultra chewy texture: Along with the brown butter, increasing the ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar helps to achieve that super chewy and rich texture that complements the buttery notes so well.
  • These small batch chocolate chip cookies are naturally vegan and dairy free: Seriously, you don’t even need an egg! Often times, small batch cookie recipes will call for an egg yolk or half an egg- you literally just skip that all together with these, so that the recipe is super approachable.
  • You just need one bowl! Dump everything in and mix!
  • The texture is PERFECT. Soft, chewy centers with just browned and crisp edges. Literally DROOL.
halved chocolate chip cookies stacked together on parchment paper

What you need:

  • Flour: all purpose flour is perfect here! There is an adaptation for gluten free, however, and it’s so easy. Check the recipe card!
  • Brown sugar: These smalll batch chocolate chip cookies actually have a higher content of brown sugar than my regular vegan chocolate chip cookies (which uses a 1:1 ratio for brown sugar to regular sugar). This adds a super rich flavor, thanks to the extra dose of molasses in there.
  • Granulated sugar: I use a vegan sugar- Florida Crystals to be exact. Not all sugar is vegan, so it’s super important that you’re aware of what you’re purchasing! Plus the quality is just unmatched!
  • Brown butter: Okay so these small batch chocolate chip cookies are actually dairy free and use a VEGAN brown butter (which you can totally use!). More on why we use brown butter below, but just know it’s worth it!
  • Dairy free yogurt: This is my favorite vegan egg substitute for cookies. You can also swap in applesauce as well, but using dairy free yogurt is such a treat! I love using Forager Project cashew milk yogurt. Either the unsweetened or the vanilla unsweetened is great here!
  • Vanilla extract: For perfect vanilla flavor!
  • Baking soda & powder: To help give our vegan brown butter chocolate chip cookies that perfect chewy texture.
  • Chocolate chips: Your favorite vegan chocolate chips will do here!

Why use brown butter?

Most cookie recipes call for using room temperature butter, which is super important in most cookie baking scenarios. However, this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe uses brown butter.

Aka, the best tasting form of butter around.

Now, these cookies are all vegan and dairy free, so we’re browning vegan butter (which you can totally do- I recommend Miyoko’s!). The key is to monitor the butter the entire time because it only takes 3 minutes to brown butter.

As soon as your vegan butter starts to turn a more golden color, remove the heat and continue stirring until the butter has turned this dark golden color. 

It will also smell AMAZING.

This vegan brown butter is going to transform your small batch chocolate chip cookies into the chewiest and most soft rich and decadent cookies of all time.

broken in half chocolate chip cookie on parchment paper

Small Batch Vegan Cookies Baking Tips:

Below is a quick outline of how to make small batch brown butter chocolate chip cookies. However, I also wanted to go over a few quick baking tips!

  • Allow the butter to cool before using in this recipe: Like how we usually use room temperature ingredients so we take the time to bring cool ingredients to warmer temps, we should also allow hot ingredients to cool down. This ensures that your cookies aren’t gloopy and dense.
  • Don’t overwhelm the dough with chocolate chips! In a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, usually I say measure that ish out with your heart. But with such a small batch, we don’t need as much! 
  • Chill the dough for 10-20 minutes: This will make sure your cookies won’t turn out greasy!
cooking brown butter
First brown the butter in a saucepan. Cook for just 3 minutes until it starts to turn a golden color.
brown butter before cooling
Allow the brown butter to cool at room temperature until it starts to solidify again.
wet ingredients mixed together in a bowl
Once cool, cream together with the brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla extract. Then add in the yogurt and mix again until combined.
chocolate chip cookie dough in a bowl
Fold in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until a cookie dough forms. Then chill the dough for 10-20 minutes while the oven preheats.
chocolate chip cookie dough on a baking sheet
Shape about 1.5 tbsp of dough per cookie and place onto a baking sheet 2 inches apart.
baked small batch chocolate chip cookies
Bake for just 9-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
  • Swap out 3 tbsp flour for cocoa powder: This makes small batch double chocolate chip cookies!
  • Add in your favorite mix ins: Vegan white chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, sprinkles, etc!
  • Use regular room temperature butter instead of brown butter: If you don’t want to experiment with brown butter, no problem!

Can I make these small batch chocolate chip cookies gluten free?

You absolutely can! I use King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour- it’s my favorite gluten free flour blend for cookies, cakes, and brownies because it truly is one to one. 

Swap in an equal amount for the all purpose flour, and your small batch vegan chocolate chip cookies will be gluten free!

Chocolate chip cookie bitten on parchment paper

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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vegan small batch chocolate chip cookies on parchment paper

Small Batch Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan + Dairy Free!)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 14 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Chilling Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These chewy and soft small batch chocolate chip cookies are made with a dairy free brown butter and no eggs! So quick and easy for just 8 perfect cookies!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/3 cup (75g) unsalted vegan butter
  • 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour* or gluten free 1:1 baking flour or oat flour mixed with 1 tbsp arrowroot starch, sifted and spoon & leveled
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 2/3 cup (135 g) light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp (25 g) organic granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp (30 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup (170 g) vegan chocolate chips*

Instructions

  1. Prep: Measure out all ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Make the brown butter: In a pan, heat the vegan butter on medium heat until it begins to brown (this happens quite quickly, so keep an eye on it) while stirring. Once browned, remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Set aside to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes- 1 hour. You want the butter to almost solidify again but not be cold.
  3. Make the dough: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to cream together the brown butter with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Then add in the yogurt, and mix again. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt, and use a silicone spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the dough. Stop JUST before the flour is fully incorporated into the dough.
  4. Add in the chocolate chips: Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
  5. Chill: Chill the cookie dough for 10-20 minutes covered. While chilling, preheat the oven to 350F.
  6. Scoop: Scoop about 1.5 tbsp of cookie dough per dough ball. Roll between your palms and place onto the baking sheet 2 inches apart. You should yield 6-8 cookies with this measurement.
  7. Bake: Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for a few minutes. 
  8. Enjoy! Sprinkle with sea salt on top if desired and enjoy!

Notes

Gluten free: Swap in gluten free 1:1 baking flour- I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour!

Brown butter: You don’t need to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies- just use room temperature vegan butter and skip the browning the butter step!

chocolate chip cookies on parchment paper
stacked vegan chocolate chip cookies
vegan chocolate chip cookies baked on parchment paper