BEST Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)
Whether you’re a pro baker or just starting out in the vegan baking world, you’re going to absolutely LOVE these easy vegan double chocolate chip cookies. In fact, I’m pretty sure this will become your new favorite vegan cookie recipe (but definitely check out all of our vegan cookie recipes here!). Well, alongside my classic vegan chocolate chip cookies (a banana reader favorite!). 😉
That’s why this recipe even made it into my first cookbook.
I’m not even joking, these cookies are the epitome of soft, gooey, molten, and fudgy, yet maintain their form so well so that you’re not getting a chocolate mess everywhere (unless you’re 5, then I can’t help you there!).
But what’s more, you’d never know that these cookies are eggless, dairy free, and can be made gluten free undetectably as well. Plus, it’s such a simple and stress-free recipe, which means it’s perfect for kids to help with around the holidays!
Why you’ll love these easy vegan double chocolate cookies
First of all, it’s easy to love chocolate, but these cookies just wow me because it looks and tastes like a brownie in cookie form.
All while being completely dairy free, egg free, low in sugar (and refined sugar free!), and easily made gluten free. I mean, that’s quite a feat, little cookie!
Plus these double chocolate chip cookies make for the absolute best vegan Christmas cookies at a cookie exchange because a) it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy chocolate, and b) I guarantee you no one will have an A+ recipe like this one.
I mean, it’s just hard to find a fault in these cookies!
Unless you’re the Grinch. Or Scrooge.
Ingredients & Substitutions:
What I love most about these chocolate brownie cookies is how dang simple and easy they are. Seriously! With everything else going on during the holidays, the last thing you need to stress over is cookies.
Before we get into just how easy these vegan double chocolate chip cookies are to put together, let’s go over the ingredients.
For these cookies, you’ll need:
- Flour (or gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour): I love Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s for gluten-free flour and regular flour.
- Cocoa powder: because we need these to be extra chocolatey for vegan double chocolate chip cookies! I go over why we’re using all-natural cocoa powder over Dutch-processed and even cacao powder down below.
- Vegan butter: you can also swap in refined coconut oil, and it works absolutely perfectly because the applesauce will help add moisture back into the cookies. Using refined coconut oil instead of coconut oil will ensure that there isn’t a strong coconut flavor in the cookies.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: but you can also just use coconut sugar! Either way works. With granulated sugar, please be sure that it’s organic and vegan (the organic ones tend to be vegan, but double check).
- Applesauce: go for the unsweetened version for just apples! The applesauce will act as eggs in the cookies while also adding a bit of moisture back to these brownie cookies. You really won’t taste the applesauce flavor. I have tried these with ground flaxseed as well to create a flaxseed egg, and I don’t like how the cookies don’t really spread. Stick with applesauce! If you really don’t want to use applesauce though, you can use pumpkin puree.
- Chocolate chips (but of course!): I love using Pascha Organics for a vegan chocolate chip, but you can also use your favorite chocolate chip brand! I recommend vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips if you’re looking for a different chocolate chip to use.
A note on properly measuring ingredients:
Like with all recipes, it’s really crucial that you properly measuring your ingredients. Weighing your ingredients will give you the most accurate results.
A slight difference in method can drastically change how much of an ingredient you’re using and ultimately the result of your cookies. Take for instance the below photo.
The top cookie is properly measured ingredients. The second cookie below (smaller), uses actually MORE flour here. In fact, too much flour. This is because the flour has been scooped. I highly recommend you weigh your ingredients, but if you’re using cups, please spoon and level rather than scoop.
How to make vegan double chocolate chip cookies (overview)
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
As noted in the last section, it’s so important to measure out all of your ingredients properly. It also makes for even less stress when baking to measure out all ingredients before beginning. That way it’s a super stream-lined process!
But don’t worry- these vegan cookies are such a breeze to make. I just want to make sure they’re as easy as humanly possible for you! Makes vegan baking much more approachable 🙂
Here’s how to make these vegan double chocolate chip cookies:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. This is your flour, cocoa powder, and leavening agents.
- Then, cream together the vegan butter and sugars with a hand mixer. Once creamed together for a few minutes, you’ll add in the applesauce as well.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. It’s important to use a rubber spatula, and fold just before all of the dry ingredients are mixed. Here’s why in the next step!
- Add in the chocolate chips and chunks, and fold together. By adding in the chocolate chips right before the flour is completely mixed, you avoid over mixing the flour. Even gluten free flour can be too gummy from being over mixed! Use a little dairy free milk here if needed.
- Chill the dough. You’ll only need to chill the dough for 10 minutes before baking!
- Scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and bake! I use a medium cookie scoop. I bake these cookies for exactly 12 minutes. Then I lightly tap the pan on the table 2-3x (called the pan-banging method!) to get them a little less puffy. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy!
What is the pan-banging method?
So for these double chocolate chip cookies, we’ll be using the pan-banging method, but slightly modified.
Essentially, once the cookies have fully baked, remove the pan from the oven and tap the pan onto the countertop a few times (I do about 1-2 times) to flatten the cookies.
This will help create that brownie-look to these chocolate cookies. You don’t have to do this step, as these cookies will spread enough on their own, but this is just if you want the look of a brownie appearance as well!
Then you’re done! How easy is that?! The hardest part is probably letting them cool, I’ll be honest!
Should I chill the cookie dough?
I’ve tested these double chocolate chip cookies both with and without chilling. It really depends on the day and the consistency of your dough. If it’s a really hot day, I would suggest chilling the dough for 10 minutes, so that the cookie dough is more scoop-able! You just don’t want all of the dough sticking to the cookie scoop!
Pro Vegan Cookie Tips & Tricks
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients! If you noticed in the sections above, I included a new graphic of what happens when you over-scoop your flour. The cookies will be way too dough-y and won’t spread in the slightest. This happens when you don’t measure your ingredients properly- actually quite a common thing! The only way to really ensure these will come out as intended is if you use a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, you can use measuring cups (select the “US” measurements on the recipe card below!), but please be sure to spoon & level your flour!
- Use all natural cocoa powder. While cacao powder adds many nutrients to these vegan double chocolate chip cookies, and Dutch-processed cocoa is often thought of as the preferred cocoa powder for baking, I recommend all-natural cocoa powder. The reason being is that all-natural cocoa powder has a richer taste than Dutch-processed (similar to cacao powder), but it also has a higher acidity content than cacao powder, helping to give these cookies a bit more puffiness. This also tends to yield a softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture!
- Use a large cookie scoop for extra large cookies! I used a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to make about 9 cookies. They’re perfect for vegan ice cream sandwiches then!
- Make sure you’re using a light colored baking sheet. Did you know that the type of baking sheet you use for cookies actually yields different cookies? A darker baking sheet will prevent cookies from spreading (great if you’re making a lace cookie!) and a lighter one will help them spread more (perfect for chocolate chip cookies or these double chocolate ones!). I also use parchment paper on top, but you can use a silicone mat if you have it!
- Make sure your vegan butter/coconut oil is truly room temperature! Did you know that room temperature butter is actually at 65F? Which will feel colder than truly room temperature! This really matters, as too soft of vegan butter, and it won’t cream together properly with the sugars, which will yield a really not so great cookie. The butter should be cool to the touch, but easily indent-able.
The perfect vegan cookies for a cookie exchange
These are one of my favorite vegan cookies for cookie exchanges for a few reasons.
- They’re classic without being overdone. Don’t get me wrong, I love gingerbread cookies, especially my vegan gingerbread cookies, as much as the next person, but chances are, there will be a few gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, and thumbprint cookies at the exchange. These vegan brownie cookies are perfectly classic and chances are no one will make them like this!
- Everyone loves chocolate. Except for maybe someone who’s allergic to chocolate, which I’ve come across a few so far, but for the most part, chocolate is a safe bet for a happy tummy!
- These vegan double chocolate chip cookies are completely dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free, and can easily be made 100% gluten free, making them a great allergy-friendly Christmas cookie.
- Making these vegan chocolate brownie cookies doesn’t take much effort. Like at all! All you need to do is make the dough, bake the cookies, and wait for them to cool! No decorating, no fancy lattice, no secondary component that just made these a whole lot more difficult…these are some of my favorite easy Christmas cookies!
You are just going to absolutely love these easy vegan double chocolate chip cookies!
If you make these cookies, let me know down below in the comments section! And as always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations, so make sure to tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so that I can see!
Happy cookie baking!
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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!
Print
Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 18 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ooey gooey vegan double chocolate chip cookies that taste like a brownie in cookie form! Stress-free baking and easy to make gluten free, these are the best vegan Christmas cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (160 g) organic flour or gluten free 1-to-1 flour
- 1/2 cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, room temperature*
- 1/3 cup (83 g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 1–2 tbsp dairy free milk, if needed for mixing batter
- 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sea salt, and optional espresso powder.
- Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the vegan butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the applesauce, and mix again until incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry into the wet, being careful to stop mixing just before the dry is completely mixed. in
- Add in the chocolate chips: Fold in chocolate chips and/or chocolate chunks, and use a tablespoon or two of dairy free milk here as needed to fold in the chips until they’re evenly distributed in the dough.
- Chill the dough: if your dough is too sticky or it’s a super hot day, you can chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Bake the cookies: Scoop about 1 1/2 tbsp of dough and roll it into a ball. Place it onto the baking sheet and repeat for the remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes (I bake mine for exactly 12 minutes), then remove from the oven.
- Optional pan-banging method: Once the cookies have fully baked, remove the pan from the oven and tap the pan onto the countertop a few times (I do about 2-3 times) to create a brownie crinkle.
- Allow the cookies to set: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. You can add additional chocolate chips if you’d like on top.
- Enjoy!
- Storage: store any leftover cookies in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Gluten free: use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour for gluten free cookies.
Refined Sugar Free: swap in coconut sugar for both the brown sugar and granulated sugar for refined sugar free.
Cocoa powder: please use all natural cocoa powder over both Dutch-processed and cacao powder. See blog post for more notes on that!
Please read through the blog post for any additional tips!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (1 tbsp dough)
- Calories: 116
- Sugar: 8.5 g
- Sodium: 86.2 mg
- Fat: 6.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.7 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 1.6 g
- Cholesterol: 10.6 mg
Keywords: vegan double chocolate chip cookies, vegan Christmas cookies, vegan chocolate cookies, brownie cookies
Brownie + cookie = perfection.
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Aw thank you!! I appreciate it!
These look awesome! But do they need baking powder or baking soda?
Hi Hannah! No baking powder nor soda required 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi I’m so sorry to hear this! So I ended up adding the baking soda back in, as I found that yielded the most consistent results. But from the sounds of it, you might have added too much flour? Did you happen to scoop your flour?
Yummy cookies!! 🙂 It wasn’t said in the recipe, but are you supposed to flatten them first??
Hi Gabby! Aw thank you! I personally didn’t but you can if you’d like! They don’t spread much, so if you would like them to spread more, you can definitely flatten them 🙂
I had to stop myself & my husband from eating all the batter!!! Gee wizz, fav vegan cookie recipe ever!! Thank you for sharing
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Oh my goodness!!! I am so beyond happy and grateful to hear that!! That’s amazing 🙂 Honestly my boyfriend and I have the same issue HA! Enjoy!
Looks yum. What about rye flour or buckwheat? All I have 🙁 thanks
Hi Jess! They should work with buckwheat at a 1:1 ratio (I’ve tested buckwheat in other cookie recipes with similar results but I haven’t tested it here!) but unfortunately I can’t guarantee the same results! If you try it please let me know!
Definitely satisfied my cookie / brownie craving all at once. Delicious! I didn’t add the espresso powder because I’m caffeine-free… when I make these again I may use a little more vanilla.
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Aw I am so happy to hear this!! Enjoy and thank you for the rating! 🙂
Hi, I haven’t ever really tried any vegan baking because I’m not vegan myself but as I have a lot of vegan friends I thought I should cater for them as well!
It was a very easy batter to work with, the fact they don’t spread is a small thing, I just flattened them a little before they went in the oven.
They smell and taste amazing though! And I challenge anyone to tell me they’re vegan lol.
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Hi Brit, it’s Anna! Just made these for my family (and soon for Lauren…) and I’ve gotten rave reviews! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
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Oh my goodness hi Anna!!! This makes me so happy to hear, thank you so much and enjoy!!! Hope you’re doing well!
These didn’t spread or flatten at all. The flour also tasted a bit raw after baking. I’m wondering if adding baking soda would help this. At the least, it would allow them to spread out a bit.
Hi Courtney- I’m so sorry to hear this! They should have spread slightly, like in the photo, but they won’t spread all the way. If you want your cookies to spread a bit more, you can definitely add in 1/2 tsp of baking soda. They idea was to get them to be a bit like a Levain Bakery cookie 🙂 I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you though!
Thanks for sharing! Do you think adding a flax egg or two would moisten and fluff them up some?
The applesauce will do the trick! But if you’d like them to spread more, you can add in 1/2 tsp baking soda to the dry mixture 🙂
Hi! I was just wondering if I can use vegan butter instead of coconut oil. Thank you!
Absolutely!! 🙂
Hi!
I’m super excited to try your recipe! They look soo yummy and chocolatey 🥰
What could I use instead of applesauce without changing the texture?
Thanksss
Hi Ana!! Aw that’s wonderful, thank you!! So for this recipe, I really recommend sticking with the applesauce if you can- it will help achieve that soft cookie texture (I haven’t successfully gotten it with a ground flaxseed egg). You can also use mashed banana here, but they will taste more like a banana cookie then. The applesauce is subtle enough that you don’t even taste it!
Can I use flax egg instead of applesauce?
Hi Kaitlyn! They won’t be as soft, but they will still work! 🙂
Hi! Can I use almond flour instead? That’s all I have 🙁
Aw no! Unfortunately, it won’t work with almond flour (I’ve tested it once, and it didn’t turn out!). I’m so sorry!
can i use banana instead of applesauce?
Hi Melissa! I haven’t tried this recipe with banana so I can’t guarantee results! The applesauce definitely provides a lot of needed moisture, since coconut oil is 100% fat and doesn’t have the same fat:water ratio that even vegan butter has!
Hmm, I’m reading the comments and read back over the recipe and not sure as to why mine didn’t turn out right. They completely flattened into a thin crisp. They did not turn out as cookies at all.
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear that! It might have been the vegan butter/coconut oil- was it completely melted when using it? It should be just room temperature!
Hello…
Can I use oat flour or whole wheat flour?? It’s all I have….which will be better ??
Thanks !!!
Hi Monica! So I actually haven’t tried these with either- only with GF 1:1 baking flour (Bob’s Red Mill to be exact!). My guess is that they might work with oat flour but I *cannot* guarantee results. Whole wheat flour I’ve really not worked with so I can’t speak to that! Of course, you can try the oat flour, but I just can’t promise they’ll turn out just like this!
Which other flour would you recommend? Oat or whole wheat maybe? Another thing is i live in a tropical country so my coconut oil is always liquid, what should i do in that regard?
Hi Alida!! So I haven’t tested these with oat flour myself, but one reader did say that they worked, although I don’t think they spread as much. Wheat flour might be a bit trickier, so I would use oat flour if it were me, but I can’t guarantee it will be the same results, I’m so sorry!! For coconut oil, you can pop it into the fridge to help solidify it!!
This was good but not quite as fudgy as I would have liked, plus they didn’t flatten when I did the tapping thing. Why would that be? Also I think next time I will put a bit less cocoa powder
Hi Lehava! Thanks for writing in! You have to give it a good tap- like a little harder than you’d think (but not too much that the cookies go flying!). I would check out this video for specifics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1bUPTutPkQ skip to minute 4:40 for the technique!
Made these today. Had to sub a few ingredients cause some things are hard to find where I live. Subbed half a banana for the applesauce plus a shot of espresso instead of powder. Also subbed about half of the coconut oil with tahini. Also brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. Despite all these adjustments I made they look a lot like the ones you made.
And they turned out yummy, almost like brownie cookies. I think this recipe can be really versatile…thinking of subbing white choc chips, or adding some nuts
Thanks for the recipe, Britt! Where I am atm we’re under lockdown again so I’ll be looking into making some more of your recipes. Thinking a good banana bread or something with pumpkin…any recs?
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Aw this is so lovely to hear!! Glad all of the subs worked out 🙂 and absolutely!! This is my go-to banana bread recipe: https://thebananadiaries.com/best-vegan-banana-bread-recipe/ and this is my fave pumpkin bread: https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-pumpkin-bread-recipe/ Enjoy!! And sending lots of love!
Hii… I used the Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour from Bob’s Red Mill, and every else kept the same, and my cookies turned out very dry 🙁 … They didn’t flatten, so I tried to do it with the fork and started to fall apart!
Any advice?? It was the four? Or should I try to add more apple sauce/coconut oil next time???…
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Hi Nailea! Question: did you happen to scoop the flour instead of measure it with a spoon? If so, scooping the flour yields too much flour in the recipe (it’s like having 1 cup of PACKED flour vs 1 cup flour). This would have yielded a more dry cookie! Did you make any other swaps to the recipe?
made them with oat flour, a little bit less because i added orgain chocolate protein powder, half a shot of espresso and let me tell you that the batter by itself was AMAZING loved them!
Aw my goodness I’m so happy to hear!! Sounds absolutely brilliant 🙂 Love orgain as well! Enjoy and thanks for the review!
I just made these cookies last night and my boyfriend and I absolutely loved them! I used cocoa powder instead of cacao and skipped the espresso powder, but they still turned out delicious! I probably should have waited to tell my boyfriend that they were vegan until after he tried one because he was a bit skeptical about them at first, but after a few bites even he had to admit that they were good!
Aw this is so wonderful! Thank you so much for the review!! So glad you both loved 🙂
Can these be frozen to eat at a later date? Thank you!!
Yes absolutely! Make sure to store them in an airtight container!
Just whipped these up, so easy. I used homemade applesauce because that’s all i had and it still came out good. I baked then for the full 12 minutes and i had to put them in the fridge. They were delicious and not too sweet. The first batch was a bit too soft for my liking (baked for 10 mins) so i left them in a bit longer the second time and it was perfect.
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This is so wonderful to hear!! Thanks so much for the review! And glad you loved them 🙂
Awesome recipe!!! I can’t wait to make them!!! 😄 I was wondering if they’d still taste as good if I used a sugar free option like Stevia or granulated Monkfruit? If not, that’s perfectly fine, just wondering 😁
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Hi Emily! So glad you’re going to try them! 🙂 Truthfully, I haven’t tested these with a granulated sweetener- I know that sometimes those those sweeteners will prevent cookies from spreading, though I’ve heard that Lakanto has a “brown sugar” monk fruit and a “granulated sugar” monk fruit that apparently work well in cookies! I wish I could help more, but let me know if you do try the sugar free option- would be so interesting to know!
These cookies are so perfect! They don’t spread too much, making for a lovely thick gooey cookie! I would eat these everyday if I could!
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This is so wonderful to hear!! Thank you so much for the review 🙂 Enjoy!
These are simply amazing! I made several adding marshmallows then our friends turned them into ice cream sandwiches! Incredible! Thank you for this recipe, if I could give 10 stars, I would.
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This is just so sweet! Truly THANK YOU! So glad to hear about the marshmallow add-in 🙂 Sounds wonderful!! Enjoy, and thank you again!
The best cookies I have ever made! They`re so good!
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Aw I’m so happy to hear it!! Thank you for leaving a review and enjoy!
So good! I used a ripe banana instead of applesauce and it worked so well!
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I didn’t add any milk, but used room temp coconut oil & applesauce and the cookies spread a LOT during baking so they were a lot thinner than I’d have liked. When they came out I had to re-shape them with a spatula before cooling which worked ok. The batter and cookies are tasty, though, so going to give it another go and hope for a better consistency!
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Oh my gosh these cookies were amazing. I used coconut sugar instead of granulated & brown sugar like you suggested and they were magnificent. 100% will be making these again!
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Oh my goodness! Jess, you’re so sweet! Thank you so so much for trying them, wow! Made my day 🙂 Enjoy!!
Just made these for a group gathering and they are great. I prefer a rounded cookie and not a flat cookie, and some did flatten out while baking but overall were pretty good. Like the little bit of espresso powder, takes them right over the edge for chocolatey goodness.
These are great cookies, but BEWARE- if you double the recipe- the weights do not change from the original.
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