These cookies are the opposite of everything I thought makes a chocolate chip cookie great. There’s no eggs or butter and I was so unprepared for a cookie with deep, mysterious flavour, thanks to olive oil, packed with melty chocolate chips and so so easy to make. They are utterly delicious, with crispy edges and chewy centers, just the way a cookie should be. Let’s bake!
I came across these cookies on Butter and Brioche and was super super intrigued. It turns out that they were based on a famous vegan cookie recipe from Ovenly bakery in New York and when I sat down to refresh the photos, I realised just how popular that recipe was!
When I first made these cookies I’d reduced the sugar, but that affected the texture, something I learnt much later. This time around, I kept all of it the same, only adding a little vanilla extract for a more balanced flavour. The olive oil is prominent, but in a really, really pleasant way. It has the most unique flavour after baking and somehow the chocolate, the brown sugar and the vanilla combine with the olive oil in the most magical form. If you’re not a fan of extra virgin olive oil, a neutral oil or a light olive oil will work too. I halved the recipe for a smaller batch this time around and still got 12 cookies so plan accordingly!
The bigger thing I did differently was not chilling the dough for 24 hours which the original recipe recommends. I found that the dough was a little on the crumblier side and it became harder to mould into little dough balls after chilling. I also found that flavour wise, there really wasn’t a huge difference. Now I know that not chilling cookie dough is considered blasphemous so feel free to go that route only if you want to! The cookie on the left in the above photo is after 30 minutes of chilling, just as an experiment, and the one on the right is with no chilling, just about 10 minutes of resting time at room temperature. It spreads more and is lighter in colour because while the dough chills, the oil seems to absorb the colour from the brown sugar and therefore the dough becomes a deeper brown.
As you work with the dough, it will feel greasy and that’s ok! It all comes together in the end and as long as you don’t overbake the cookies, the centers remain lovely and moist and chewy. I found it easiest to use my hands to bring the dough together and make sure the chips stay in place.
Anyway, time to bake some cookies! I hope you love these as much as I did 🙂
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (60 gms)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (70 gms) (light soft brown sugar recommended)
- 1/3 cup olive oil (80 ml, see notes)
- 2 tbsps room temperature water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (130 gms)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, sugars, water and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and the sugars have dissolved.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold it all together with a spatula to make a soft, crumbly dough.
- Now add the chocolate chips and work them into the dough either with the spatula or using your hands, which I found more effective. They may not fully mix in at this stage, don't worry.
- Let the dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. It will look a little greasy, that's ok. At this stage you can chill the dough for 24 hours which is recommended but I personally didn't find it necessary. Read more in the post above.
- Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line a baking tray with a silicone mat or non-stick baking paper.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon to make 12 equal portions of the dough. Drop them onto the tray an inch apart and if they're not coming together or the chips are falling out, shape each one with your hands and the warmth of your fingers will bring them together. Flatten each one slightly because they don't spread much while baking. (If you did chill the dough then you'll need to spend a few more minutes shaping the dough balls).
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned on the edges but still somewhat puffy in the centers. The cookies will be very, very soft so leave them at room temperature on the baking tray for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. If they seem very puffy, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon. If you're baking chilled cookie dough, add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
- Once cooled, store in an airtight tin at room temperature for 3 to 4 days and in the fridge for 10 days, or the freezer for longer. I did find that the cookies become crunchier after two or three days so if you want them at their 'soft chewy centers' stage, eat them quick 🙂 Happy baking!
Notes
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Hii! I just made them and they taste great. Only thing i changed is the flour to whole wheat and sugar to sugar replacement (granulated)
I reduced the sugar, but the cookies are very soft, almost like they crumble in your mouth. Is that normal? Thank you!!
Hi Zoe, both those changes are likely to have caused the difference in texture. Wholewheat flour tends to be drier and reducing sugar also takes away moisture so that’s probably why they’re crumbly. I’m unfamiliar with sugar replacements but that’s likely to have affected the cookies too. Thank you for trying them !
I am so sorry, they are amazing! I realized i didnt wait long enough to try!! I was so excited. They are wonderful, thank you so much for the recipe
I’m very happy to hear that !
Had saved this recipe when butter was pricey and eggs were off the charts. Finally made a batch today and the appearance and flavor were perfect! Love all the tips and did chill for 30 minutes. This is a keeper recipe!
Love hearing that ! I actually made these again just this week and added some more tips, I’m so glad you found them useful. Thank you so much 🙂
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Hi gayatri tired yr recipe and was great for a vegan & eggless variety of cookies. Next time I willl use only 1/4 cup oil as the cookies were a little oily rest the taste and texture was awesome
Thanks for trying them Shweta!
I did a batch yesterday, using exactly the same
recipe and they turned out magical 😊
Planning to do another round tomorrow already!
Thanks for sharing such a cool recipe.
Yay I’m so happy to hear that!
Just made these tonight minus the coffee and with plain granulated sugar and they are awesome! I don’t think I’ve ever made cookies with olive oil before but these are divine!
Yay I’m so happy to hear that! Olive oil in cookies was a game changer for me too 🙂
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Hi! I want to make these but what is coffee powder? Where donyou usually find it? Is there any substitute? And caster sugar?
Thanks!
Just regular instant coffee or espresso powder, whatever you have on hand and you can skip it too. Caster sugar is the finer version of the granulated sugar we normally get in India, I use bluebird brand. Hope that helps 🙂
Just look at those chocolate chunks…daymnnnn i’m positively drooling now!
They’re my favourite bit! Let me know if you try them 🙂