For years, I’ve been searching for my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I want outrageously delicious bakery-style chocolate chip cookies that completely capture my attention upon first bite. I want a chewy middle, barely crisp edges, complex flavor, and rich chocolate chips.
I want all of that in a cookie recipe that’s easy to make. No mixer required. No creaming of softened-but-not-too-soft butter. No chilling the dough for 24 hours. I don’t have the patience for any of that. Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie!
These chocolate chip cookies are the best homemade chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. My cookie search is over.
These cookies are so delicious and supremely easy to make. The dough needs a very reasonable 30-minute chill in the refrigerator, and let me tell you, they’re worth the brief wait.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Also amazing? These cookies are (shockingly) vegan. That’s right, there’s no butter or eggs in this recipe, but you’d never guess it.
How? Instead of butter, these cookies use melted coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or a neutral-flavored oil like avocado oil. The eggs are simply omitted with no downsides.
For non-vegans like me, this means that the recipe is even easier to make than standard chocolate chip cookies.
For those with dairy or egg allergies, these cookies are a total game changer.
The remaining ingredients are simple and wholesome. You’ll need whole wheat flour, chocolate chips, sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar, and your basic salt and leavening agents. I sprinkled my cookies with some flaky sea salt to make them even more irresistible.
How These Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies Came to Be
I can’t take full credit for this recipe. I was intrigued by the original recipe offered in the Ovenly Cookbook, via Food52. I made several adjustments to their ingredients and method.
I swapped whole wheat flour for all-purpose, which is undetectable in the final product. I also substituted coconut sugar for brown sugar, which is less refined (for those wondering, it is impossible to make bakery-style cookies using liquid natural sweeteners). I experimented with oils other than canola, which is highly processed and high in omega-6s.
I also found a chilling time shortcut. If you scoop the dough onto the sheets and then chill it, 30 minutes in the freezer works just as well as their 24-hour recommendation. That way, the recipe works with coconut oil, which solidifies at cool temperatures.
Coconut Oil vs. Olive Oil
We should talk a little bit about how your choice of oil affects the final product. I didn’t notice any textural differences with any of the oils, but virgin coconut oil offers a slight coconut flavor. Olive oil tastes like, well, olive oil, especially when the cookies are warm.
If you enjoy the flavor of either of those oils on their own, I think you’ll love how they shine through in these cookies and make the flavor more interesting. I’m partial to coconut oil. If you want cookies that taste like standard bakery chocolate chip cookies, use refined coconut oil or a neutral oil like avocado oil or safflower oil.
Cookie Dough Safety Note
Since the dough is egg free, it doesn’t carry the usual risk of salmonella poisoning. However, raw flour can carry a slight risk for E.Coli or other pathogens. So, I don’t recommend eating this dough, either!
Here’s more information from the CDC about raw flour (thank you to Tara for sharing).
More Cookie Recipes to Enjoy
Please let me know how these cookies turn out for you in the comments. I hope they become your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, too.
Watch How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes chill time)
- Yield: 13 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe! These cookies are easy to make with basic, wholesome ingredients. No mixer required! They’re miraculously vegan, too (no softened butter here). Recipe yields 13 large cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips*
- ⅔ cup lightly packed coconut sugar or ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil**
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- Maldon flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine, then add the chocolate chips and toss to coat.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar, regular sugar, oil and water. Whisk until the sugar has incorporated into the oil and the mixture is smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, then stir just until combined and no more flour is visible (don’t overdo it).
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Fill an ice cream scoop two-thirds with dough (or spoon the mixture into even 2-inch mounds), and place the dough onto one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving several inches of space around each cookie.
- Freeze the cookies on their pans for 30 minutes, or chill them for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden, about 14 to 17 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt, if using. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ovenly’s Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies.
*Chocolate chip notes: I like Ghiradelli’s bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate chips. Use vegan/dairy free chocolate chips if necessary.
**Oil notes: You can taste the coconut or olive oil flavor lightly in these cookies. Use whichever one you prefer. For completely neutral-flavored cookies, use a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil or safflower oil.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Simply use dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works great!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Alexia Pommells
Made these today, my first time making cookies, tehy are peeerrrrfect! Thanks a million.
From Jamaica!
★★★★★
Suzanne Herrin
These are delicious! So different!
Michael
Hi! Can i use coconut sugar all the way?
Kate
Hi Michael, I found using both the sugars really made this recipe come together. Changing one in baking will really vary your results.
Dee
Hey iv made these cookies twice and the first time I only used half the sugar. They were ok but not as enjoyable as the second time I made them following the recipe more accurately.
The second bake the cookies were a little different as I added brown sugar and I think with using the full amount of sugar they came out a flatter cookie. They were yum and I will keep this recipe handy.
I love the chew in them and they taste great
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your feedback, Dee! Yes, these are best as written as baking it quite precise. I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them.
Dee
Hey iv made these cookies twice and the first time I only used half the sugar. They were ok but not as enjoyable as the second time I made them following the recipe more accurately.
The second bake the cookies were a little different as I added brown sugar and I think with using the full amount of sugar they came out a flatter cookie. They were yum and I will keep this recipe handy. I love the chew in them and they taste great
Oh ! Can these cookies be frozen or how long do they keep in an air tight container please ?
★★★★
Kate
Hi Dee, Thank you for your detail! I’m glad you hear it worked for you. These should last a few months in the freezer, but I haven’t personally froze them as they don’t last that long for me. :)
Ebonie Fox
best cookies ive ever made!! both appearance and taste wise
★★★★★
Dee
Hi I had written two almost identical messages on your page. Can you please delete the shorter message thanks.
I tried to delete the message but don’t know how.
Thanks again and I have loved baking your cookies and have shared them with family
Laura
Just made a batch and they turned out delicious: I’ve replaced water with rice milk (just because I love it) and used only coconut sugar (because that’s the only one I had), they taste so good I’ve immediately saved the link to this recipe.
Thank you for sharing it!
Laura, Italy
★★★★★
Sandra
I followed the recipe as is written, but my cookies spread out thin while baking. This has happened twice now. Should I reduce the amount of oil as that it the only thing I can think of that os causing them to flop like this?
Kate
Hi Sandra, I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble. Be sure to let them chill long enough – maybe let them chill a bit longer and measure flour carefully. Let me know!
Jala Pfaff
No vanilla??
Kate
Hi! Not in this recipe. :) I hope you try it and let me know what you think!
Jala Pfaff
Thanks for your response about the vanilla.
I made them last night and they turned out…really bizarre. I didn’t have regular white sugar at hand, so I used a sugar substitute called Swerve, which said it could be used 1:1 for baking, etc. So I don’t know if that was the problem.
They turned out weird. Instead of flattening while they baked, they puffed up. They ended up looking like half-dome little breads. The consistency is also of bread, like sandwich bread. So, like little breads that happen to have choc.chips in them. Not inedible but definitely strange.
I put the uneaten ones into the fridge overnight, and next day (today) I poked them and overnight they’ve gotten super hard.
Would like your opinions.
Desiree Schmucker
These were wonderful and so easy. My 7 year old pretty much baked them herself. I found them a tad sweet though so we’ll try reduce the sugar a bit next time.
Natalie
These are incredible! A friend gave me the recommendation of making this with oats. Substituting all of the flour for 1 and 1/4 cup flour with 1 and 1/2 cup oats works so well. I like to add some pecans and a bit of cinnamon.
★★★★★
Emilia
I just made these today! I’ve been cursed with baking for months (nothing has worked!) but these turned out well. I used coconut oil and whole wheat pastry flour and they were (chef’s kiss). I don’t actually know what “2-inch mounds” means (…diameter? height?!) so I just made 13 and they were enormous. They didn’t spread at all but were puffy, so I squished them with a fork at the 10-minute mark and they were good. Is there a reason they’re so large, or could I make 26 smaller cookies?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Emilia! I’m sorry this didn’t seem clear to you. If you got 13 out of the recipe, then that is correct! They may seem larger since you squished them since they didn’t hold their shape.
Sofia
Can i use only brown sugar? is the only thing i have right now and i really want to make these cookies
Kate
Hi Sofia, to get these perfect, you the combination of sugar listed works best.