the vegan chocolate chip cookie is not just a recipe — it is a benchmark. Ask any serious plant-based baker what recipe they use to prove that vegan baking can compete with the original, and the answer almost always begins here. Because if you can make a cookie this good without eggs or butter, you have proven something meaningful.
These cookies have crispy, golden edges that shatter slightly on the first bite and a chewy, gooey centre that holds its warmth long after they come out of the oven. They are loaded with dark chocolate — generously, without apology — and finished with a pinch of flaky sea salt that elevates them from very good to extraordinary.
Ingredients
- 225g vegan butter (block-style, not spreadable)
- 200g light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) — replaces egg
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water (flax egg, rested 10 mins)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 280g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (produces chewier cookies)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 300g dark chocolate chips or roughly chopped dark chocolate (70%+)
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Method
Step 1: Brown the Butter
Place the vegan butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat. Melt completely, then continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter begins to foam and small golden-brown specks appear on the bottom of the pan. The butter will smell nutty and caramelised — this is the Maillard reaction creating dozens of new flavour compounds. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes until it reaches room temperature.
Step 2: Make the Egg Replacers
Combine the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Stir and rest for 10 minutes until gel-like. The aquafaba is used directly from the tin.
Step 3: Mix
Add both sugars to the cooled browned butter. Whisk vigorously for two minutes until combined. Add the aquafaba, flax egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk for another two minutes until the mixture is smooth and slightly glossy. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornstarch, and salt. Fold with a spatula until a thick dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips, distributing them evenly.
Step 4: Chill
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Overnight produces the best result. Do not skip this step — unchilled dough spreads too thin in the oven and produces flat, greasy cookies rather than thick, chewy ones.
Step 5: Bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line two baking trays with parchment. Scoop the dough into balls approximately 60g each — larger than you think necessary — and place on the trays with at least 7cm between each. Do not flatten them; they will spread naturally. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are set and golden but the centres still look underdone and slightly glossy. This is correct — they firm up as they cool. Immediately press a few extra chocolate chips onto the surface of each warm cookie. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Step 6: Cool (The Hard Part)
Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 full minutes before transferring. They are structurally fragile when hot and will fall apart if moved immediately. The texture sets completely within 20 minutes of coming out of the oven.
The Browning Technique: Why It Changes Everything
Plant-based butter contains water, emulsifiers, and vegetable oils. When heated past its melting point, the water evaporates, the milk solids in some varieties brown, and the remaining fat takes on a complex, nutty flavour profile that plain melted butter simply cannot achieve. Not all vegan butters brown equally — block-style varieties with higher fat content (Miyoko’s, Naturli, Violife) perform best. Spreadable varieties have higher water content and may spatter more aggressively.
The brown butter trick is used in professional bakeries for exactly this reason: it deepens flavour without adding a single ingredient.