These soft vegan chocolate cookies make for a fantastic top 8 allergen free cookie. They are versatile and simple to make.
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Our kids love these soft vegan cookies.They love that these cookies never snap but instead are soft and moist inside. Easy to eat for our kids with textural food issues. I love making them because they are so easy to make.
These soft chocolate cookies are best as a base for an ice cream sandwich or as a whoopie pie with vegan/safe for you buttercream icing. They don’t require a ton of time or effort to make but stay soft for quite a while due to the aquafaba used in them.
Ingredients To Make Soft Vegan Chocolate Cookies
The ingredients are your run of the mill vegan and gluten free cookie that works perfectly for those with top allergies, too.
Dry Ingredients Needed:
All purpose flour (with xanthan gum)
I like to use a premixed gluten free flour in these soft vegan chocolate cookies to make them that much easier and consistent in their bake. This recipe was made using Robin Hood Gluten Free Flour but Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 works well too but check the “May Contain” warnings as some flours do have some cross contamination risks and not everyone can use the same flours.
Cocoa Powder
I use a fine ground high quality cocoa powder and have checked that it is safe for us. The one we use is a dutch processed cocoa.
Baking Powder
Be sure to use a safe one for your family as some contain gluten and may have cross contamination with other allergens.
Salt
Table salt or sea salt can be used.
Granulated Sugar
We used plain granulated sugar, but castor or berry sugar would work as well.
Wet Ingredients Needed:
Aquafaba
The liquid from tinned chickpeas makes a great binder and egg replacer. In this recipe we used a balanced combo of flax egg and aquafaba. If used from tinned chickpeas there is no need to reduce it for this recipe, whereas chickpeas soaked from dried will need to be reduced by ⅓-1/2. We use a lot of chickpeas and I store the aquafaba in the fridge for a couple of days for baking in a clean container, not the tin, for safety.
Flax and Warm Water
This is used as an egg replacement. You can use a packaged egg replacement product such as Ener-G or Bob's Red Mill. They may change the crumb of the cookie and firm it up rather than have it be as soft.
Vegan Buttery Stick
We use the Melt Organics brand when developing this recipe but they are coconut based and not suitable for everyone. The sticks work better, we found than tub butter replacement due to the water content difference. We also have to watch for soy so our options are narrowed.
Vanilla extract
We have started making our own with potato based vodka and vanilla beans. It takes 12 months for it to develop properly. There are many good quality pure vanilla extracts available for purchase, just check it they are safe for you.
Substitutions for Aquafaba
It is possible to make these soft vegan chocolate cookies with ground flax or ground psyllium husk/egg replacement product instead of aquafaba. This is important for anyone with an allergy to chickpeas. If you are replacing the aquafaba the cookies will not be as soft. Adding 2-4 tablespoons of water will also be needed to keep the cookies moister. Flax and psyllium husk absorb a lot of liquid to bind the mix and act like an egg in this recipe.
Directions and Tips on Making Soft Vegan Cookies
This soft vegan chocolate cookie recipe requires mixxing the dry ingretients first. Second, froth the aquafaba with either a whisk or a milk frother. This is really important as it lends to the airy texture to the cookies and the soft texture of the cookies. The aquafaba needs to be really frothy before adding the flax and water and again whisking it. Whisk in the melted butter and then sift the dry ingredients in.
Mix until just combined. Any more mixing will make the cookies tough and deflated. Cook the cookies after rolling them in balls to get the right shape. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 mins before moving or they will fall apart. They are that soft they need to firm up as they cool.
Adaptations on How to Use the Soft Vegan Chocolate Cookies
One of the best things about these cookies is the range of things you can do with them. They are great on their own but put two together with buttercream icing to make safe whoopie pies. There is an icing recipe in our chocolate cake recipe. For Vanilla flavoured remove 1 teaspoon GF oat milk and replace it with vanilla extract and replace the cocoa with icing sugar.
Our favourite is to make safe for us ice cream and when it is soft spread it like icing in-between two cookies, wrap each set in waxed paper and put in a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer as ice cream sandwiches.
Storage Tips for Soft Cookies
-Countertop
Best eaten in 3 days if stored on the counter in a container with a loose fitting lid.
-Fridge
The cookies will keep for 1 week in the fridge in a properly sealed container. Put a dry paper towel in with the cookies to keep them from going grainy in the fridge.
-Freezer
In a well sealed container they will keep for 3 months. If using as Ice cream sandwiches, eat frozen with the vegan nut free ice cream in the middle of two cookies. If eating as just cookies allow to thaw for 2 hours before eating.
What To Serve With Soft Vegan Chocolate Cookies
These make a great treat or snack, especially as an ice cream sandwich. They make a nice dessert best served with a cup of coffee or a tea. The whoopie cookies are great for a birthday or safe classroom snack that is inclusive of those with top 8 allergen and various other dietary restrictions.
We hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do! Please leave a comment of send us a picture of you enjoying this recipe.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
Allergen Friendly Chocolate Cake
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ all purpose Gluten Free flour with xanthan gum of 1 to 1 GF Flour
- ¼ C cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tbsps aquafaba
- 1 tablespoon flax
- 2 Tbsps warm water
- 1 c sugar
- ½ C vegan butter stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- - preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment
- - melt butter over medium heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- - In a small bowl mix flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- - In a medium bowl mix whip aquafaba by hand with a whisk until frothy add flax and water, continue to beat with a whisk.
- - Add sugar and continue whisking by hand until the mix is thick.
- - Slowly add the melted vegan butter while whisking continuously.
- - Whisk in vanilla.
- - Sift in dry ingredients and stir with a spoon or whisk until just combined, not longer.
- - Measure out cookies using a 1 ½ tablespoon spoon into your palm and roll into a ball placing 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets.
- - Bake for 8-10 mins, let cool for 5 mins before moving to a baking rack.
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and us know how much you liked it.