My absolute favourite and best vegan chocolate chip cookies.
Little-brother approved.
Crisp edges, chewy centre, perfect chocolate-to-cookie-ratio.
UPDATE: Obviously this was posted a while ago, and I’m no longer with Chris haha. But I’ve sort of left this post up as a memento of my past to see how far I’ve come. This was a pretty defining point in my life and I learned a lot of life lessons, so I’ve left it as is. But for any of you who have stumbled upon this as your first introduction to me, just know that I am happily married now to a pretty great guy who I’ve also written about on this blog (mostly in the early stages of dating haha, I don’t really write about our relationship online anymore). Anyway, enjoy the cookies and enjoy the look into my past haha.
Dear Future Lisa,
I know you’re not super happy with the way life is right now. Last week you pooped your pants on the subway in front of one of your best friends during the tail end of rush hour on a Thursday. Then you lost your phone. Then you were broken-hearted with humanity when the person who had your phone lied when they said they’d return it. And then when Chris finally finished school, he left to go back home for the summer, which is so far away from you it’s in a different timezone.
You’ve had a rough week.
Heck, you’ve had a rough year. Skin issues, mice in your apartment, carpet beetles, family drama, money issues, but it hasn’t all been bad. You found a job that you LOVE and you’re basically doing what you did when you procrastinated school, except you’re getting paid for it now. If that’s not finding your vocation, I don’t know what is.
You’ve made incredible friends in the last year—not new friends, but you’ve bonded with the people you’ve been close with for a while in a way that will last your lifetime. These friends are your lifetime friends. Don’t let go. You guys have laughed about poop together. You’ve heard each other poop. You’ve confessed to each other what your poop is like and if you’re scared whether your poop is normal. Basically all life and the core of your friendship boils down to how much you share about poop. I’m not sure how I feel about that, Future Lisa, but hey. It’s funny. You found people who think poop is as funny as you do. YOU DID IT.
But after all the tears, the weeks of stressing out whether or not you can do the long distance with Chris, if you can make it through another 4 months of distance after 3 hard years, remember this:
You can do it.
Remember how good it is when you are together. Chris may be the worst person to get a hold of via phone, but he loves you. He’s a small town guy and despite being an engineer, communication and tech is not his strong suit. You knew that going in, so just remember that through the tough times.
This past weekend has been a whirlwind of fun. Busy, hectic, literally full of obstacles (we definitely want to do tree-top trekking again), but full of awesome activities and great people. You didn’t fight, you didn’t cry, you didn’t feel alone.
Remember what this is like when you feel like the long distance is unbearable this summer. Remember how much you guys like watching superhero movies and shows together. How much you both love eating. Remember how you both love being physically challenged and doing outdoor activities together. How he pushes you to be a better person.
Remember the cuddles, the kisses, the hugs. The way his hand wraps around yours. How he tries to steal you away from the kitchen because he just wants a hug.
He might totally suck at cleaning up around the house and he’s probably the least organized person you know, but it’s not impossible for him to learn. Give him time. Be patient. Let him love you, and don’t close yourself off.
I know you’re afraid of being left alone, of being vulnerable. Be strong, and wait. It’s only four more months.
Bake your favourite (and his favourite) crisp and chewy chocolate chip cookies and remember the good times. You’ll get there. Just keep working, building your life, and he’ll join you when the time is right.
You’re going to be okay.
Love,
You.
Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
My absolute favourite and best vegan chocolate chip cookies. Little-brother approved.
Crisp edges, chewy centre, perfect chocolate-to-cookie-ratio.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp flax meal (3.5 g) + 4 tbsp (45 mL) warm water (set aside to gel for 10 minutes)
- 1 cup (200 g) vegan butter (I used vegan becel)
- 3/4 cup (140 g) white sugar
- 3/4 cup (160 g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp (3 g) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups (350 g) all purpose flour
- 1 generous pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (85 g) mini or regular chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180C).
- In a small bowl, combine flax meal and warm water and let sit to gel for about 10 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer (or a spatula and some elbow grease) beat butter and white and brown sugar until light, creamy and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract and flax meal mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Sift in baking powder, baking soda, flour, salt and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop or roll 1-inch balls onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just barely brown and they're quite puffy. Remove from oven and let cool for a minute (they'll deflate).
- Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
- These are good immediately, but they're even better the next day when they're chewy and set =)
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
Dear Future Ana,
Please make sure you keep following Lisa at the Viet Vegan, because she has just written the most amazing piece about friendship and love, and you want to read her writing all the time. Also- she bakes good cookies. And she lives in Toronto- and Toronto is cool.
Love,
You
Lisa Le says
I don’t even know what to say to this. I just want to reach through the screen and hug you. Thank you Ana <3
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
For vegan chocolate chip cookies these still look SO buttery, chocolat-y and delicious. I don’t follow a vegan diet but I really want to try this recipe out.
Taylor says
Lisa, thank you, as always, for your honesty. It is beautiful. So are these cookies. So are you. Thank you.
Lisa Le says
Thank you for reading, Taylor =)
Cathy says
Just wanted to comment to say that 4 months in the grand scheme of life, and the many more years I’m sure you guys will have together, will seem like nothing. So like you said, you will be okay :)
Also, these cookies look delicious. Wish you could just bake it and send it to me instead haha
Lisa Le says
<3 Thanks Cathy. BTW congrats on your new job!!! I bet your parents are super proud =) My mom was happy to hear you got a job so quickly too
Katie @ Produce On Parade says
Hang in there, Lisa!! If anyone can do it then it’s surely a strong and amazing person like yourself :) I always try to talk to Todd about poo and he just won’t have it. Who will I talk to poo about, Lisa?! It sounds like you have a few of the most important things going for you. An amazing job, good friends, and a love (although he may be far away at the moment). If anything can help, goddamner it sure is these cookies (OMG!) Hugs and kisses from up North!
Lisa Le says
Hahah thanks Katie. WE CAN TALK ABOUT POO. Poo is very important. I’ll try to get a letter written out before I move to send to you, and once I send it, I shall eagerly await a letter concerning poo. XD *thumbs up*
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
Oooof, sounds like you had a rough week but you are totally right: you can do it! Life is full of obstacles and the only thing we can do is push through and remain optimistic. And I feel you on the long distance part… long distance has barely begun for me and I’m already struggling. It just sucks to be so far apart from the one person who makes you laugh and manages to brighten your day no matter what. Hang in there girl! xo
Lisa Le says
Hi Kristen, I have no idea! I’m really sorry. Here is a resource that might help!
Lisa Le says
Hi Jessica, thank you so much for reading and leaving this comment. It’s really comforting to know that there are other people out there who are going through long distance too. Hope you like the cookies =)
haleigh says
I was wondering if it matters what kind of chocolate chips you use? I’ve heard that most brands aren’t vegan..I want to try this badly!
Lisa Le says
I either use Enjoy Life Chocolate chips, or President’s Choice Chocolate Chips =) I’m pretty sure that Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips are also vegan.
Roxanne Houde says
I have done this recipe twice now and the cookies always end up becoming crunchy while they cool off rather than chewy…. The first time I did it, I was out of of cane sugar so I used brown sugar instead, I thought that might explain why they became hard… Second time, I may have left them a minute longer in the oven… but they were golden brown when I got them out so I don’t think that would influence the consistency that much… I don’t understand why I can’t get that chewy consistancy :( HELP
Lisa Le says
Hi Roxanne,
Your oven may be running a little hotter than mine in that case. Bring it down to 325ºF, and bake until they look puffy and the edges are just barely brown. The key to chewy cookies is underbaking them. Once you remove them and let them cool a bit on the pan, remove them after about 2 minutes to cool on a wire rack otherwise they’ll keep cooking a bit on the pan. Let me know if that works?
Junebug says
Lisa,
I would like to use honey instead of
sugar but i don’t know how much
any suggestions?
Lisa Le says
Hi Junebug,
I don’t really advocate cooking with honey, but if you’re looking to replace the sugar with a liquid and more natural sweetener, I recommend using a combination of molasses, white sugar, and maple syrup maybe, but chemically speaking, the sugar crystals play a rather important role in good, caramelized and good-textured cookies.
Breanna says
This recipe did not work for me. AT. ALL. I tried playing with the temperature, the size of the cookies, even adding more flour, more sugar, more butter. The cookies kept melting and were undercooked in the center. I could not get these to work no matter what.
Breanna says
I just added oats and now they are a little firmer.
Lisa Le says
I’m sorry, I don’t know why it wouldn’t work for you, I’ve made these cookies easily at least 50x with this recipe. The only thing I change is the type of butter, sometimes I’ll use vegan becel, and sometimes I’ll use Earth Balance. The cookies in the photos are made with Earth Balance, they turn out puffier with Vegan Becel. But other than that, these cookies always turn out for me.
Kim says
Hey Lisa, I’ve been scrolling though all your recipes and saw the cookies – and of course – had to click. And then I started reading your post. I vibe with everything you said. From acceptance of things you can’t change, encouraging your own growth, to filling your time with you moments (perhaps I read a bit too much into your post). Overall, thanks for being a woman who is herself, bold, funny, not some “perfect little princess” but just you – a real woman. That has helped me more than anything. So keep being awesome.
<3
Cassie says
I love these cookies! Normally, chocolate chip cookies are difficult for me to bake because they end up flattening out and expanding SUPER easily in the oven. Want to make another batch of them for my boyfriend very soon <3
Aeson says
I just made these cookies but I put the oven on fan bake, so I think they needed a bit longer for that reason, they were very soft after the 10 minutes and still pale (not golden) so I put them in for longer. I added peppermint essence in when I put the flax mixture and vanilla essence to make peppermint chocolate chip cookies and they are amazing! Although I think I put them back in for a bit too long because now they’re crunchy but that’s okay. I’ll definitely use this recipe again, just cook them a bit less.
Michelle Ryding says
These are the BEST cookies! My daughter has been vegan for a little over 4yrs she is half Vietnamese and I am always creating new dishes for her….and substituted certain things so I can still make her Vietnamese foods as well, I am BR and new at 19 Days Vegan eating and I have never felt better!!! I am so excited to try all your dishes
Ganga says
What an honest article, Lisa! I realise the article was written in 2015 and I hope life is going your way better now but big hugs for being so kind to yourself!! Keep it up!
Looking forward to trying your delicious cookies now :)
nadia says
I made these with my 4 year old daughter as a “structured activity in between Disney+ movies while I desperately try to finish schoolwork in a program not suited to online learning while we self-isolate aahhhhh” and they were EXCELLENT.
I made the following changes:
We used Earth Balance, and 1 1/2 cups of cane sugar with ~ teaspoonish of molasses instead of the sugars listed
Subbed a scant 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of ap flour because hEaLtHy
Only used a scant 1/2 cup of regular dark chocolate chips… because we added an extra scant 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate bar (vegan white chocolate and vegan milk chocolate bars by ichoc)
We made slightly smaller cookies, baked for 10 minutes for the first tray and 12 minutes for following trays because I’m not patient enough to wait for the oven to reheat in between trays, and they all turned out perfectly.
Thank you so much for your excellent recipes and hilariously honest writing <3
Lisa Le says
Aw so glad you had a lovely time with your daughter making these. Glad you liked them! Your subs looked HeAlThY hahah but thank you for sharing your subs in case other people want to make those changes as well :)
Andrea Thompson says
These really are the best and I will never make any other! I often double the recipe and freeze it in pre-made balls for whenever I want the BEST cookie