This is a guide on how to bake perfect vegan cookies EVERY SINGLE TIME. If you want deliciously soft plant based cookies then this is the blog post for you.
You can also use this guide to troubleshoot problems you’re having with your current cookie recipes. So if your cookies aren’t spreading or ending up as a crumbly mess then worry no further as I am here to help!
The A Vegan Feast ‘How to?’ Series
Since becoming vegan in 2020 and achieving my vegan diploma at Demuths Cookery School, I’ve become a bit of an expert in the kitchen when it comes to all things sweet and plant based. I’m not meaning to come across as arrogant. Vegan baking is not easy and there has been many a trial and error in my kitchen. But now that I’ve gone through the awkward stages I thought I would share some of my tips and insights with you all. We all deserve to eat moist chocolate sponges and delicious bakery style cookies, whether we’re following a plant based, vegan or gluten free diet.
I’ve decided to do a ‘how to series’ where I will be providing an easy breakdown of how to create the best vegan bakes. Starting off with ‘How to Bake Vegan Cookies’, a topic close to my heart since recently launching my bakery selling gourmet vegan cookies online. Yes, I’ll admit that I’ve rather embarrassingly been referring to myself as the ‘cookie queen’ to my partner. And yes, he does look at me with mock pity.
The Best Ingredients for Vegan Cookies
So let’s start off with the most important element when baking cookies: the ingredients!
Use plain flour as opposed to self raising flour. With self raising flour you never know exactly how long it’s been on the supermarket shelf and therefore how potent the raising agents are. The percentage of raising agents also varies brand to brand so it’s best to use plain flour and just add the bicarbonate of soda and baking powder yourself.
Now onto the raising agents. Use a mixture of both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. The bicarbonate of soda should be half the amount of the baking powder. Using both helps to create the ideal texture between a light soft cookie and a chewier slightly denser kind.
Which dairy free milk is best for vegan cookies?
Use unsweetened oat milk for a pleasant taste. Oat milk rarely curdles and imparts a lovely creaminess to vegan bakes. I recommend ‘Alpro oat milk no sugars’ for those who live in the UK. Almond milk is a good alternative, although it is thinner and less creamier than oat milk so you may not have as ‘luxurious’ a cookie.
Soy milk can be used but depending on your choice of brand it can have an overwhelming flavour. Coconut milk is no good for this same reason, unless of course you’re baking coconut flavoured cookies!
Vegan Butter vs Oil
Nearly all of my cookies use sunflower oil rather than vegan butter. As for the method, I prefer the creaming method when baking cookies. Whisk the sugar into the oil until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Using oil, rather than butter, allows for more control over your final recipe. Vegan butter varies immensely depending on what brand you use. Some have more vegetables oils, others have more salt so the final texture and taste of your vegan cookie can be significantly different. Therefore it’s a safer bet to use sunflower oil for a foolproof delicious cookie every single time.
How to Bake Cookies Without Eggs
So the first question I often get asked is do I need to use an egg replacement? The answer is yes and no. You do not need to go out and buy a special (and often expensive) egg replacement. But you will need to add some additional liquid to your recipe if you are trying to ‘veganise’ a traditional non vegan cookie recipe.
Eggs are basically are a combination of fat and water (and protein) so it makes sense to add more of these into the recipe. I usually just add more oil to help bind the ingredients and extra dairy free milk to add more moisture to my vegan cookies. This combats the dryness you would otherwise have if you just omitted the egg entirely from your recipe.
Soft vs Chewy Cookies
The eternal debate. Some prefer the crisper, chewier variety of cookies. Flatter and less dense than American-style bakery cookies but still insanely tasty. Whereas others prefer softer, more dough like cookies. Think big, soft cookies with lots of texture like Millie’s cookies. The latter type is definitely most popular here in the UK.
The ingredients predominantly affect the texture of your vegan cookies. More flour produces a chewy cookie whereas more liquid produces a soft cookie. When it comes to sugar, as a rule of thumb, if you want soft, moist cookies then use a combination of caster sugar and brown soft sugar.
As well as the ratio of flour to liquid, the oven temperature is also key in determining if your cookies are soft or chewy. Simply put, the hotter the oven and the longer you bake them for the chewier your cookie will be.
How to bake soft vegan cookies
- Add more liquid e.g. oil or dairy free milk.
- Bake for a shorter time
- Consider using brown soft sugar or muscovado sugar
Try out this recipe: vegan chocolate chip cookies
How to bake chewy vegan cookies
- Add more flour
- Bake for longer
- Use caster or golden caster sugar
Try out these cookies: vegan malted dark chocolate and sea salt cookies
The Best Method
Use the creaming method to bake American-style vegan cookies. Whisk the sugar into the oil until the sugar is completely dissolved. This helps add air into the mixture which will give you cookies that are well risen and soft. Next gently fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, just until all the flour has been incorporated.
Rest your cookie dough for a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge. This helps the cookies to become firmer and spread less in the oven. Chilling also helps the flavours to develop and intensify. Mould your cookies into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Don’t be temped to flatten the cookies as they will naturally spread in the oven.
How about Gluten Free Cookies ?
It is surprisingly easy to make gluten free cookies. The texture of cookies is slightly more merciful to being yeast free. It’s best to use a gluten free flour blend rather than an all coconut/ oat / almond flour mix. Simply swap out the plain flour for the exact same weight of the gluten free flour blend. I’ve done this many a time and it has always worked brilliantly.
If you’re struggling with your gluten free cookies falling apart, try adding a quarter teaspoon of xanthan gum for every 100g of flour. This should prevent your cookies from being a crumbly mess!
What if I really want to use an alternative gluten free flour?
I do occasionally use oat flour in my cookies. I replace 50% of the gluten free flour blend with the oat flour. I do this simply as a preference; I sometimes like my cookies to have a semblance of being healthy. With oat flour they do definitely have more fibre and taste slightly more wholesome!
If you do opt for oat flour just bear in mind that you will need a tad more liquid in the final recipe. This is usually in the form of dairy free milk and ensures the cookies remain moist and soft.
Why are my Vegan Cookies not Spreading?
If your cookies aren’t spreading, this is usually because there is too much flour in the recipe. If the inverse is true and your cookies spread too much, either reduce the quantity of flour or add more liquid. If your cookies aren’t spreading you can also try chilling them for less time in the fridge.
A Vegan Feast Cookie Recipes
Now why not put all your new found knowledge to good use and try out one of my vegan cookie recipes. Leave a comment and let me know how you get on making your perfect vegan cookies. I would love to see your creations over on instagram!
vegan chocolate orange brownie cookies
vegan chocolate sandwich cookies
vegan chai cookie ice cream sandwiches
Rather just buy a box of cookies?
If you want freshly baked vegan cookies delivered to your door then check out the aveganfeast bakery.
So many great tips!! I need to up my cookie game!