Name: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 38 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup unsalted vegan butter, softened; 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (315 g)*; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup vegan chocolate chips; optional: flaky sea salt for garnish

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These chocolate chip cookies are the best! They have crispy edges, are soft in the centre and are filled with chocolate in every bite. And of course they are vegan and gluten free!

I have made thousands of chocolate chip cookies over the years and have tried so many different techniques to achieve the perfect cookie. I wanted to make an easy cookie that turns out perfectly every time and I have done it. The only downside to these cookies is that you have to refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes before you bake them but they are worth the wait.

A note on some of the ingredients:

Vegan butter: I prefer to use Becel plant based butter sticks when I am baking. Each stick is a half cup which makes measuring easy. The butter should be room temperature so you do have to leave it on the counter for about an hour before making the cookies. I recommend using unsalted butter so that you can control the salt in your baking. If you only have salted butter then reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon or omit it altogether.

Unsweetened applesauce: I buy the applesauce snack cups to use in my baking (and occasionally have as a snack). One snack cup is a 1/2 cup which makes measuring easy. I recommend unsweetened applesauce so that I can control the sweetness of the cookies.

Gluten free flour blend: I have only made these chocolate chip cookies using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour blend (the blue bag). I also always weigh out my flour to ensure the recipe turns out the same every time. If you do not have a kitchen scale it is best to measure the flour using the “fluff and scoop” method. Fluff the flour up with a fork and then scoop it into the measuring cup. Level off the cup with the back of a knife or another flat edge.

Vegan chocolate chips: I use President’s Choice semi sweet chocolate chips in this recipe. They are accidentally vegan and are also gluten free. Use your favourite chocolate chips for these cookies. An alternative is to use xx grams of your favourite good quality dark chocolate bar. If using a chocolate bar there is no need to melt it down, simply chop it up into small pieces.

How the cookies are made:

If you are using chocolate chips, measure them out and gently melt them either over a double boiler or in the microwave. When melting chocolate in the microwave heat it only in 30 to 15 second increments, stirring in between. Once the chocolate is mostly melted and only a few chips remain keep stirring and the remaining chips will melt.

Spread the chocolate out onto a parchment lined pan as evenly as you can. Place the chocolate in the fridge for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10.

In a large bowl add in the sugars and the softened butter. Using a mixer or your muscles, stir the butter and sugars together well, until the colour begins to lighten. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure that everything is incorporated.

vegan butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar creamed together

Add in the applesauce and vanilla extract and stir well.

Into a medium bowl weigh or measure out the flour, add the baking soda and the salt. If you are planning on topping the cookies with flaky sea salt then only add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dough. If you are not using flaky sea salt then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

gluten free flour blend with baking soda and salt in a metal bowl

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well until there are no dry patches remaining. The dough will appear sticky and wet, that’s ok! Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.

chocolate chip cookie dough in a metal bowl

Once the chocolate has solidified move the parchment paper to a cutting board and carefully chop the chocolate. The pieces do not have to be the same size, it’s actually better if there are a variety of sizes.

Add the chocolate to the cookie dough and mix together. Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, measure the chocolate chip cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. The cookies will spread a little so leave some space between them. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Return the dough to the fridge between batches. Keep in mind that cookies continue to bake as they cool off on the baking sheet out of the oven so if they are brown in the oven they will darken and crisp up more as they cool. As soon as the chocolate chip cookies come out of the oven sprinkle flaky sea salt on the tops.

chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack

Cool the chocolate chip cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before gently moving them to a wire rack to continue to cool. The cookies can be stored in an air tight container on the counter for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!