Julie Hasson

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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In Vegan Diner, I have a recipe for soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies.  These cookies are to die for; soft, chewy, with a slightly crisp shell. I’ve even been making a gluten-free version, which are just as fantastic as the originals. I seriously make them all the time. You can always find a bag in my freezer, ready for a late night snack or to throw in a school lunch. The recipe only uses 3 tablespoons of oil, which is an added bonus, because most chocolate chip cookie recipes routinely call for 2 sticks of Earth Balance (or butter).

I worked on this recipe for months before it was perfected. The cookies had to be soft and chewy, puffed and rounded, with little cracks and a rich buttery caramel flavor. None of that thin, flat and hard cookie stuff for me. I have rules! Sometime I’ll have to share the history of my chocolate chip cookie obsession.

I’m hoping to film the recipe soon for Everyday Dish (squeezed in somewhere between creating 25 vegan cupcake recipes for a re-release of my cupcake cookbook, writing 2 book proposals and running the food cart). But in the meantime, if you have the book, I highly recommend you try this recipe first. You won’t be disappointed, I assure you. Oh, and if you’re gluten free, I used the awesome gluten-free flour blend recipe from Cybele Pascal (http://www.cybelepascal.com/, just scroll down to her red velvet cake recipe and there’s a link to the recipe). I used an equal amount of Cybele’s flour blend, as well as 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. The G-free cookies are so good!

So, what are you waiting for? Go bake yourself some Diner-licious chocolate chip cookies!

 

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Comments

  3. Lana

    Julie – we made these last night and they are amazing (and almost all gone)! We are loving Vegan Diner so far.

  5. Julie Hasson

    Gina, if you’re looking for the cookie recipe, it’s in my new cookbook, Vegan Diner. If you’re looking for the gluten-free flour mix that I used to make this particular batch gluten-free, that is on Cybele Pascal’s website, just follow the link.

    Hope that helps!

    Julie

    P.S. We’re hoping to film the chocolate chip cookie recipe soon for Everyday Dish

  7. Honey

    mmmm, these will be one of the first on my list when Vegan Diner arrives on my doorstep! I LOVE a good chocolate chip cookie!

  8. Honey

    So my book arrived yesterday from Amazon, and today I made these cookies!! They are fabulous, and look just like the photo!! Though I must admit they weren’t the FIRST thing I made. First I made the smoky seitan roast. It is awesome! I made it to make the Q Sandwiches for dinner. But it was SO good on its own that we ended up skipping the sauteeing and barbecue sauce and just had the seitan sliced cold on sandwiches with the coleslaw on the side. My favorite seitan for sandwiches so far!!!

  12. Kari

    Tried to make these tonight and they totally didn’t turn out. I followed the recipe exactly, and they were puffed up beautifully at halfway through, then when I pulled them out of the oven, they were totally flat and crispy. My baking powder isn’t old, my flaxseed meal is stored in the fridge — I don’t know what happened, but I’m bummed that I wasted all of these ingredients. All I wanted was soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies…that isn’t what I got at all. 🙁

    • Julie Hasson

      Hi Kari,

      That is so weird. I’m sorry that happened, and really don’t have an idea as to why. I’ve made these cookies a lot, and never had that happen. Maybe there is a difference in the flours or measuring. I spoon the flour into the dry measure cups, and they scrape the top with a knife, without packing (just in case you’re wondering). I measure the oil and milk with a set of metal measuring spoons. you know, sometimes there can be a difference between measuring spoons and cups. not all of them are exactly the same size. crazy, I know, but it’s true. then just a little extra milk in a measure spoon and the cookies can spread (due to thinner or wetter batter). Did you use the xanthan gum? I did notice that when I converted the recipe to gluten-free, they flattened and became crispy without the xanthan gum.

      Hope this helps.

      Julie

      • Kari

        The batter was very thick, so I don’t think it was that. The consistency seemed right for cookies. I didn’t make them GF, I used regular white unbleached all purpose flour, so no xanthan gum needed (and it wasn’t in the recipe in the book). Measured all liquids in my Pampered Chef mini measuring cup that even allows you to see the graduations from the top so it’s very easy to be exact. I know it’s not your fault, I was just frustrated. 😉 (And when you reallyreally want cookies and you don’t get cookies, instead just a big mess, it makes a girl a little frustrated! LOL) Very weird since they looked totally fine halfway through when I checked them!

    • Katherine

      Hi, your post is old but adter having made these probably a dozen times, I figured out the problem!
      The first few times I made these, they were perfect. Then, they were flat, crunchy not even crispy, and the sugar tasted bad. Then I decided to try peanut butter cookies thinking it was this recipe or my flour. Same thing. Flat, hard and the coconut Palm sugar tasted burnt and bad.
      I realized I had been cooking them too long. Every oven is different but in my oven, seven minutes is the magic number for coconut palm sugar. I’ve even tried different brands and it’s the time that you bake it. Take them out sooner and the cookies stay puffy. Leave them in too long, they come out puffy but as they cool they collapse into a hard, flat rock.

  13. Laura G

    Hi Julie,

    Not sure if you’ll remember but what size is your cookie scooper? In the video you said it was small and I think that is what I used but got more than 18 cookies. Small cookie scoops usually hold about 2 teaspoons where the medium is 1.5 tablespoons. I ended up making 18 by adding a little more dough to each cookie since I didn’t want them to not come out. LOL Hopefully you’ll respond to this puzzling question….and thanks in advance!