These dairy free chocolate chip cookies are also eggless and soy free – but are full of taste! Perfect for anyone with a food allergy or anyone following a vegan diet.
It’s funny the kind of comments make when people find out you’re a dietitian and you’re eating together. It tends to either go one of two ways – I order something that’s perceived as healthy and the person might comment about how “of course” I’m ordering that dish. They may feel (unnecessarily) embarrassed about their choice and (unnecessarily) start “justifying” their choice.
Or, I might have something perceived as unhealthy and that’s when it tends to get very interesting. “Aren’t you a dietitian? Are you really going to eat that? Why didn’t you order a salad or something?”
Yes, I’m a dietitian. Yes, I strive to eat healthy items most of the time. I try to work out and balance what I eat with my exercise routine (hence the theme of the blog – balancing food, fun & fitness!).
But I’m also a regular person and enjoy the having treats, just like anyone else. I like the 80/20 rule – I try to make 80% of my choices healthy & nutritious, and the other 20% leaves some room for indulgences. I like burgers, I like beer, and I l-o-v-e cookies. I’ve definitely got a sweet tooth for some good, homemade, chocolate chip cookies.
So what do I do? I try to keep sweets out of the house, and occasionally when I’m in the mood for those cookies, I’ll bake ‘em from scratch.
Are they “nutritious” in terms of giving me lots of vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc? Nope. Do they have less preservatives and artificial crap in them? Yep. Do they taste delicious? Heck yes.
So with all that said – here’s my latest dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe. 🙂 As you probably know, I’ve got several dietary limitations right now. My son is suspected to have several food intolerances, and since he’s breastfeeding that means I have to watch what I eat.
Among other limitations, the ones relevant to this recipe are not being able to have dairy, soy, or eggs. Most chocolate chips themselves contain milk and soy lecithin, and as you know, most recipes for cookies call for butter and eggs.
I took to the internet to search for some options and research egg substitutes. As a base, I used the coconut oil chocolate chip cookie recipe over at Gimme Some Oven and then modified a few things. I also figured out how to cut the egg out yet still get the dough to hold together and get a great cookie texture & flavor.
[Tweet “Egg free and dairy free chocolate chip cookies = vegan baking heaven!”]
The result? A chewy, delicious eggless and dairy free chocolate chip cookie. My hubby was very skeptical when he saw the flax seed being used, but he gobbled ‘em up after they came out of the oven. I hope you enjoy them too!
PS – Since there are no raw eggs in this, I’m all about eating the cookie dough. Just sayin’. 🙂 <– 2018 Update: I know there are some concerns over raw flour being consumed and risk of food poisoning these days, so just keep that in mind!
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (They're Eggless Too!)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground/milled flax seed
- 2.5 tbsp hot water
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup allergen-free dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Brand which do not contain dairy, eggs, soy, or nuts – you can usually find it in the natural section of your supermarket)
Instructions
- Place 1 tbsp ground/milled flax in the bowl for your stand mixer (or a heat safe bowl). Add 2.5 tbsp of very hot water to the flax in the bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla to the flax mixture in the stand mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for a few minutes until blended together. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do this by hand with a mixing bowl and spoon – but soften the coconut oil first if needed to make it easier to mix).
- Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Add applesauce and mix again. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon out balls of dough and place on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and chill in the fridge for an hour or two. (This step is essential - do not skip!)
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Remove cookies from fridge and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes and then enjoy!
Notes
- You may notice (especially if it’s warm in your kitchen since the coconut oil will melt at 76 degrees) that the dough looks a little softer than regular cookie dough. This is completely fine but this is why the chilling step is essential.
- I do use regular sugar & brown sugar in this recipe. If you are vegan and do not use these products because of the bone char filtering process, you could certainly use alternative sweeteners instead.
Nutrition
Share with me: What’s your favorite sweet treat? Do you have a favorite cookie recipe? Did you enjoy these vegan, dairy free chocolate chip cookies?
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woo woo! VEGAN can be delicious!! 🙂 Love me those flax eggs!
YES, flax eggs are amazing! I have a really great 40 min hamburger bun recipe I make with a flax egg. They are delicious.
I utilize the 80/20 eating rule, too. It’s healthy to have a balance! I just love that as nutrition and fitness professionals, people think we don’t eat anything but lettuce and air 😛
Hahaha, lettuce & air. And water too, don’t forget about that! 😉
Love this. I would eat all of the dough. There would never be a baked cookie.
Hahaha! The cookie dough really is delicious. I have to use some serious willpower to limit myself.
I followed the receipt exactly except I can’t have gluten so I substituted the cup for cup gluten free flour and the cookies melted on the edges, began to burn on the edges and the center had not started to bake. I’m so frustrated. None of these chocolate chip cookies recipes that are egg free, dairy free, gluten free ever turn out like pictures. I have mast cell activation disorder and cannot have any of those ingredients. I’m dying for a chocolate chip cookie. These recipes never turn out. Frustrated I can’t eat anything.
Hi Debbie – I’m so sorry to hear that. I promise, I did bake them and take the photos 🙂 Let’s troubleshoot — Did you chill the balls of dough for 1-2 hours prior to baking? That step helps with the spreading and even cooking. Also, I will say that gluten free flour does not have the same structure as all-purpose, so in eggless recipes sometimes the substitution is tricky as you lack the protein from both the flour and egg, which affects the structure of the cookie. All that said – Let me do some testing for you in the next week or two to try to figure out a foolproof GF, EF, DF version. 🙂
I’ve been craving chocolate chip cookies ALL DAY! Now I am REALLY drooling. These look so good! 🙂
Haha, I totally have days like that too. Which usually results in some epic baking at night 🙂
Yum! I also LOVE cookies, and I’m vegan, so I foresee these in my future. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
You’re so welcome!
These look so tasty! Although I’m not vegan, I’ve been enjoying more vegan baking recently, including some peanut butter flapjacks- so good! Will have to give these a try!
Oh my goodness, peanut butter pancakes sound ah-mazing! Do you have the recipe posted on your blog?
I’ve tried a lot of vegan recipes and this was by FAR the BEST recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies. Thanks for the info on the benefits of coconut oil vs. vegan butter. Appreciate you sharing this. I have a babe with severe dairy and egg allergies so recipes like this are a gem to help him feel “normal” and enjoy some of the simplicity in life. Thanks FOR THE POST.
Erin, thank you so much for your awesome compliments!! I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookie recipe. I know how tough it can be with a baby with food allergies (though mine just has intolerences) so I love sharing any treats like this that are helpful. If you click on “recipe box” at the top of the page, you can also look at recipes that are categorized and there’s an MSPI box. Almost all of those are egg free too since I couldn’t have eggs then either!