Keebler-style Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Keebler copycat vegan chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with a slightly crispy exterior and gooey dairy-free chocolate chip packed interior for the ultimate dairy-free chocolate chip cookies! Best of all, they're made primarily of pantry staples, and you can chill the dough for up to three days before baking–for days of the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies!
Soft and Chewy Keebler Copycat Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Turning vegan doesn’t mean saying goodbye to delicious treats like chocolate chip cookies. In fact, if anything, it’s made us even more obsessed. Along with sharing recipes for coconut flour chocolate chip cookies, a large skillet chocolate chip cookie, and several flavored varieties like vegan peppermint, pumpkin, and cinnamon chocolate chip cookies. Now I’m sharing this Keebler copycat for the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe!
I loved Keebler chocolate chip cookies before turning vegan, so we are addicted to this recipe! These vegan chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with a slightly crisp crust. It's the ultimate indulgent vegan cookie recipe!
If you’re looking for a healthy snack, this vegan cookie recipe probably isn’t for you. Instead, why not try out some other vegan cookies like these healthy zucchini cookies, pumpkin oat cookies, coconut oatmeal cookies, or even these high-protein ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ quinoa cookies! However, I fully believe we can all enjoy an indulgent treat now and then, too–so I fully endorse trying this recipe.
Honestly, vegans and non-vegans alike will want seconds (and thirds and fourths). Enjoy with a glass of dairy-free milk for and everyone will rave about the best vegan chocolate chip cookies they've ever had!
The Ingredients and Substitutes
- Flax egg: Combine 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed (or chia seeds) to create one vegan egg replacement.
- All-purpose flour: I used regular AP flour. You may be able to try this recipe with a GF all-purpose flour instead. However, it isn't something I've tried, so I can't guarantee results.
- Baking soda: This leavening agent helps with slight lift and texture.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to create tender and slightly crumbly cookies.
- Sugar: These cookies use a combination of regular white granulated sugar and vegan brown sugar (which helps yield a soft and chewy vegan choc chip cookie with an ever so slight caramel-y flavor thanks to the molasses and moisture. This combination is important for achieving the correct flavor and soft texture. Alternatively, you can use all white sugar and add 2 teaspoons of molasses to the ingredients (this will mimic the molasses in the brown sugar).
- Butter: Use unsalted dairy-free butter. Softened coconut oil should also work.
Mayo: Vegan mayo, of course. I know this might sound odd, but the ultra-richness and slightly tangy flavor really elevates this recipe (and we always have some in our kitchen!). Use another creamy substitute if needed, or use extra butter. - Salt: Just a little salt helps to enhance the flavors of these dairy-free chocolate chip cookies.
- Vanilla: Use natural vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Chocolate chips: Use your favorite brands of dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks. 'Milk'-style chips are most common; however, feel free to use dark choc chips instead (or as well as) in this vegan cookie recipe.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions!
- Start by preparing the flax/chia egg by combining the ground seeds and water, mixing well, and setting it aside.
- Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt). In a separate medium bowl, combine the vegan butter and sugar, whisking to cream the mixture until it is only just smooth and lump-free (don't over-mix, or the cookies may spread more). Then add in the remaining wet ingredients (flax, mayo, and vanilla).
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well, then fold in the chocolate chips.(They may not stick well in the dough because of the melted butter. But do your best to make sure they're evenly dispersed.)
- Next, it's time to chill the dough (DON'T skip this step! It's crucial) for at least two hours, up to three days!
- When you want to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the fridge to soften for 10 minutes, preheat the oven, and prepare a baking tray with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat).
- Next, it's time to shape the vegan chocolate chip cookies. Use an ice-cream scoop (or around 2tbsp) per cookie and roll into a ball, then slightly press, so the dough is taller than it is wider. Press a few more chocolate chips into the top of the cookies if preferred, then bake for 9-11 minutes. (They'll look slightly under-baked at this point, but the residual heat will help them continue cooking on the baking sheet. Just allow them to stay on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely – enjoy!)
How to Make Ahead and Store?
These Keebler copycat dairy-free chocolate chip cookies are the perfect make-ahead treat. You can prepare the dough up to three days in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
Store the Keebler copycat vegan choc chip cookies in an airtight container for between 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to one month. Lay them in a single layer on a large baking tray and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag/container. Thaw on the counter before enjoying again.
FAQs:
Can I eat the raw vegan cookie dough?
If you’d like to adapt this recipe to edible raw vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, you need to make a couple of tweaks to the recipe. First, you can omit the flax egg and baking soda from the ingredients. The next (and main) thing to do is heat treat the flour, so it’s safe to eat.
Spread the flour across a baking tray and heat in the oven for around 10 minutes at 150ºC/ 300ºF, stirring every few minutes to make sure it's evenly heated. Once it's cooled, you can then mix up the dairy-free chocolate chip cookie dough and enjoy.
Why chill the cookie dough?
There are a couple of reasons to chill your cookie dough – first, it will chill the softer ingredients like the butter, which means they will cause the cookies to spread less in the oven for thick, soft, and chewy cookies. However, chilling the cookie dough also affects the flavor of the cookies as the temperature affects the sugars and dries out the mixture somewhat for a more concentrated and richer flavor.
Can you freeze raw chocolate chip cookie dough?
Sure can! I recommend using an ice-cream scoop to portion it into your cookies, freeze until solid on a baking tray, then store in an airtight freezer-safe bag for up to a month. Bake the cookies from frozen (with 2-3 extra minutes baking) or allow them to thaw before baking. Pre-frozen dairy-free chocolate chip cookies may be flatter, as the baking soda will no longer be as 'active.'
Top Tips for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Don’t skip the chill time: If you do, you'll end up with a flat melted 'cookie-like substance on your baking tray rather than thick, soft vegan chocolate chip cookies.
- Don’t overbake the cookies: When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will look under-baked, but this is normal! Don't be tempted to cook them for longer. Instead, allow them to sit on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes, and that will complete the cooking process for soft, gooey, dairy-free chocolate chip cookies.
- Optional add-ins: I’ve kept these Keebler copycat dairy-free chocolate chip cookies purposefully plain, like the originals. However, feel free to add in an extra ¼ cup (or so) add-ins like crushed nuts, shredded coconut, dried fruit, etc. You can also increase flavor with extra spices like cinnamon.
- Turn into a cookie ice-cream sandwich: Place a scoop of your favorite ice cream between two vegan choc chip cookies, press, place in the freezer for a short while again, and then enjoy – you can thank me later!
More Vegan Cookies You’ll Love
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Triple Ginger Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich
- California Cookies
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Keebler-style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water
- 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons of cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¾ cup of vegan butter, melted
- ¾ cup of brown sugar, loosely packed
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vegan mayo (or a creamy substitute here)
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed and water and set aside for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted vegan butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the flax mixture, vegan mayo, and the vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in the chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days. *CHILLING IS MANDATORY!*
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Roll the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller rather than wide, to ensure the cookies will bake up to be thick. Place balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and flatten them with a spatula. Press a few more chocolate chips/chunks on top of the dough balls for looks, if desired. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and undercooked. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
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About Toni
Welcome to Plant-Based on a Budget! Here you’ll find affordable and easy-to-make recipes, and an inclusive, supportive approach to plant-based eating.
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