These Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies are crisp around the edges, soft and chewy in the center, and come loaded with gooey dark chocolate chunks. They truly are for the biggest chocolate lovers out there - no dairy necessary!
These are THE BEST vegan cookies I have ever made - maybe the best cookie ever. So easy and so gooey and perfect. - Taylor
Nothing beats a gooey, chocolate cookie and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a recipe superior to this one. The balance of sweet, buttery, chocolatey and salty really can't be beat!
One of my favorite things about this recipe is its versatility. It opens the door for a lot of creativity and it serves as the base for some of my favorite recipes on my blog. These include my vegan orange chocolate cookies, vegan rocky road cookies and of course my vegan hot chocolate cookies.
If you'd like, check out more of my vegan cookie recipes here!
Jump to:
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Why You'll Love These Cookies
- How to Make Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
- Recipe Tips and Tricks
- What is Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe Variations
- Best Vegan Chocolate Bars
- Storage
- Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
- More Double Chocolate Vegan Desserts
- More Vegan Cookies
Ingredients You'll Need
- Vegan butter: Provides richness, moisture, and that classic soft, chewy cookie texture.
- Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavor, helping create chewy, bakery-style cookies.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cookies and helps create slightly crisp edges for texture contrast.
- Nondairy milk: Adds moisture and helps bring the dough together.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the chocolate flavor and adds warmth and depth to the cookies.
- Instant espresso powder: A small amount deepens the chocolate flavors.
- Baking soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the cookies spread properly and develop a soft texture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and intensifies the rich chocolate flavor.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: Gives the cookies a deep, smooth chocolate flavor and rich dark color with less bitterness than natural cocoa powder.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure and stability, helping the cookies hold their shape while staying soft in the center.
- Nondairy chocolate (chips or chunks): Adds melty pockets of chocolate throughout the cookies for extra richness and texture.
- Flaky salt (optional): Sprinkled on top for a sweet-and-salty contrast that enhances the chocolate flavor and makes the cookies taste more balanced and gourmet.
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Why You'll Love These Cookies
- Crisp edges, chewy center
- Double the chocolate = double the fun!
- Use dutch-processed cocoa powder for greater depth of flavor
- Oozing, gooey chocolate throughout
- Perfect salty-sweet treat (or just sweet you choose!)
- Fully customizable recipe
How to Make Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full instructions and ingredient measurements.
Begin by creaming together the vegan butter and sugars with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate.
Chill the cookie dough for at least one hour.
Place 2-3 tablespoon scoops of cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 11-13 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don't overmeasure flour: Spoon and level the flour to avoid dry or dense cookies.
- Use high-quality cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa gives the cookies a richer, smoother chocolate flavor and darker color.
- Mix just until combined: Over-mixing can make the cookies tougher instead of soft and chewy.
- Chill the dough: Chill for at least one hour to prevent excessive spreading and help develop flavors.
- Use chocolate chunks for gooey pockets: Chopped chocolate bars melt more dramatically than chips for bakery-style cookies.
- Add extra chocolate on top: Press a few chips or chunks onto the tops before baking for a prettier finish.
- Slightly under-bake for fudgy cookies: The centers should still look a little soft when you remove them from the oven-they'll continue setting as they cool.
- Sprinkle flaky salt while warm: This helps the salt stick and enhances the rich chocolate flavor.
What is Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder?
Dutch-processed cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been treated with an alkalizing agent to reduce its natural acidity.
This process creates a cocoa powder that is darker in color, smoother in flavor, and less bitter than natural cocoa powder.
Compared to regular cocoa powder, Dutch-processed cocoa has a richer, more mellow chocolate taste with earthy, almost fudgy notes.
In these vegan double chocolate cookies, Dutch-processed cocoa powder helps create:
- A rich, dark color
- Smooth, intense chocolate flavor
- Softer, bakery-style texture
- Less bitterness compared to natural cocoa powder
NuNaturals Organic Cocoa Powder is my favorite!
Frequently Asked Questions
This usually happens from too much flour or over-baking. Spoon and level the flour carefully and remove the cookies when the centers still look slightly soft.
Yes, but the flavor will be slightly less rich. Dutch-processed cocoa gives a smoother, darker chocolate flavor.
Not always, but chilling helps prevent spreading and can create thicker, chewier cookies.
Absolutely. Chips hold their shape more, while chunks create gooier pools of melted chocolate.
Use a cookie scoop, press extra chocolate on top before baking, and slightly under-bake the cookies for soft centers.
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Recipe Variations
Here are a few ideas to mix up your vegan double chocolate cookies!
- Triple Chocolate Cookies: Add vegan white chocolate chips along with dark chocolate for even more chocolate flavor and contrast.
- Espresso Chocolate Cookies: Mix in an extra 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to deepen and intensify the coffee flavor.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies: Swirl in peanut butter or add peanut butter chips for a rich, nutty twist.
- Mint Chocolate Cookies: Add peppermint extract and crushed vegan mint candies or mint chocolate chunks for a refreshing variation.
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies: Fold in vegan caramel pieces and finish with flaky salt for a sweet-and-salty combo.
- Chocolate Walnut Cookies: Add chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch and a classic brownie-inspired flavor.
- Spicy Chocolate Cookies: Add a pinch of cinnamon or cayenne pepper for a subtle warmth that pairs beautifully with chocolate.
- Cookies & Cream Chocolate Cookies: Fold in crushed vegan sandwich cookies for extra texture and flavor.
- Bananadiaries also as a single serve vegan double chocolate chip cookie if you think you can eat just one!
Best Vegan Chocolate Bars
For vegan chocolate cookie chunks, you want chocolate bars that are:
- Actually dairy-free
- Rich and smooth when melted
- Easy to chop into large bakery-style chunks
- Balanced in sweetness (usually 60-70% cacao works best)
Bars tend to create bigger pools of melted chocolate than chips, which gives cookies that gooey bakery-style texture. Pastry chefs also often prefer bars because they melt more smoothly due to their higher cocoa butter content.
My favorites include Lindt Excellence 70%, Milkboy Swiss Chocolates, and HU Simple Dark Chocolate.
Storage
Room temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. They'll stay soft and chewy when properly sealed.
Keep them soft: Add a slice of bread to the container to help maintain moisture and keep the cookies from drying out.
Refrigerator: While not necessary, you can refrigerate them for up to 1 week if your kitchen is warm. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Freezer (baked cookies): Freeze fully cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Freezer (cookie dough): Scoop dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to a sealed bag or container. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Reheating tip: Warm cookies in the microwave for 10-15 seconds for melty chocolate and a fresh-baked texture.
If you make this recipe be sure to tag @censoredbaker on Instagram!
PrintVegan Double Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are the perfect blend of soft and chewy, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that will leave you wanting more. Rich chocolate cookies filled with decadent chocolate chunks, all 100% vegan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 18 3-inch Cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
1 cup vegan butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup nondairy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups nondairy chocolate (chips or chunks)
flake salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Mix: Cream together vegan butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy using an electric hand mixer. This should take about 1 minute. Add the nondairy milk, vanilla extract, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder to the bowl. Beat until ingredients are evenly distributed. Beat in the flour until just combined. Do not over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake: Using a 2-3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press additional chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies if desired. Place baking sheet on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 11-13 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep extra cookie dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
Notes
*Cookies will keep in an airtight container stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or can be frozen for up to a month. Unbaked cookie dough will keep in the fridge for 24 hours or can be frozen for up to a month.
*If you want perfectly round cookies, gently swirl the open side of a large mug around each cookie right when they come out of the oven. This will give them a nice, uniform shape.
More Double Chocolate Vegan Desserts
- vegan chocolate fudge cupcakes
- vegan chocolate lava cake
- vegan double chocolate muffins
- vegan chocolate cake
More Vegan Cookies
- Vegan Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Taylor says
These are THE BEST vegan cookies I have ever made - maybe the best cookie ever. So easy and so gooey and perfect.
Lyndsey Hiltner says
I am so happy to hear this! They may also be my faves!