Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy dairy-free chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges, soft centers, and plenty of dairy-free chocolate, made with dairy-free butter sticks instead of the real thing.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude in Dairy-Free Desserts
Published
Featured in Dairy-Free Summer Cookout
I went through a lot of sad, flat cookies before I landed on this one. Dairy-free butter sticks behave differently than regular butter: some brands melt faster, some hold their shape better, and a few will turn your dough into a greasy puddle if you're not careful. This recipe accounts for that with a short chill, so the dough firms back up and the cookies bake thick instead of spreading into lace.
The other thing that makes the dairy-free version work is the extra egg yolk. Regular butter brings a richness that the dairy-free sticks don't always match, and that yolk quietly picks up the slack. Cornstarch in the dry mix helps too, keeping the centers soft while the edges go properly crisp. Use dairy-free chocolate chips or just chop up a bar of dark chocolate; both work fine here.
These are good on their own with a glass of dairy-free pancakes on the side for breakfast-for-dinner energy, or stacked next to a slice of dairy-free chocolate berry tart if you're doing a full dessert spread. A little flaky salt on top before they go in the oven does a lot of work for not much effort.
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cupDairy-free butter sticks, softened but still cool
- ¾ cupLight brown sugar, packed
- ½ cupGranulated sugar
- 1 largeLarge egg
- 1 largeLarge egg yolk
- 2 tspVanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2¼ cupsAll-purpose flour
- 1 tspCornstarch
- 1 tspBaking soda
- ¾ tspFine salt
Mix-Ins
- 1½ cupsDairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Finish
- ½ tspFlaky salt, optional
Instructions
- 1
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and fine salt.
- 2
In a large bowl, beat the dairy-free butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until creamy and a little lighter. The butter should be soft enough to mix but not melty or greasy.
- 3
Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- 4
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed or fold with a spatula until just combined. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains.
- 5
Fold in the dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. If the dough feels very soft, let it sit for 5 minutes before scooping so the flour can absorb some moisture.
- 6
Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and place on the lined baking sheets. Chill the scooped dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours if you want deeper flavor.
- 7
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 F. Arrange chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- 8
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look a little soft.
- 9
If desired, sprinkle with flaky salt as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack.
- 10
Serve warm or cool completely and store airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.
How we make it dairy-free
- Butter → Dairy-free butter sticks, softened but still cool. Don't let them go fully soft and oily or the dough will spread too much.
- Chocolate → Dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate. Check the label, since some dark chocolate bars still sneak in milk fat.
- Eggs → Stay as is. This recipe only needs to lose the dairy, and the whole egg plus extra yolk help replace the richness butter usually brings.
Stick with dairy-free butter sticks here rather than the tub spread kind; the sticks hold up better in cookie dough.
Tips & Variations
Use dairy-free butter sticks: Tub spreads are often softer and wetter, which can make cookies spread too much. Sticks usually behave more like traditional butter.
Keep the butter cool-soft: It should dent when pressed but should not look shiny or melted. Too-warm dairy-free butter makes greasy dough and flatter cookies.
Chill the scooped dough: Thirty minutes makes a real difference with dairy-free butter. It reduces spread, improves chew, and gives the flour time to hydrate.
Check the chocolate label: Many dark and semi-sweet chocolates are dairy-free, but some contain milk fat, butter oil, whey, or shared-line warnings. Choose what fits your needs.
Chopped chocolate gives puddles: Dairy-free chips are convenient, but chopped dark chocolate melts into larger pockets and makes the cookies feel more bakery-style.
Pull them while the centers look soft: The cookies finish setting on the hot baking sheet. Fully set centers in the oven can mean dry cookies after cooling.
For rounder cookies: As soon as they come out of the oven, use a large round cutter or glass to gently scoot the edges into a round shape.
Make-ahead: Freeze scooped dough balls until firm, then store in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 350 F, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
Flavor variations: Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, swap some chocolate for dairy-free white chocolate, or add 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use dairy-free margarine instead of dairy-free butter sticks?⌄
You can, but stick to a stick-style dairy-free butter rather than a soft tub spread. Tub spreads usually have more water in them, which can make the dough spread thin and greasy in the oven.
Why do these cookies need to chill before baking?⌄
Dairy-free butter tends to be softer than dairy butter at room temperature, so a short chill firms the dough back up. Skip it and you'll likely get thinner, flatter cookies with less chew.
Is all dairy-free chocolate actually dairy-free?⌄
Not always. Some dark chocolate bars are made on shared equipment with milk chocolate or list milk fat as an ingredient, so check the label and look for a chocolate labeled dairy-free or vegan if that matters to you.
Why is there cornstarch in the cookie dough?⌄
Cornstarch softens the texture of the flour, which helps keep the centers tender even with a dairy-free butter that bakes up a little differently than regular butter.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-chocolate-chip-cookies
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