Ever since I came up with this vegan cookie base recipe a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been on a cookie baking craze. I’ve made white chocolate, hazelnut and raisin cookies, triple chocolate cookies, and saffron whoopie pies. All of them using this base recipe!

So, here’s how this magical base recipe came to be: as is my standard approach – I started contemplating ingredients for a kind of chocolate chip cookie. I whipped a couple of things together, using what I had on hand, and the result was delicious. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Just the way a cookie should be! I’m very excited about this recipe, so much so that I’ve struggled to limit my cookie baking to only one (or two) batches a week. I have so many combinations I want to try!

Bookmark this recipe, it’ll be your new go to for most of your vegan cookies.

Vegan Cookie Base Recipe

Base ingredients

• 1 cup vegan butter (or coconut oil), melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 3/4 cup chickpea brine (from 1 pkg of chickpeas, aka aquafaba)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla powder (optional)

Suggested mix ins

• Vegan chocolate chips (white, milk or dark)
• Chopped nuts (pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts)
• Raisins
• Spices (cinnamon, cardamon, ginger)
• Cocoa powder & mint extract
• Matcha and vegan white chocolate
• Oatmeal and raisin

Method

1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 185C (365F).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, sugars, chickpea brine and vanilla extract. Using an electric beater, mix until combined.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla powder).
4. Next, pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and whip again until you have a smooth dough.
5. Add your mix ins to the dough and fold in using a spatula.
6. Dollop spoonfuls of the dough on the baking tray, about 4 cm (2 inches) apart. The cookies will spread a bit so you don’t want them too close. To prevent the cookies from spreading out too much, place the cookie tray in the freezer for a few minutes before baking.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the middle of the oven.
8. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 3-5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!