If you are after a vegan treat for the holidays, these are the chocolate cookies you need to try. I love baking lots of Christmas cookies for my family. It’s a tradition from where I am coming from. I have been baking a cookie recipe per day before Christmas day to create a a giant cookie box that we share on Christmas day. From our Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies to our Pecan Snowball Cookies, there’s always a box of vegan cookies! Since 2017, my vegan husband has been my new challenge to learn and recreate my favorite Christmas cookies without eggs or dairy.
Expert Tips For Vegan Chocolate Cookies
Truth is, it’s a challenge to remove an egg in a classic chocolate cookie to turn it vegan. It’s not as simple as using applesauce or mashed banana, because the cocoa powder absorbs all the liquid and fruit puree evaporates while baking, leaving the cookies dry and too crunchy. So if you love fudgy, thick chocolate cookies filled with chocolate chips, and peppermint flavors, you must bake this recipe now.
Oil And Vegan Butter
The first thing to keep vegan chocolate cookies moist and fudgy is to use a combination of vegan butter and oil. Both have different smoke points and they will keep the cookie moist like an egg-based cookie recipe.
The Power Of Flax Eggs
Next, use a flax egg for chewy and crispy edges. To make a flax egg, use fresh, ground flaxseeds and dissolve them with lukewarm water to activate.
Spoon-And-Level Dry Ingredients
Finally, measure flour and cocoa without overpacking the measuring cups. Fill the cups with a spoon, then level up. This prevents adding too much flour or cocoa powder that dries out the cookies.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
These Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are super easy to make, let me share my tips with you to make these cookies perfect every time.
Choice of Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour – you can also use all-purpose gluten-free cookies, but this recipe won’t work with almond flour or coconut flour. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder -you must use unsweetened cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor and avoid added sugar from regular cocoa powder Salt – the salt enhance the chocolate flavor in cookies Baking Powder – make sure you use a fresh batch or the cookies won’t be as moist. White Sugar – use caster sugar or white sugar but don’t skip for a thicker granulated sweetener or the cookies will overspread Soft Brown Sugar – soft brown sugar contains more moisture than brown sugar, it keeps the chocolate cookie texture moist and fudgy when combined with white Unsalted Vegan Butter – The plant-based butter must be softened at room temperature for 20 minutes. You can also use a vegan margarine. Avocado Oil – Avocado oil has a light flavor, but also a high-smoke point that is needed to enhance the moisture of the cookies. Flax Egg – To make a flaxseed egg, combine 2 1/2 tablespoons with 1 tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseeds. Vanilla Extract – To add a perfect flavor. Peppermint Extract – that’s the key ingredient to make chocolate peppermint cookies Dark Chocolate Chips or semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips if you like your cookies sweeter Candy Cane – this is used on top of the cookies, during the decoration part to add a crunchy sweet peppermint flavor to the vegan Christmas cookies
Making Cookie Batter
Baking The Cookies
Tips To Bake Ultra Fudgy Chocolate Cookies
These chocolate cookies dry out fast so don’t over-bake them. I found that the perfect baking time is 11 minutes, but depending on your oven calibration and cookie size, it can vary a bit. Bake them until the outside starts to crack and look set. It’s normal if they are soft to the touch. They harden at room temperature. Remove from the oven and let them cool down for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet or until they harden enough to be easily transferred to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely for about 30 minutes at room temperature before decorating.
Decorating The Vegan Christmas Cookies
It’s optional to decorate these peppermint chocolate cookies, but it really adds a lovely texture and flavor. To make the chocolate shell, melt chocolate chips, and coconut oil. Then, dip the cooled chocolate peppermint cookies halfway in the melted chocolate. Keep the cookies above the bowl for a few seconds to let the excess melted chocolate run down to the bowl. Bring the cookie on a cooling rack and sprinkle crushed peppermint candy cane on the melted chocolate side. Completely cool down at room temperature or pop in the fridge for 10 minutes to help the chocolate shell set faster. However, I found that refrigerating the cookies to set the shell makes the cookies firmer and the shell whitish. So be aware of that before trying. Below are the answers to your most common questions about this cookie recipe.
