Easy dairy-free cakey chocolate chip cookies are a soft, delicious treat with a cakey texture, made without milk or butter. A simple, one-bowl, customizable recipe.
Easy Dairy-Free Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies are a delicious and soft chocolately treat.
They’re simple to make in just one bowl and hold up nicely for several days in a closed container. And you can keep them in your freezer for weeks.
They’re great with coffee or tea and make a terrific treat for kids and guests, and they’re a perfect dessert to bring along for potlucks.
Also, since this recipe is made without milk or butter and calls for dairy-free chocolate chips, these cookies are perfect for anyone avoiding dairy.
And they dunk well!
Bring them to work or school for a pick-me-up or have them as an on-the-go quick snack.
Plus, they’re extremely customizable.
Variations of these cookies:
1) Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies—
Reduce the quantity of chocolate chips to 1 cup and add 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
2) Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies—
Reduce the quantity of chocolate chips to 1 cup and add 1 cup of chopped pecans
3) Dairy-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies—
Use dairy-free chocolate chunks instead of the chocolate chips
Other possible variations:
Raisins
Dried cranberries
White chocolate chips
Chopped pistachios…
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about these cookies
How do I store dairy-free chocolate chip cookies to keep them soft?
Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with a slice of plain white bread inside. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, keeping them soft and cakey for several days.
Can I freeze these chocolate chip cookies?
Yes, these cookies freeze well!
You can freeze the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, you can freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer bag, baking them straight from frozen with just a couple of extra minutes in the oven.
Or you can just freeze the dough in a container and then let it thaw before you use it so you can scoop it out.
What are some variations and mix-ins for this recipe?
Because these cookies are highly customizable, you can easily add chopped walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips, raisins, or whatever you like. You can also swap out the chocolate chips for chocolate chunks or any of the other add-ins.
Simply fold your preferred mix-ins into the dough at the same ratio as the original recipe for a delicious twist!
Why did my cookies come out flat instead of cakey?
If your cookies spread too much, your dairy-free butter may have been too warm or melted before baking. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking helps solidify the fat, ensuring the cookies bake up tall, soft, and cakey.
What gives these oatmeal cookies their cakey texture?
Using cake flour together with all-purpose flour gives these cookies a more cakey texture than regular chocolate chip cookies.
General FAQs and information about baking:
Why do recipes have salt in the ingredients of baked goods?
Even though salt tends to make foods, well, salty, it actually plays other roles in baking as well.
For example, the right amount of salt balances flavors in baked goods; it can bring out the sweetness of sugar and, at the same time, prevent them from tasting overly sweet. It also can help dull the bitterness of cocoa.
Salt prevents baked goods from tasting bland, while it balances the richness of the fats. It also helps develop flavor in yeast breads and works with proteins to strengthen gluten and make it more elastic.
Salt also slows down yeast fermentation because it prevents the yeast from eating up the sugars too quickly, which otherwise would cause the dough to rise too fast and then ultimately collapse, causing bread to come out flat instead of fluffy.
Salt helps baked goods stay a little fresher for a little longer and helps delay mold from growing on them.
What is the difference between white granulated sugar and brown sugar?
The short answer is that while white granulated sugar is just pure sweetness, brown sugar is white sugar with molasses mixed into it.
Here is how that change affects your baking:
- White sugar is neutrally sweet. Brown sugar tastes like rich caramel or toffee.
- White sugar makes things crisp and light. Brown sugar traps moisture, making baked goods (like brownies) dense, soft, and extra chewy.
- Brown sugar is dark and wet; white sugar is dry and clear.
Tip: If a recipe calls for brown sugar and you’re completely out, you can make your own by thoroughly mixing a tablespoon of molasses into a cup of regular white granulated sugar, and that will give you light-brown sugar. If you want dark brown sugar, you need to mix in more molasses.
What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
Baking soda and baking powder are both synthetic leavens that help baked goods rise, but there is a difference between them.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, which needs another ingredient that is acidic in order to be activated. When the baking soda touches the acid, it creates a carbon dioxide gas, which helps the baked good rise. Baking soda is between 3 and 4 times stronger than baking powder, and if too much baking soda is used, your baked good will end up with a metallic flavor.
Baking powder is baking soda that is already mixed with an acid and a stabilizer and will be activated by moisture and heat. Nowadays, baking powder is called double-acting because it activates twice—once when it gets wet (when you mix the ingredients together) and again when it heats in the oven.
Replacing one with the other can be tricky, and it’s not recommended. However, if you have no choice, then do solid research for substituting one for the other for the baked good you are preparing so you don’t ruin it.
Why do recipes with yeast say to make a mixture of the yeast, warm water, and sugar and set aside until it bubbles?
Most dough recipes that include yeast will give instructions to mix the yeast with warm water and sugar and set aside until it bubbles before using it. This is NOT part of the recipe but rather a short process called “proofing” to ensure that your yeast is alive because if it is not, your dough will not rise.
In order to proof your yeast, you need to let the yeast, warm water, and sugar mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to see if it develops foamy bubbles. If it does, your yeast is alive. Otherwise, it should not be used.
The water for proofing must be warm in order to activate the yeast because if it is too cold, nothing will happen, and if it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Warm is between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (or 40 and 43 degrees Celsius). I usually just put my finger in the water, and if it is comfortably warm, I use it.
The sugar is used in proofing because yeast eats the sugar and releases gas (carbon dioxide), which is what causes the bubbles. If there are no bubbles, either the water was too hot or too cold, or the yeast is simply dead.
Note: If you are CERTAIN that your yeast is alive, then this process is unnecessary.
What do eggs do in baking?
Eggs are made up of two parts: the whites and the yolks (the yellow).
Egg whites are made up of protein that sets when heated and helps baked goods hold their structure. The yolks are made up of fats and vitamins and help ingredients bond.
Eggs also help baked goods rise as well as keep them moist.
It is important to have the right amount of eggs when baking, because if there are too many eggs in a recipe, this can cause a rubbery, dense texture, and if there are too few eggs, this can cause a crumbly, dry texture.
The different parts of the egg will provide different textures to baked goods; using the entire egg in baking will provide moisture and help the baked good rise evenly, using extra yolks will create richer, denser textures, and extra whites will add fluffiness but may create a drier texture.
What is the difference between butter and margarine?
Butter is a dairy product that is made by churning heavy cream until the fats separate from the milk (i.e., buttermilk). Margarine, however, is made from vegetable oil. Butter generally has a lower melting point than margarine as well as a lower water content (and the soft tub margarines have a higher water content than bar margarines).
Using butter in baking cookies can create a crisper, more flaky cookie, while cookies will come out softer and more cakey when made with margarine. It is also generally believed to be better to “cream” using butter rather than margarine.
Using butter adds a kind of toasted nut flavor to baked goods, while margarine doesn’t add flavor (however, sometimes with margarine, one might have a waxy feel on the roof of one’s mouth after eating something with a high margarine content).
If one wants to make a dairy-free baked good that calls for butter, a dairy-free margarine is a good substitute.
What is the difference between dairy-free margarine and vegan butter?
Vegan butter and margarine have similarities. In fact, all vegan butter is a type of dairy-free margarine. The difference between them is in the content and the baking performance.
Vegan butter is made from fats such as coconut oil, shea butter, or cocoa butter and behaves like butter in that it creates more flaky and crisp textures and has a toasted nutty flavor, while margarine is typically made with the less expensive vegetable oils.
What is the difference in using oil vs. butter or margarine?
Both margarine and butter are solid fats at room temperature, and both contain more saturated fats than oil.
While margarine and butter will change from a solid to a liquid when heated, they will change back to solids when cooled again. Oil stays liquid at all temperatures. Oil also coats flour better in the preparation process before baking.
Butter “creams” better than margarine, but one cannot cream oil at all.
When converting a recipe from butter or margarine to oil, the general conversion rate is 1 to ¾ (although if you are doing more than one batch, you might need to reduce the oil because I have found that baked goods come out oily in this case).
And when converting from oil to margarine or butter, typically the ratio is 1 to 1¼, and from margarine or butter to oil, the ratio is typically 1 to ¾.
What is the difference between real vanilla extract and imitation vanilla?
Real vanilla is made from soaking vanilla beans in alcohol, imitation vanilla is synthetic, and real vanilla costs quite a bit more than imitation. Whether or not there will be a taste difference in your baking depends on the baked good, so do some research before you decide.
I personally always use the imitation as long as I have a really good brand because it’s not worth it to me to spend the extra money.
What typical equipment should I have for convenient baking?
- a stand mixer, which I use mostly for dough and sometimes for whipping
- a hand mixer (for things that aren’t dough, and I don’t want to mix manually)
- a kitchen scale
- different sizes and shapes of baking pans, including loaf pans
- mixing bowls (or just large bowls—I have plastic, glass, and metal)
- cookie sheets
- pie dishes
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- whisks
- rubber spatulas (really good for when you don’t want to leave anything in the bowl)
- rolling pins
- a baking mat for rolling out dough
- baking strips
- a good supply of baking (or parchment) paper (also round for layer cakes)
What are some ingredient suggestions to keep in my kitchen for last minute baking?
- flour
- white granulated sugar
- brown sugar (light/dark—I usually keep dark)
- confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cocoa powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- baking chocolate
- chocolate chips
- instant dry yeast
- vanilla and/or vanilla sugar
- cooking oil/cooking spray
- margarine or butter
- eggs
- honey
- instant coffee
- various extracts (real or imitation)
- whipping cream
- various toppings and add-ins
- frosting
- marshmallows
- packaged pie dough or ready-made pie crusts
- puff pastry dough
Want to make cookies with white chocolate chips?
Try these!
Dairy-Free Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Oatmeal Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies
Easy Dairy-Free Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Simple and delicious, cookies loaded with chocolate chips and customizable to your liking. Made without milk or butter.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 cup softened vegan butter or dairy-free margarine
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or very small chunks)
- 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (table salt or sea salt)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (imitation is fine)
Instructions
- Cream the butter or margarine with the brown sugar and white sugar.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well.
- Add the chocolate chips or chunks and mix well so they are pretty much evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Form balls to any size you like and place on baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper.
- Place in an oven that has been preheated to 400°F and bake for 10-14 minutes (depending on the size of the cookie) until they are just becoming a slight brown.
- Remove from the baking sheet and let cool.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 192mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 4g