Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)

These cookies are an adaptation of one of my classic Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies. They follow the same simple method, and require no unusual ingredients. The main difference is the addition of cocoa powder. Vegetable oil acts as a binding agent, so no eggs are needed.

What I love about both these recipes is that there is SO much chocolate that the batter is only *just* enough to hold all the chocolate together. They are seriously decadent, and you’d never know they are vegan. I prefer using chopped dark chocolate as it melts to form delicious puddles of chocolate on the cookie.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Decadent Flavor: These cookies prove that vegan desserts can still be rich and indulgent. The double choc combo of cocoa powder and dark chocolate is intense in the best way possible!
Quick and Easy: With a prep time of just 10 minutes and a baking time of 11 minutes, you can whip up a batch of these delicious cookies in less than 25 minutes – no chilling required. The dough also freezes well, so you can keep it for a couple of months and bake whenever a craving hits.
Perfect Texture: Fresh out the oven, these cookies are quite soft and gooey. Leave them to cool and they have the PERFECT fudgy consistency on the inside with a slightly crispy base.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll find the specific quantities for each ingredient listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but for your convenience, here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need:

Brown sugar
Salt
Vegan margarine or butter
Vegetable oil
Vanilla extract
Instant coffee
All-purpose flour
Cocoa powder
Baking soda
Vegan dark chocolate (chopped)

Ingredients for cookies like sugar, flour and chocolate placed in bowls on a marble benchtop.

Instructions

Follow this step-by-step guide to make the Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. For detailed timings, temperatures, and exact quantities, check the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Mixing bowl of unmixed sugar, butter, salt and baking powder.

Step One: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly grease or line two baking sheets. In a large bowl, add the vegan margarine, brown sugar, and salt.

Electric beaters in a mixing bowl with butter and sugar.

Step Two: Use an electric mixer to cream together the vegan margarine, brown sugar, and salt until fluffy.

Mixing bowl with unbaked cookie batter, vanilla extract and oil.

Step Three: Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and dissolved coffee to the creamed mixture.

Mixing bowl with an electric mixer butter and sugar.

Step Four: Mix on low speed until just combined and fluffy (about 30 seconds).

Woman sifting flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl with cookie dough.

Step Five: Sift in the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

Woman mixing cookie dough batter in a glass bowl.

Step Six: Stir gently to combine, then fold in the chopped vegan dark chocolate until just mixed.

Raw cookie dough balls being scooped onto a lined baking tray.

Step Seven: Form the dough into balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheets, ensuring they are spaced out evenly. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 11 minutes.

Freshly baked cookies being shaped with a round cookie cutter.

Step Eight: While the cookies are fresh out of the oven, place a large round cookie cutter (or an upside down large mug) over the top of a cookie. Gently swirl in a circular motion to smooth the edges and make the cookie into a perfect circle. Repeat for all cookies.

Freshly baked chocolate cookies on a lined baking tray.

Step Nine: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5-10 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Substitutions & Variations

These double choc chip cookies are simple to make but you do need to stick closely to the recipe. These are the only two ingredient variations I have tested and can recommend:

Chocolate Varieties: Feel free to mix different types of chocolate. These look great with white chocolate chips for the visual contrast. I typically use chopped chocolate but chips are also fine.
Coffee Substitute: The coffee quantity in this recipe is very small, it’s used purely to enhance the intensity of the chocolate flavors. But if preferred, you can omit it entirely and the cookies will still taste great.

Double chocolate chip cookie with melted chocolate.

Storage

Room Temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing: For longer storage, freeze the cookies! Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze them individually. Once frozen, transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, simply let them thaw at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
Dough Storage: If you want to prepare the dough ahead of time, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Just scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.

Expert Tips

For perfectly chewy cookies, underbake them slightly. Remove them from the oven when the edges are set but the centers are still soft. In my oven, that’s exactly 11 minutes, but ovens do vary so keep an eye on them from around the 9 minute mark. They will be very soft initially but firm up as they cool. This means they’ll still have that deliciously fudgy center even when cooled.
To make your cookies perfectly round, place an extra large cookie cutter on each cookie as soon as they are out of the oven and give them a gentle swirl in a circular motion. This will smooth the edges and even out any spreading. Check out the photo below or the video at the bottom of this post for a visual reference of how to do this 🙂

FAQ

Can I use regular chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate?

Yes, you can substitute regular chocolate chips for dark chocolate. Just make sure they’re vegan if you want to keep the recipe plant-based. Also, just a heads up – in Australia, most dark chocolate over 70% cacao is vegan friendly, but dark chocolate chips almost always contain milk. That’s part of the reason why I prefer to use chopped chocolate as well: it’s more widely available and a bit more economical.

What can I use instead of instant coffee?

You could use a teaspoon of espresso or a very strong brewed coffee if you don’t have instant coffee on hand. If you prefer not to use coffee, you can omit it entirely. It’s such a tiny amount of liquid that it won’t affect the finished result if it’s not included in the dough.

How do I store leftover cookies?

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze the cookie dough?

Absolutely! You can freeze the dough in balls for up to 3 months and bake them directly from frozen. Just add a minute or two to the baking time.

Serving Suggestions and More Recipes

Love baking and cookies? Try some of my other popular recipes:

These Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are the ultimate treat for chocolate lovers. The combination of gooey dark chocolate chunks and a soft, chewy texture makes them SO irresistible.

If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating and review. And don’t forget to tag me in your photos on Instagram @glowdiaries___ so I can see your tasty creations. I can’t wait to see how you make these cookies your own!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)

Course Dessert

Keyword Cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 11

Servings

Calories 127kcal

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegan margarine or butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 + 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate (200g)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly grease two baking sheets.
In a very small bowl, dissolve instant coffee in 1 tsp of hot water.
In a large bowl, cream the margarine, sugar and salt using an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add the oil, vanilla and coffee. Mix on low speed until just combined (roughly 30 seconds).
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking soda into wet mixture, stir to combine. Add chocolate and mix again until just combined.
Form the dough into balls and place onto prepared pans.
Bake for 11 minutes.
If desired, sprinkle with sea salt flakes as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven. If cookies have spread, see notes on how to make them a perfect circle shape.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then use a spatula to gently transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Tip: If your cookies have spread unevenly or are misshapen, make them into a perfect circle using a mug or extra large cookie cutter. This needs to be done immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven. Make sure to use one that is about the same size as the cookie but can cover it completely. Place the mug upside-down over the top of the cookie. Gently swirl the mug in a circular motion to smooth out any bumps. Lift the mug to check the shape and continue until the cookie is well shaped. Repeat for all remaining cookies.