Chewy outside, soft on the inside and lots of chocolatey goodness will have you in disbelief that these are dairy free chocolate chip cookies. These taste just like the classic Nestle Tollhouse recipe but have no dairy, making it perfect if you are looking for the best dairy free cookies.
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Trust me, you can perfect dairy free baking at home! This recipe is designed to give you a foul-proof, classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that you can use over and over again. Forget about store bought, you can do this!
These dairy free chocolate chip cookies will flip your family on their heads in disbelief that this is a dairy free cookie. My kids literally gobbled these up and had no idea they were had no dairy.
If dairy free cookies are your thing you're going to want to try all of our other cookie recipes like oat flour peanut butter cookies and small batch version (both dairy free cookie recipes) as well as our healthy cookie dough and healthy no bake cookie dough bites.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Whether you have a dairy allergy, or you're looking to reduce dairy consumption (I did this to treat hormonal acne!) here is why these dairy free chocolate chip cookies are going to work for you:
- Use simple pantry ingredients. You only need a few simple ingredients to make these cookies from scratch, and you can do so without shortening!
- These cookies are super customizable, you can add in walnuts or other nuts or top with sea salt.
- Perfect classic texture. Chewy and soft on the inside and crispy edges make for a delicious bakery style treat that you won't believe there is no dairy!
- Work for many dietary restrictions. Gluten free, no dairy, and can be made with no egg and vegan by using an egg replacer.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements.
- Baking soda: Ensure you have fresh baking soda and that you are using baking soda, not baking powder. Baking powder can cause cookies to rise too much leaving them cakey.
- All purpose flour: For gluten free dairy free cookies use Bob's Red Mill One-to-One Gluten Free Flour. I've tested these cookies with this flour and it works very well.
- Dairy free chocolate chips: Enjoy Life and Simply Delicious Semi Sweet Morsels are two of the best dairy free chocolate chips I have used. For this recipe I used dark chocolate Enjoy Life Mini morsels.
- Vegan butter: I've tested this recipe with coconut oil and vegan butter and I highly recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks over using coconut oil to maintain the buttery flavor and reduce crumbling. I have not tested it with shortening so I am not able to comment on how to use it.
- Brown Sugar: I highly recommend making these cookies with light brown sugar and not substituting coconut sugar. Substituting with coconut sugar may cause the cookies to be flat and sticky.
How to Make This Recipe
This is a step by step walkthrough of how to make a batch of these drop cookies. Exact times and temperatures are available in the recipe card at the bottom.
- Measure out the dry ingredients and whisk them together. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar and vegan butter sticks.
- Add in eggs and egg white and beat until smooth.
- Add in vanilla. Begin to add in dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- Fold in dairy free chocolate chips.
- Chill dough for at least 2 hours. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out 18 equal sized cookies and place about 2 inches apart on a cookie or baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Alternatively, you can make tablespoon sized balls.
- Bake cookies at 325 for about 12 minutes and allow to cool prior to eating.
Tips & Tricks
- Correct measurement is key. Be sure to measure your flour using the scoop and level method and make sure you pack the brown sugar.
- Don't skip the chill. Chilling the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours will ensure that your cookies do not spread. You do not want to skip this step!
- Butter should be room temperature. You do not need to use melted butter when creaming the sugar and butter. Room temperature butter works best.
- Do not substitute ingredients listed, especially flours. No substitutions other than those noted have been tested with this recipe. I do not recommend swapping almond or coconut flour for all purpose flour in making this recipe. Check out my paleo recipe for a cookie made without brown sugar.
- Cookie Cake Directions: Try pressing this cookie dough into a pie plate sprayed with cooking spray to make a yummy cookie cake! Bake at 20-25 minutes at 350F.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container with a piece of bread for up to a week on the counter.
- Make Ahead and Freezer Instructions: Freeze cookie dough in balls on a cookie or baking sheet until frozen and then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. May be baked right from frozen with additional minutes added on as necessary.
FAQs
Enjoy Life and Nestle Toll House has recently come out with a Simply Delicious Semi Sweet Morsels line that have no dairy. Both brands have chocolate morsels and chips, semi-sweet and dark options. For this recipe I used Enjoy Life Mini chips.
Flat cookies happen when the cookies tend to spread and flatten, usually when the butter is too soft. That is why I recommend chilling the cookie dough for at least 2 hours prior to baking.
This recipe is not a vegan recipe because it uses eggs. To make this chocolate chip cookie vegan, substitute the egg in the recipe for a flax egg. To make a flax egg mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoon of water and allow it to harden in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
The best way to store these may surprise you. As long as you do not have a wheat allergy, store your cookies in an airtight container with a piece of bread!
You can store them right on the counter and the bread helps to keep them moist. You can also freeze chocolate chip cookie dough and allow it to thaw before baking, or you can freeze them once you bake them.
Refined coconut oil or shortening may be substituted but the texture and taste is best with vegan butter. I have not tested shortening but have tested coconut oil and find the result to be crumblier, less chewy cookies.
Related Recipes
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Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour use gluten free 1-1 flour if gluten free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon arrowroot
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup raw cane sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Other Ingredients
Instructions
Dry Ingredient Instructions
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Wet Ingredients Instructions
- Whisk together the sugars and vegan butter in a medium bowl until no lumps remain. Add in remaining wet ingredients in the order listed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Fold in the dairy free chocolate chips and chill the dough for 2 hours.
- Remove chilled dough from the fridge and allow it to soften for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 325F.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or Silpat on a cookie sheet and scoop 2-3 tablespoon sized scoops. Roll scoops into a ball and place on the cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to complete baking. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow them to cool.
Notes
- Correct measurement is key. Be sure to measure your flour using the scoop and level method and make sure you pack the brown sugar.
- Don't skip the chill. Chilling the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours will ensure that your cookies do not spread. You do not want to skip this step!
- Butter should be room temperature. You do not need to use melted butter when creaming the sugar and butter. Room temperature butter works best.
- Do not substitute ingredients listed, especially flours. No substitutions other than those noted have been tested with this recipe. I do not recommend swapping almond or coconut flour for all purpose flour in making this recipe. Check out my paleo recipe for a cookie made without brown sugar.
- Cookie Cake Directions: Try pressing this cookie dough into a pie plate sprayed with cooking spray to make a yummy cookie cake! Bake at 20-25 minutes at 350F.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container with a piece of bread for up to a week on the counter.
- Make Ahead and Freezer Instructions: Freeze cookie dough in balls on a cookie or baking sheet until frozen and then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. May be baked right from frozen with additional minutes added on as necessary.
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