Cookies

Name: Olive Oil Brownie Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 11 Cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips; 1/3 cup olive oil; 1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional); 2 large eggs, room temp; 3/4 cup sugar (coconut or white cane); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder; 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt

Olive Oil Brownie Cookies (DF)

March 17, 2020 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

These cookies are literal brownies in cookie form. They taste like brownies, look kinda like brownies, and come together just like brownies! The batter is basically brownie batter but with a little more flour and a bit of baking powder.

For these cookies, you’ll whisk the eggs and sugar together until they’re nice and thick – this helps add lift to the cookies. You’ll want to make sure your eggs are room temperature for maximum thickness. Then you’ll add in the melted chocolate and oil and then the dry ingredients. Allowing the sticky batter to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes allows it to thicken just enough that you can scoop the cookie dough without trouble. If you prefer extra round cookies, like me, you can even roll and shape the scooped dough balls on the cookie sheet. The batter will be very soft, but it’s still roll-able. You’ll bake the cookies until they’re cracked and puffy and the centers no longer look wet.

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Chocolate chips bring tons of moisture and chocolate flavor to these cookies! I recommend using semi-sweet chips and steering clear of any chocolate bars – I’ve found the chips help with the crackly textured top.

Olive oil is a delicious, dairy-free alternative to butter. It’s better for you and, of course, lends a hand to the chewy texture of these cookies.

Instant coffee deepens the chocolate flavor of these cookies. Instant espresso powder works, too. If you don’t have any on hand, don’t fret, the cookies will still be delicious.

Eggs are necessary for traditional brownies, and I don’t recommend using any egg substitutes – the batter may spread in the oven and never set up into cookies.

Dutch process cocoa powder is a richer cocoa powder with more chocolate flavor. These cookies are best with Dutched cocoa! I’ve made them with regular, natural cocoa powder and though the cookies will turn out, they’re not as chocolate-y.

Yield: 11 Cookies

Olive Oil Brownie Cookies

Big, chewy chocolate cookies made from the most delicious homemade brownie batter!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup sugar (coconut or white cane)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a small, microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips along with the olive oil and instant coffee. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until chips are melted and smooth; set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick, fluffy, and light in color, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined and uniform in color; set aside.
Once the egg/sugar mixture has fluffed up and thickened, whisk in the vanilla. Then add the melted chocolate mixture and gently fold it into the egg/sugar mixture until totally combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
The dough will be like a very sticky, thick brownie batter. Allow it to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to stiffen up a bit so you can roll the dough balls.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookies, six at a time, 3 Tbsp in size onto one baking sheet. Gently roll and smooth each dough ball (optional). Flatten the tops of the dough balls so they look like thick discs or hockey pucks.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies look a crackly all over and the centers no longer look wet. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, use the room temperature baking sheet to bake the rest of the cookies.
Enjoy these cookies warm - my favorite way! Then store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

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More chocolate recipes:

Triple Chocolate Inside Out Cookies (dairy-free)

Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (vegan option)

Classic Weeknight Brownies (dairy-free)

Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Cookies (dairy-free)

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (DF + vegan option)

March 10, 2020 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

Who else loved those orange flavored chocolate oranges as a kid?! You know, the ones that are – for whatever reason – popular at Christmas time. I’m going to go ahead and say those little, smack-able oranges are the sole reason I’m such a fan of chocolate orange flavored desserts as an adult. Orange chocolate bars, orange brownies, orange chocolate cupcakes (coming soon!) – I’ll take them all!

These cookies are the perfect mash up of orange and chocolate. Dark chocolate cookies (thanks to the wonderfully rich Dutched cocoa) with pools of melted dark chocolate chunks and tons of fresh orange zest. For me, the orange zest adds just enough flavor without being overwhelming. And then I added more on top of each cookie because just look how pretty it is!

This cookie dough comes together like any other standard dough – mix wet, then dry, and stir it all together with a big spoon. There’s no refrigeration required (woo hoo!), so you’re only minutes away from delicious and rich orange chocolate cookies!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Vegan butter keeps these cookies tasting like regular, butter-filled cookies! If you’d like, you can replace it with solid coconut oil (either refined, which is flavorless, or unrefined). Tip: if using coconut oil and it’s liquid, you can place it in the refrigerator until it solidifies.

Coconut sugar is my go-to sugar for baked goods. It’s low GI, unrefined, and tastes nothing like coconut! It’s a bit better for us than regular white sugar, so I like to use it whenever I can.

Brown sugar lends moisture and sweetness to these cookies. With the added molasses in brown sugar, these cookies come out wonderfully chewy.

Dutch process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular cocoa powder. The chocolate flavor is heightened with this kind of cocoa powder, but if you’re having a hard time finding it at your local store, you can use natural (regular) cocoa powder. Tip: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa has been reformulated to contain 100% Dutched cocoa.

Dark chocolate chunks (chopped from a chocolate bar) create those wonderful melty pools of chocolate! Chocolate chips or chunks from a bag are made to keep their shape, so if you want the melty pools then go for the chopped chocolate! Tip: Trader Joe’s sells 1 pound bars of dairy-free dark and semi-sweet chocolate for $5 – perfect for baking!

Yield: 20 Cookies

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The perfect dark chocolate cookies, loaded with dark chocolate chunks and lots of fresh orange zest! Crispy at the edges and chewy in the middle, these rich, citrus-y cookies make for a delicious chocolate treat!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (or solid coconut oil)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup chopped dairy-free dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Zest of 2 large oranges (+ extra for topping, if desired)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until uniform in color. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to mix until nearly combined. Stir in 1 cup of the chopped chocolate and the orange zest.
Scoop dough balls 1.5 Tbsp in size. Top each dough ball with extra chopped chocolate (you should have 1/4 cup remaining for this purpose). Bake six cookies at a time at 350°F for 5 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. If desired, sprinkle cookies with extra orange zest.
I recommend enjoying these cookies warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

For vegan cookies: replace the egg with 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water, mix and allow to thicken for 5 minutes)

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies (DF)

February 17, 2020 by Rachael Ng 4 Comments

It’s still citrus season, and is it just me or does the coming of Spring scream CITRUS DESSERT TIME? Lemon, orange, grapefruit, and lime. All of those fruits peak during the cold season here in North America, but they’ll forever remind me of Spring and Summer; after all, I didn’t even know that winter was citrus season until I started food blogging. Anyway, these Soft Iced Lemon Cookies are the perfect (seasonally appropriate!) dessert to take us into warmer weather. A sweet, chewy sugar cookie flavored with fresh lemon zest and then topped with a tangy lemon icing with lots of lemon juice. So good. And if you’re going to cheat on chocolate, it might as well be with these gems.

This cookie dough is my favorite dough for any and all chewy sugar cookies, and this version is quick and so easy – no refrigeration required! Plus the icing is a simple, 4-ingredient mix! Basically, if you want lemon cookies to eat right now, or you don’t have a lot of time to bake, then this recipe is for you! These cookies also save really well, so if you want to make them the day before an event, they’ll still be soft and chewy the next day. In fact, I like them even better after given a day to set/rest.

Yield: 16 Cookies

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

Soft and chewy lemon sugar cookies topped with a sweet, zingy lemon icing. The perfect quick and easy cookie for any citrus lover!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Lemon Cookies

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup granulated cane sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla extract)
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest (from ~3 large lemons or ~5 small lemons)

Lemon Icing

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
Juice from 1-2 lemons
Zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, sugar, oil, and almond extract; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients and use a large wooden spoon to work the ingredients together - the dough may seem dry at first but keep mixing. Finally, mix in the lemon zest.
Roll dough balls 1 1/2 Tbsp in size and bake six at a time on your prepared baking sheet at 350°F for 5-6 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack. Continue until all cookies are baked.
Once your cookies are totally cool, you can make the icing. In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, almond extract, and 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Mix until combined. Then add more lemon juice, 1 tsp at a time, until you've got a thick glaze - when you drizzle the glaze on itself, it should take 2 or 3 seconds for the ribbons to disappear. Mix in the lemon zest.
Spoon the glaze/icing onto each cookie, using the back of your spoon to spread the icing over the cookie surfaces.
Allow icing to set before storing. Once set, store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Notes

Feel free to use any kind of plain granulated cane sugar for the cookie dough: white granulated sugar, unrefined granulated sugar, raw sugar, etc. I used an unrefined cane sugar.
You can add however much (or little) lemon zest you like to both the cookie dough and icing. 1 Tbsp of fresh zest will give a mild lemon taste to the cookies. The lemon juice in the icing is where the tangy lemon flavor comes from, so if you choose to forgo the icing, you may want to add more zest to your cookie dough.
I don't include nutrition information for recipes where you may not use all of the icing.

Collagen Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 11, 2020 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

Chocolate chip cookies have to be one of my all time favorite treats. It doesn’t really matter the texture or size, I’m always down for a good CCC. I’ve made countless cookie recipes, and this version with collagen powder has been on my mind since I first came up with it over a year ago. I use my favorite Cold Brew collagen flavor and wow, okay, I could eat five of these! Obviously you can use whatever collagen you see fit – even unflavored – but I highly recommend a coffee flavor (that’s what gives my cookies the darker color) because you just can’t beat it.

I opted for coconut oil in this recipe because it felt like a better option than some of the dairy-free butters that are out there. With coconut oil you know exactly what you’re putting into the cookies, with no extra fillers. You will need your coconut oil to be solid for these cookies to turn out, so if your oil is liquid then you’ll need to chill it in the refrigerator until it’s solid. Then you’ll simply beat it with the sugars just like you would a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe. The rest of the recipe is straightforward and nearly identical to my Dairy-Free Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe (i.e. if you’ve made cookies before then you’ve totally got this).

The collagen powder keeps these cookies soft and tasting fresh for days. Seriously, I took a big bag of these to the hospital to have my baby, and I happily snacked on them for the few days after I gave birth. These cookies are so soft and delicious!

Yield: 14 Cookies

Collagen Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic chocolate chip cookies made with dairy-free coconut oil and collagen powder. These soft cookies stay tasting fresh for days and make for the perfect on-the-go snack!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 scoops collagen (I used the Cold Brew flavor from Ancient Nutrition)
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat together the solid coconut oil and coconut sugar. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and collagen powder. Add dry ingredients to wet and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix until nearly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving 1/4 cup of chips to top the dough balls. Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookies 1.5 Tbsp in size and roll into smooth balls. Top each dough ball with extra chocolate chips* and bake, six at a time, at 350°F for 5-6 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes and then gently move to a cooling rack.
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies will be softer the next day.

Notes

*feel free to add the extra chocolate chips pre or post-bake. I did both for my cookies, adding a couple of chips to each dough ball and then immediately after the cookies came out of the oven, pressing a couple more chips into the top of each cookie

Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (DF + V)

December 23, 2019 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

This recipe has been in the works for quite awhile, as I hemmed and hawed over making a thick homemade vegan caramel for the umpteemth time (let’s just say my first few attempts were less than stellar). After working on my 12 Days of Dairy-Free Cookies, I was finally ready to dive back in. And I’m so glad I did! I nailed the caramel and am hoping my easy tips translate to successful cookies for you as well!

The homemade caramel is the trickiest part of this recipe; the cookie dough itself is super easy and doesn’t require chilling. For the caramel, you’ll add sugar and water to a medium saucepan, and, without stirring at all (ever), bring the mixture to a boil until amber in color – no thermometer required! You’ll take it off the heat, slowly pour in the coconut cream and vanilla, and then return the caramel back to the heat, bringing it to a boil. Stirring occasionally, you’ll boil the caramel for 5-10 minutes or until it has thickened in texture. I used a wooden spoon and would remove the spoon after each time I stirred. I knew my caramel was ready when it cooled to a thick and sticky caramel on the spoon.

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut cream is a thick and creamy alternative to heavy cream in this caramel. It adds a slight coconut flavor to the caramel, which I think is actually reminiscent of a Samoa cookie when paired with the chocolate thumbprint cookie!

White granulated sugar is the best sugar to use for this easy caramel. Since it’s white, you’ll be able to tell exactly when your boiling sugar reaches the amber color that we’re after.

Coconut sugar is my favorite, better-for-you sugar. It’s unrefined, low GI, and makes for a great 1:1 replacement for white sugar in most baking recipes.

Olive oil adds necessary fat and moisture to the chocolate cookies. Feel free to use any vegetable oil, but I do not recommend using coconut oil as it tends to bake up crispy and makes cookies spread.

Yield: 14 Cookies

Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Dairy-free chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with a thick and chewy vegan caramel sauce! All topped with a generous sprinkling of sea salt!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Caramel

1/2 cup coconut cream (from a can that has been shaken)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Cookies

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large egg OR 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water)

Instructions

Make the Caramel:

Combine the coconut milk and vanilla extract; set aside. Prepare a work space on your counter with a wooden spoon and folded towel or hot pad holder.
In a medium, heavy bottom saucepan, add the granulated sugar and then the water, dispersing the water over the sugar. Very lightly swirl the pan, if need be, to soak all the sugar in the water. Place on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, without stirring or touching the mixture, and cook until sugar is amber in color - this can take up to 15-20 minutes but it will burn very quickly once color starts to form.
Immediately remove sugar from the heat and place on your towel. Slowly pour in the coconut milk and vanilla while gently stirring with a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble up and be very hot, so be careful! Gently stir the caramel until it stops bubbling.
Return caramel to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil caramel for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens, stirring occasionally. You can check the thickness of your caramel by pulling out your wooden spoon and seeing how thick the caramel is as it's cooling on the spoon. Around 8 minutes was the perfect time for me (using a gas range).
Transfer caramel to a heatproof bowl to cool.

Make the Cookies:

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, olive oil, and egg (or prepared flax egg). Add wet ingredients to dry and gently mix until well combined.
Scoop dough balls 1.5 Tbsp in size and roll into smooth balls. Place eight dough balls on your baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 4-5 minutes. Immediately make wells (or "thumbprints") in your hot, baked cookies, using any rounded tool - like a measuring spoon or the cap to a bottle.
Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, re-press your wells (if needed), and then transfer to a cooling rack. Continue once more until all cookies are baked.
Once your cookies have cooled, spoon the cooled caramel into the wells. If your caramel is too thick to easily spoon, simply transfer it to a microwave-safe jar (or bowl) and heat until it's thin enough to spoon.
Top the caramel with sea salt flakes and allow cookies to set. Once set, you can store cookies in a single layer in a structured, airtight container (not plastic bag) at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Notes

Letting the sugar boil without stirring or otherwise disrupting it ensures that your caramel won't form unwanted sugar crystals.

1 flax egg = 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water. Mix and allow to thicken for at least five minutes.

Cookies

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Ingredients