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chocolate chips

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free!)

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If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram then you know how much I love a good chocolate chip cookie. There’s just something about a warm, gooey cookie loaded with melted chocolate that just gets me. And if you’re here, then I’m sure you can relate.

These cookies are made with melted vegan butter instead of coconut oil (which is what I usually use), and they may just become my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! They’re soft, a little chewy, and taste like a regular, buttery cookie. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a thing to not like about these cookies!

This recipe takes some time, which can be a little jarring if you’re used to the kind of cookies that go straight into the oven after mixing. Since we use melted vegan butter for maximum softness, you’ll need to refrigerate your dough for at least three hours. If it’s easier for you, you can also refrigerate the dough the night before.

I like to chill my dough for two hours, take it out to make my dough balls, and then chill the dough balls for another hour. I find it’s easier to roll the dough balls at the two hour mark while the dough is still a little soft. You’ll want roll these cookies into “balls” that are taller than they are wide (see photos below). This helps keep the cookies thick while they bake. And for added aesthetic, you’ll press chocolate chips into the tops of your dough balls!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Vegan butter gives these cookies that classic, buttery chocolate chip cookie taste. Melting the vegan butter helps create the soft-for-days texture these cookies have. I like using Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks in my baking, and I highly recommend you use them, too!

Coconut sugar is my favorite unrefined, low GI sweetener. It replaces regular granulated 1:1, doesn’t taste like coconut, and is less likely to spike blood sugar.

Brown sugar has molasses mixed into it, which also helps these cookies with their softness.

Arrowroot starch (like corn starch) ups the chew factor in these cookies. I like arrowroot starch because it’s allergy-friendly for people allergic to corn.  If you don’t have arrowroot starch on hand, feel free to use corn starch instead.

Yield: 16 cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and tender dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies made to stay soft for days!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temp
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

  1. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, arrowroot starch, and salt.
  4. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix using a large spatula or wooden spoon. With a few flour streaks remaining, add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and combine. Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough balls 2 Tbsp in size and then roll them smooth, making them a little taller than they are wide (see photo) and placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, press extra chips into the tops of the dough "balls", reshaping as necessary. Refrigerate dough balls for 1 hour.
  6. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 6 dough balls to your prepared baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes or until cookies look slightly golden at the edges - you don't want to over-bake these!
  7. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, you can gently (and carefully - they'll be hot!) use your fingers to press the edges in to make the cookies more round.
  8. Continue baking the rest of the cookies, making sure you let your baking sheet cool down to room temp before adding the dough balls.

Notes

Sugars: I don't recommend any sugar substitutes, but you can use light or dark brown sugar, depending on what you have on hand.

Arrowroot Starch can be swapped out for Corn Starch

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237 Total Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 9g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 42mg Sodium: 225mg Carbohydrates: 25g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 15g Protein: 2g
calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate
© Rachael Ng | Sugared & Stirred
Category: Cookies

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Other Dairy-Free Cookie recipes you might like:

Walnut Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Dairy-Free Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies
Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Chip Muffins (dairy-free!)

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Sometimes you just need a simple and quick chocolate chip muffin. I mean, what’s better than biting into a fluffy, moist muffin loaded with melted chocolate chips?! Not a lot. That’s what.

And these muffins are all of that and more since they’re sweetened with low GI coconut sugar (which doesn’t taste like coconut!) and unsweetened applesauce! Coconut sugar acts a bit like brown sugar, which is why these muffins take on that delicious caramel-like color.

You can play around with this recipe, adding more or less chocolate, adding nuts, changing up the spices, or even making them vegan or gluten-free (see my notes below). Quick breads, like these muffins, are easy to manipulate, so have fun! And, as always, happy baking.

Yield: 9 Standard Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins

These chocolate chip muffins are ultra fluffy and loaded with chocolate! They're made free of dairy + sweetened with low GI coconut sugar and unsweetened applesauce.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs, room temp
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 + 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with 9 liners or spray with olive oil. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut sugar. Add the applesauce, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, mixing until ingredients are well combined; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until nearly combined. Add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips, gently mixing until no flour pockets remain.
  4. Divide the batter into the 9 prepared muffin wells, filling them nearly to the top, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs.
  5. Allow the baked muffins to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I like using whole wheat pastry flour in my muffins as it lends to a fluffy, moist muffin. All-purpose flour will work just fine, or you could even use a mix of 1/2 regular whole wheat + 1/2 all-purpose

For Vegan: replace the two eggs with two flax eggs. Mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp water. Allow to thicken for around 5 minutes.

For Gluten-Free: replace the flour and baking powder + baking soda with the following...

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp white rice flour

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp GF oat flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

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The post contains affiliate links, which allow me to continue running Sugared & Stirred. Thank you for your support!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 337 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 46mg Sodium: 247mg Carbohydrates: 53g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 17g Protein: 9g
Calculated nutrition information isn't always accurate.
© Rachael Ng | Sugared & Stirred
Category: Breads

Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (dairy-free)

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I’m so excited to bring you guys these Gluten-Free Muffins! Some of you have been asking for GF recipes, and I’m happy to report that these muffins are also dairy-free, can easily be made vegan, and they taste like regular, glutenous muffins! Yes!! While researching how to come up with my own GF flour mix, I stumbled upon this super helpful formula by The Heritage Cook – check it out if you’re interested in coming up with your own mix!

These muffins are a super moist (thank you, zucchini!), better-for-you muffin that I think you’ll love. Once you have all of your ingredients ready, they’re super easy to get together. As noted in the recipe below, I recommend using paper muffin liners, along with non-stick spray. These muffins will stick to your pan without a liner (thank you, almond flour), and they may even stick to your liners – I found that spraying the inside of the liners with olive oil remedied this. Happy baking!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 9 regular muffins

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp white rice flour
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp GF oat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp (or two flax eggs* if vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchinis)
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips + more to top each muffin

1.) Preheat your oven to 300°F and line your muffin pan with liners. Then, spray the liners with non-stick spray (I used olive oil spray). I don’t recommend making these muffins without liners, as baked goods made with almond flour tend to stick. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

3.) Shred your zucchini until you have 1 1/2 cups. Then place the zucchini shreds on a paper towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out and discard the excess juice. Add zucchini shreds to your wet ingredients, breaking up the clumps and mixing in.

4.) Pour wet ingredients into dry and gently mix until no flour pockets remain. Mix in the chocolate chips. Fill the muffin wells all the way to the top (I distributed my batter between 9 muffin wells). Top each muffin with extra chocolate chips.

5.) Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove each muffin and enjoy warm or allow to cool on the cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

*two flax eggs = 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water. Allow “eggs” to thicken for a few minutes before adding to your mix

Healthier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I’ve had the recipe for these muffins sitting in my notes app for a few months now. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to share this recipe with you guys! I know. I know. Another zucchini muffin? Yes. Because these are one of my favorite muffins. Ever. They’re fluffy, tender, moist, not too sweet, and give me a bit of green veggie on top of the chocolate chips. What’s not to like? I added a touch of ground cardamom, along with some cinnamon, and OMG I love these muffins!!

This recipe is super easy to follow. There are a few steps involved, but it’s all worth it in the end! The amount of chocolate chips and the kind of spice you add is totally up to you. I didn’t want these to be overly sweet, so don’t expect the 1/2 cup I have listed to give you a chocolate loaded muffin. But, by all means, load those babies up with a whole cup of chocolate if that’s what you’re in to! I really like ground cardamom, but if you don’t have it on hand, or you’re not a big fan, no worries. You can leave it out, add more cinnamon, or add nutmeg in its place. Have fun with these, and happy baking!

Healthier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes ~8 muffins

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp*
2 large eggs, room temp*
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour**
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom***
1 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips + more for topping

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan with liners or by spraying it with olive oil/non-stick spray. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar and melted coconut oil. Add the almond milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until totally combined. Place your shredded zucchini on a paper towel and squeeze out and discard the excess juice. Add the zucchini to your mixture and stir until combined.

3.) Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom into the wet ingredients. Gently fold everything together until no flour pockets remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4.) Fill your muffin pan almost to the top – you will get between 7 and 9 muffins, depending on how full you fill them. Top with chocolate chips, slightly pressing each chip into the batter. Bake muffins at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean – try to find a spot with no chocolate! 

5.) Let your muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. If you didn’t use liners, slide a butter knife around each muffin before gently removing. Enjoy warm and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

*it takes a bit of extra work, but if your milk and eggs are too cold, the coconut oil will solidify while you’re mixing
**whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour will work just fine
***if you don’t like cardamom, feel free to leave it out or replace it with nutmeg

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Have you ever had zucchini in a cookie? I seriously considered eating these for breakfast, because, ya now, oatmeal + zucchini = breakfast, right? Consider these the better-for-you, not-so-traditional version of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! I wanted to use tahini in these because I love the nutty taste, and I really liked the idea of creating a cookie that’s free of both dairy and oil.

These cookies are so easy (and quick!) to get together – shredding your zucchini will be the “hardest” part! I like to use coconut sugar when I can since it’s a low GI sweetener (maple syrup and honey are not). You can really play with this recipe, adding and subtracting whatever add-ins you like: add nuts or seeds, leave out some of the chocolate chips, add dried fruit, etc. Happy baking!

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Tahini (dairy-free + oil-free!)
Makes 19 cookies

1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together the tahini, coconut sugar, egg + egg yolk, and vanilla extract until totally combined; set aside.

2.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and fold until combined. 

3.) Squeeze the excess juice from your zucchini shreds – I like to place mine on a paper towel and squeeze over the sink – before folding them into your dough. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

4.) Scoop 2 Tbsp dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake 6 at a time at 350°F for 9 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes on your baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.