Best Vegan Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies Recipe |No Spread|
For days, I’ve been munching on these delicious Vegan Chocolate Sugar Cookies. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Featured Comment ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- “The best chocolate sugar cookie recipe I’ve made!! A great chocolate flavour and did not spread in the oven 🙂.” Shreya
WAYS TO USE VEGAN COOKIE DOUGH
- Enjoy them plain – With a cup of coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk.
- Decorated cookies – I used eggless royal icing to decorate Shamrock Cookies.
- Ice cream sandwiches – Sandwich your favorite dairy-free ice cream between two cookies for a fun frozen dessert.
- Tart shells – Press the dough into tart pans to make tart shells, then bake and fill them with your favorite fillings.
- Cookie sandwiches – I’m a sucker for filled Linzer-style cookies. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick and sandwich cookies with vegan filling.
- Black-and-white cookies – Dip half of each cookie in white chocolate for a special treat without the fuss of decorating.
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTES
- Vegan Butter -I like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Plant Butter.
- Aquafaba (strained chickpea brine) – If you have a lof it left, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. I freeze it in an ice cube tray.
- Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract
- Espresso Powder – It adds such a nice, rounded flavor. Coffee granules can also be used.
- Organic Raw Cane Sugar – I use Florida Crystals brand (it’s not processed with bone char).
- Brown Sugar – It adds a nice flavor and keeps the cookie moist.
- Cocoa Powder (natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed).
- All-purpose flour – I use King Arthur Flour.
- Corn Starch – If you don’t have any, use potato starch, arrowroot powder, or tapioca starch.
- Baking Powder – For a light lift and texture.
- Why I don’t use additional salt – Vegan butter and aquafaba are naturally salty, and there is no need to add more salt.
WHAT KIND OF COCOA POWDER?
In this recipe, you can use either natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I used natural cocoa powder. Sift the cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve to avoid stray cocoa pockets in the dough.
WHY NATURAL COCOA POWDER WORKS?
- Natural cocoa powder is acidic, which is why it’s typically paired with an alkaline ingredient, most often baking soda, when used in baking. In this recipe, though, I’m not using baking soda; instead, I’m using baking powder, which is also acidic.
- The good news is that aquafaba (chickpea brine) is alkaline, so it steps in as the balancing ingredient here.
WHY DUTCH-PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WORKS?
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder is treated with a potassium carbonate solution that neutralizes its natural acidity. Because of this, it’s usually darker than natural cocoa powder and is most often paired with baking powder (an acid) in baking.
- In this recipe, there are three acidic ingredients: baking powder, brown sugar, and coffee.
AQUAFABA, EXTRACTS, AND ESPRESSO POWDER
In this cut-out chocolate sugar cookie recipe, I use chickpea brine (aquafaba) as a binding ingredient. For consistent results, use brine from canned beans. Drain the beans and strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Chickpea brine can also be used to make Vegan/Eggless Royal Icing or Vanilla Vegan Sugar Cookies.
To dissolve the espresso powder or coffee granules, whisk them together in a small dish with aquafaba and both Vanilla and almond extracts.
COOKIE DOUGH
I started by creaming butter and both sugars until fluffy and creamy, about 3 minutes. And then gradually, I poured in the aquafaba mixture. Don’t just dump it in. Make sure it’s well combined before pouring in more, and beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes. The mixture will turn pale and have the consistency of thick sponge cake batter.
Then pour all of the sifted cocoa powder into the vegan butter mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. And beat for another minute.
In a small bowl, I whisked together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder (steps 1-4).
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed just until a cohesive dough forms and holds together when pressed between your fingers (steps 1-8).
ROLL OUT COOKIE DOUGH
I use rolling guides to keep the dough an even thickness throughout. For decorated cookies, I use ¼-inch (6mm) guides, and for sandwich or linzer-style cookies, I switch to ⅛-inch (3mm) guides. I roll the dough between sheets of parchment, then transfer it onto a flat tray and chill for about an hour before cutting. Chilling allows the gluten to relax, firms up the butter, and gives the flour time to fully hydrate, helping flavors to meld together for better flavor and texture.
CUT OUT COOKIES
Slide the chilled, rolled-out cookie dough onto your work surface. Carefully peel off the top layer of parchment, then flip the dough and remove the second sheet to fully release it. Cut out your cookies and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather the scraps and re-roll cookie dough.
BAKE THE COOKIES
- Bake the cookies at 350°F (180 °C) for 10 minutes.
- Don’t over-bake, or cookies will be too hard.
- Cookies are soft when you take them out of the oven.
- They will firm up as they cool.
- This recipe makes about 20, 3-inch cookies, ¼-inch (6 mm) thick.
Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
SUCCESS TIPS & FAQ
Cookies are crunchy on the outside and soft inside.
Absolutely. Ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom pair nicely with chocolate cookies.
Yes. I used them to make decorated Saint Patrick’s Day Cookies.
Here is my Eggless Royal Icing Recipe you can use to decorate.
They keep 10-14 days in an airtight container. They start losing moisture after 7 days and become crunchier. Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Without egg and dairy butter, a vegan cookie can lack flavor. To avoid bland-tasting cookies, use flavorings to enhance the taste. I use 1 tablespoon of Vanilla, along with Almond, to compensate for the missing dairy butter and egg. If you don’t have enough Vanilla, use Dark Rum or Bourbon. It’s magic.
If you’re looking for alcohol-free flavorings, use Bakery Emulsions, like this Butter Vanilla Bakery Emulsion (via my Haniela’s Amazon Storefront).
Stick with Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Plant Butter.
Vegan Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Cookie Dough
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 2 tbsp corn starch (15-20 grams)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (50 grams) (natural or dutch-processed)
- 3 tbsp Aquafaba, strained thru a mesh sieve (at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder/or granulated optional
- 3/4 cup vegan butter (170 grams) (Earth Balance, at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (70 grams)
Instructions
VEGAN CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES
Flour Mixture and Cocoa Powder
- In a medium bowl whisk together all purposed flour (1cup and 3/4cup. 250grams), corn starch (2tbsp, 15-20grams),baking powder (1/2tsp) and cinnamon (1/4tsp – optional) Set aside.
- Sift cocoa powder (1/2 cup, 50 grams) into a small bowl. Set aside.
Aquafaba Mixture
- In a small dish whisk together room temperature aquafaba (3 tbsp), espresso powder (1/2tsp), Vanilla Extract (1tbsp) and Almond (1/2tsp).
Vegan Chocolate Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl cream temperature Vegan Butter-Earth Balance (3/4cup, 170 grams), granulated sugar-I used Florida Crystals Vegan Sugar (1/2 cup, 100 grams) and brown sugar (1/3cup, 70 grams). Cream for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Beat until creamy and well blended together.Then gradually in 2 additions beat in aquafaba mixture. Beat for additional 2 minutes, until creamy and pale in color
- Then pour all of the sifted cocoa powder into the vegan butter mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. And beat for another minute.
- Now in 2 additions beat in flour mixture. Dough is soft when 1st made. Shape it into a disk.
Roll Out Cookie Dough
- Place the cookie dough disk onto a parchment paper between 2 rolling guides (1/4inch thick). Roll it out to ¼ inch thick. Slide the rolled out cookie dough onto a flat tray or baking sheet and refrigerate for an hour.
Cut Out Cookies
- Slide rolled and chilled cookie dough onto a work surface. Peel off both top and bottom parchment to release the cookie dough. Cut out cookies and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Gather the scraps and re-roll the cookie dough.
Bake
- Bake cookies at 350F for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- I don’t like coffee, can I omit it? Yes, you can omit it.
- How long do these cookies last? 10 to 14 days. Stored in an airtight container. They start to lose some of the moister after 7 days.
- Can I freeze baked cookies? Yes, absolutely. How To Freeze Cookies.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
I haven’t made these to leave a review, but what are the metric measurements for these? I’d rather that than using cups, etc for more consistency and accuracy if possible please!
Hi Sami,
I updated the recipe card with metric measurements.
Thank you
The best chocolate sugar cookie recipe I’ve made!! A great chocolate flavour and did not spread in the oven 🙂
Hi Shreya, so glad you like the cookies. Enjoy.
Are these cookies sturdy enough to use for gingerbread house construction?
Hi Summer,
I haven’t tried using this recipe to make a gingerbread house. I will have to try it sometime.
Happy New Year.
Are these sturdy enough to construct gingerbread houses with?
Hi Summer, I haven’t tried it yet.
Hi! I don’t have espresso powder, wanted to use leftover coffee from the morning. But the only liquid in the recipe is the aquafaba. I’m worried about replacing some of that because it’s what acts as the egg. Any tips? Thank you!
Hi Lori,
I think I’d just skip the coffee in this case.
Can I use a flax egg instead of aquafaba??
Hi Julia,
I’d use 1 tablespoon ground flex seeds mixed with 5 tablespoon water.
Hi! You mention corn starch in the ingredients but don’t incorporate it in the directions. I’m assuming add it with the flour/baking powder step? Thank you so much for your recipes!
HI Mo
yes, exactly, with the flour. Thank you for letting me know.
Another wonderful recipe that I have made, but using gluten free flour instead. That turned out wonderfully!
I don’t suppose you have a gf-v recipe for molasses cookies? Just throwing the idea out there…
Hi Sylvie,
that’s awesome you like the recipe. Did you use any special flour mix to make it gluten free?
I haven’t tried molasses cookies yet, something to explore soon. Thank you.
Hi Haniela,
Nice to meet you. I have a question about your choc cookies. Can I just make a ball instead of rolling it out?
Hello, I don’t think this recipe will work for drop cookies. Some adjustments would have to be made for this to work as drop cookies. However you can make balls and flatten them with a spatula or shape the cookie dough into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap. Freeze and cut out cookies, like when you’d make icebox cookies. Hope that makes sense. Let me know it goes.