Published: · Modified: by Vaishali · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments
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Total time: 39 minutes minutes
These vegan death by chocolate cookies will make you feel like you've died and gone to heaven but you'll want to live a long, long time to eat them over and over again. Three kinds of chocolate are stuffed into each little nugget, making them intensely chocolate-y and quite divine. They are also vegan, soy-free, and can be nut-free.
If chocolate is what you live for (and if you don't, are you for real?), these Vegan Death by Chocolate Cookies are for you.
There are three kinds of chocolate in each bite of this cookie--gooey melted chocolate, cacao powder, and chocolate chips--so there is more than enough for even the most extreme chocolate lover. The cookie itself has a shortbread-like texture and it melts in your mouth in a pool of chocolate-y deliciousness.
Whether you've been naughty or nice all year, these are the cookies to leave out for Santa if you want him to give you everything your heart desires. But I wouldn't blame you if you decide that being naughty is the better choice, in this case, and just eat them all!
Tips and tricks
- First off, this recipe makes a ton of cookies -- 36 cookies about two inches wide. While that is actually not a lot in my home, where they disappear easily, you can easily halve the recipe if you're making them for just one or two.
- All purpose flour is what I use in this recipe, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour for a healthier cookie.
- I tend to feel a bit dishonest about attaching the "one bowl" adjective when making baked goods, as some do, because it creates a perception that you'll have just a bowl for cleanup when, obviously, you are still going to use other things, like baking sheets and/or pans. But the batter for this recipe does come together in one bowl--meaning you don't need one bowl for dry ingredients and another for wet.
- Start the recipe by setting your oven to preheat and then by melting the chocolate chips in a double boiler.
- A stand mixer or hand mixer makes it easier to make the battter, but if you don't have one, use a whisk and a bowl and you'll be just fine. Place the oil and sugar in it, whisk them, and then toss in the ingredients one by one (see recipe card below for full instructions). It's that easy.
- The batter is not really a batter--it will look more like a crumbly mix, the way a shortbread batter would look. Ball up some in your fist and it should hold together.
- You will shape these cookies by hand. Using a light touch, take enough of the batter to form a smooth, round ball about an inch in diameter. Then place it on your palm and press down on it with your other palm or fingers until it's flattened. These cookies will spread and puff up a tiny bit in the oven, but you will need to help them along in the beginning. This is a fun project for kids and Jay helped me shape most of these and stick the chocolate chips in them. 🙂
- The cookies will bake for 14 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet halfway through.
- I sometimes add a half a teaspoon of cinnamon to these, and it's great here, but it is optional. I didn't use any this time.
More vegan chocolate cookie recipes
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Ginger Cookies
- Vegan Banana Cookies (with Chocolate Chips)
Vegan Death by Chocolate Cookies
Three kinds of chocolate are stuffed into each of these vegan death by chocolate cookies, making them intensely chocolate-y and quite divine. They are also vegan, soy-free, and can be nut-free.
5 from 10 votes
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Course: Cookies
Cuisine: Soy-free, Vegan
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 25 minutes mins
Cook Time: 14 minutes mins
Total Time: 39 minutes mins
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 163kcal
Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (divided)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup almond butter (sub with equal quantity or oil or applesauce if nut-free)
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour (use more all purpose flour if nut-free)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cacao powder
Instructions
Melt ½ cup of the chocolate chips in a double boiler -- a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water -- until it's melted and smooth.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, beat together the sugar and vegetable oil for a minute with a hand mixer or whisk. You can also do this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or by hand.
Add the almond butter, vanilla, coffee, salt and melted chocolate and mix until it all comes together. This will be a rather crumbly batter, more like a shortbread than a chocolate chip cookie batter. But it should hold together when you form it into a ball.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cacao powder and mix until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix. Stir in the remaining cup of chocolate chips and save some for the top, if you wish.
Prepare cookie sheets by lining with silpat sheets or parchment paper. Or spray lightly with cooking spray.
Make 1-inchs balls of the cookie dough and flatten them in your palms to make a disc. Place on the cookie sheet. Repeat. Be sure to give at least an inch of space between the cookies.
Bake 14 minutes, turning the cookie sheet once halfway during baking.
Remove from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a rack. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before transferring them directly to the rack where they can continue to cool.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Death by Chocolate Cookies
Serving Size
1 cookie
Amount per Serving
Calories
163
% Daily Value*
Fat
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
7
g
35
%
Cholesterol
1
mg
%
Sodium
53
mg
2
%
Potassium
97
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
15
g
5
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
%
Calcium
20
mg
2
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
Love these death by chocolate cookies? Check out more vegan desserts on Holy Cow!
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Rajasthani Panchmel Dal »
About Vaishali
Hi! I'm Vaishali, a journalist turned food blogger. At Holy Cow Vegan I share easy, tasty recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients that the entire family can enjoy.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Karyn
The ½ teaspoon of baking soda is listed twice. Should that be ½ tsp of baking powder & ½ tsp baking soda?
Reply
Vaishali
Yes, it's 1/2 tsp baking powder! Thanks.
Reply
Pavani
Those chocolate cookies look so chocolaty and decadent. So perfect for the kids - will have to try these soon.Reply
Bill
Hi can I substitute the 1 cup of oil with unsweetened applesauce ?Reply
Vaishali
Sorry, that was an error on my part from when I redid this recipe--it's actually just half a cup of oil in this recipe. You can try subbing with applesauce but they'd probably be too crumbly.
Reply
Andrea
Hi Vaishali. I can't wait to try these cookies for the Christmas holidays! But because of several dietary restrictions, I have some questions:
1) What is the "weight" of the 1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips? I can't have any sugar whatsoever, so the only chocolate I use is "Lily's" brand chocolate bars sweetened with stevia, & will have to break up each bar & melt it. So knowing the weight of the 1-1/2 cups of chips will help me know how many of the chocolate bars to use.
2) I typically use "Lakanto" crystals (monk fruit & erythritol) as a sugar-substitute. Will that work in this recipe?
3) I'm also gluten-free. Will something like "Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour" work in this recipe?
4) Can the vegetable oil be substituted with vegan butter instead (melted or unmelted)? (i.e. Miyoko's or Earth Balance) Will it significantly change the texture of the cookies?
Thanks very much!Reply
Stephen
I'm wondering what to do with the other 1 cup of chocolate chips? There are no directions given in the recipe................
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Stephen, stir them into the batter in step 5. Added. 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Andrea,
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips is 9 oz.
I think subbing sweetener for sugar could make your cookies dryer, and this batter is already quite dry, so you might want to add in some applesauce if they don't hold together.
I haven't tried these with gf flour but I think they could work -- perhaps increase the amount of almond flour to a cup and use gf flour for the rest.
Subbing with vegan butter is fine, just melt it before use.Reply
kuldeep
Hi Vaishali,
Thanks to submit this toothsome recipe, but there is main work of hand mixer in this recipe.
Can I make the same without any hand mixer?
If your answer is no so please provide me the information related to hand mixer.
AS I have heard a lot about KitchenAid.
Can you just provide me the official website details where I can buy this Kitchenaid professional hand mixer in India?Reply
Ellen Lederman
Double duh! I forgot that they did use half a cup of chocolate chips and not cocoa......
Reply
Ellen Lederman
Loved these! The first batch broke because I read your directions too quickly and thought I read to turn them halfway through baking, when what you said was to rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. Duh! So they crumbled....but they won't be wasted: they are going to be a cookie crumb topping for homemade ice cream. The batch where I followed instructions turned out perfectly.Unique flavor with the chocolate and cinnamon. Just a little dry, but that's because I am used to baking with semisweet chocolate chocolate chips in cookies rather than just cocoa.
Both Andy and I had the same thought. Chocolate plus cinnamon = Mexican chocolate....next time will add some cayenne! Think that would work? How much would you add?
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Ellen, so glad you tried these. They are a little brittle, but that's part of their charm for me. Great idea to use the crumbs for ice cream topping. I think Mexican chocolate would be great-- nice thought! And if I were to add cayenne, no more than 1/4 or even 1/8th of a teaspoon? You want the slight kick without too much heat. Happy baking! 🙂
Reply
MaxineR
Thanks for another tempting vegan cookie recipe. These sounded great, so I tried them. They baked perfectly in 14 min. at 350 F (vs. 375). They did not spread at all and I got 6 dozen, making 1" balls instead of 1/2"!! (Did you really mean 1/2" balls??) Tasty little treats although next time I'd add another tsp. or two of cinnamon, a Tbs. of cocoa powder and skip the coffee.Reply
Vaishali
Hi Maxine, you need to press down and flatten them after forming the balls -- it's in the recipe. They won't spread much on their own. I am surprised you got so many-- is there a chance you might have added more flour than was in the recipe?
Reply
huntfortheverybest
they look yummy!
Reply
Anitha
Hi Vishali, Your recipes are great and inspiring. In India we don't get vegan butter & cheese. How do I substitute for them? A little help would be appreciated.
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Anitha, instead of butter you can use margarine and in many cases you can substitute with oil. Vegan cheeses are usually not very good here in the U.S. either, and I rarely use them. But you can often make cheesy substitutes with tofu and with cashews. For my Fettuccine Alfredo, for instance, I use a paste of cashews in lieu of the butter and cheese. https://holycowvegan.net/vegan-alfredo-sauce-with-mushrooms/
Reply
anitha ramakrishnan
hi vaishali,
your recipes are great and very inspiring.we don't get vegan butter or cheese in India,how can I substitute butter and cheese . iam a recently changed vegan struggling to substitute the above.kindly help.Reply
marystestkitchen
Mmm Chocolate and cinnamon! I love this time of year for all the cookies! :0)
Reply
divya
looks sooo tempting n delicious...
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