u003cstrongu003eWhat if my brown sugar has hardened?u003c/strongu003e

To soften hardened brown sugar that you want to use in cookies, put the brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and place a damp paper towel over top of it. Microwave it in 10-15 second increments, pausing in between to poke the sugar with a spoon. Continue to do this until enough of the sugar has softened and it becomes usable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTo prevent this from happening in the first place, I swear by these u003ca href=u0022https://rstyle.me/+7vH7sqaaBVpCIlYaVaL7mwu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003ebrown sugar bearsu003c/au003e. You'll never find yourself dealing with hardened brown sugar again!

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup dairy free butter, softened ((or regular butter if not dairy free)); ½ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup light brown sugar; 1 egg; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; ¾ tsp salt; ¾ tsp baking soda; 2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; ½-¾ cup dairy free chocolate chips or chopped chocolate ((I use semisweet))

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These dairy free chocolate chip cookies are everything you could ever want in a chocolate chip cookie. Soft, gooey, with slightly crispy edges and a buttery flavour you would never expect from dairy free cookies. They have just 9 ingredients, take 20 minutes to make and there's no chill time required!

dairy free chocolate chip cookies stacked on top of each other and split in half with more cookies in the background

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I avoided creating my own dairy free chocolate chip cookies recipe for a long time, because there are so many recipes out there. But what's great about classic chocolate chip cookies is that everyone has their own version of what the perfect cookie is - so this is mine!

These dairy free cookies are SO good, I can easily sit down and eat 8 of them. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything... 😉 They are super easy to make, but hard to stop eating.

dairy free chocolate chip cookies split in half and stacked on top of each other with more cookies around them

Why These Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Work

These cookies are dairy free and nut free but no one would ever be able to tell! They have a delicious buttery flavor (even without any real dairy butter!)
These cookies are thick and so soft and gooey inside.
You can easily freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies!
This recipe is easy, uses simple ingredients, and comes together in just 20 minutes.
This recipe uses just one egg instead of two, which keeps the cookies from being cakey.
These dairy free chocolate chip cookies pair well with a variety of different add ins, like white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or chopped nuts!

dairy free chocolate chip cookies on a baking sheet with chocolate chips scattered around

Ingredient Notes

We all know how hard it is to find a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, so for that reason I don't recommend any major substitutions to the basic ingredients (except for the chocolate chips). A few notes about the ingredients:

Butter: You can use any kind of dairy free butter for this recipe. If you don't follow a dairy free diet, these also work great with regular butter.
All-purpose Flour: I don't recommend substituting all flour in the recipe, as using another type of flour will greatly affect the cookies. However, you can replace up to one third of the flour with white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour without it changing the cookies too much!
Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is recommended for this recipe but dark brown sugar will still work in a pinch. The cookies will have a slightly different flavor and texture.
Chocolate Chips: I love using semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use any chocolate chips that you'd like (even vegan white chocolate chips). I also sometimes like to chop up a chocolate bar and use chocolate chunks.

ingredients needed to make dairy free chocolate chip cookies in bowls with labels

Step By Step Instructions

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350° F and prepare your baking sheets. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer and beat them together until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes).

STEP TWO: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, then continue beating, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

STEP THREE: Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until a dough forms, then add in the chocolate (chopped chunks or chips).

STEP FOUR: Use a medium cookie scoop or make 1.5 tablespoon sized balls of dough and place them on the baking sheet, roughly 3-4 inches apart. Bake the cookies for around 8-11 minutes, then cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

step by step process showing how to make dairy free cookies

dairy free chocolate chip cookies on a tray before baking

Why are my cookies cakey?

If your cookies are cakey, you most likely used too much flour. If you want perfect chocolate chip cookies, it is absolutely crucial to properly measure your flour. This $15 kitchen scale is honestly my most used kitchen tool and the best way to measure flour accurately. The second-best way is to use the scoop and level method.

What brands of chocolate chips are dairy free?

Enjoy Life semisweet chocolate chips are the ones I commonly use, but there are actually so many options! Walmart has an allergy-friendly brand, and even Nestle has one.

You can also check the ingredients in store brand or no name brands of chocolate chips at your local grocery store. I have often found that the semi sweet ones don't have any milk in them but aren't labelled dairy free.

If you have a serious dairy allergy, be sure to carefully check that the brand doesn't contain traces of milk.

chocolate chip cookies stacked on top of each other

Are light and dark brown sugar interchangeable?

There are two kind of brown sugars most commonly used in baking: light brown sugar and dark brown sugar (or demerara). Dark brown sugar has even more molasses in it than light brown sugar. Using dark brown sugar will give your cookies a deeper molasses flavour, make them extra chewy, and also darker in colour.
Dark brown sugar is more commonly used in recipes that require that deep molasses flavour like spiced cookies and ginger cookies.

What if my brown sugar has hardened?

To soften hardened brown sugar that you want to use in cookies, put the brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and place a damp paper towel over top of it. Microwave it in 10-15 second increments, pausing in between to poke the sugar with a spoon. Continue to do this until enough of the sugar has softened and it becomes usable.

To prevent this from happening in the first place, I swear by these brown sugar bears. You'll never find yourself dealing with hardened brown sugar again!

Expert Tips

Please use a kitchen scale or the scoop and level method to properly measure your flour! This is the most common baking mistake I see and the cookies will not turn out as they should if you use too much flour.
When in doubt, under-bake your cookies rather than over-baking them. One of the key factors in a perfectly soft chocolate chip cookie is to take them out of the oven when they look slightly under-baked. They will continue to bake on the baking sheet and stay soft for days if they aren't over-baked to begin with!
If you're not using a scale to measure your brown sugar, be sure to pack it down. Brown sugar should be packed down in the measuring cup with your fingers or the back of a spoon until it is flat on top and aligns with the rim of the measuring cup.

dairy free cookie on a baking sheet with chocolate chips around it

Storage and Freezing Instructions

These dairy free chocolate chip cookies will be best when fresh, but you can store them in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for 5-6 days.

If you want to replicate that fresh out of the oven texture a day or two after baking them, pop one in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. They will now be gooey and warm again! Just be sure to eat the cookies right after they've been microwaved, or else they will harden.

The baked cookies can also be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature when you're ready to eat them.

To freeze the cookie dough, form it into balls with a cookie scoop and place them on a parchment lined plate in the freezer until they are semi-frozen. You can then place them all into a ziploc freezer bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.

More Cookie Recipes You'll Love

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.

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