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Ooey gooey Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies with a melted chocolate center and rolled in cardamom sugar for a sweet finish. A chocolate lover’s dream in under 30 minutes! Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
Calling all chocoholics! These Vegan Chocolate Cookies are incredibly rich and fudgy, with a soft and gooey melted chocolate center and finished with a cardamom sugar coating. The best part? They’re made with simple ingredients and only take 25 minutes!
Table of Contents
Calling all Chocolate Lovers: You MUST Try These Cookies!
If you know me at all, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of chocolate everything. So, it’s no surprise that these Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies check all of my boxes. They’re inspired by Pinch of Yum’s chocolate cookies, but made with a few adjustments to ensure they’re vegan-friendly.
They have everything any chocolate fanatic could ever want in a cookie: oh-so-soft and fudgy cookie dough, a luxurious pool of melted chocolate in the center, and a cardamom sugar coating to take each bite to the next level. Do yourself a favor and eat them hot from the oven while the middle is still melty!
I know they’ll be the first to disappear at the holiday cookie exchange, school bake sale, potluck, or birthday party. Vegans and non-vegans alike will love them!
Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Cookies
These double chocolate vegan cookies are made with 9 simple ingredients and a few optional add-ins to help them stand out from the rest. Here are the key ingredients you need:
- Flax Egg: a mix of ground flaxseed and some water is the easy egg substitute in these cookies. Ground chia seeds are a great substitute for flaxseed if needed.
- Vegan Butter: softened unsalted vegan butter yields the best melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I prefer the butter sticks for easy measuring and to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Flour: we’re keeping it simple with all-purpose flour!
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: compared to natural cocoa powder, Dutch-processed cocoa is less acidic and darker in color to give the cookies a more balanced chocolatey flavor and an almost black color.
- Espresso Powder: espresso powder + Dutch-processed cocoa powder yields the most decadent chocolate flavor. It’s technically an optional add-in, but it’s so delicious and you don’t even taste the coffee! Instant coffee powder also works well.
- Cardamom: this warm spice is combined with cane sugar to make the cardamom sugar. Coating the cookie dough balls in this sugar gives them a warm touch and a glistening, eye-catching presentation.
- Chocolate Squares: I can’t recommend stuffing the cookie dough balls with dairy-free chocolate squares enough! The melt-in-your-mouth chocolate center is irresistible. I like using Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars for my chocolate center, as they get nice and melty, but Enjoy Life and Alter Eco dark chocolate bars are good options, too.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the vegan butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flax egg and vanilla and mix again until combined.
- Add the flour to the bowl and sift the cocoa powder over top. Add in the espresso powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with a spatula until a cookie dough forms.
- Combine the sugar and cardamom together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Roll the cookie dough into 12 equal balls.
- Split one cookie dough ball in half. Flatten it, top it with a piece of chocolate, and press the second half of the cookie dough on top. Shape the cookie back into a ball to seal the chocolate in the center. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- Bake until the cookies have spread and are puffy.
- Serve the cookies while they’re still warm or let them cool first.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Sift the cocoa powder to prevent lumps: You can do this with a fine mesh sieve or a sifter. If you just dump the cocoa powder into the batter, it will clump up and make it difficult to get the full chocolate flavoring.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Mix the batter until all of the flour and cocoa powder are absorbed. Overworking the dough will give you denser and drier cookies.
- There’s no need to flatten the cookies: Unlike my Vegan Snickerdoodles and Blueberry Cookies, these chocolate cookies spread just fine on their own in the oven and don’t need to be flattened ahead of time. Remember to leave at least 2 inches of space in between each cookie dough ball on the baking sheet to prevent them from sticking together.
- Chewy vs. hard cookies: As a general rule of thumb, measure your ingredients with a baking scale and slightly underbake the cookies for the chewiest results. If you prefer harder or crispier cookies, bake them for 1 extra minute and let them cool completely before digging in.
Serving Suggestions
There’s no better time to enjoy these double chocolate cookies than when they’re hot and fresh out of the oven. This is when the chocolate center is ooey gooey and super melty, like a chocolate pool in your mouth *drool*. Dunk ‘em in a glass of your favorite non-dairy milk for a tasty afternoon snack.
The sparkling cardamom sugar coating also makes these cookies an eye-catching treat everyone will want to snatch up at holiday parties or bake sales. They’d also be an unforgettable edible gift for loved ones during the holidays.
If you’re looking for more chocolate vegan cookie recipes, you’ll also love these Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, these Chocolate Chai Shortbread Cookies, and these Chocolate Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies!
How to Store Double Chocolate Vegan Cookies
These chewy vegan chocolate cookies will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. Wait for them to cool before transferring them to an airtight container.
The baked cookies also freeze well for up to 1 month. Once cool, freeze the cookies on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. Thaw the cookies on the kitchen counter before serving or reheat them in a 300ºF oven for 3 to 5 minutes to make the middle gooey again.
You can also get a headstart on this recipe by freezing the cookie dough balls. Form and stuff the balls as normal but don’t roll them in the cardamom sugar. Flash-freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer them to an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
When ready to bake, roll the cookie dough balls in the cardamom sugar and bake. Add 1 to 3 minutes to the baking time or bake until they look puffy.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: I have not tried making this recipe gluten-free, but you can try using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum instead of all-purpose flour. I do not recommend using coconut, almond, or oat flour because they don’t absorb moisture as well and will affect the structure of the cookies.
- Vegan Butter Substitute: You can replace the vegan butter with an equal amount of softened coconut oil (not melted!). This will affect the final flavor and texture of the cookies but will work on the fly.
- Brown Sugar Substitute: Coconut sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar, but the cookies will be a bit drier.
- Chocolate Squares Substitute: Vegan chocolate chips can be stuffed in the middle of the cookies instead of the chocolate squares. I like Enjoy Life, Guittard, and Equal Exchange dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Skip the Filling and Coating: Feel free to skip the chocolate center and sugar coating if you want to make simple chocolate vegan cookies.
Recipe FAQs
I’ve found that 9 minutes is the sweet spot for these cookies. By then, they should have spread evenly with edges that are crisp and slightly darker.
It isn’t necessary unless you live in a humid climate or your house is very warm. In those cases, chilling the dough for 10 minutes in the fridge should prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
Yes, you can add up to 1/3 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips if you’d like. This will add another layer of chocolate goodness to the already very chocolatey dough!
I haven’t tested it and cannot recommend omitting the vegan butter or coconut oil. If you are looking for oil-free cookies, check out my Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies or these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. I also have an oil-free section on my blog with close to 100 recipes!
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookie
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional, for a deeper chocolate flavor
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Add-Ins: (optional, but recommended!)
- 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 12 dairy-free chocolate squares
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the ground flax with the water, mix well, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Cream the Butter: Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream them together until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thickened flax seed, and vanilla to the butter mixture. Mix again until combined.
- Make the Dough: Add the flour to the mixing bowl and sift the cocoa powder on top to prevent clumps. Add in the espresso powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix well with a spatula to form a thick dough.
- Roll: Mix the cane sugar and the cardamom together in a small bowl and set aside. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls, roughly 2 tablespoons each. I like to use a 1 tablespoon scoop to form 2 “balls” for each cookie, to make the next step easier.
- Stuff: Take one ball of cookie dough and split it in half; flatten one half onto the palm of your hand to form the “base” of the cookie. Top the base dough with the chocolate, then top with the remaining dough. Use your hands to press the bottom and top layers together and shape the cookie into a ball, making sure the chocolate is sealed in the center (see video for more detail). Roll the ball in the cardamom sugar, then place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookies on the baking sheet as they will spread when they cook.
- Bake: Bake for 9 minutes, until the cookies have spread and are puffy. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes, to allow them to set.
- Serve: Serve warm, or let the cookies cool before serving. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to one month. The chocolate center of the cookies will remain melty for 30 to 40 minutes after baking. If you wish to reheat the cookies, bake them at 300F for 3 to 5 minutes to get the melty center again.
Recipe Notes
- Gluten-Free: I have not tested this but you can probably sub with a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Other Substitutions: Vegan butter can be replaced with softened coconut oil, but this will affect the final flavor of the cookies. Brown sugar can be replaced with coconut sugar, but the cookies will be more dry.
- Chocolate: I like using Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars for my cookie center as they get nice and melty. If your chocolate is made with food-grade wax it will not melt as much; for this reason I recommend using a chocolate bar and not chocolate chips. Recipe inspired by Pinch of Yum!
Made these with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour and Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks and they turned out absolutely amazing! Seriously the best chocolate cookies I have ever made!
So happy they turned out well gluten free!!
Made these for chocolate lovers, they’re really good but a few comments in case it helps. I used gluten free flour, never tried with regular, and it turns out well :), not crumby or anything. I used pure cacao powder (more bitter) on my first try and it was really really chocolatey but good if you love chocolate on chocolate cookies. This time I used the recommended dutch processed cocoa, and it’s much less chocolatey and the sugar over powers the chocolate flavour. I would use less sugar if using Dutch processed cocoa (maybe 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar). Mine didn’t really flatten out like the picture, they’re pretty dense and delicate to eat. Thanks for sharing, I love the added chocolate square in the middle! Overall still amazing!!
Thanks for your tips and notes Magda! So glad the gluten-free flour worked out well!
any thoughts on these substitutes?
Avocado Oil (instead of vegan butter or coconut oil)
Brown Rice Flour (instead of cornstarch)
The reason is b/c I have these ingredients handy… Thanks!
I wouldn’t recommend subbing the butter for avocado oil as the butter is solid at room temp and that’s important for the texture of the cookies. I’m not sure about the brown rice flour but I think it should be okay. Though the point of the cornstarch is to keep these soft.
Made these and they were a hit, I mixed a bit of gingerbread spice into the dough instead of the cardamom sugar and just sprinkled some brown sugar on top instead of covering the whole dough balls! Got asked for the recipe too 🙂
Yay! Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious!😋
You are so welcome, Flóra! Happy you enjoyed it.
These are so good! They’re very rich and the dough smells amazing. Thank you for the recipe Caitlin <3
You’re so welcome, Liz!
Ever try cayenne pepper (just 1/8 teaspoon or so) in chocolate cookies? I made chocolate chip cookies with cayenne pepper years ago, and brought them to work. They were gone in about five minutes.
That’s really interesting! Thank you for suggesting it, Lee!
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made! I made some with the sugar and some without and they are definitely better with the sugar and I love the hint of cardamom. I actually made the dough during meal prep and separated it out and froze it so I could have one or 2 cookies at a time. Since it’s uncooked I added a minute to the cook time and they turned out perfect!
Glad they turned out perfect, Brittany! Thank you for leaving a review.
Absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to reheat the leftovers and then promptly make them again. Yum!!
Best cookies I’ve ever made, vegan or non vegan! This recipe is dangerously delicious 😋
It is! Thank you, Meg ♥
Happy you’re creating what makes you happy! But also curious, will you continue to make more wholesome baking recipes, or are you much preferring the standard vegan butter/AP flour recipes at this point? Thanks and have a lovely day:)
Hi Sam – I share a mix of recipes on the blog now!
Hi. Green cardamom or black cardamom?
Green!