When I think of chocolate chip cookies, what comes to mind is decadent gooey chocolate nestled in the chewy center of a cookie that melts in the mouth.

When looking for a chewy cookie though, quite often you see recipes that call for butter or eggs. Both are phenomenal for making that perfect soft cookie, but neither are so great when your diet doesn’t allow for animal products.

Well, after lots of trial and error, I’ve finally found a vegan cookie that can satisfy even the toughest cookie critic (aka, my husband). Cookies come out soft and rich without being overly sweet, a perfect vehicle for the chocolate chip of your choice.

This isn’t the recipe you use when you’re trying to be healthy, count calories, or avoid oil. There are lots of fantastic recipes out there if that’s your gig. This is a treat, pure and simple, made with pure and simple ingredients.

• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons oil (I used peanut)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 (10oz) bag vegan chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Semisweet Mini Chips)

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F (325° F convection).
2. Cream together the vegetable shortening, sugars, and oil until fluffy.
3. Add the water, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
4. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, taking care not to overwork the dough.
5. Once the dough is mostly together, add the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
6. Dole out the dough in desired size and bake for 7-8 minutes (soft) to 9-10 minutes (firm). If you like ’em crunchy, do 11-12.
7. Let the cookies rest for two minutes before removing from the pan. Let them cool an additional 8 minutes or so on the counter or a cooling rack.

Notes

I used my stand mixer to mix everything, though some cookie enthusiasts say you must mix in the flour by hand. You do you–I’m just saying you can be lazy and still end up with a pretty awesome cookie.

I bake all my cookies on Silpat baking mats on top of a sheet pan. If you cook directly on metal, you may have to adjust your baking times accordingly.

Lastly, if you want that truly soft cookie, you’ve got to pull it out of the oven before it looks done, which was about 8 minutes for me at 325° F convection. It’s a measure of trust when you pull it off the pan to cool, but I promise after about 10 minutes on the counter or baking rack, you’ll be rewarded with that perfectly soft cookie you’ve been hungering for.