The ULTIMATE Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These have become my go-to vegan cookies - I bring them to gatherings and parties and I make them for myself when I want a really good chocolate chip cookie.  They are really that good and my family tells me they can't tell that they are egg and dairy free - WIN! 

I do want to emphasize this - it is important to use one of these two types of vegan butters (I have tried all of them and they are not all the same when it comes to baking). My number one pick for baking is Country Crock with Avocado Oil (sometimes it is hard to find, so stock up when you do because it is the best). My runner up pick for vegan butter to bake with is Earth Balance (in stick form). This is a much easier butter to find and it'll substitute it in a pinch for Country Crock. If you use a different type of butter, this cookie might not turn out as ULTIMATE as mine! Just sayin'......

On another note, I make these cookies with gluten free flour all the time. I ONLY use King Arthur GF Measure for Measure. You can try another brand (I have tried them all), but again, they might not turn out as ULTIMATE as mine if you aren't using the brands I bake with. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 sticks vegan butter, softened (Country Crock with Avocado Oil OR Earth Balance)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 flax egg (1 TBL ground flaxseed + 2 1/2 TBL water)

1 Tbl molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups oats (use GF oats for Gluten Free- I use Bob's Red Mill)

1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for GF use King Arthur Measure for Measure GF baking flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves OR ground nutmeg (I use cloves)

1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (I use 1/2 cup of the mini chips and 1/2 cup of the mega chunks)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Prepare the flax egg. Combine ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Stir together, then set aside for 5 min for it to thicken.

Add the softened vegan butter, brown sugar, and sugar to a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy using a handheld mixer. Add the flax egg, molasses, and vanilla extract. Blend until combined. 

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder,  salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix together until just combined. Add the oats and stir again. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Scoop the dough into round balls and transfer to the baking sheet- I used a 2 Tbl cookie scoop. Gently press the dough with your hands to flatten them a little bit. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes until lightly golden. I know this is a large window of time - but everyone's oven bakes differently. Watch the first batch to get an idea of how long they need to bake. Generally, I bake the cookies in my convection oven for 9 to 10 minutes. I like to slightly underbake my cookies so they stay soft. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool and firm up on the sheet for about 20 minutes. 

These cookies freeze really nicely! Often I will bake a batch, serve half and then freeze the other half. When ready to eat just let them sit out of the freezer for about 10 minutes and enjoy. 

The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Oh boy is this cake delicious! It is extremely moist, full of flavor and I don't think anyone would believe it is egg and dairy free. The key is using the right vegan butter (that helps the frosting set so well).  I love Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado Oil for my vegan baking - I have tried EVERY vegan butter while baking and this one mimics real butter the best, in my opinion. I also think the type of plant milk you use in really important. I like to bake with a creamy oat milk because it is thick like dairy whole milk. It also has a pretty neutral flavor. You can try any plant milk you like, but I do not recommend using a different plant butter. 

This cake is my vegan take on the recipe on the back of the Hershey Cocoa Powder box. I just substituted plant-based where needed. And I ALWAYS use coffee instead of water when making any chocolate cake. That's a great baking tip for you! 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake:

• ▢ 2 cups organic white sugar
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if necessary
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 cup plant milk (I like Planet Oat milk, barista style, because it's so creamy)
• ▢ ½ cup canola oil
• ▢ 2 flax eggs (4 Tbl ground flax + 5 Tbl water)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup hot, freshly brewed coffee

Chocolate Frosting:

• ▢ 4 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup plant milk (again, I like Planet Oat milk)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup plant butter, at room temperature (I strongly suggest using Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado Oil - please use this if you can find it- I have used many other vegan butters and this one sets so nicely and holds it's shape) 

Directions:

Prep your pans by generously spraying two 8" rounds. I also like to line the bottom with a cut out piece of parchment paper. 

Set oven to 350F 

Make flax eggs by mixing the ground flax seed and water together in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 min to thicken (this will mimic the texture of eggs). 

In a medium bowl whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In another large bowl whisk together plant milk, canola oil, prepped flax eggs, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a little at a time. Mix after each addition. Once wet and dry are combined, add the coffee and stir. Mix until smooth. 

Evenly divide the cake batter to prepared pans. Bake for about 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I baked mine for 52 min and they were perfectly moist. 

Let the cakes cool completely before turning them out. Turn them out onto a surface/cutting board lined with parchment paper; they might stick to the board, otherwise. I let mine cool for a couple of hours. 

To make the chocolate frosting combine all frosting ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer until completely combined and frosting is firm enough to stand on its own. If you use any other butter than what I have suggested, I cannot guarantee that your frosting will set and hold its shape as beautifully as mine did. 

When ready to frost the cakes, line the edges of a cake plate with parchment strips (this makes for easy clean up after you cake has been iced - it will catch all the crumbs and frosting drips). 

Here is a quick video demonstrating how to....click here

Place one of the cakes on the parchment strips and add a large dollop of frosting. Smooth evenly. Place the second cake on top of the frosting. Add the rest of the frosting to the top and sides of the cake and smooth out evenly. Carefully remove the parchment strips. 

Decorate this cake however you like! Fresh berries, sprinkles, or keep it plain and simple like I did! The star of this cake is the taste, so I didn't feel like I needed to get fancy. 

Enjoy!