Vegan Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you hear “vegan brown butter chocolate chip cookies” – you probably think about the butter first right? Because a few months ago, I was in the EXACT same boat. I kept getting requests on TikTok for brown butter cookies, but as someone who mostly steers towards the vegan side of cookie baking, I was torn. I could go the old school brown butter cookie route, or I could just wait until I figured out the vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe version.

And I promise, this recipe is worth the wait. It uses three types of sugar (one of them being date paste, which is insane), vegan brown butter and tons of dark chocolate. It’s moist but not greasy. Fluffy but still chewy. And it spreads just enough to still give that crinkly edge. It’s definitely a bit of work, but this cookie is SO worth it.

A bit about vegan brown butter

In a vegan chocolate chip recipe, you almost never see brown butter. And that’s because it’s nearly impossible to find a vegan butter alternative that browns.

Brown butter made when you cook unsalted butter long enough to turn the milk solids brown while cooking out any water present in the butter. Since vegan butter doesn’t have milk solids, there typically is no way to get the same chemical reaction, and thus browning, that you would with normal butter.

But enter scene, Miyokos Creamery. There butter is made of the simplest ingredients, just: Organic Coconut oil, Organic Cultured Cashew Milk (Filtered Water, Organic Cashews, Cultures), Filtered Water, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt.

Why does Miyokos Creamery butter brown?

I kept asking myself how this butter reaction was possible, and it boils down to the combination of cultures within the butter. Coupled with the cashew milk and oils, slightly browning will occur when you heat the butter on medium heat for a sustained period of time. It’s truly plant-based magic that helps make this vegan brown butter chocolate chip cookie.

Let’s talk about date paste

Here is where some of you are going to get a little skeptical, and where I’m going to get a bit cocky. I think date paste is what makes this the best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe on my feed.

Date paste is a magic ingredient, and here’s why. In a normal chocolate chip cookie recipe, you rely on just the butter and the sugar to supply moisture. But those ingredients also cause the cookie to spread, so you have to have a careful balance of flour, egg, sugar and butter to ensure there is enough structure to the cookie.

Date paste however, acts just like the blueberries did in my viral Blueberry Cookie recipe. They provide softness and moisture, but they do not affect the spread of a cookie. So these cookies get an extra level of sweetness, caramel-flavors AND moisture, but still retain their shape.

It takes a bit more time to incorporate, but when you get there, you will taste pure magic.

Why chilling this dough is important

Chilling cookie dough is SO important, and especially for these particular vegan chocolate chip cookies.

When you chill a cookie dough, you allow the fat to solidify (which is very important for this recipe), and you also allow the flour to absorb the moisture of the dough more, which makes it firmer and easier to handle.

From a flavor perspective, the sugars in the dough will then absorb the moisture from the flour, causing the cookies to brown and caramelize. And lastly, flour’s naturally-occuring enzymes will continue to break down as the dough chills, leading to an even browner cookie with crisp edges.

Long story short, chilling this dough for 24 hours will make this the best vegan chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever had. Chilling it for 48 hours will make it magic.

Are we ready to do this? Let’s make ’em.

What you will need for these vegan chocolate chip cookies

• 40 grams pitted medjool dates
• 160 grams all-purpose flour, about 1 cup and 1 tbsp flour, but it ranges!
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp miyokos creamery butter or dairy butter, for browning
• 2 tbsp butter of choice to not brown
• 2 tbsp plant based milk
• 60 grams granulated sugar, 1/4 cup
• 45 grams brown sugar, 1/4 cup, lightly packed
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

How to make this recipe

1. Take the dates and put them in a small bowl and soak them in boil water. Set to the side as you prepare all your other ingredients.
2. Put a small pot on medium-low heat. Add the 8 tbsp of butter and begin the browning process. To brown butter, let it melt in the pan, and begin stirring constantly with a spatula to avoid any scorching. Let the butter foam slightly, and reduce the heat until it is slightly foaming only. Let this process continue until you see the butter noticeably brown, and see small brown flecks begin to accumulate at the bottom. That’s when you know it’s done!
3. Remove the browned butter from the heat. In another small bowl, add 2 tbsp of cold butter and then pour in the brown butter. Mix until the cool butter is melted. Let the butter cool at room temperature. You want it to be liquid but not warm.
4. While the butter is cooling, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set that to the side.
5. While the butter continues to cool, drain the dates but reserve 2 tbsp of the water they were soaking in. Use that water to blend the dates into a paste. You can also do this by hand with a mortar and pestle.
6. When the brown butter has reached room temperature, whisk in the almond milk until the butter is a nice creamy golden color.
7. Combine the light sugar, brown sugar, date mixture and vanilla in a bowl. Pour in the brown butter mixture and use an electric mixer to beat it all together well. About 3-4 minutes.
8. Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet. Use the mixer on it’s lowest speed to combine the dough. Stop mixing when you no longer see flecks of flour.
9. Add in the chocolate and mix.
10. Let this dough chill in the fridge for 24-48 hours. This is CRUCIAL to the recipe.
11. When you are ready, portion into 50g balls and bake at 350F for 15-10 minutes.
12. Serve warm.

FAQ

And that’s about it! Don’t forget to tag me on Pinterest or Instagram if you make these and want to show ’em off. I’d love to see! In the meantime, happy to answer any questions in the comments. Happy baking <3