8 Vegan Cookie Recipes That VegNews Editors are Baking Right Now

During the winter, before springtime beckons, untold numbers of home bakers head into their kitchens to knead bread dough and hand-mix cookies as a way to stay warm and cozy while spending more time indoors—and that stress-relieving pastime just so happens to be what VegNews editors have been doing a lot of lately, too. We know that one of the best ways to ease the winter blues can be found right in our own kitchens.

How to bake with vegan ingredients

Speaking of a stocked pantry, if you’re new to vegan baking you’ll want to stock up on some essentials, including vegan sweeteners and egg and dairy replacers to make the process less daunting. Some of our favorite recipes make use of ingredients such as coconut oil, almond milk, ground flaxseeds, applesauce, and vegan butter.

These are key for successful dairy and egg swaps. Once you’ve got that down, the possibilities are endless when it comes to chewy, melt-in-your-mouth vegan cookies and other baked goods you can churn out in your own kitchen. 

Our favorite vegan cookie recipes

Are you ready? Here are the eight recipes we turn to on days when we’re in need of a good baking session. Be warned: these recipes will make you want to start preheating your oven, too.

Oh She Glows

1  Turtle Oatmeal Cookies

When in need of a cookie that is equally comforting and impressive, VegNews New Products Editor Sarah McLaughlin turns to Angela Liddon’s Turtle candy-inspired oatmeal cookies, which are hearty and chewy and studded with pecans, chocolate, and Medjool dates. “I’ve made them for friends and family and they’re always a hit,” McLaughlin says. “A really good cookie if you like texture and crunch and chewy all in one.”
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Charity Morgan

2 Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

VegNews Editorial Director Richie Bowie delights in cookies that are rich and sweet, which is why his go-to happens to be this peanut butter-loaded cookie made with vanilla bean paste—a not-so-secret baking staple that adds a heavenly vanilla aroma and flavor that will change your life. 
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Sweet Simple Vegan

3 Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

The classic chocolate chip is what Senior Digital Editor Aruka Sanchir bakes up when in need of a sweet treat. “They’re super easy, use simple ingredients, and smell amazing,” Sanchir says. Better still: you can make the dough and freeze it for later, or layer the dry ingredients in a mason jar to leave at your neighbor’s front door. Do you really need further convincing?
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Peanut’s Bake Shop

4 Peanut’s Bake Shop Cookie Kits

VegNews Director of Brand Partnerships Tanya Flink fully admits that she fails hard when it comes to cookie baking. “Ask me to make a pie, tiered cake, croissants, or virtually anything else, and I’m game, but cookies rarely turn out for me,” she says. On days when a cookie craving hits, though, Flink turns to Peanut’s Bake Shop’s vegan cookie mixes and transforms them into slutty cookie bars. “I use the Chocolate Chip mix for the base, add a layer of Oreos and dollops of peanut butter on top, then smooth a layer of the Midnight Chocolate Chunk dough on top of that. Bake it off, and you’ve got an incredible cookie bar! Super moist, tender, gooey, and perfectly sweet.”
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Carleigh Bodrug

5 Salted Chocolate Cookies

These soft chocolate gems are a spin-off of a classic chocolate chip cookie, a favorite of VegNews News Editor Nicole Axworthy. Made with tahini and topped with flaked sea salt—both of which enhance the undeniable chocolate goodness—we have no doubt you’ll find them irresistible, too. 
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Pret A Manger

6Chewy Dark Chocolate Cookies

This now-viral recipe from United Kingdom-based sandwich shop Pret A Manger is the cookie Senior News Editor Anna Starostinetskaya turns to when she’s in the mood to bake. Studded with almond pieces and chunks of dark chocolate, it’s no wonder they’ve quickly become her favorite. Our tip: Stash them in the freezer so you don’t eat them all at once.
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Kale Junkie

7 Life-Changing Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies

VegNews Associate Editor Jocelyn Martinez doesn’t shy away from a veganizing challenge, and these cookies are no different. The recipe calls for a chicken egg, but Martinez simply substitutes flax egg. “These cookies are perfectly soft and chewy,” she said. “When I’m on a cookie kick, this is always my go-to. Kale Junkie’s recipe is easy, quick, just the right amount of sweet, and can be easily made vegan.”  
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Tasty

8 Chocolate Chip Cookies

VegNews Editor at Large Jasmin Singer sticks to the tried-and-true when it comes to cookie baking. These classic chocolate chip cookies use all the standard ingredients along with heaps of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chunks. Take it up a notch by sandwiching the freshly baked cookies between a thick layer of vegan vanilla ice cream, and devour promptly.
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