Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

We all can picture our younger selves impatiently waiting at the kitchen table as the aroma of freshly baked cookies wafts through the house. These cookies embody that classic childhood nostalgia. They have crisp edges but are gooey on the inside, and they take on that perfect flat circular lunchbox shape. Elevated with brown butter, chill time, and chocolate chips instead of raisins, I assure you that these will become a staple in your household.  

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Why Vegan?

Climate change is a global problem, and will only be solved through collective action. I cannot think of a more delicious way to join the climate movement than vegan baking. 

Food goes beyond sustenance, helping us understand our identity and heritage. Eating is inherently communal. From family dinners to holidays like Thanksgiving, to dates, food serves as a vehicle for social connection. These relationships significantly impact our traditions, values, and customs. 

Eating plant-based, specifically, these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, is not only better for the Earth but can be an avenue to spark conversations within our eating communities around greater climate issues and catalyze change. I passed out my cookies to family, friends, and people on the street. It felt so rewarding to know that I was brightening someone's day and doing it sustainably. While keeping them all for yourself is tempting, I encourage you to share your cookies with someone else.  

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Plants for the Planet 

A 2023 study, found that in the United Kingdom, vegan diets resulted in a 75% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and land use when compared to diets of over 100 grams of meat per day. 

To keep global temperature below 1.5 of warming, per the Paris Agreement, it is estimated that global meat and dairy consumption must be reduced by half. 

This may seem daunting, and maybe you are already mourning the loss of your morning bacon. The point is that we do not have to stop eating all animal products completely, but eating less can drastically reduce the strain on our planet's resources. We need not just to reduce our meat and dairy consumption as individuals but as a global community, and this will mean changing food systems and norms around eating. 

While critical to our future, this process will be slow. For now, be a part of the cultural shift by finding ways to eat more plant-based foods, like these oatmeal chocolate cookies! I promise they are delicious and you won’t miss the dairy or eggs. 

Here are some tips I have for making the best cookies!

• Butter: I recommend using the Miyokos unsalted vegan butter because it browns and you can control the amount of salt in your recipe. Any plant-based butter will work though. Check to see if the butter you are using contains milk solids. If it does not it will not brown and you can just skip that step. Your cookies will still come out good, they just might lack that nutty flavor. 
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: I promise using whole wheat flour is not my attempt to make this recipe ‘healthy.’ Using whole wheat flour actually helps make the cookies crunchy, more flavorful, and chewy. I have not tried using white flour, but I am sure it would work too if you do not have whole wheat. 
• Resting the Dough: This helps the dough become firmer so it does not spread as much, leading to a more thick and chewy cookie. It also helps the flour absorb the wet ingredients for a greater depth of flavor. 
• Mix-ins: I like to use chocolate chips, but feel free to sub or add in any other mix-ins you prefer like raisins or nuts. 

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp of flax meal
• 3 tbsp warm water
• ½ cup plant-based butter
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¾ tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

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Directions

1. Make your flax egg. Combine the flaxseed with the warm water in a small bowl. Set aside to congeal.
2. Start browning your butter. Over high-medium heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Swirl constantly. Continue cooking until the butter is completely melted and foamy. There should be a nutty aroma (about 5 minutes). Turn off the heat and transfer the butter into a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk in the brown and white sugar until evenly distributed. Add in the vanilla, salt, and flax egg, and mix until the mixture is glossy. It should form ribbons when you drizzle it with the whisk. 
4. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oats.
5. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until only small streaks of flour remain. 
6. Add in the chocolate chips.
7. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Form the dough into balls, approximately three tablespoons each. Place the cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart.  
9. Bake for 12 minutes or just until the edges are starting to brown. The cookies will seem underdone in the middle but they will continue to cook on the baking tray. 
10. Enjoy!

Want to learn more about how your food choices affect the planet? Read our article about how animal farming generates greenhouse gas emissions and what to do about it.