Lemon Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
A soft, slightly crispy chocolate chip cookie infused with fresh lemon flavor. These cookies are dairy-free and egg-free, easy to prepare, and perfect for lemon lovers.
These cookies offer a refreshing citrus twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. These wonderfully soft cookies are filled with finely chopped semisweet chocolate and infused with lemon juice and zest. The result is a perfect balance of zesty lemon and sweet, melty chocolate. They are incredibly easy to prepare and are both dairy-free and egg-free. Don’t let summer end before giving these bright, yummy treats a try.
What you will need:
Lemons and finely chopped chocolate are an absolute must for these delicious cookies. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips but feel free to use dark or milk chocolate. All ingredients needed for this recipe are basic pantry items that can easily be found at your local grocery store.
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cane sugar
- vanilla extract
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- plant based butter with salt
- plant based yogurt
- semi sweet chocolate chips or bar (I used Good and Gather semi sweet chocolate chips, they are dairy-free and can be found at Target)
How to:
We need to get a little prep work out of the way first. Zest and juice your lemon or lemons. The number of lemons you need will depend on their size and whether you want extra zest to decorate the cookies. Set the zest and juice aside for later. Measure out your chocolate. I used semi sweet chocolate chips, but you can also use a bar. Finely chop one half cup of chocolate; this will be used in the cookie dough. I used whole chocolate chips for the tops of the cookies. If you are using a bar, you can chop some larger chunks for the tops of the cookies. Feel free to use dark or milk chocolate in this recipe as well.
Let’s bring this dough together. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to a small bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set the bowl aside. To a medium bowl, add the lemon zest and sugar. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until all of the sugar is evenly coated in the zest and its oils. Melt the butter and add it to the sugar mixture. Using a whisk, blend the ingredients for about 30 seconds or until well incorporated. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the bowl. Whisk the ingredients together for about 30 seconds or until well incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost all the flour is absorbed. Toss in the finely chopped chocolate and continue folding until all the flour is absorbed and the chocolate is evenly distributed. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. When the oven is at the desired temperature, remove the dough from the refrigerator and begin scooping. Each cookie should consist of two tablespoons of dough. Scoop each portion, roll it between your palms to smooth it out, and place it on a prepared cookie sheet. Top each cookie dough ball with a few chocolate chips, then bake the cookies for 12 minutes. They should be slightly browned and set in the middle. Remember to return any unused cookie dough to the refrigerator between batches.
Allow the cookies to rest on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. These cookies can benefit from a little reshaping after they come out of the oven. I used a large cookie or muffin ring, but you can also use a glass or spatula for this purpose. Reshaping is best done as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Once the cookies have cooled, you can add a little zest to the tops for added flavor and decoration. They are then ready to be served. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Lemon chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp / 113 grams plant based butter with salt – melted
- 4 tbsp / 60 grams plant based yogurt
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ cups / 180 grams all purpose flour
- 1 cup / 200 grams cane sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup / 120 grams semi sweet chocolate – chips or bar – finely chopped (I finely chopped semi sweet chocolate chips.)
- extra zest and chocolate chips for decorating (I used whole semi sweet chocolate chips for the tops of the cookies.)
Instructions
- Zest and juice the lemon(s) and set the zest and juice aside for later.*you will need 1 to 2 lemons depending on the size of the lemons and if you would like extra zest to decorate the tops with*
- Measure out the 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips or bar and finely chop the chocolate. Set aside for later.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to a small bowl; whisk to combine and set the bowl aside.
- Add the lemon zest and sugar to a medium bowl. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until all of the sugar is evenly coated. Add the melted butter to the sugar and whisk for 30 seconds or until the ingredients are well combined. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to the sugar mixture. Whisk for about 30 seconds or until the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; folding until almost all of the flour is absorbed. Toss in the finely chopped chocolate; folding until all of the flour is absorbed and the chocolate is well distributed.
- Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Once the oven reaches the desired temperature, remove the dough from the refrigerator and begin scooping the cookie dough. Each cookie is two tablespoons of cookie dough. Roll each dough ball between your palms to smooth them out and place them on a prepared cookie sheet. Return any unused cookie dough to the refrigerator between batches. Add 2 to 3 chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies before placing them in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes; the edges will be lightly browned and the center will be just set. These cookies benefit from some reshaping. This needs to be done as soon as they come out of the oven. You can use a large glass, or spatula to accomplish this. I used a large cookie/muffin ring.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once cooled, decorate them with a little lemon zest and serve.Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
