Aquafaba, the liquid you drain from a can of chickpeas, is a pretty well-known egg substitute. It can be whipped into meringue, added to non-dairy ice cream to make it fluffy, and used as a binder in baking and cooking. It’s quite versatile, but over the years I kept forgetting it merits and have always just thrown it down the drain. Not anymore! It worked perfectly in Aquafaba Chocolate Chip Cookies, and I’m looking forward to trying it in a few other things.
Now I was hoping to call these cookies vegan, but Oreo UK says that Oreos are not vegan because they are in cross-contact with milk. That is counter to what I believed about Oreos, but it’s not really a big deal because the were just a last minute addition. For vegan cookies, leave out the Oreos and double check to make sure the chips are dairy free.
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) softened vegan butter (Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
- 4 tablespoons (48 grams) non-hydrogenated shortening (Nutiva is a good one)**
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130 grams) granulated sugar (I like Florida Crystals raw)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130 grams) light brown sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners Brown)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 44 grams of aquafaba (about 3 tablespoons, but best to weigh)
- 2 cups (252 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour**
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (more if desired)
- 8 Oreos, broken into chunks (optional)
- With an electric mixer,beat the softened vegan butter, shortening, both sugars and vanilla until creamy. Beat in the aquafaba.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cream of tartar.
- Add flour mixture to batter and stir until very well mixed, then stir in the chocolate chips and about half of the Oreos (if using).
- Using a cookie scoop, shape dough into 24 balls. Cover and chill for an hour or until ready to use (if you can wait a day, the cookies bake up even nicer with dough that's been chilled 24 hours).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange cookie dough pieces on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes (these are better underbaked than over!) or until golden brown around the edges.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, set reserved Oreo pieces on hot cookie, crème side down to they will adhere. If the cookies have spread during baking, gently push edges inward with inverted tip of a spatula.
- Let cool until firm enough to remove from baking sheet.
Aquafaba used in Aquafaba Chocolate Chip Cookies
d says
August 2, 2017 at 10:30 amI made these again yesterday and let the dough balls chill in the frig for 24 hours. I baked them off today. This time I used the organic sugars and still used the aquafaba. They baked up a little thicker so I didn’t need to push the edges in to get a good thickness. Great recipe! Thanks also for the metric measurements.
Anna says
July 31, 2017 at 11:18 amOh, I’m glad you used the whole wheat flour trick! It is not mandatory, but I think it adds just a bit of flavor without making the cookies taste healthy or wheat-y.
And for the egg, you just completely omit the aquafaba. The aquafaba is just a substitute, but the original recipe is made with egg.
d says
July 31, 2017 at 9:04 amThanks for your tips. I am going to try them again today or tomorrow and chill the dough overnight. I only chilled the first batch of dough for 5 hours. Are you going to add the 44 grams of egg to the recipe as written, or in place of the aquafaba. I will try your tip about pushing the edges in, just so they look a little better. Great flavor/texture as written though. I also love the bit of whole wheat flour in there.
Anna says
July 31, 2017 at 6:54 amD, I’m so glad to hear that. I love them too. I made a second batch using all Earth Balance and that worked out quite well, though the cookies were just a tad softer and had more Earth Balance flavor. Definitely nobody would know they were made with aquafaba, but now I might try them again with the Earth Balance, Nutiva and 44 grams of lightly beaten egg. The original version is all-butter and that is fine, but I think the Earth Balance makes the cookie slightly softer, and keeping the egg amount low makes for a less cakey cookie. About the edges, it really makes the cookies look nice if you push them inward while they are warm. And the cookies are better when made with dough that’s been chilled overnight.
d says
July 30, 2017 at 9:51 pmI made these today and loved them!! Another great recipe, Anna. I used the Earth Balance and Nutiva, but didn’t have the organic sugars so used regular. These have great flavor and don’t taste at all like just a cookie for those with allergies. I could easily take these to a pot luck and no one would know. Mine were a smidge flatter than yours, so next time I’ll take your advice and push edges inward while still warm. Thanks!!
Sonya says
July 27, 2017 at 12:24 pmYou’re welcome! That makes sense!
Katrina says
July 27, 2017 at 11:19 amI’ve always been Leary of using that stuff from the van of beans. Hmm. My vegan son eats Oreos like they are Lays potato chips. He does make an exception when labels just say “may contain traces” or made in a same factory with non vegan things. Some I’m sure are more strict.
Anna says
July 27, 2017 at 11:19 amThanks! I don’t know how that happens, but sometimes it makes me check a box to allow posts, so of course I don’t check it because I don’t realize I have to. Normally it puts the box there automatically.
Sonya says
July 27, 2017 at 10:19 amWow, these look really good! I didn’t see a comment field for yesterday’s blog post, BTW.