These maple syrup sweetened Vegan Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies are sweet and chewy, while still packing a nutritious punch! No one would ever guess that they don't contain butter, eggs or white sugar!
We love vegan chocolate chip cookies in our family. Sometimes I forget how much I love them and go a while without making a batch.vBut then, as soon as I make some chocolate chip cookies I remember just how classically delicious they are!vI've shared a few chocolate chip cookie recipes on my blog including Bakery-Style Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and even Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. But whenever I'm looking for a sweet treat that is made with more wholesome ingredients, I love making these Whole Wheat Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- These whole wheat chocolate chip cookies contain lots of whole grains thanks to the fact that they are made entirely with whole wheat flour. I think that means we can eat them for breakfast, right?!
- Sweetened naturally with maple syrup, these vegan chocolate chip cookies don't spike my blood sugar as much as cookies made with white sugar.
- I love the flavor of these vegan maple syrup cookies. If you love the flavor of pure maple syrup, then you'll love these cookies as well!
- Texture baby! Big chunks of chocolate and crunchy piece of walnuts give these whole wheat chocolate chip cookies tons of texture in every bite.
- If my coconut oil is already in liquid form, I can whip these cookies up in about 10 minutes. Then my oven does the rest of the work!
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Flour - Whole wheat flour is the main dry ingredient in this recipe. Whole wheat flour has more fiber and whole grains in it and it soaks up more liquid so be sure to use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour in this recipe. I love Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour.
- Cornstarch - Corn starch makes these whole wheat chocolate chip cookies a little bit chewy and oh so delicious!
- Coconut Oil - To make these maple syrup cookies vegan, we aren't using any butter! Instead, coconut oil is the main fat and binding agent in this recipe. You'll make the dough with melted coconut oil and as you chill the dough in the fridge, the coconut oil will start to solidify, making the cookie dough hold together.
- Pure Maple Syrup - I love baking with maple syrup whenever possible as it's a natural sweetener and not as processed as white flour. Be sure to buy pure maple syrup and not imitation maple syrup!
- Ground Flaxseed - You'll be using ground flaxseed to make a flax egg which will replace regular chicken eggs in this recipe.
- Walnuts - Walnuts are optional, but I love the crunch and texture they give these cookies! However, you can use whatever nuts you like best.
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips - To ensure these vegan chocolate chip cookies are completely vegan, be sure to select dairy-free chocolate chips. I personally love to chop up a dairy free chocolate bar into chunks. The bigger the chocolate pieces, the better!
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Walnuts - you can use whatever nuts you like best...or omit them all together!
- Whole Wheat Flour - I haven't tried this recipe with all purpose or gluten-free flour, so I can't say for sure how they would turn out. As of right now, the ratio of liquid ingredients is perfect for whole wheat flour. If you use white flour, you would probably need less liquid ingredients.
- Coconut Oil - Again, I haven't tried substituting anything for coconut oil. I'm assuming melted vegan butter would work well though!
- Flax Egg - I often using flax eggs and aquafaba (3 tablespoons per "egg") interchangeably, but again, I have not personally tried using aquafaba in this recipe. I'd recommend making the recipe as written!
How to Make Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: In a small bowl, make your flax egg by whisking together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Set it aside to thicken.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Add the coconut oil, maple syrup and thickened flax egg to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Chill the dough for about 15 minutes to help it thicken.
Step 5: Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
Step 6: Bake the cookies for 10-12, rotating the cookies half way through. Allow the cookies to cool before enjoying!
Top Tips
- Be sure to chill the cookie dough before rolling it into balls and baking it. The cooler temps in the fridge will help to solidify the coconut oil, making the cookie dough thicker and easier to roll into balls.
- Let these cookies cool completely so that the coconut oil can harden and help to hold these cookies together. Otherwise they will be crumbly.
- If you like a denser, harder cookie, store these whole wheat chocolate chip cookies in the fridge to keep the coconut oil in solid form.
Recipe FAQs
To make chocolate chip cookies vegan you'll need to replace the butter and eggs usually used. I like to use a flax egg or aquafaba instead of regular chicken eggs. Then, instead of butter, I like to use coconut oil!
Instead of using eggs in baking, you can use aquafaba, a flax egg, applesauce or even a combination of baking soda and vinegar/buttermilk. The substitute you use really depends on what the function of the egg is in the recipe. Does it add fat? Does it help to bind everything together? Does it help the recipe to rise?
Chocolate chip cookies contain a lot of processed ingredients including white sugar and white flour. These whole wheat chocolate chip cookies use whole wheat flour and maple syrup for sweetness, making them a more whole food dessert option.
More Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Maple Syrup Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, prepare you flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Set aside to "gel" for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, from the whole wheat flour to the salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow it to firm up a bit. Then drop the dough by 2 tablespoon amount onto your baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets 180 degrees half way through. If you are using two different oven racks, also switch the baking sheets so that the sheet on the top rack goes to the bottom rack and vice versa.
- Let cool completely.
Notes
- Feel free to use whatever nuts you enjoy. Or omit them all together.
- Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
Eva says
These are hands down the best cookies I've ever tasted. I used honey because I didn't have maple syrup at the time. They are remarkably chewy... I suppose due to the cornstarch! I added my own favorite dark chocolate (huge chunks from an 85% bar). They were just slightly too cakey for my preference, so next time I'm going to omit the baking powder and see if that increases the density. What do you think? THANK YOU!
Faith VanderMolen says
So so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Danielle says
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved making these and tasted so good. Definitely baking them again
Faith VanderMolen says
I'm so glad you enjoyed these cookies Danielle! Thanks so much for sharing!
Tawny says
I have a corn allergy, do you know what I can use to substitute the cornstarch? I'm looking forward to trying your recipe, thank you!
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Tawny! I haven't tried substituting cornstarch yet, but you could try something like tapioca flour. Let us know if you try something out and how it goes!
Charlotte says
The flavour of these are amazing! However, mine came out a bit too cake-like and puffy but I prefer a chewy center instead. Any idea how I could change this? Maybe less flour? Flatten them down a bit?
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Charlotte! Glad you enjoyed the flavour and sorry the texture wasn't what you expected. I'm not sure if you could get a chewy, traditional texture with these ingredients. Less flour or flattening them could work, but I haven't tried that yet! Please keep us posted if you find a chewier version of these cookies!
Mitch says
Wanted to make a healthier cookie and came across this one and they are delicious. My wife brought them to her work and they love them. Now they are giving me some of the ingredients to make more of them. So do make them often and their gone just as fast. But this last batch I made the cookies were not actually cookies. The anticipation of pulling the out of the oven and eating a nice warm came to a fail. They were flat thinner than a pancake, no consistency, no nice and chewy just flat. Can’t figure what I did wrong maybe you can shed some light so I do it again. Other then this batch they always come out great. Thanks again for this recipe. This mishap will not stop me from making more.
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Mitch! I'm glad you've been enjoying these cookies, but I'm sorry you ran into some trouble with the last batch. My first thoughts/suggestions are, did you let the dough chill in the fridge before baking? Did you happen to use fractionated coconut oil that doesn't solidify? Or maybe an ingredient was accidentally left out or substituted? I hope you don't run into the problem again! We made a batch last week and loved them! Let me know what you think and if you have trouble again!
ALANA says
I never comment but have to tell you that this recipe was the best I've found for vegan chocolate chip cookies. It must be the 1/2 tsp of cornstarch! I had to use Chickpea flour because my hubby is GF and I used honey since another commentor said it worked. I have never been to your website before. So grateful to have found you. 🙂
Faith VanderMolen says
YAY! That makes me so happy. I've been wanting to make these cookies again, so now I'm definitely motivated. Happy baking and thanks so much for commenting!
Margarita says
Just made these. They came out absolutely delicious, but did not flatten like in the photos. I did use only 1/4 cup of maple syrup instead of 1/2 cup as the recipe suggests. Could this be why?
Faith says
Hi Margarita! Thanks for commenting and I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies! Yes, that could definitely be the reason. If you want to keep them lower in sugar, but still have flat cookies, you could try flattening them a bit before baking. The baking time may vary though so keep an eye on them! I hope that helps!
Akaya says
I used a banana instead of a flax egg...and it's SOOOOO good!
Faith says
Such a good idea! So glad you enjoyed them Akaya!!
Vickie says
Hi, dear Faith, just a note on the deodorant. I have been mostly vegan (my screw-ups are usually regular chocolate and mozzarella cheese) for a couple years now. The funny thing is, I never wear any deodorant at all. And I don't really smell that much either. I am convinced the diet has something to do with it.
Faith says
I believe that Vickie! I wrote this post forever ago, but just this past year officially switched to natural deodorant. Sometimes I forget to wear it and I don’t smell at all. It’s a win win! Thanks for sharing!
Jane says
Substituted agave nectar for maple syrup. These turned out soft & yummy.
Thanks for the. recipe.
Faith says
So glad you liked these cookies Jane! Thanks for sharing!
Danielle Seale says
Love this recipe. My son wanted cookies, but we were out of chocolate chips and I, too, keep only whole wheat flour in the pantry. So stumbled on your recipe and subbed dried cranberries & unsweetened coconut flakes for the chocolate chips and love them. They’re so hearty I want them as a breakfast cookie. 🙂
(I started making my own toothpaste a while back. Coconut oil + baking soda, with a little cinnamon, turmeric, & xylitol. It’s a much-simplified (ie cheaper) version of this dentist’s recipe. Maybe worth noting he advises against using essential oils in oral care as they kill healthy mouth bacteria, too. https://askthedentist.com/downloads/diy-toothpaste-recipe/)
Faith says
So glad these cookies worked out for you Danielle! And the addition of dried cranberries and coconut sounds perfect. Thank you also for the toothpaste recommendation!
Chef Joseph says
This recipe rocks! As a 20 year chef and 10 year vegan chef this is the best vegan cookie recipe I've come across ever. Thank you so much for sharing!
Faith says
Wow. Thanks so much Joseph! I'm so glad it worked for you and that you loved them!
Leigha @ The Yooper Girl says
This look incredible.... thick and chewy, just how I like my cookies! Pinned!!
Faith says
Thanks Leigha!! Liked 'um a lot:D
Ruth says
perfect cookie to make on a snowy day! They were really yummy! We didn't have any maple syrup, but honey worked as a great substitute.
Faith says
Sista!! Glad you liked them and good to know about the honey:D
Sydni Jackson says
I learned about skincare products a long time ago when I first heard about Arbonne. All of their products are vegan and non-toxic and non-carcinogenic! They're the best 🙂 A little pricey but worth it
Faith says
Thanks for the recommendation!! I'm so new at this stuff, but I'm excited to slowly work all natural products into our lives. If you try out any other things that you like, lemme know:)
Frugal Foodie Frank says
I feel the same way about the cleaning/personal care products! When I started paying closer attention to what was putting IN my body I also started wondering about what I was putting ON my body. Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs so much from our environment. All I can say is, start small. Don't empty your bathroom cabinets into the trash just yet. Keep your "must haves" and slowly experiment with homemade versions of certain items. Please share your deodorant recipe!
Faith says
So true Frankie! I'm going through the same thing...first started caring about what I put in my body, and now realizing what I put on it is also important! Great advice on not throwing everything out! I almost did, but then I knew I'd have nothing until I found replacements and that might get, well...stinky;)
So far I'm loving this recipe for homemade deodorant. It isn't an antiperspirant, but I don't smell at all and it feels great!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
We're on the same page with vegan chocolate chip cookies today!! 🙂 Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is chocolatey and awesome 🙂
Faith says
Fridays and Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great combination:D Happy Fridaaaaay to you too Liz! Enjoy your cookies!
P says
Incredibly delicious. Because I lean towards whole food plant based, I replaced all the coconut oil with almond butter and half the maple syrup with blackstrap molasses and it still worked out great! This is the best vegan cookie recipe I've ever tried!
Faith VanderMolen says
So happy to hear that!
Christa says
You are not being super anal. I agree completely. I rid my house of toxic products a couple of years ago. There just is no need for it. Yesterday I made mouthwash...so simple. Everytime I make something myself, a little rant builds up inside me. All the toxins being served up to people is so frustrating! Don't be sorry about your little rant. I love a girl on a rant. It makes me feel I'm not alone. Thanks for the great cookie recipe!
Faith says
Thanks for the support and encouragement Christa! It's so good to know I'm not alone. I'd love that mouthwash recipe!!
Christa says
Hi Faith,
I got this recipe from http://www.diynatural.com I used a couple more drops of peppermint oil than it calls for...
Natural and antibacterial homemade mouthwash
• A container – I use a small mason jar
• ½ cup filtered or distilled water
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 drops tea tree essential oil
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
Baking soda will settle to the bottom of the jar when not in use, so be sure to shake mouthwash before each use. Swish about 2-3 teaspoons of this homemade formula in your mouth for a minute or two. As with any mouthwash, try to avoid swallowing this while gargling.
Feel free to double this recipe for a larger batch. Making really big batches is not recommended because the oils will continue to blend over time and flavors can change.
Faith says
Christa, thanks so much for getting back to me! This is great! I don't have any essential oils, but I'm hoping to get some soon. I'm excited to check out the DIY natural website too. Perfect!