Vegan Sweet Treats Recipes
Vegan Salted Caramel Cookies
We love a one-bowl cookie, and we love it even more when the baking time is under 10 minutes. This foolproof recipe delivers huge, chewy cookies with a crispy edge and a melt-in-your-mouth center. The flaky sea salt is worth the small investment; you’ll sprinkle it on nearly every baked good moving forward.
These easy, irresistible salted caramel-flavored chewy cookies come together in a flash.
What you need:
½ cup vegan butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegan milk
1¼ cup flour
Salt, for sprinkling
What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using an electric hand mixer, mix butter and sugar. Add baking soda, cornstarch, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and milk. Mix well and add in flour.
2. Using a tablespoon-sized scoop, place 12 level scoops on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to cooking rack or plate. Sprinkle with salt and repeat with remaining cookies.
Second Place Winner: Gingerbread Fudge Buttons by Anna Jurik
Third Place Winner: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies by Alison Sullivan
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
We first learned of the phrase “cookies on tap” by Food Network star Sunny Anderson. Essentially, it describes the habit of keeping frozen cookies or cookie dough on hand to calm a cookie craving whenever it occurs. This recipe for thin, crispy, gooey vegan chocolate chip cookies makes 36 sizeable treats, so unless you’re baking for a crowd, you’ll have plenty of leftovers. We recommend making the recipe as-is and freezing balls of pre-portioned dough for future quick cookie fixes.
There’s nothing more American than a chocolate chip cookie. Enjoyed year-round and at every holiday, barbecue, and family get-together, this classic dessert is rich in flavor, crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Our veganized version pairs perfectly with a tall glass of cold almond milk, or anything, really.
What you need:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons Egg Replacer
1 cup water
1¾ cups oil
3 cups sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1½ tablespoons vanilla
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper) and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
3. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together Egg Replacer and water until there are no lumps. Add oil, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and whisk together.
4. Into the first bowl, pour the wet mixture and combine by hand.
5. Into the bowl, fold in chocolate chips. Form into 1-inch balls and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet (12 per sheet). Slightly press down on the balls.
6. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.
Vegan Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
These cookies are so wholesome you can enjoy them for breakfast, and they’re fast enough to make between your morning Zoom meetings if you work remotely. Simply mix up the six ingredients (one of them is salt), roll into balls, and bake for 12 minutes. Allow it to cool just enough to handle; the gooey chocolate chips are the best part! Freeze the rest for ready-to-go breakfasts or sweet afternoon snacks throughout the week.
This super simple breakfast cookie recipe comes together in a flash and makes the morning hours a bit sweeter.
These deliciously hearty cookies from the Plant You cookbook are easily adaptable. Swirl in peanut or almond butter, add toasted nuts or dried fruit, swap the dark chocolate chips for white … the possibilities are endless.
What you need:
2 bananas, mashed
1½ cups rolled oats
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄3 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
What you do:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Into a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix until fully combined. Wet hands and form batter into eight balls. Place at least 1 inch apart on prepared pan. Flatten with back of a fork until about ½-inch thick.
- Bake 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cookie comes out clean. Let cool for five minutes before serving.
Cookie Dough Chocolate Bars
Sometimes, cookie dough is best left unbaked. It’s even better when thickly slathered across your favorite vegan chocolate bar. Follow this recipe for a quick edible cookie dough recipe (made with heat-treated flour) or simply purchase a tub of vegan dough (try Deux or EatPastry) and evenly spread it across a sea salt-speckled dark chocolate bar and freeze just until firm. Whether you make the dough yourself or purchase it, dessert can be ready in half an hour or less.
These easy and quick dairy-free chocolate bars combine two of our favorite desserts and make for an irresistibly Instagram-ready treat.
Swirl in peanut butter, add a fudge or raspberry jam layer, top with toasted coconut and flaky salt … the options are endless with this adaptable recipe from the Vegan Chocolate Treats cookbook.
What you need:
1¼ cups flour
½ cup room temperature vegan butter
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup mini vegan chocolate chips
For topping:
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
What you do:
- Line a 9 x 5-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an inch overhang. Or use two 9 x 5-inch silicone chocolate molds.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and on a rimmed baking sheet, spread flour. Toast in oven for 5 minutes.
- For the cookie dough, in a large bowl, add butter, sugar, and brown sugar and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Add almond milk and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in flour and mini chocolate chips. Press cookie dough evenly into bottom of each mold or into bottom of pan.
- For the topping, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave, stirring occasionally. Pour chocolate over cookie dough and place in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Pop bars out of molds or use parchment paper to remove block of bars from pan and cut into 12 pieces. Store bars in refrigerator.
Easy Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Graham Bars
It’s truly incredible how just five ingredients can combine to make a vegan dessert as decadent as these chocolate peanut butter bars. Make these once, and they’ll become your new go-to for potlucks, bake sales, and need-dessert-now fixes.
These magic little vegan bars taste like peanut butter cups, but better because they are way less fussy to make.
You can adapt this recipe from the Fast Easy Cheap Vegan cookbook by swapping the graham cracker crumbs for your favorite vegan cookie crumbs, or trading the peanut butter for almond, cashew, or nut-free sunflower butter.
What you need:
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons vegan graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup vegan butter, melted
⅔ cup dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips, melted
What you do:
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, cracker crumbs, peanut butter, and butter to make a thick dough. Turn out dough into prepared pan and firmly press down to cover bottom.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate in 20-second intervals, stopping to stir as needed. Remove from microwave just before completely melted and stir to finish melting. Pour over dough base layer and spread evenly.
- Place in freezer for 20 minutes, or until chocolate is set. Once set, remove from freezer, remove from pan, and cut into 1-inch squares.
