Dairy-Free Egg-Free Brownie Cookies Recipe (2024)

Get your glass of dairy-free milk ready! These perfectly balanced dairy-free egg-free brownie cookies just beg to be chased by a cool creamy beverage. They’re densely cocoa and littered with dairy-free chocolate chips. We like them with dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips, but dark chocolate chips are also delicious.

Photos by Nicole Carpenter. She originally reviewed Sweet Utopia for us and made this recipe back when it was released!

Dairy-Free Egg-Free Brownie Cookies with a Double Dose of Chocolate

This cookie recipe is adapted ever-so-slightly from the vegan Fudgy Chip Cookies in Sweet Utopia by Sharon Valencik. We originally shared these dairy-free egg-free chocolate cookies back when her cookbook was first released. But I recently whipped them up and ended up making a slight recipe modification – adding a wee bit of salt to heighten the flavors. I also decided to rename the recipe. They don’t really have a “fudgy” consistency in our opinions. Rather, they are soft, delicate, and slightly chewy. And the flavor tastes just like a classic rich dessert brownie. I have also included some more notes and options for these decadent vegan chocolate cookies in the FAQs below.

How Do They Work without Eggs?

Like most vegan cookies, these dairy-free egg-free brownie cookies have a slightly softer, sweeter, and more delicate texture than their egg and butter filled cousins. But many people actually prefer vegan cookies. Give them a try, you might too!

What is Unsweetened Cocoa Powder?

You’ll usually find it labeled as “unsweetened” or “natural” cocoa powder. Some brands will be labeled as cacao powder, which is the same thing as cocoa powder. Unsweetened or natural cocoa powder is essentially pure cocoa powder that has not been processed with alkali. It will usually state “Dutch-Processed” cocoa powder if it’s been processed with alkali. Many common brands of cocoa powder are unsweetened.

Can I Use Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder?

We haven’t tested these chocolate brownie cookies with this type of cocoa powder, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in this particular formula. The cookies will be a little darker in color and will have a slightly deeper, sweeter chocolate flavor with Dutch processed cocoa powder.

Can I Substitute a Different Sweetener for the Sugar?

You’ll want to stick with granulated sweetener. Sucanat or coconut sugar should work just fine, but the latter will influence the flavor a bit, and will make the cookies a little more rustic. You can substitute light brown sugar, but I might use part white sugar, part brown sugar. As for sugar-free sweeteners, we haven’t tested any and can’t guarantee their results.

Can I Substitute Coconut Oil for the Dairy-Free Butter?

I can’t recommend coconut oil without testing it, and do think it would make these vegan brownie cookies spread way too much. The recipe would need to be adjusted. If you want to use oil, I would substitute a palm shortening, like Spectrum. It should work fine in this recipe without any changes.

Do I Have to Use Soy Milk? Can I Make these Cookies Soy-Free?

You can substitute another dairy-free milk alternative, but it might make the dough a little stickier. Soy milk is higher in protein and a little richer, so it provides just a touch more structure to these dairy-free egg-free brownie cookies. If you substitute another milk alternative, I would look for one that’s a bit richer than plain almond milk or oat milk. Or I would start with half the amount of liquid, and add more as needed to get a dough that’s just a touch sticky. For soy-free, make sure you also choose a soy-free butter alternative.

Where Can I Get Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips?

We use Enjoy Life chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, since they are allergy-friendly, delicious, and available both in stores and online. But you can see our Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips Guide for more options. Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other natural food stores are great places to locate the dairy-free brands. But most major grocers offer at least one variety.

Will these Chocolate Brownie Cookies work with Gluten-Free Flour?

They might, but we haven’t tested it. I would use an all-purpose gluten-free flour that’s made for baking, like King Arthur Measure for Measure. These cookies are already free of eggs, so they will be very delicate with gluten-free flower. Do not substitute almond flour, chickpea flour, coconut flour, or other grain-free flour. They will not work successfully as a 1:1 substitute for flour in this recipe. As an alternative, I would consider making myVegan Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookiesinstead.

My Cookies are Too Thin. How Can I make them Thicker?

These vegan brownie cookies are on the thin side. And the thickness can vary based on your local humidity, altitude, and the butter alternative that you use. On the fly, you can simply stir in a couple tablespoons of additional flour. This will thicken them slightly without altering the recipe too much. If baking anther batch, you can reduce the liquid in half for a thicker cookie, adding more liquid only as needed. Or use a thicker liquid in place of the soymilk, like 2 chia eggs or yogurt alternative. Alternatively, you can use a butter alternative that holds up better (see our Dairy-Free Butter for Baking post) or use shortening (like Spectrum) in place of the butter alternative. Shortening typically produces thicker, chewier cookies, but you might want to add just a little more salt (1/8 to ¼ teaspoon) if you use it.

Special Diet Notes: Brownie Cookies

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free (see post above), vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.

Also Try Our Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Sugar Cookies!