The last few weeks I’ve been testing different vegan egg replacers, and I tried out most of them. So now it’s time to move on to 🥁🥁🥁 Vegan Butter Replacements! Who’s excited?! 🙋🏼♀️
I’m not trying any vegan butter substitutes that you can buy at the store (although there are a lot of great ones) because I wanted to see what other options there were. I also wanted to see if there were substitutes that you might have laying around your house. And boy was I pleasantly surprised!
I also decided to change it up and make double chocolate chip cookies because I was getting bored of making chocolate chip cookies. (I know, I didn't know that was a thing either. 😂)
Ingredients:
1 c vegan butter replacement, softened to room temperature***
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 vegan egg replacers (see step 1)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz unsweetened chocolate*
1 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
vegan friendly chocolate chips
1 tbsp plant based milk (optional)**
*If you don’t have any unsweetened chocolate, you can mix 3 tbsp of coco powder with 1 tbsp of canola oil
**If the dough is too dry, add in plant based milk 1 tsp at a time but no more than 1 tbsp (3 tsp) until the dough is damp and sticks together without having to be pressed together
Directions:
If needed, make vegan egg replacer and set aside (not sure what kind of egg to use? Check out my Vegan Egg Replacer blog post)
Melt the semi sweet and non sweetened chocolate (or make the non-sweetened chocolate)
In a stand mixer or bowl, start to cream the vegan butter
Once the vegan butter starts to break apart/look creamier, add the granulated and brown sugar and mix until light and smooth
Add in the vegan egg and vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed until it becomes a nice homogenous mixture
Add in the melted chocolates and mix again until well incorporated
Stop the mixer, add in the dry ingredients flour, salt, baking soda, and instant espresso powder (if using) and mix until the dry ingredients are about halfway incorporated
Add in the chocolate chips and mix until everything is just combined
Place in a bowl, or keep it in the bowl it’s in, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight (optional)
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F
Scoop the cookies into tablespoon sizes onto an ungreased baking sheet
Bake the batter for 8 - 10 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly darker
Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely, and enjoy!
***Vegan Butter Replacements(makes 1/2 c or 1 stick “butter”):
Coconut Oil:
1/2 c softened coconut oil (it should be easy to spread but still hold it’s shape)
Add to the bowl and use like regular butter
Pros:
Easy to use
Easy to substitute
Especially in the spring and summer, already at room temperature/softened so no waiting
Cons:
Have to make sure it’s soft enough (can be a little hard to tell sometimes)
End Result:
No extra flavor from the coconut oil
Crunchy exterior and soft interior
Harden a lot when they’re in the freezer, so let them sit out for about 30 minutes
Oil:
1/2 c neutral tasting oil (canola or grape-seed)
Add to the bowl when needed
Pros:
Easy to use
Usually have on hand
Don’t have to wait for it to soften
Cons:
Might make the cookies wetter (depends on the recipe)
End result:
No extra flavor from the oil
Good texture, crunchy exterior and soft interior
Peanut Butter:
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c neutral tasting oil (canola or grape-seed)
Combine totters and mix until it’s one homogenous mixture then continue like it’s regular butter
Pros:
Easy to use
Don’t have to wait for it to soften
Typically have it on hand
Cons:
Have to mix the peanut butter and oil together and then use it as “butter”
End Result:
Crunchy exterior and soft interior
Adds a peanut butter flavor to the cookies
Beans:
~3/4 c whole cooked beans (Great White Northern are the best neutral tasting, but feel free to try any other bean you want)
Put beans in a separate bowl, and mash or blend (I used an immersion blender) the beans until they’re a smooth texture
Measure out into 1.2 c, then place in the bowl and use it like regular butter
Pros:
Cheap replacement
Healthier than butter
Cons:
Have to cream/mash them to the right consistency
Might not have the right kind of beans
Slight savory aftertaste (might want to add 1/4 c of coco powder or 1 tbsp extra sugar)
End Result:
Wetter texture than the rest (make sure to drain the beans well to help prevent this)
A slight savory aftertaste
Good crunchy outside and caky/fudgy inside
Mashed Banana:
1/2 c mashed banana
Mash one medium to large banana until smooth
Measure out 1/2 cup and put in the mixing bowl
Pros:
Easy to use
Healthier option
Adds and extra flavor/more sweetness
Cons:
Makes the dough wetter than normal
Adds an extra flavor
Need to oil the pans so the cookies don’t stick
End Result:
Hard exterior, soft interior
Cookies spread a little bit
Had an extra flavor (which worked out well for these cookies, but you might not want that flavor in every cookie)
Applesauce:
1/2 c applesauce
That’s it
Measure out 1/2 c of apple sauce and put it in the mixing bowl
Pros:
Easy to use
Healthier option
Adds a sweetness
Cons:
Dough is wetter so it needs more flour
Adds sweetness
Need to oil the pans so the cookies don’t stick
End Results:
Hard exterior, soft interior
Slightly sweeter cookie
Didn’t brown or spread when baked
Pumpkin Puree:
1/2 c pumpkin puree
Again, just measure out what you need and place it in the mixing bowl
Pros:
Easy to use
Healthier option
No extra flavor is added
Cons:
Dough is wetter from the puree
Need to oil the baking sheets
End Result:
Hard exterior, soft interior
Cookies didn’t spread much
Cookies didn’t brown much either
Tasted similar to the original Fun-fetti cookies
Overall:
I definitely recommend using oil instead of a fruit puree because the oil helps to give the cookies a semi buttery flavor and it helps the cookies to not stick on the baking sheet. You could always do half oil and half fruit purees instead of butter. But coconut oil is the best because it acts similar to butter (soft but solid at room temperature) and gives you delicious cookies every time.