Chocolate Cookies Without Butter

Chocolate Cookies without butter are just as tender, flavorful, and heart-warming as any other homemade cookie. 

Thanks to vegetable oil and eggs, you don’t need any dairy to make these handmade treats. And the best part is that they’re guaranteed to fill your house with the most delicious smells of melting chocolate. 

This is a classic and easy to make chocolate cookie recipe that requires basic pantry staple ingredients and just 20 minutes, from start to finish.

No special equipment or fancy ingredients, other than your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder, a hot oven, and a mixing bowl!

Ready to get baking? Here’s how to do it.

How to Substitute Butter in Baking

While butter is quite a common ingredient in baked goods and pastries from cookies and brownies to cakes and muffins, it’s not 100% necessary. In fact, butter is an easy ingredient to substitute in your own kitchen. 

The reason so many recipes call for butter is that it adds that melt-in-your-mouth texture to baked goods. Butter melts at just below human body temperature, so it really does melt in your mouth! 

Butter also adds overall tenderness, flavor, and moisture to baked goods. However, you can check all of those boxes with a simple ingredient swap in your recipe.

Simply select a different baking fat. Oil is the most common way to swap out butter in your baking recipes. 

What Kind of Oil to Substitute for Butter

There are many different kinds of cooking oils to choose from. For savory cooking, you probably reach for olive oil. But the list does not end there!

These days, you can easily find specialty oils like walnut oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, and more on supermarket shelves. So which is the best for baking?

Each variety of oil has its own flavor, texture, and smoking point. For example, coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, like butter, while others tend to be liquid. 

Other varieties of cooking oil have strong flavors, such as sesame oil and walnut oil. If you’re cooking with either of these, a little goes a long way! 

When it comes to replacing butter in baked goods like these decadent chocolate cookies, however, it’s best to choose a mild-flavored oil with a high smoke point.

The two that fit the bill best are vegetable oil and avocado oil. Both are pretty flavorless. And both add moisture and richness to baked goods. 

Avocado oil is a bit pricey and can be harder to find than vegetable or canola oil, however, so canola oil is a good go-to butter substitute. It makes dairy-free baking easy and always within reach. 

Making Chocolate Cookies Without Butter

Other than the simple swap of butter for oil, this cookie recipe is like many others. 

You’ll start by combining the wet ingredients in one bowl, and dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.

In fact, this recipe is even easier than butter-based cookie dough, because there’s no need to cream the butter and sugar together.

You’ll simply beat oil, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together until they reach a uniform consistency.

Because oil doesn’t melt like butter, you also don’t have to worry about anything melting while you work. 

Next, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring as you go. Only mix until the cookie dough is just combined.

Extra mixing can weigh your cookies down. In the end, you should have a rich, dark chocolate cookie dough on your hands. 

Finally, divide the dough into balls on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, and bake until they’re set.

You may notice that cookies made with oil instead of butter tend to flatten out a bit more in the oven. Don’t worry, they’ll taste just as delicious!

However, that is a good reason to give your cookies plenty of space on the baking sheet. At least two inches should do the trick. You may have to cook the dough in a couple of batches if you only have one sheet pan to use. 

Storing Chocolate Cookies

The other great benefit about baking without butter is that these cookies, made with oil, have a longer shelf life than butter-based treats.

They won’t stale quite as quickly, though it’s still best to keep your cookies in an airtight container to ward off staling.

Keep them on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to three months. 

How to Make Chocolate Cookies Without Butter

Step 1: Gather your ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Step 2: In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. 

Step 3: Combine the baking soda, flour, salt, and cocoa in a separate mixing bowl.

Step 4: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined and no more white streaks of flour are visible. 

Step 5: Roll the batter into 2-inch balls and arrange on a baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart, as the cookies spread in the oven. Press the balls slightly to flatten a bit. 

Step 6: Bake for 8-10 minutes, until set. 

Cool for 2 minutes on the sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Step 7: Enjoy!

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