"With a vast collection of eggless chocolate chip cookie recipes already, one might wonder why another?
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And my answer will be one can never have enough chocolate chip cookies or in this case chocolate chunk cookies!
Over the years, I’ve experimented with countless egg substitutes in my baking-each tailored to different variety of eggless chocolate chip cookie recipes. From Ener-G egg replacer, flax egg, silken tofu, unsweetened applesauce and condensed milk, I've tried it all.
This oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie recipe, however, is unique. It features an egg substitute I’d never used before—one my kids called “weird” when I first mentioned it. Curious? Any guesses? Let me reveal…
It's Aquafaba.
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba has been a baking sensation in recent years, thanks to its incredible ability to mimic egg whites. It’s the viscous water in which legumes, such as chickpeas or beans, have been cooked. This magical ingredient burst onto the scene in 2015, when a French musician discovered its remarkable egg-like properties, paving the way for eggless meringues and other delicate treats.
Why I finally gave it a try?
Although I’ve read about aquafaba and admired its versatility, I’d never felt the urge to experiment with it—until now. While draining a can of pinto beans, I hesitated to toss the liquid, thinking, “Why not save it and see what happens?” Cookies felt like the safest recipe to test it, as they’re relatively forgiving if things go awry.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry. Aquafaba worked beautifully in these oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies, yielding a delightful texture and flavor. It’s safe to say this won’t be my last aquafaba experiment!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Quick-Cooking Oats: Oats form the base of these cookies, giving them a hearty texture and chewiness. Quick-cooking oats blend seamlessly into the dough. Rolled oats can be used for a coarser texture, but avoid steel-cut oats as they won’t soften adequately.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: This flour adds a light texture while keeping the cookies wholesome. All-purpose flour works well if you prefer a softer cookie, and gluten-free baking flour is an excellent choice for a gluten-free option. If whole wheat pastry flour isn't available you can also use half of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
- Dark Chocolate Chunks: Dark chocolate chunks provide bursts of intense chocolate flavor while balancing the sweetness of the dough. Semisweet or milk chocolate chunks can be used for a sweeter variation, and vegan chocolate is a great alternative for a plant-based version.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter contributes richness and a soft, chewy texture. Salted butter can be used as well. In that case omit the salt in the recipe. Vegan butter or margarine can replace it for a dairy-free version, and coconut oil is a viable alternative, though it will slightly alter the flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar infuses a deep, molasses-like flavor and moisture, which keeps the cookies soft. Coconut sugar or jaggery powder can be used as a substitute, but they may change the flavor subtly.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar helps the cookies spread and creates a crispy edge. You can use cane sugar or slightly reduce the quantity if you prefer a less sweet cookie.
- Aquafaba: Aquafaba acts as a binding agent, replacing eggs in this recipe. It provides structure and moisture to the cookies. If unavailable, two flax eggs (made by mixing flaxseed meal with water). You can use aquafaba from any light colored beans (chickpeas, white beans, etc) so that the color of the cookies is not affected and a golden brown hue is maintained.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla enhances the overall flavor with its warm and sweet aroma. If you’re out, almond extract offers a different but delightful twist, or it can be omitted altogether.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda ensures the cookies rise and spread properly, creating the perfect soft texture. Make sure it's fresh and not expired.
- Salt: Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate’s flavor. If you’re using salted butter, you can omit it or adjust to taste.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply replace the whole wheat pastry flour with a gluten-free baking flour blend. Ensure the oats you use are certified gluten-free, as regular oats may have cross-contamination.
Absolutely. Use vegan butter instead of unsalted butter, and opt for dairy-free chocolate chunks or chips.
Yes, rolled oats can be used, but the texture will be coarser and chewier. Avoid steel-cut oats as they won’t soften adequately during baking.
If you don’t have aquafaba, you can use two flax eggs (made by mixing two tablespoons of flaxseed meal with six tablespoons of water) or two regular eggs.
You can substitute with semisweet or milk chocolate chunks for a sweeter flavor. For a vegan option, use dairy-free chocolate. A mix of chocolate chips and chunks also works well for added texture.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months.
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough! Scoop the dough into individual portions using a cookie scoop or spoon, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container or freezer bag. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to bake, there's no need to thaw—just bake the frozen dough directly in a preheated oven. You may need to add 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here are the step-by-step pictorial instructions to make these delicious oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line cookie sheet/s with parchment paper and keep aside.
2. Drain beans from can to collect the aquafaba.
3. Add butter and sugars in a large-bowl.
4. Beat butter and sugar until it is creamy.
5. Add aquafaba and vanilla extract to the mix.
6. Creamed butter and sugar mixture.
7. Add the flour mix.
8. Mix it well with the spatula.
9. Add quick-cooking oats to the dough.
10. Here is the cookie dough after mixing oats.
11. Add chocolate chunks to the mix.
12. Mix it well using spatula and the final cookie dough is ready.
13. Scoop dough and flatten on the sheet.
14. Bake it for 12-14 minutes or until brown around edges.
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Recipe
Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup Aquafaba (2 flax eggs or 2 eggs)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 and ½ cups dark chocolate chunks 70%
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line cookie sheet/s with parchment paper and keep aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars, until light and creamy.
- Add Aquafaba and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture and beat well.
- To this add sifted flour, baking soda, and salt mix. Also, stir in the oats and chocolate chunks and mix well.
- Scoop out the batter using a tablespoon and drop it on the prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten it lightly. Bake it for 12-14 minutes or until brown around edges.
- Remove the pans from the oven and leave the cookies on the pan for 3-5 minutes. After that remove the cookies from the pan and place it on wire cooling racks to cool down completely before storing it in an air-tight container.
My Notes
- If you don't have aquafaba or not brave enough to try it in this recipe, you can use flax egg replacement for 2 eggs instead.
- Sometimes the consistency of the liquid from the canned legumes varies. It can either be quite thick so that it can be used directly, but if it's on the thinner side you can boil the liquid so that it reduces in quantity and thickens.
- I always test batch 2-4 cookies to see how it spreads or doesn't spread so that I can adjust it accordingly to get perfect cookies. I observed that the cookies that I didn't flatten while test baking didn't spread as much as the ones which I had flattened. So while baking the rest of the cookies I flattened the dough.
- I divided the cookie dough into 2 parts and used chocolate chunks for the one part and chopped pecans for the other.
- I used 70% dark chocolate chunks so the cookies were not too sweet.
- While trying to figure out the nutrition information I was not able to key in the chocolate chunks I used. After many failed attempts I entered the information for semisweet chocolate chips and the nutrition facts are based on that.
- I believe that the sugar content would be on the lower side and other data will also change if I had been able to use the information of 70% dark chocolate chunks I had used.
Taste & Texture
- These oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies made with aquafaba as egg substitute turned out great like any other chocolate chip cookies I have baked earlier. Aquafaba did not leave any after taste or smell at all.
- Unless and otherwise I specifically mentioned it nobody could sense anything different. The cookies were crispy when it came right out of the oven but did end softening up over the next few hours, which we didn't mind at all.
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