Before you begin, ensure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Coconut oil should be solid but soft enough to cream with the sugars.
Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil, brown sugar, and white sugar. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to blend until smooth and creamy. The goal here is to incorporate the sugar into the coconut oil, giving the cookies a tender crumb once baked.
Once the coconut oil and sugars are well-mixed, add in the vanilla extract and almond milk. Continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently. If you’re using a mixer, set it to a low speed to avoid overmixing. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies, and we want these to stay soft and chewy inside.
When the dough starts to come together, stop mixing just as the flour is incorporated. The dough should be thick but not too dry.
Gently fold in the vegan chocolate chips using a spatula. Make sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough.
OPTIONAL - For a thicker, chewier cookie, consider chilling the dough for about 30 minutes. Chilling helps solidify the fat in the cookies, which prevents them from spreading too much during baking.
Baking the Cookies
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion out the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
Each cookie should be about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. Space them about 2 inches apart, as these cookies will spread slightly during baking.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look slightly underbaked.
Once the cookies are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes.