Wanna know my favorite recipe that I've ever posted on the blog? This recipe. These cookies. These amazing no-butter chocolate chip cookies. OH-EM-GEE. Forget the fact that there's no butter in them. These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies. Ever.

I'll admit, I may be a bit biased, because 1 - one of my favorite baked goods in the world (and probably favorite foods, after bread, of course) is a chocolate chip cookie, and 2 - I don't like butter, even just the taste of it in my cookies. But trust me, these cookies are unbelievable, even if you're the biggest butter-lover.

Here's a story: I made these cookies, took a bite, and suddenly, my life as I knew it was over. I began viewing everything in a new light. Things took on a new meaning. Everything changed completely for the better. My world was rocked. My heart and soul soared. My entire being was overcome with intense joy. And then I finished the cookie. And had another one. And experienced all the above mentioned thoughts and emotions, all over again. And then had another cookie. And the cycle repeated. And then - you get the point.

Let's start with the texture: these cookies have the quintessential chocolate chip cookie texture - slightly crisp and crunchy on the edges, soft, gooey, and pillowy in the center, and chewy all-around. With the addition of big chunks of bittersweet chocolate, you also get a warm, delicious mouthful of chocolate with every bite. *Dead.*

Now, onto aesthetics: these cookies come out perfectly thick, round, and puffy every time, with no extra effort. Actually, with less effort than it usually takes to make chocolate chip cookies. Since there's no butter in this recipe, you skip the whole process of creaming the butter with the sugar. Instead, this recipe uses melted coconut oil. All you have to do is melt the coconut oil and then stir it with with the sugar and then the rest of the ingredients. No machine, no whisk - just a bowl and a spatula. Also, there's no need to refrigerate these cookies overnight, for 4 hours, for 1 hour, or for 1 minute. The cookies can go straight into the oven after the dough is made and portioned. So yeah, the best chocolate chip cookies not only taste and look great, they are also simpler to make than a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. WHAT IS THIS LIFE?!

Finally, and most importantly, the taste: I'm not sure what I can say except that I've never tasted a chocolate chip cookie that I liked better than these. Granted, I don't like butter. But I also don't especially love the taste of coconut oil. So for these cookies, I use refined coconut oil, which has a neutral taste. Result: the perfect chocolate chip cookie that's dairy-free, coconut-tasting free, hassle-free, quick, easy, no-effort, and ridiculously phenomenal. If you are particularly seeking a coconut-flavored cookie, use unrefined coconut oil. This will give your cookies a rich, tropical, coconut flavor.

This recipe is from averiecooks, a blog that I recently discovered and now can't get enough of. I've only made slight changes from the original recipe because it was so, so good to begin with. I added a bit more vanilla extract, 'cuz the more vanilla the better. ALWAYS. Averie's recipe also calls for vanilla pudding, but I substituted it with cornstarch, to get the contrast of crispy edges and a pillowy center. And, of course, I chopped up chocolate instead of using chocolate chips, because bigger chunks mean melty chocolate and more attractive, irresistable-looking cookies.

One important change I've made from the original version is not chilling the cookies in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. I don't chill mine at all. I've tried the recipe both ways, and actually found that the cookies I didn't chill at all came out rounder and just as thick and puffy as the cookies that I chilled. This might have something to do with the fact that I used cornstarch instead of vanilla pudding, which makes the dough a bit firmer. Or maybe not. Because I just made that up. All I know is, I don't chill my dough. I just round the balls of dough, DO NOT flatten them, and bake them for 9 minutes till the cookies are barely, but not even, golden brown at the edges. And they're perfect. Every time. But I said that already. Four times.

However, if you find your cookies are coming out a little flat, then please do chill them for a few hours before baking them the next time.

Quick, easy, chewy, soft, thick, gooey, chocolate chip cookies. With no butter. A dream. And now a reality. I hope I've managed to convince you to make these no-butter chocolate chip cookies. Prepare for life to take on a new meaning. Before you know it, you'll be stocking up on jars of coconut oil so you'll always have the ingredients on hand to make these incredible cookies. I currently have 5 jars in my cabinet. Sorry, 6.

the best no-butter chocolate chip cookies

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Slightly Adapted from Averiecooks

Yield: About 16 medium-sized cookies

3/4 cup coconut* oil,** melted (measure it melted, it's a bit less than a cup in solid form)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 oz. chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the coconut oil. *Use refined coconut oil if you don't want the coconut flavor in your cookies, and unrefined coconut oil if you want a rich coconut taste. **You can use canola or vegetable oil but you won't get the same rich taste and texture. You may want to add more sugar if you're using regular oil as well.

Let the oil cool slightly. Add to a large bowl with both the sugars. Stir.

Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and add into bowl. Mix till JUST combined. Stir in the chocolate.

Round large balls of dough between your palms and place them on the baking sheet. DO NOT FLATTEN.

Bake 8-9 minutes for smaller cookies, 10-11 minutes for larger cookies. The edges should just barely be golden. The cookies may not look ready, but will continue to bake on the sheets after they're removed from the oven. If you like crispier cookies, bake 2 minutes longer.

Let cookies rest on sheet for a few minutes to firm up and set. (Or just eat it right away, 'cuz who are we kidding.)

On a completely unrelated note, people often get confused: