These vegan cookies are for those of you who LOVE chocolate and a ton of different textures. They are soft, chewy, crunchy, gooey, and slightly crispy. The chocolate cookie dough base creates a brownie-like taste, which makes me feel like I am getting the best of both worlds: AKA, a brownie, and a cookie! These vegan rocky road cookies are easy and fun to make and absolutely divine!

Here is a (now) funny back story of how many times I failed at creating this recipe . . . enjoy!

This whole cookie-creating fiasco is only funny now because I have perfected the recipe. It was not amusing while I was in the midst of it, haha. So, here we go…

I created a double chocolate chip cookie recipe YEARS ago. The other day, I made them again, but with a few ingredient adjustments. I wanted the new cookies to be flatter and chewier in texture compared to the original recipe. Well, the adjustments I made did NOT go well, haha. I ended up making the cookies WAY too dry and crumbly. The flavor was good, but the texture was literally the opposite of what I was aiming for.

So, I took my recipe miss-hap as a sign that the vegan double chocolate cookies were too average and boring.

The miss-hap had me thinking, “hmmm, let me jazz them up a bit by adding in walnuts and marshmallows for a fun rocky road chocolate chip cookie instead!” So, I made the cookies a second time, and they actually turned out almost perfect, but I wanted them to be a tad more chocolatey. The following day I made the cookies a third time, and I intended on adding a touch more cacao powder to the recipe. Well, I completely forgot to whisk the cacao powder into the butter, and by the time I realized it, I was already nearly done making the dough, and I so had to chuck the entire batch out and start over. SIGH!!! SO THEN, I made the recipe a fourth time, immediately after, and I accidentally DOUBLED the amount of cacao powder. I didn’t realize I did this until after the cookies were baked. The cookies were SO dry and crumbly, and it was then that I knew I messed up a fourth time, hahaha.

I took a break from the recipe for the day and met up with it again the following day. I am happy to say that I mastered the recipe on my fifth attempt. HOWEVER, I did almost accidentally double the baking soda the fifth time around….. Luckily, I caught my mistake right before dumping the baking soda into the bowl of dry ingredients. I can’t even imagine how frustrated I would have been if I messed the cookies up a FIFTH time, haha.

A close up look at one of the vegan rocky road cookies

Seventy something cookies later . . . and here I am sharing my final recipe with you!!

These vegan rocky road cookies are thin and chewy with crispy outer edges. They’re perfectly gooey from the marshmallows and crunchy from the toasted walnuts. The cookie base is the perfect happy medium flavor of classic cookie dough meets fudgy brownie. The recipe is also straightforward to make and actually can be slightly customized to your liking! Check out my other flavor ideas below!

Breaking open one of the warm, gooey cookies

Try these other flavor combos!

*Stick with the cookie dough base, and then go crazy with the fillings!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES ‘N CREAM: Oreos, marshmallows, chocolate chunks
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SWEET ‘N SALTY MONSTER: Chocolate chunks, marshmallows, pretzels, pecans, coconut, extra flaky sea salt
DOUBLE DARK CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL: Chopped dark chocolate caramel candies, extra flaky sea salt
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHIP: Chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips

If you make my vegan rocky road cookie recipe, don’t forget to post a picture to Instagram, tag me @chefsummerstorm, and #gardengrub so I can see your recreation!

A plate full of vegan rocky road cookies!

How to Make the Best Vegan Rocky Road Cookies

Author Chef Summer Storm – garden grub

These vegan rocky road cookies have a chocolate base with chocolate chips, marshmallows, and walnuts mixed in. They're slightly chewy with crispy outer edges, easy to make, and absolutely delicious!

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients

1 tbsp flax meal
3 tbsp water
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp vegan butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup organic brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup vegan marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.
Add the flax meal and water into a small bowl. Stir well and let it sit for 10 minutes. This is called a flax egg.
Place a large saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the chopped walnuts and cook them for two minutes, tossing them around frequently to toast them evenly. Pour them in a bowl to cool down, and set it aside.
Add the butter into a small saucepot and place it over low heat. Once the butter is entirely melted, take it off the heat and stir in the cocoa powder until evenly combined and there are no lumps.
Add the sugars and melted butter mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, you can add the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and use a handheld beater instead. Beat the mixture over medium speed for two minutes.
Add the flax egg into the mixer and beat over medium speed for another two minutes.
Combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in another mixing bowl. Whisk well. Then, slowly dump it into the standing mixer while it is beating over the lowest speed. Beat the ingredients until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Now, add the chocolate chips, marshmallows, and toasted walnuts into the mixer. Stir them into the dough using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until evenly combined.
Roll two tablespoon portions of the dough between your hands. Ensure you press the chocolate chips, marshmallows, and walnuts securely into the ball of dough; otherwise, they will fall off, and the cookie also tends to break apart more.
Place six cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet at least two inches apart from each other. Rest the sheet pan on the middle oven rack and bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes.
Place a piece of plastic wrap onto the cookie dough that is still in the mixing bowl to prevent it from drying out while the cookies in the oven are baking.
Allow the cookies to mostly cool on the sheet pan before moving them. They are somewhat fragile when hot.
Repeat the last four steps of the recipe until you have no cookie dough left!

Keyword easy vegan chocolate chip cookies, easy vegan cookies, rocky road cookie recipe, vegan double chocolate cookies, vegan rocky road cookies

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Check out my other delicious vegan cookie recipes!

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