Vegan Everything Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Alright, so the amount of cookie recipes I post on this blog might be slightly comical, but what can I say? I adore cookies. And ESPECIALLY these ones.
There is a back story here, but I won't bore you with too many details. Basically, my boyfriend introduced me to these cookies from our favourite coffee shop in Toronto (shoutout to Pilot) because he was pretty obsessed with them, and I became equally as addicted.
These "everything" cookies are chewy, crunchy, delightful, perfectly sweet specimens, loaded with nutritious ingredients, and we eat them for breakfast far more often than I'd like to admit. Of course, I had to recreate these myself (and stop spending all my money on coffee + cookies), so I managed to get a list of ingredients from the cafe and set out to testing.
I've been testing these on and off since the summer (yes) and they were surprisingly hard to nail. I finally caved and added more peanut butter + coconut sugar to give them that rich, chewy texture. But let it be known that I've made them many times with less sugar, and they are still great if you want to lower it and keep these as more of a healthy breakfast option, but I had a specific vision in mind to achieve (and don't think for a second that I don't still eat these for breakfast).
Enjoy these! Such a delicious snack or treat :)
Vegan Everything Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
½ cup natural peanut butter (can sub almond)
3 tbsp coconut oil or vegan butter, melted + cooled
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp molasses
2-4 tbsp coconut sugar (depending how sweet you like them)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 2 ½ tbsp water or nut milk
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup (or more) chopped dark chocolate
2 tbsp whole flaxseeds (optional)
1-2 tbsp oat flour (optional, if your dough is too sticky)
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a large baking sheet.
Prepare your flax “egg” by mixing the ground flaxseed and water or nut milk in a small bowl and letting it sit for 10 minutes to gel up. In a large bowl, whisk together your peanut butter, coconut oil, molasses, maple syrup and coconut sugar until well combined. Add in your flax egg and whisk well until smooth and creamy.
To the wet mixture, add the rest of your ingredients (sea salt through chocolate) and stir everything together well with a spoon or spatula. The mixture will feel slightly wet and sticky. If you have time, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to firm it up a bit.
Once you’re ready to bake the cookie, wet your hands to prevent sticking and shape medium-sized balls (about 3 tbsp) of dough per cookie, flattening them into rounds on your cookie sheet. They may feel slightly sticky but press the dough together into flat rounds as best you can with the dough. You can also add 1-2 tbsp of oat flour if you find they’re too sticky and difficult to work with!
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are slightly browned. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
