If you’ve been following my blog for a while, there’s a chance that the title of this post sounds familiar to you. I do, in fact, already have a salty oat cookie recipe – created way back in May of last year – that has since become a staple of mine. It’s so quick and easy to whip up a batch, and said batch is so satisfying to munch on, that I find myself making these sweet and salty confections to bring to all manner of occasions, from game nights to family events. But it’s always been my intention to eventually post a vegan version, since I had a hunch these could taste just as good without the butter and egg. And in fact, I’ve known that hunch to be correct ever since November, when I buckled down and perfected these vegan salty oat cookies as part of our Thanksgiving menu. So it’s high time to share the love!
The secret to veganizing the recipe? Freshly ground chia seed (pre-ground didn’t gel as well and yielded crumbly cookies while flax meal made them take on a too-healthy taste that wasn’t cookie appropriate), coconut oil, and toasted hazelnuts. Other than those minor changes, this recipe is pretty similar to the original. Every time I make either version, I’m convinced I like it better than the other, so I really can’t say for sure which one I prefer. But toasted hazelnuts do have a special place in my heart – and tummy – and definitely lend these cookies a buttery quality that makes it very hard to tell that they are, in fact, vegan.
So if you’re looking for a scrumptious, coffeeshop-like cookie that’s both vegan and gluten-free, look no further! (Especially if you are also a fan of oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.)
A couple notes about the recipe:
-This recipe yields 13 cookies. They do not spread much and will all fit on one sheet tray.
-I’ve used both crunchy and smooth peanut butter in this recipe and both worked fine. As long as your peanut butter is jarred (not bulk), is unsweetened, and has a creamy consistency, it should work beautifully. (Bulk peanut butter – ground upon purchase – has a very different consistency that isn’t as creamy and I haven’t yet tried it in this recipe.)
-Four cookies is a safe serving for Low FODMAP, although there’s really no need to exceed one or two cookies per sitting; they are hearty and satisfying, especially with a nice glass of almond milk!
-Be sure to use refined coconut oil, which has a buttery, neutral flavor, as opposed to unrefined coconut oil, which tastes like coconut.
Vegan Salty Oat Cookies
- ¾ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1⁄3 cup quinoa flakes
- ¼ cup sorghum flour
- ¼ cup millet flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- Scant ½ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened, creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground chia meal mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water, left to sit in the fridge until very gelled – at least 15 minutes
- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts (see toasting instructions below)
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
Combine the oats, flakes, flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the melted coconut oil and stir to coat the dry ingredients. Stir in the peanut butter; then add the vanilla extract and gelled chia mixture (make sure it is quite gelled!) and mix until well-distributed. Finally, stir in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
Form the cookies by rolling the batter into balls, placing them on the sheet tray, and flattening each one with the palm of your hand. You should get around 13 cookies. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the bottoms are a light golden brown. The cookies will be quite delicate when they first come out; let stand for at least ten minutes, until they can be handled without breaking.
Hazelnut Prepping Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread desired number of hazelnuts (I recommend toasting more than you need – you can use any leftovers in my carrot pasta recipe!) out on a sheet tray and roast for 10-15 minutes, until fragrant and skinable. Rub the hazelnuts between your fingers to get the skins off – you may have to wrap them in a towel and let them steam briefly to make this easier. Let the hazelnuts cool, then pulse them in the bowl of your food processor until nicely chopped, or finely chop them by hand.
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