These cookies are the result of a late-night cookie craving I had a couple of weeks ago. Normally, I’d reach for my stash of Cashew Butter Cookies, which we almost always have stored in the freezer, but I really wanted a warm and gooey cookie, fresh from the oven. So, I decided to experiment. I took the recipe structure of those go-to vegan cookies, but played around with several different nut butters to see how they changed the recipe. Then I decided to fold in some gluten-free rolled oats at the end. (See my notes below this recipe for using other ingredients, if you want to.) You wouldn’t think that adding some oats to a recipe would make that much of a difference, but it does make THAT much of a difference. Holy cow. The resulting cookies are less fragile, so you can eat them warm off of the baking sheet, rather than waiting for them to cool completely like you have to do with so many 100% grain-free cookies. They’re gooey on the inside, and lightly crisp on the outside, with just enough sweetness from coconut sugar and a touch of sea salt. They’re totally addictive, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Substitution Notes:
I’ve experimented with this recipe quite a bit over the past several weeks, and I’ve found that using a drippy almond butter, where the only ingredient is almonds (no added oil) works the best for texture. You can also use all-natural peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter (for a nut-free cookie), with similar results. I found the peanut butter version to be slightly drier in texture, so I recommend trying this recipes as-written to see what you like best. Definitely be sure to use a nut butter where the oil rises to the top of the jar and has to be stirred back in, as I don’t think emulsified nut butters will work as well. I tested this recipe with certified gluten-free old fashioned oats, as well as instant rolled oats. The texture was perfectly fine and slightly chewier with the old fashioned oats, but the instant rolled oats blend a little more seamlessly into this cookie, making them melt in your mouth when they are warm. I think I’d use the instant oats when baking for picky eaters or dinner guests. If you want to avoid the added sugar found in chocolate chips, I’d recommend chopping up a bar of chocolate that has been sweetened with coconut sugar, such as Eating Evolved brand. You could also modify this recipe to be Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by adding cinnamon and swapping the chocolate chips for raisins.
I hope you’ll enjoy these cookies as much as we do! — Reader Feedback: What’s your go-to cookie recipe? SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave
