Vegan Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know what you’re thinking: it’s mid-January and I’m posting a recipe for vegan oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies. We’re still supposed to be on a healthy kick right? Well the biggest part of eating healthy for me, is balance. If I only eat salad and kale, I’ll be miserable, I’m not a horse. So I find a happy medium in my diet by adding in special, homemade healthy-er treats when I’m craving something sweet. And as far as after dinner desserts go, these vegan oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies taste decadent but don’t leave me feeling horribly guilty for indulging. 

These vegan oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies happened completely by accident, the vegan part, that is. I wanted to surprise my boyfriend, who was out running errands, by whipping up a quick batch of these yummy cookies. But when I opened my fridge, I was out of eggs. However I always have flax seeds on hand, so decided to try my luck with a flax egg. For those of you newbies like me, flax eggs are a vegan binder made from flax meal and water. The result is a weird gelatinous goop that is astonishingly similar to baking with eggs.

I’ve been making this recipe for a while now with coconut oil instead of butter and I can’t tell the difference at all. So egg-free as well, seemed pretty cool. I eat so many eggs, that leaving them out of these vegan oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies doesn’t bother me in the least.

One note about the flour: it’s regular, full of gluten, all purpose, all normal flour. Yes, I normally am gluten free, but I just didn’t have the courage since I’d already substituted both the fat and binder for these cookies. I’ll be experimenting in the coming weeks though, and will update this recipe with results!

Vegan Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup softened coconut oil
1/2 scant cup coconut sugar 
1/2 scant cup brown sugar, not packed
1 flax egg – 1 T. flax meal + 2 1/2 T. water (or regular egg)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon 
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup raw pecans- chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan or regular depending on your preference)

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the flax meal and water. Let sit.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened coconut oil and sugars until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in the flax egg, and beat for another two minutes. Next add in the spices, baking soda and vanilla and give a quick stir. At this point, I usually switch over to a wooden spoon.

3. Add the oats, then flour, and finally pecans and chocolate chips.

4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, for a quick clean up, then squeeze a heaping tablespoon of batter together to form a ball. Once you have 12 on a sheet, flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand, then bake for 7 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for another 7 minutes while the next tray bakes. Once the cookies have rested, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy for an afternoon fika (Swedish for coffee break with friends), for dessert, or on a cloudy day when you need a sweet pick-me-up. Happy baking!