Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Gluten-free 

I know that I have a lot of oatmeal cookie recipes, but they are one of my favorite things. Also I still have a gigantic bag of rolled oats and can only eat so much oatmeal in a day. 

This past weekend, after my week of granola making experiments, it was a rainy Sunday and seemed like the perfect day for whipping up a comforting classic in the kitchen. 

Unlike some of my other recipes, these ones are full sugar. Normally my go-to sweeteners are coconut sugar, agave nectar or maple syrup. However, at times, nothing can beat the flavor of deep dark muscovado sugar. It is a subtle caramel flavor that can’t be beat. Not to mention the chewy texture that you get. 

Let’s talk about a couple of the ingredients in this recipe. 
First, I use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour from Bob’s Red Mill. Unlike traditional wheat flour, I have found that this flour blend is a bit more absorptive. That means that I use a little bit less than I normally would. But also I rest the dough for at least 3 hours. If I baked these cookies after just resting for 30 minutes, for example, the resulting cookie would be thin and slightly crispy. I like a thicker, chewier cookie, so I let the dough rest, in the fridge, for 3 hours, giving the flour more time to absorb all that moisture (and the flavor intensifies)

Second, you’ll see I have powdered coconut milk in the ingredient mix. I have used it in other dairy-free cookie recipes. Why? Well, in almost all my cookie recipes and my brownie recipes, I add nonfat dry milk powder. I think you end up with a gooey center and more chew with the dry milk added. 

Clearly, if I am taking dairy out of the mix, I can’t add dry milk powder. I bought powdered coconut milk on a lark, just to experiment with. I added it to a cookie dough in place of the dry milk powder and loved the result. You get a subtle coconut flavor, but also that much desired chew. I buy powdered coconut milk from my local Whole Foods, but it is available online too. 

And lastly, let’s talk granola. I used my homemade granola (check my instagram highlights for the recipe), but if you have a favorite store-bought one, then use that. If you do use a store-bought granola, look for one that is not too sweet, has a mix of oats and nuts, maybe some coconut. 

If you want to add any other mix-in’s to these cookies, dark chocolate is a great one or even some tart dried cherries would be delicious. Lastly, just don’t forget to top with some flaky salt before baking. It really does wonders for the flavor of the cookie. 

Alright, let’s bake some cookies!

Recipe

1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Melt Organic) 

2/3 cup dark muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)

1/3 cup organic cane sugar

1 tsp glulten-free vanilla extract

1/4 cup warm water (you can use almond milk, but warm it up slightly before adding)

1 cup gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (see not above)

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats 

1 tbsp ground flax seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt 

2 tbsp powdered coconut milk (optional, but I like the additional flavor. For more info, see note above)

1 cup granola (I used my own homemade granola, but use your favorite)

Flaky sea salt for topping.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, ground flax seeds, baking soda, salt, powdered coconut milk (if using) and granola. Stir or whisk to evenly combine. 

In a large bowl, melt the vegan butter in the microwave (takes between 30 seconds to a minute depending on your microwave). Once melted, add the muscovado sugar, cane sugar and vanilla and whisk together until smooth. Add the warm water and mix again. 

Using a spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and keep mixing until fully combined. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours (at least). 

After the 2 hours chill time, preheat the oven to 375F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 2 tbsp cookie scoop or spoon, dollop dough mounds onto baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each. Top each dough ball with flaky sea salt. 

Bake for 10 to 14 minutes; it is better to under bake these cookies than over bake. 

Let cool for 15 minutes before enjoying with a big glass of chilled almond milk.