Easy Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Cookies (V, GF): an easy recipe for chewy on the outside, soft on the inside buttery gluten free pecan cookies bursting with pecan crunch and a cinnamon kick! Made with healthy ingredients. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Whole Grain, Refined Sugar-Free.
When I was a little kid, I loved those royal blue cookie tins. Well, I loved the cookies inside. My grandmother would always have one of those tins at her house. Sometimes multiples, in case tons of us grandkids were over for a family gathering.
There was just something about holding one of those tins in your hands, running your fingers along the bumps and ridges that outlined each cookie image on the lid that felt so satisfying. And when you pried that tin open, omigosh… the smell!
Buttery cookies at its finest—at least in my 8-year-old opinion. 😉
Even though I was all about the chocolate, all day and all night, there was just something about those buttery cookies that I absolutely loved. There were usually only a few chocolate chip ones in the bunch—and those chocolate chips were pretty much just for decoration. Not much chocolate taste there.
Anyway, my absolute favorites were the ones with itty bitty pieces of pecans in them: the shortbread cookies! While it’s been on my baking bucket list (please, someone find a way to help me phrase that in a less morbid way) to sort that recipe out… I hereby take this very special December date to share an equally friggin GOOD buttery-like pecan cookie.
Gather ‘round, as I present to you my Easy Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Cookies. They’re chewy, just a bit soft on the inside, bursting with just the right amount of buttery vibes courtesy coconut oil, a delicious twist of cinnamon, and, of course, beautifully chopped pecans. <— I mean, any way you chop ‘em, they’re gonna be beauts! 😉
I absolutely love these cookies for holiday gift-giving, sharing with friends for a coffee date, a family bake day, or straight up baking them for yourself. They’re based off of my reader fave, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe, so rest assured they’ve been kitchen tested and totally approved… ‘round the world. Yeah!!
A couple more easy vegan cookie recipes for your holiday cookie platter: .
- Gluten Free Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Paleo Chocolate Coconut Macaroons Recipe (my fam’s absolute fave)
- Gluten Free Vegan Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy Gluten Free Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
BAKING HINTS – COCONUT OIL & GETTING THE RIGHT TEXTURE FOR PERFECT COOKIES
See Above? The cookie on the right is made with coconut oil that isn’t solid enough—the coconut oil might’ve been too melty and warm to start with, or just been heated up too much during the “cutting” process. The dough was very sticky and soft, almost like semi-melted cookie dough (think Salvador Dalí/Persistence of Memory-eqsue cookie dough lol.) The dough was more like very thick cake batter than cookie dough. As a result, the cookie baked up flat, pancake-life and quite soft. The cookie on the left is made with perfectly solid coconut oil. Once cut into coconut sugar, there was a sand-like texture. Once the dough came together, it was thick and firm, just like regular cookie dough. This resulted in firm, chewy and thick cookies.
A quick hint in case you have any troubles with the solid coconut oil: If you find that your coconut oil isn’t hard enough to begin with, simply place the jar of coconut oil into the freezer before you get started. If the jar is too large to freeze quickly here’s what I like to do: line a bowl with plastic wrap OR use a silicone muffin cup placed on a plate, then pour in the measured amount of coconut oil. Chill in the freezer until solid. Then use as directed.
Another hint in case your coconut oil isn’t solid by the time you cut it into the coconut sugar OR you don’t get the sand-like texture I mention in the recipe: make the cookies as directed, right up until you’re about to scoop them. Simply cover that bowl of cookie dough and chill in the freezer or fridge until it’s very firm throughout, just like normal cookie dough. Once it’s very firm, scoop and drop the cookies. Then bake as normal!
Helpful Hint: Making Cookies with Homemade Oat Flour
Lastly, remember if you’re using homemade oat flour: grind your gluten free oats until very finely ground–just like store-bought flour! The more coarse and grainy your flour is, the more crumbly your cookies will be. I often get emails (with photos, thank goodness!!) of crumbly cookies–this is because the flour isn’t finely ground enough. This can also affect baked goods like quick breads and muffins. If you’re using homemade oat flour for recipes like the following, make sure it’s finely ground: Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins, Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread Recipe, Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins, Easy Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins, Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins, Best Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe.
That’s all for today, folks! Since this post is a tad (okay, a lot) more lengthy than usual, I’m gonna skip the usual bulletpoints about these fabulous easy vegan cinnamon pecan cookies! So… are you ready to get your bake on? Let’s do it! It’s truly the best thing ever to share in these recipes and kitchen moments with you. Here’s to making life sweeter with the people we love. Wishing you an amazing holiday season! ‘Til next time…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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Vegan Gluten Free Holiday Cookies Recipes
If you enjoyed this Easy Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Cookies recipe, then you’ll just love these healthy gluten free dairy-free cookies recipes & more:
- Chewy Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Chewy Paleo Coconut Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Gluten Free Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- and… Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes, just for fun!
Easy Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Healthy)
- Yield: 14-18 cookies (mine made 16 cookies) 1x
Description
Easy Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Cookies (V, GF): an easy recipe for chewy on the outside, soft on the inside buttery gluten free pecan cookies bursting with pecan crunch and a cinnamon kick! Made with healthy ingredients. Gluten-Free, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Healthy.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups gluten free oat flour – if using homemade, make sure it’s very finely ground (not coarse)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons solid coconut oil*
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/3 modified flax eggs (4 teaspoons ground flax + 4 Tablespoons water, whisked together, set for 15 mins)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Add-In Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped
Optional Topping
- 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or greased foil.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- Add solid coconut oil* and coconut sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the sugar into the solid oil—this will take a few minutes. Cut until only small coconut oil clumps remain and the texture is like clumpy wet sand.
- Add in the remaining wet ingredients: modified flax egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until just incorporated. The mixture will be wet and chunky.
- Using a hand mixer, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl. Mix until well-incorporated and a cohesive dough forms. Don’t worry about the small clumps of solid coconut oil—this is expected. Fold in chopped pecans.
- If the cookie dough is sticky and wet, like thick cake batter, the coconut oil was not solid enough. This will result in soft, cakey cookies. The cookie dough texture should be firm and very thick, just like cookie dough. To fix this: cover cookie dough and chill in the freezer for 15-25 minutes, until firm throughout.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop and drop balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Optionally, press pecans into the top of cookies. Bake 10-14 minutes. Mine took 12 minutes. After removing from the oven, give the baking sheet a few light taps to flatten the cookies to perfection.
- Transfer baking sheet to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Afterward, use a heatproof spatula to transfer cookies directly onto the cooling rack for to finish cooling. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.
Adapted from my Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.
Also try my Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and my Gluten Free Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.
Notes
– *Helpful hints with coconut oil: If your coconut oil is liquidy, do the following: line a small bowl with plastic wrap OR place a silicone baking cup on a plate. Pour measured amount of coconut oil into the silicone cup, or the bowl, directly over the plastic wrap—this will help you easily remove it later. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, or until solid. Keep a close eye on the coconut oil—you want it to be solid, but just slightly soft enough for cutting. Once it’s solid, lift the plastic wrap out of the bowl and dump the coconut oil into your mixing bowl, or pop it right out of the silicone baking cup.
– If using Homemade Oat Flour, make sure to grind it until you get a very fine (like store-bought flour) texture. The more coarse/grainy your flour is, the more crumbly the cookie will be.
– Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-3 weeks.
- Category: Cookies, Holiday, Christmas, Dessert, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Healthy
© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
SHOP THE RECIPE
Here are a few items I used in today’s recipe. 🙂
KitchenAid Hand Mixer | Gluten Free Oat Flour | Coconut Sugar | Coconut Oil | Cookie Sheet | Unbleached Parchment Paper | 2-Tablespoon Cookie Scoop | OXO Mixing Bowls | Cooling Rack | Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Beaming Baker.
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Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of the coconut sugar?
Hi Connie! Swapping the coconut sugar for a liquid sweetener would likely change the texture of the cookies a bit. Organic brown sugar, or a similar granulated sweetener, would be a better swap. Hope you enjoy!
What a great recipe! My family loved it, so I will for sure make it again
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Adriana! Happy baking! 🙂
what vegan substitute would work instead of the flax?
Hi Suze, if you’re not feeling the vegan flax egg, try chia “eggs” or a vegan egg substitute. Enjoy!
Such a lovely recipe. I will.surely make them. In fact I was wondering how can we twist this to make savoury cookies.
★★★★★
Hope you enjoy the cookies Rozina!
Made these and they turned out great! Very tasty. Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Woohoo!!! I’m so pleased to hear it, Paulette. 🙂 Happy baking!
This cookies look so delicious, can i use almond flour intead of oats?
Thank you.
Hi Bianca, unfortunately, no. Almond flour wouldn’t work the same as oat flour. Sorry about that!
I love these warm and cozy flavors! Perfect for the holidays.
★★★★★
I know, these flavors are the best! .
These look delicious, and it’s nice to have a gluten free option for the holidays!
Thanks Michelle! Seriously!!
Oh my goodness! These cookies look heavenly! I can’t wait to make them!
★★★★★
You know it Abeer! Hope you enjoy them!
Looks incredibly delicious! So much flavor packed into each bite, need to try this!
★★★★★
Yes you do! .. They’re seriously soo good!
I am excited to make many more healthy cookies this year. These sounds delish!
Yay! So happy to hear it Dorothy! ☺️
Yummy! How many eggs if not vegan? Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Lacey! Try 1 1/3 eggs. Enjoy!
Pecans are my all time favourite so I will make these. I don’t mind using real eggs so what would be the equivalent to the flax egg?
Hi Rita, I’m so excited to hear that! I suggest using 1 1/3 eggs. Hope you love them!
Do you ever weigh out your oat flour? I find it can vary a bit with how you scoop and level it. And that can definitely affect the texture of the dough/cookie.
Also, have you ever tried or have a recommendation for using a real egg or egg whites in place of a flax egg? I know that would take away from the Vegan part, but I’ve tried a couple times and it seems to rise a bit better and not be as delicate/crumbly. Have you tried it?
I plan to try these with ‘eggnog’ spice mix for an ‘EggNog cookie’ for the holidays!
★★★★
Hi Terrence! I’ve been slowly but surely working in weighing my ingredients lately. I’d like to put more time into it, in hope that next year, I’ll be able to start including weight measurements in my recipes. Stay tuned. 😉 Egg: I haven’t tried that, but it’s usually a 1:1 ratio when substituting (not sure on the egg whites). Enjoy!!
Could I substitute real eggs for the flax egg? If so how many would work?
Thanks!
Hi Chell! It would be approximately 1 1/3 eggs. Enjoy!
These cookies look delicious! I have some friends who need gluten-free snacks so I’ll have to try and make these for them! .
★★★★★
Woohoo! I think they’re definitely gonna love them! ☺️
Hello
These look yummy
Can you use normal flour (uk) if the cookies don’t need to be gf?
Thanks
N
Hi there! I’m not 100% sure since I haven’t tried it. It might work! Let me know if you try & how it turns out. 🙂
What a delicious cookie! I really love anything with pecans.
Same here! Such a wonderful flavor, especially this time of year! .
We all love anything with pecans its such a wonderful addition to these cookies. I bet they didnt last long!
★★★★★
Seriously! My mom is the biggest fan of pecans, so I try to work them into as many sweets as I can! 😉
These are delicious and include all of my favorite ingredients! Can’t wait to make them for my cookie exchange!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear it! Enjoy your cookie exchange! 🙂
The flavors in here just sound heavenly! Adding these to my holiday cookie list!
★★★★★
Thank you!! Woohoo!
Planning to make these delicious cookies for my Christmas Gifting Hampers. Sure all will love them.
★★★★★
Wonderful!!! Hope y’all enjoy!