I bring you the ultimate grain free vegan breakfast cookies (thank oatmeal choc chip) but make them GRAIN FREE! I am so excited by this recipe, because after many recipe attempts I have the ultimate gran free oatmeal cookie recipe (so, oat-less meal cookie) that tastes and feels just like the original. They are hearty, chewy, chunky and flavoursome. They hold together perfectly, and are moist and filled ingredients you most likely have in the pantry.
You’ll love them, I promise!
Don’t be afraid of the ingredients list- it looks long, but it is highly likely you already have all the ingredients in the pantry of fridge.
Here is what you will need for the grain free vegan breakfast cookies
Here is what you will need for the grain free vegan breakfast cookies- Ground chia seeds- or flax seeds. These are the substitute for eggs, and help to hold the cookies together. You can use either, or if you were in a pinch you could substitute for 1/3 cup mashed banana- but I have not tried that.
- Vegan butter. I use a stick style butter like this one. The butter adds a familiar flavour to the cookie, so while you could technically substitute for coconut oil you won’t get the same delicious buttery cookie flavour. If you do use coconut oil, add 1/2 tsp salt into the recipe. I tried using coconut oil but the result is vegan breakfast cookies that feel a little greasy.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds an obvious sweetness (and malty flavour) to the cookie, but also adds moisture and helps the cookie ‘set’. When developing this recipe I tried it with maple syrup as well, but the final result wasn’t what I wanted. Brown sugar really helps to give these cookies the authentic taste and flavour. If you want to use maple syrup, I would add 1/2 cup and increase the baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp. Let me know in the comments if you try this.
- Pure vanilla extract. Or paste. Honestly, I don’t ever make a cookie without vanilla!
- Peanut butter. Make sure you choose a natural, pourable/runny type. It can be smooth or chunky, but not the thick mouldable type. Tahini, roasted almond butter or any other runny nut/seed butter will work here too.
- Buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is a small pseudo grain unrelated to wheat (unlike the name suggests). It is naturally gluten free, and has become both affordable and widely available in recent years. You can find the flour in the baking section of most major supermarkets, or in health food stores.
- Almond meal. The mixture of almond meal and buckwheat flour make up the flour component of the cookies, and the two balance each other out. The almond meal adds fat and moisture, as well as providing a familiar flavour. I prefer blanched almond meal or flour in this recipe.
- Shredded coconut. This replaces the rolled oat component of the cookie, and gives more chew to the recipe. Coconut is a great natural whole foods sweetener too, and a affordable ingredient to bulk up the recipe. Not all coconut is created equally. Try to find a brand that has soft, moist flakes. I like the ones from the source bulk foods.
- Salt, baking powder, baking soda and ground cinnamon. Nothing new here- cookie basics!!
- Chocolate and saltanas. the good bits!
I hope you enjoy these grain free vegan breakfast cookies as much as we do. As always, we welcome any feedback, comments or reviews below- and if you try any variations please let us know.
Grain free vegan breakfast cookies
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
Description
These grain free vegan breakfast cookies are the gluten free answer to saltana oatmeal cookies, made with delicious and nutty buckwheat flour, seeds, coconut and choc chips.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp (14g) ground chia seeds
- 1/3 cup (90g) water
- 1/3 cup (85g) cows or vegan butter, at room temperature (see notes)
- 3/4 cup (130g) brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (92g) peanut butter (see notes)
- 1 cup (125g) buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup (60g) blanched almond meal or flour
- 2 cups (150g) shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
- 1/2 cup (75g) saltanas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 165 C or 325 F. Line two baking trays and set aside. Please note I recommend using kitchen scales to make this recipe, however if you don’t have scales then I use the scoop and level method of measuring, using an Australian standard cup (250ml).
- In a large mixing bowl add etc chia seeds and water and whisk to combine. let stand for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add in cubed butter, brown sugar, vanilla and peanut butter. Use electric beaters and beat for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Next, sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add almond meal and coconut, then gently fold the mixture together. The mix will be stiff at first, but should come together as a thick and moist dough. If you don’t have enough moisture, add 1 Tbsp preferred milk. Mix until only just combined, then add the chocolate chunks and saltanas and fold through.
- Now, portion out the cookie dough. I use an ice cream scoop for uniformity (which makes 14 balls, for me), or you could use a dessert spoon to scoop out balls and roll into balls. Place each ball onto a lined tray, and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. The cookies should have at least a 5cm gap between each other. I like to squish in some extra chocolate on top of each ball before baking, because extra chocolate is my kinda thing.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. To tell if the cookie is ready, you can very carefully lift up the base of one of the cookies- you want a nice, golden brown colour. remove from oven, allow to cool 10 mins, then turn on to a wire rack.
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container. They keep well in the pantry, but in warmer/humid weather, you will need to consume them in 2-3 days. The cookies freeze well, and can also be kept in the fridge- simply allow a little time to warm up before consuming.
Notes
- For the vegan butter, I used a block (hard) of vegan butter. I have not tried with spreadable margarine, nor coconut oil, but both should work. If using softened coconut oil, and an extra 1/4 tsp salt to the recipe.
- For the peanut butter, choose a good quality, natural runny peanut butter. I like this one. You can sub for tahini or any roasted nut/seed butter.
Keywords: Choc chip cookies, plant based, oatmeal, vegan baking, grain free recipes, gluten free