Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF)

Easy, delicious, and made with simple ingredients, these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are a gluten free treat! The best thing about them?! They can be made refined sugar free and pass as breakfast, snack and dessert!

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I’ve always loved oatmeal based cookies, (or anything that has to do with oatmeal, really!) but I’ve always hated raisins. Regular chocolate chip cookies are great and all, but I do like to have a bit more substance in my cookies from time to time.

So, I combined the best of both worlds *cue Hannah Montana* with these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Plus, the best part about vegan baking is that the dough is edible!

They’re gluten free, vegan, made with whole food ingredients, but still taste 100% delicious. They can be dessert, a snack, breakfast, lunch even!!! These cookies know no limits.

Plus, one batch makes about 18 cookies (or 2 dozen if you make small ones) so they’re perfect for bake sales, big families, or someone who just realllllly loves cookies!

How to make this recipe

As with most baked goods, the first step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients. This includes the almond butter, brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, and oil. Whisk together until everything is well incorporated.

Add in all dry ingredients aside from the chocolate chips and stir together with a wood spoon. 

Fold in the chocolate chips until well mixed. If the term “fold” in baking has ever confused you, it essentially just means you want to fold the batter over the chocolate chips and continue to do this until they are mixed throughout the batter. This just helps keep them in tact and ensures a uniform distribution.

Use a small cookie scoop or spoon and roll into 1 inch balls. These cookie scoops are one of my favorite kitchen devices, I use the small one for these cookies.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

If you want the cookies to be thick, do not flatten, but if you want them thin press down very slightly with your fingers. They will spread while they bake, but if you leave them perfectly round they will be a bit puffy when they’re done baking.

Bake for 10-14 minutes. If you want the cookies to be chewy, 10-11 minutes is ideal, they will still look kind of raw when they come out of the oven, but will firm up after 10-15 minutes. Avoid touching them after they come out of the oven! For a crispier cookie, bake for 13-14 minutes.

What kind of oats are best?

For this recipe, is I suggest using quick oats. I have tested this recipe with old fashioned/rolled oats, and the cookies end up a bit too dry and don’t flatten properly.

You definitely don’t want to use steel cut oats for these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Quick oats are best, rolled oats are second best.

Should you chill the dough?

I tried this recipe with and without chilling, and it doesn’t make a huge difference because this recipe uses oil instead of butter. The way oil/butter melt is a bit different and changes the way a cookie spreads. In general, chilling dough will solidify the fat, causing the cookies to spread later than if the dough were at room temperature.

If you want the cookies thinner, do not chill, if you want them thicker and fluffier, do chill because it will prevent the cookies from spreading as much. If you do chill the dough, the cookies won’t spread all that much, so keep that in mind.

For these particular vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, not chilling, baking for 12-13 minutes and only flattening the top of the cookie a very small amount will yield the perfect thickness and texture for the cookie.

Why do they get flat?

This can be due to a few things. If your cookies get flat too quickly, definitely try chilling the dough. This will firm up the oil and delay the spreading process.

I played around with SO many flour/oil combinations for this cookies, so as written they should not get flat. They will flatten as they bake of course, but will retain a nice puff.

Another issue could be the thickness of your baking sheet. A thin baking sheet is going to cause the cookies to spread prematurely and can even burn the bottom of the cookies. You always want to use an aluminum baking sheet for cookies which will ensure they cook evenly.

Tips & tricks

• Once prepared, these cookies will keep for 5-7 days. Allow them to cool completely and then store in an air tight container for best results. If they start to get dry or firm up after a few days, add them to the microwave for about 10 seconds and they’ll be good as new!

• I prefer using avocado oil for this recipe because it does not harden when it comes into contact with anything cold. Melted coconut oil will start to harden once it comes into contact with the apple sauce, so it makes it a bit trickier to work with. If you only have coconut oil, I suggest refined coconut oil so there is no coconut taste to the cookies.

• The best almond butter in my opinion is the raw almond butter from Trader Joes in the red container. It’s SO creamy, doesn’t require stirring, and has the best flavor. You can also use cashew butter or peanut butter but that will of course alter the flavor. It would be delicious though!

• Be sure to use the “pour and level” method for measuring the flour. Pour the flour into your dry measuring cup and then level off the top. Avoid scooping right from the bag or you’ll end up with way more flour than you really need!

Try these next!

• Chewy Paleo Chocolate Chunk Tahini Cookies
• The Best Vegan & Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
• Decadent Avocado Chocolate Mousse
• Amazing Almond Flour Brownies

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