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Home » Desserts » Maple Pecan Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

Maple Pecan Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

November 12, 2016 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 9 Comments

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If the following list of things sounds delicious to you, then keep reading: warm cinnamon. Crunchy candied pecans. Vanilla-infused toasted oats. Maple syrup. Are you in yet? These gluten-free & vegan maple pecan cookies are absolutely insane. I may have been caught red-handed at one point, standing in front of my open freezer, eating leftover cookie dough with abandon.

Warm cinnamon, crunchy candied pecans, vanilla infused toasted oats, and maple syrup come together to make a delectable crunchy texture in a light autumn cookie

I started out with an idea very similar to that of my vegan oatmeal raisin cookies: pecans are toasted to perfect, then ground up along with rolled oats. Since I’ve been continuing to experiment with gluten-free recipes lately, I completed the cookie base using all-purpose gluten-free flour from Bob’s Red Mill.

Their flour blend already contains xanthan gum, a natural plant-based binding ingredient that helps make the cookies chewy. So there’s no need to worry about hunting around for a $5 box of xanthan gum that will sit forgotten in your pantry after you use 1/4 teaspoon of it for a recipe. (Is anyone else guilty of doing this with specialty ingredients?)

White bowl of ingredients for gluten-free and vegan maple pecan cookies - fresh toasted pecans folding into a perfectly soft and edible dough

Warm cinnamon and crunchy candied maple pecans come together with gluten free flour and oats to make a perfect allergy friendly cookie

Finally, I sweeten my vegan maple pecan cookies with wholesome coconut sugar and a healthy helping of pure maple syrup. The ground pecans infuse the whole cookie with pecan flavor, but because I cannot get enough toasted pecans around the holidays, I went next-level and candied some pecans in more maple syrup and a touch of coconut oil. Those crunchy candied pecans are chopped up and folded into the cookies for a texture experience that’s to-die-for.

Glutenfree and vegan maple pecan cookies with coconut sugar, cinnamon, and maple candied pecans make the perfect holiday treat

Because they’re both gluten-free and vegan, these maple pecan cookies are perfect for pleasing everyone at your holiday gathering. They also keep well at room temperature for a few days and would make nice little edible gifts. Seriously, nobody would guess that they’re special-diet friendly, because they’ll be so busy going nuts (…pun intended) over the maple and pecan flavor. In the name of science, I have made the grave sacrifice of making several batches of these cookies and feeding them to various people in order to confirm that fact.

Closeup of a stack of four gluten free and vegan warm maple pecan cookies - the perfect fall dessert

To make your life easier, I’ve included both weight and volume measurements in the recipe. As always, I highly recommend purchasing a basic kitchen scale – volumetric measurements of dry goods can vary from person to person and weight measurements give the most consistent results. However you measure it, I hope you enjoy these easy, delicious and {sorta-healthy} vegan maple pecan cookies!

Vegan Maple Pecan Cookies | yupitsvegan.com
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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Maple Pecan Cookies (Gluten-free)

Vegan maple pecan cookies, made gluten-free with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Flour and packed with aromatic maple, pecan, and toasted oat flavor. The perfect cookie that everyone at your holiday table can enjoy!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword vegan maple pecan cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 35 minutes minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 140kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the vegan maple pecan cookies:

  • 2 cup raw pecans (8 oz. / 227g)
  • 1 cup rolled oats (83g)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (124g)
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (77g)
  • 1 tsp baking soda (6g)
  • 3/8 tsp salt (4g)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (2g) heaped
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (137g)
  • 2 tbsp plain, unsweetened nondairy milk (16g)
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil (31g) warm or room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (80g)

For the maple-candied pecans:

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (17g)
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (8g)
  • 1/2 cup whole pecans (57g)
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

For the maple-candied pecans:

  • Add the maple syrup, coconut oil, pecans, and salt to a pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the pecans, stirring frequently but not constantly, until the maple syrup is thickened onto the pecans, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Immediately remove the candied pecans from the pan and transfer them to a plate or bowl to cool. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop the candied pecans and set aside.

For the vegan maple pecan cookies:

  • In a dry skillet, toast the pecans over medium heat, stirring or tossing them frequently. Toast for 4-5 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown and become fragrant. Remove the pecans from the pan immediately and transfer them into a food processor. Pulse the food processor until the pecans form a fine crumb. (Warning: it will smell amazing).
  • In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Transfer the dry mixture to the food processor and pulse to combine.
  • Add the maple syrup, nondairy milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, and blend until very smooth. Scrape the mixture out of the food processor and return it to the mixing bowl. Fold in the chopped candied pecans.
  • Set the dough in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease two baking sheets.
  • Take about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of dough at a time (or more or less, depending on what size you want your cookies to be), roll into a ball, then flatten slightly as you place it on the baking sheet. These cookies only tend to spread a little bit, so the actual size will not be a whole lot larger. This dough can be very sticky. You may need to stop to clean your hands partway through.
  • Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are just starting to lightly brown. Take care not to overcook - they can dry out easily. If using two baking sheets, switch their positions halfway through baking.
  • For slightly flatter, chewier cookies, press down on each of the cookies with a fork right when they come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes before carefully removing them with a spatula, and transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Leftover cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. Unused raw cookie dough can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer and used later. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.4mg

P.S. Bob’s Red Mill is offering a few coupons for their products, good for the month of November and beyond. You can print the coupons here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Other holiday cookie recipes from the blog:

Vegan oatmeal raisin cookies

Vegan sugar cookies

Vegan chocolate chip cookies

 

 

Filed Under: Autumn, Desserts Tagged With: baking, gluten-free, grains, nuts and seeds, refined sugar-free, thanksgiving

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Comments

  1. Suzanne says

    October 23, 2019 at 13:12

    could I use regular flour instead of the gluten free one?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      October 24, 2019 at 18:53

      Sure!

      Reply
  2. Ava says

    September 15, 2018 at 11:48

    Gahhh! I have everything but flour. Could I grind up some oats into flour and use that???

    Reply
  3. Becca says

    February 10, 2018 at 12:29

    So these look delicious!! But I recently tried an elimination diet where gluten was one of the things cut out & I’m allergic to something in gluten free baked goods (don’t know exactly what) so I’m nervous to use gluten-free flour here. Would regular AP flour work here? If so, would I need to adjust the amount used?? Really want to make these!

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      February 12, 2018 at 10:01

      Hi Becca – I believe AP flour would work if you use the same quantity by weight.

      Reply
  4. Katie P. says

    July 14, 2017 at 20:21

    5 stars
    I know it’s totally the wrong season for these, but I wanted to come comment and say these are some of my favorite cookies EVER. I freeze half of the dough and usually can’t resist snacking on it either… I can’t believe they’re gluten free, you would never know.

    Reply
  5. Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says

    November 14, 2016 at 04:29

    I am most definitely in 😀 How delicious.

    Reply
  6. Jamie Hermansen says

    November 13, 2016 at 11:40

    Hi Shannon,
    I have the Bob’s Gluten Free All Purpose baking mix without the xanthan added. I do have xanthan that I can add. Do you know what the flour/xanthan ratio would be?
    These cookies look similar to ones that I have been making, but yours look over the top with the candied pecans and cinnamon.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      November 13, 2016 at 17:44

      Hey Jamie, I believe a scant 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum added to this recipe would be a good place to start. Normally I use 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour and there is just shy of a cup used here. Let me know how it works out!

      Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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