Maple Pecan Cookies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

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.

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?)

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.

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.

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!

5 from 1 vote

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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

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Total Yield 24 cookies

Calories Per Serving 140 kcal

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:

1. 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.
2. 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:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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 Facts

Vegan Maple Pecan Cookies (Gluten-free)

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 140 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g 12%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Sodium 90mg 4%

Potassium 34mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 18g 6%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 9g

Protein 2g 4%

Calcium 1%

Iron 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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