Chocolate Chunk Vegan Pantry Cookies
Servings: 24
Calories: 185kcal
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- 6 tablespoons (84g) vegan butter, softened at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (96g) smooth/creamy almond butter, stirred well*
- 1 cup (150g) brown sugar or coconut sugar**
- 2 tablespoons (14g) ground flaxseed meal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (can sub with gluten-free all-purpose flour)***
- Heaping 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups (145g****) old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free rolled oats as needed)
MIX-INS
- 5 ounces (142g) vegan chocolate chunks or vegan chocolate chips, divided*****
- 3/4 cup (84g) walnuts or pecans, chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup (75g) currants (or raisins, preferably chopped into smaller pieces)
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the vegan butter from the fridge to come to room temperature. Whisk together the flaxseed meal with 5 tablespoons (72 mL) water until well combined. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to help it gel and set. These are your “flax eggs.”
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C. Line two half-sheet pans or large cookie trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the wet ingredients. Use the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer. Add the softened vegan butter, almond butter, and coconut sugar or brown sugar and beat well until the ingredients are well incorporated. Add in the flax eggs and vanilla extract, and mix again until everything is well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in the oats to combine.
- Combine the wet and dry. Add the flour-oat mixture to the butter mixture. Using the mixer on low speed, beat until the dough is well combined.1. NOTE: The dough should be thick yet still a bit moist, but if the dough appears very dry and crumbly (likely a result of adding too much flour), add in a spoon or two of plant-based milk to give it some moisture.
- Fold in the mix-ins. Using a silicone spatula, fold into the batter all but 1 ounce (all but 28g) of the the chocolate chunks/chips, along with the walnuts/pecans and currants/raisins. Set aside the remaining chocolate chunks/chips.
- Use your hands or a 2-tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop the dough and roll into uniform-sized balls. Line them on the baking sheet (up to 12 per half sheet) and gently press down on the dough a bit to slightly flatten. Add a piece or two the reserved chocolate chunks/chips in the center.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. They’ll look somewhat unbaked, but they’ll continue firming up a bit as they rest. Remove from the oven immediately sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt, if desired. Let the cookies rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Devour. Best when still warm :)
Notes
* See “substitutions” notes above for substitute options.
** I prefer brown sugar, as it results in slightly more moist cookies.
*** I highly recommend weighing your flour on a scale (and most baking ingredients, in general). Please do not scoop the flour out of the bag/container with a measuring cup. This almost guarantees that you will use more flour than called for in a recipe, which will result in a dry cookie dough. If you don’t have a scale to measure the flour out in grams, be sure to use the spoon and level method for measuring out flour. Use a spoon to scoop out the flour into a dry measuring cup until just full, then use the back of a knife to level of the top.
**** For gram quantities, it will vary based on the brand of oats you use. I used this brand.
***** Reserve about 1 ounce (28g) of the chocolate to press into the cookies just before baking.