Okay, who likes cookies for breakfast? I’ll admit it, if there’s a “healthy” cookie sitting around near my coffee pot in the morning, I will grab one – or two – and pretend that they’re just as good for me as a bowl of whole grain cereal with fresh fruit. And sometimes, depending on the cookie, it’s really not that delusional of a thought.
This morning was one of those mornings. As I was pouring my coffee into the mug I looked into the window of the microwave. Inside of it sat a plate of crispy, slightly sweet, vegan chocolate pecan oatmeal cookies. They were taunting me, and in a moment of weakness, I grabbed two. Then I sat down at my computer to begin my work day.
Well, if eating these for breakfast is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Crispy, chewy, nutty, chocolaty, not too sweet, put a smile on my face, yummmmm……… That’s all I have to say.
The thing about these cookies is that they are kind of a breakfast food. They’re made of oats, apple sauce, and pecans. Yes, they do have some chocolate chunks in them, and the butter isn’t really that healthy, but if you divide one cup of butter and the bag of chocolate by the forty or so cookies that you get out of this batch, it isn’t really something to worry about, right? And, because this is a once every six month kind of moment, who cares? I say, revel in the moment.
Let’s be honest, if you’re going to eat cookies for breakfast, these aren’t the worst that you could do. And, if you work in an environment where store bought donuts and muffins are the staple of the break room, these babies will do your co-workers a favor. The oats will reduce their cholesterol, the pecans will add plant based protein to their diet, and the apples will give them some nutrients. Score!
My conventional oatmeal cookie recipe called for butter and eggs. My new recipe has vegan butter and apple sauce. I also discovered that adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of corn starch to my baked goods gives them a little leavening boost. . So I added one teaspoon to this recipe. The result? OMG- out of this world amazing.
You have to try these, share these, and have one or two for breakfast. Come on, live a little.
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Yields Approximately 40 Cookies
10 minPrep Time
14 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 and ½ cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ pound (2 sticks) vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Soy Free) – room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup vegan cane sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce (egg replacer)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecan pieces (put whole pecaans in a zip-lock bag and crush into small pieces)
- 2 and ½ cups oats
- 1 bag vegan chocolate chunks (I use Enjoy Life brand)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt.
- Attach the paddle attachment to your electric mixer and in the mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars on a medium high speed until light and fluffy. Approximately 3-4 minutes. Scrape the sides as necessary.
- Add the applesauce to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until well combined, scraping the sides so it’s completely combined.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture until it’s lightly combined, then repeat until all of the flour is blended into the butter mixture.
- With a heavy spoon, stir in the oats, pecans, and chocolate chips until they’re evenly incorporated into the mix.
- Spoon tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. I usually bake 12 cookies at a time.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown. Cool on a baking rack.
