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Pecan Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Vegan Pecan Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. The most amazing rich and buttery cookies but with NO butter or added oil. You have to taste them to truly believe it! Pecan butter does some serious magic.

3 pecan butter chocolate chip cookies stacked on each other

These pecan butter chocolate chip cookies will shock and amaze you. While they may be without any butter, are oil-free and refined sugar-free, they taste 1000% better than any cookie I’ve had with those ingredients. I also love that they are thick, fat and chunky…..just the way I like my vegan chocolate chip cookies to be. They are like no other cookie out there, they are serious crowd-pleasers.

WHAT MAKES THESE COOKIES SO MAGICAL?

The secret to these cookies is the pecan butter and cornstarch. The flavor rivals a typical buttery cookie that is achieved from roasted pecans. The touch of cornstarch gives them a phenomenal tender bite and crispy edges.

These chocolate chip cookies were inspired by my Roasted Pecan Butter recipe I posted yesterday. They are so “buttery” I had to pinch myself. It really is hard to believe how these are so rich, so moist and so full of flavor….without a drop of butter.

red bowl of roasted pecan butter

This ingredient is the absolute star and simply cannot be replaced!

Closeup view of pecan butter chocolate chip cookie

You only need 8 ingredients (+salt) to make these amazing Pecan Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Overhead view of cookies on white plate

Simply divine.

2 pecan butter chocolate chip cookies on a plate

YOU WILL LOVE THESE PECAN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I have no doubt you will absolutely love these Vegan Pecan Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are an unconventional way to make classic chocolate chip cookies, but are in fact BETTER. Try them yourself and see! Please, leave feedback below after you make them! Or tag me on Instagram #thevegan8!

I have a ton of Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies on the blog, check these out!

5 from 2 votes
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Vegan Pecan Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

The most amazing rich and buttery vegan chocolate chip cookies but with NO butter or added oil. You have to taste them to truly believe it! Pecan butter does some serious magic.
Course Cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword peanut butter chocolate chip cookie pancakes, vegan chocolate chip cookies
Servings 14 cookies
Author Brandi Doming

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (256g) roasted pecan butter (see NOTE)
  • 1/2 cup (64g) whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips plus extra to stick on the top if desired

NOTE: Click on the pecan butter link in the post to see how to make this. Pecan butter is creamier and oilier than other nut butters, so it makes a BIG difference in these. Do not use store-bought, unless you find one without added oils

    Instructions

    1. Tip: The key to getting these as chunky and thick is to follow the exact steps. You must chill the dough first and also only divide the dough into no more than 14 cookies. If you make more than that they won't be as fluffy.

      First you will need to make the pecan butter. Do it the day before to save time and so it has completely cooled. You don't want hot pecan butter when making the cookies.

    2. After making the roasted pecan butter, make sure to measure 1 cup in case you made more than that in the food processor. Add it to a bowl with the syrup and vanilla. Stir until well combined. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk very well. Make sure there are no lumps.
    3. Stir the chocolate chips into the flour mixture. Now add the flour into the wet ingredients a small amount at a time, stirring until just combined. Put the bowl into the fridge for 20 minutes to chill only.
    4. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Depending on how creamy you pulsed your pecan butter, your batter may be a bit crumbly. If so, just press the dough together roughly with your hands by large spoonfuls. Divide the dough into 12-14 cookies only, if you want them thick and fluffy. I added a few extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies too. Do NOT flatten or spread out the dough, leave it piled high. They should bake high and fluffy as in the pictures. I made 3 batches and they all turned out fabulously fluffy. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Mine were perfect just at 11 minutes. Do not over bake!
    5. Cool 10 minutes and transfer to cool completely on a cooling rack before handling...if you can contain yourself! After they have cooled, place them on a paper towel to drain any extra pecan butter. The pecan butter makes these VERY buttery, so it's best to keep them on a papertowel while storing them.

    If you make this recipe, please do not repost it in full on your site, please link to me instead giving proper credit. I work very hard to create my recipes and share them for free, so please be respectful and link properly. If you are inspired by this recipe, again, please give proper credit and do not simply post it on your site.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thanks so much sweet lady! You’re too kind. I would never have believed what vegan baking can present if I hadn’t become vegan and spent so many hours in the kitchen doing trial after trial to come up with these recipes. These though, unbelievably taste to rich you will be shocked they don’t have butter! I hope you enjoy. I can’t get enough 🙂

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Oh girl you just made my day! That means SO MUCH for you to say that because I spend so many hours and trials trying to create these recipes and it can be overwhelming because there are a lot of flops in the kitchen when cooking vegan and gluten free also. Your encouragement means a lot to me. I would love to do a cookbook! I wouldn’t even know where to begin…maybe some day somebody will ask 🙂

        Reply

        • apuginthekitchen

          Using the pecan butter to sub for butter is brilliant and they are so fat and fluffy unlike so many vegan cookies that are flat and quite frankly taste like cardboard, Anyone that works as hard as you do to perfect their trade should be published, look at it as a service to all those vegans who need you and your great recipes.

          Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        You are so sweet…I really appreciate your kind words. That encourages me so much! I agree too….a lot of them taste like cardboard but none of mine do and all my non-vegan friends can attest to that, lol 🙂 Thanks again!

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thanks! There are no white chocolate chips in these but in case you are asking just for info purposes, yes there are vegan white chocolate chips. 🙂 Look at whole foods. I’m not a huge fan because of the ingredients and sugar amount. But stay tuned because I have a homemade white chocolate recipe coming soon! 🙂

        Reply

    4. erika

      Oh my goshhhh these look AMAZING. Hands down best cookie I’ve seen all week. If only I had pecans in my pantry!! But maybe I’ll try this with peanut butter sometime soon…also, Brandi do you read Oh She Glows? I’m guessing yes because you totally channel her in this post. Ahh! I want these cookies so much. Thick and chewy is how I love em!!

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        What a compliment!! Thanks Erika!! 🙂 I’m sure they would still taste good with peanut butter but I’m scared they won’t be nearly as moist as I find peanut butter oddly can leave a dry taste when baked. Let me know if you try them but definitely grab some pecans and make them if you can…they really make the cookie. Pecans become VERY oily when roasted, lending a huge buttery taste to the cookies. In fact, this discovery is prompting me to try it in other baked goods! It is remarkable, so they are much oilier than peanut butter. Oh and yes, I’ve recently discovered her blog! Love it!! I love that she uses wholesome ingredients as well and seems to have lots of passion which I love. What do you mean “channel her”? Sorry, I’m really slow, lol!! 🙂

        Reply

        • erika

          Ah, I know what you mean…you’re right, I have had experiences with kind of dry peanut butter baked goods. I will have to try pecans then!

          And I think you “channel her” as in I just get the same kind of upbeat, enthusiastic vibe from your posts as she gives off in her posts. Plus you guys are both enthusiastic about ESPECIALLY super healthy but delicious-looking concoctions 🙂 It’s a good thing! 😉

          Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Aww well thank you so much for that generous compliment then..if I’m reminding you of Angela at Oh She Glows, I’ll gladly take that! She has a hugely successful blog I see!! So, thanks girl!! I’m glad I’m giving off that vibe 🙂

        Reply

    7. erin

      oh my gracious. these look flipping fantastic. and I’ve been looking for a not-boring cookie recipe to make as a thank you gift. hello, found it!

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Oh thank you so much Erin for such a wonderful compliment and for stopping by! I really appreciate it! I truly hope you and your friend receiving the gift enjoy the cookies as much as we all did!! Let me know 🙂

        Reply

    10. Peggy McNees

      What? Only 12 cookies! Your Uncle Tom will eat those in one sitting……hardly worth heating up the oven for….ha. Sounds delicious though!

      Sent from my iPad

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Haha! They are extra thick Aunt Peggy, see?!! One is about the equivalent of 2 cookies, so it’s really like 2 dozen cookies. 🙂 I made them twice as thick than all my other cookie recipes. Regardless, I can assure you they’d still be worth it and uncle Tommy would enjoy them! I’ll make them for you next time I see y’all! Love you!

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thank You so much Thom!! I really enjoyed taking these photos, so thank you. I sure hope you do make them and enjoy them! They really are quite delicious….the pecan butter is a MUST here..,no substitutions! I am so pleased with this recipe 🙂

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Ha! Awesome Tiffany! I saw your post about it on Facebook and eating 6! They are so buttery and rich and yummy, it’s hard to stop at one. Thanks for sharing my website..I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much 🙂

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Oh yes Paola!!! You’re missing out, you’d swear there was real butter in these. Using nut butters is not only healthy but the flavor is remarkable and rich and moist! The pecan butter is by far my favorite because of the smoothness. Enjoy! 🙂 Oh, and I love almond flour…I bake with it all the time!!

        Reply

    20. Jenna77

      I made these cookies for the holidays, and they were a huge hit. Everyone LOVED them (even though there were no Vegans). The flavors and textures have more depth than your typical chocolate chip cookie – definitely a good thing. These are our new go-to chocolate chip cookies, and I am happy to have found them because chocolate chip cookies are a commonly-requested treat in my house. They taste amazing alone or with homemade almond milk.

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thank you so much!!! Those are such beautiful compliments. Yes, I find the roasted pecan butter does give it so much more depth of flavor than just using plain old butter and sugar like most recipes. I’m so happy to hear your family loves them so much and I truly appreciate you taking the time and providing feedback!! 🙂

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thank you so much Erin! They are definitely ranked the best cookie out of my family and friends! The pecan butter gives them so much more depth in flavor than plain old butter. Please let me know if you try them! Thanks again 🙂

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thank you so much Barbara! That means so much to me! They definitely will not disappoint and your daughter or anybody for that matter will not believe they are Vegan! Try the pecan butter..it is 10 million times better and creamier than almond butter 🙂

        Reply

    27. Shut Up & Cook

      I just saw this recipe on other site and confessed to the writer that while I never am tempted by vegan baked goods, these had succeeded. And now here they are again. Cravings overload!

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Haha! Yes, I just saw your comment! I PROMISE you wouldn’t know these were missing butter or eggs or traditional sugar. I’ve got a HUGE sweet tooth and been vegan less than a year, so I wouldn’t have believed its possible to bake like this, if I wasn’t testing them myself day in and day out in the kitchen. Roasting pecans makes them so oily, slightly sweet and very buttery tasting, so I decided to purée them and use in my cookie batter instead of oil, literally winging the recipe, and I was blown away how delicious they were. I even had my friends try them who are NOT vegan just so I wasn’t biased. They agreed. They ask for all my desserts and none of them are vegan, none. It’s possible girl!! Try them 🙂

        Reply

    28. Hannah

      Hi! I discovered your lovely blog thru Suzanne when she featured these divine cookies. I baked a batch for my sons yesterday (using homemade maple roasted almond butter) and they devoured the whole plate immediately. Thank you for sharing! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Oh, wonderful Hannah!! Thank you so much for coming by and letting me know. I truly appreciate that and I’m so happy you all enjoyed them so much! If your boys like peanut butter, I just posted a VERY easy 4 ingredient cookie recipe. You could try sunbutter, if they don’t like peanut butter, because they are both smooth and creamy with no bits in them. That maple almond butter sounds delicious! Thanks again 🙂

        Reply

    32. nburgart

      I made these today. Seriously one of the best cookies I’ve ever had/made. My wife said that they were the best that she’s ever had. This has me super intrigued to try more recipes. The pecan butter, was amazing. Great job.

      Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thank you so much for the beautiful compliment! You made my day! It means so much that you tried and loved the cookies so much! I agree, the pecan butter is magical in these cookies and a MUST!! Thank you so much for your feedback. I have lots of other cookie recipes too..like double chocolate espresso cookies and 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies you might enjoy 🙂

        Reply

        • nburgart

          We definitely will. Our next one is going to be those chocolate cherry muffins. Just wanted to let you know that today we had some friends visiting that had a wheat allergy, so we replaced the flour with Better Batter, and there was really no difference in the cookie. Was a great way to make it Gluten Free as well.

          Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Oh, that’s wonderful news! I make a lot of gluten-free recipes and have been wanting to try to make these as a gluten-free option as well. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you enjoy the muffins too…they are a big hit over here with family and friends…being healthy makes them that much better. Enjoy! Thanks again 🙂

        Reply

      • The Healthy Flavor

        Thank you! Yes, I’m sure spelt flour would work…since it has less gluten than whole wheat pastry flour though, you might not have as much structure or fluff and may need to add a tiny bit more of spelt flour. Try it out and let me know! One other reader had success using a commercial gluten free blend but I haven’t tried it yet.

        Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Hi Letty! It will slightly change the texture, the cornstarch gives them a really tender crispness and arrowroot will make them slightly chewier/drier maybe, but I think it should still work since the pecan butter provides so much moisture. Do you have potato starch? That would be even better. Let me know if you try them!

        Reply

    39. Elilta Williams

      Oh my gosh Brandi, i just made these cookies as practice for my cookie exchange…when i tasted one, my eyes rolled to the back of head….they are soooooooo awesome…and i don’t even make cookies…..Thank you once again for an awesome recipe.

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Haha! Awesome Elilta! Thank you so much for making them and I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They are definitely one of the best, if not the best, cookies I’ve ever had!

        Reply

    40. Caroline

      I’ve only had marginal success with vegan baking, but after making these cookies, I feel brilliant in the kitchen. LOL. So rich and well-balanced! Easy peasy, too!

      I’ve vowed to stay away from the dessert section in your blog from now on ;), but have my eye on the lentil loaf next.

      Thank you for another extraordinary recipe! You are truly gifted!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Caroline-that is so wonderful to hear!! I’m so happy you loved the cookies so much and feel so successful! They really are some of my favorite cookies ever! Thank you so much for your incredibly kind compliments too!

        Reply

    41. Melinda Amato

      These are my new favorite cookies of all time – they are incredible beyond belief! I shared them with several people – all of whom were blown away! I am now in Paris and cannot find pecan butter anywhere to make sure! I know you mentioned some substitutions that did not work – are there any that might work? I found a butter is 70% walnut and 30% sesame seeds – any bets if that will work? http://www.naturalia.fr/bio-puree-noix-200g_6386_5_573.htm My guess is almond butter wouldn’t have quite enough fat. Thank you!!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Hi Melinda! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! These are my alltime favorite cookies I’ve ever made or had either! I definitely wouldn’t use cashew butter, since it is the driest of all nut butters. Actually, a really creamy almond butter would be best since they have lots of natural oil in them. Just make sure it’s really creamy and not overly thick since the pecan butter is so drippy. You could always decrease the flour by a tablespoon or two in case, to get the same texture of batter and that should work too. I actually have tested this recipe with half pecan butter and half peanut butter and they were excellent, so I think all almond butter would work well. Not sure about the link that you sent, so I think I’d stick with almond butter. Let me know how it turns out with that 🙂

        Reply

    44. Lynne

      These are awesome!! Third time was a charm!! The second ones were not bad, it’s just I didn’t let the pecans cool enough when I made the butter that when mixing, the chips melted!! :). A new variation?? I was getting use to a new oven and I found a ice cream scoop helped to make them uniformed!! I eat vegan and I’m hoping these will take the place of my hubbies chocolate chip cookies made with white flour and refind sugar!!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Wonderful! Oh yes, definitely let the pecan butter cool first or it will melt the chips! I always keep a batch of pecan butter in my fridge, so it’s cooled and ready to go for recipes. I’m so happy you loved these cookies so much, they are the most popular cookies among my family! Thank you so much for making them!

        Reply

    46. brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      Hi Charis! Yes, that is correct, this one is not listed as gluten-free. This is one of my oldest recipes from my old blog that I transferred over to this one which I started October 2013, which from that date forward, all recipes are gluten-free. Although, there are very few on the entire blog that have gluten. For this particular recipe, I have not tested it with gluten-free flour, but I believe a reader way above made these with a commercial gluten-free all purpose flour mix with great success, but I personally have not, so I can’t vouch for those results.
      I do have another recipe that I just posted, which are also chocolate chip cookies and they are gluten-free and absolutely delicious. Here is the link for those: https://thevegan8.com/2015/05/23/oat-free-vegan-classic-chocolate-chip-cookies/

      Reply

    47. Gira

      I made these last night for my husband, and they turned out GREAT! I special ordered a fresh batch of nuts from the Houston Pecan company after I saw this recipe.
      The dough and cookies were really quite greasy from the pecans, so next time I might use a little less pecans or more flour. thank you so much – they are delicious!!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        SO glad to hear you all loved them! Thank you so much for the feedback! Yes, the pecan butter makes these very, very buttery, which is a great thing, but also a tad messy, lol! That’s why I suggest keeping them stored on a papertowel, it will help to absorb the excess pecan butter 🙂 Thanks so much again!

        Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Thank you so much Megan, I’m so happy to hear you loved these and your comment on Instagram and pic were amazing, so glad these are some of the best cookies you’ve ever had, thank you for leaving feedback!

        Reply

    49. Kay

      These cookies are absolutely delicious!! I have made them 3 times in the last three weeks! They are perfect for our family because my son has food allergy and I didn’t have to make any substitutions because he is not allergic to any of the ingredients. Both of my kids love these cookies and request these instead of our usual chocolate chip cookies. Thanks to you this is our new favorite cookie!!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        That is so awesome to hear Kay! Thank you so much for this amazing feedback! These are all of my family’s favorite cookies too, they are so buttery and rich that they can’t believe they are vegan!

        Reply

    50. Sara

      I was craving something sweet and just so happened to have a huge bag of pecans that needed to be used… Making these cookies was the best decision all week for me. I’ve never been a big fan of chocolate chip cookies, but these were phenomenal! I am going to make these for my nonvegan family and show them how delicious vegan food is, free of guilt! Thank you so much for creating this recipe!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Yay, I loved reading this feedback Sara, it made my day! SO thrilled these were such a hit! These literally stop everybody in their tracks when I serve them to family and friends…all non-vegan of course! They are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve truly ever eaten! I’m so glad you loved them too!

        Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        So glad you loved them Yolanda! I do not have the nutrition on these cookies, but you can input the ingredients into caloriecount.com or fitnesspal and get an estimate.

        Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Wow, that just made my day! Thank you so much for the feedback Annie! These are absolutely in my top 2 cookies of all time. That pecan butter is just so magical. I love that your sub of oat flour worked so well in place of the wheat, too! I need to try that! I actually wrote a gluten-free version of these to be shared on the blog next year! Thank you again for the feedback!

        Reply

    53. Jenny


      We absolutely LOVE these cookies! I’m too lazy to make pecan butter and too impatient to wait 20 minutes. We use Georgia Grinders Pecan Butter (available on Amazon.com, GeorgiaGrinders.com and other sites). The only ingredients are pecans and sea salt – no oil. We have made these several times and they have turned out perfect every time!

      Reply

      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        Hi Jenny! Yay! So very happy to hear that! Oh that is great, yes, as long as you found oil-free, that is perfect. Thank you so much for the awesome review and star rating, I so appreciate it!

        Reply

    54. Christi

      Made these and shared with coworkers and family. Everyone loved them. They were so soft and so good. Nobody could believe they didn’t have oil or butter in them. Will definitely be making these again.

      Reply

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