These Vegan Chewy Maple Pecan Cookies are rich in healthy fats and in maple, molasses and pecan flavors. They are gluten-free and oil-free,yet buttery and delicious. While they are perfect for the holidays,they can certainly be enjoyed year round.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time8 minutesmins
Total Time23 minutesmins
Ingredients
2cups (240g)raw unsalted sunflower kernels, ground into flour (or use 240g of almond flour)
1cup(128g) superfine oat flour
1 1/4teaspoonscinnamon
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonfine salt
1cup (120g)finely chopped pecans + extra whole pecans for topping
1/2cup(160g) pure maple syrup
1/4cup(80g) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
2teaspoons(10g) maple extract (you can use vanilla, but the maple flavor will be much less pronounced)
NOTE
If you do the almond flour version, the batter will be thicker and you'll need to roll the batter into balls.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 350°F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and also lightly spray the paper with nonstick spray. This ensures the bottoms won't stick.
Process the sunflower kernels into a flour in a food processor, being careful not to overprocess or it will turn into butter. Measure out 2 full cups only, as you will probably have extra. (Note weight measurement above for 2 cups). When measuring ground seeds or nuts, it's a good idea to use a scale for best results. Otherwise, scoop the ground sunflower kernels into the cup, gently pat it down and level off with your finger. Add them to a large bowl.
Add the oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt to the same bowl and whisk VERY well until all is incorporated. Stir in the chopped pecans.
In a separate small bowl add the syrup, molasses and maple extract. Stir well and then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir very well until it all comes together and is very sticky and thickens up.
Either drop by tablespoons or roll into balls with your hands (about a tablespoon each) and place on the prepared sheet pan. If using the almond flour version, the batter is a bit thicker and you will need to roll the dough into balls. Place them 2 inches apart on the pan and press each cookie down with a rubber spatula or with damp fingertips so that they are about 1/2 inch thick. Place a pecan on the top of each cookie.
I noticed these cook more done/faster with crispier bottoms when cooked on a dark metal pan, versus a light thick aluminum pan, so keep that in mind. Use a dark metal pan if possible, I preferred the results on a dark metal sheet pan (with parchment paper). Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are cracked on the tops. If using a light aluminum pan, they may take slightly longer for the bottoms to cook. Just pull one out of the oven at 8 mins, check the bottom, if they are golden brown/firm, remove them. They will still be very soft and appear undone when you remove them, but they will firm up as they cool. Coo1 10 minutes on the pan and then use a spatula to carefully transfer them to cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap so they stay soft and moist.