Name: Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dairy free butter; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1/2 cup organic brown sugar, packed; 1 tablespoon flax seed meal egg = 1 flax seed meal mixed with 3 Tablespoons water; 2 cups whole wheat flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup dairy-free milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 6 ounces chocolate chips; 1/2 cups dried cherries; 1/2 cup pecans; 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds, you can use all pecans too but chop these

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Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are everything you love about a classic vegan cookie. They are created with ingredients that come together to create deliciously textured cookies that are rich, chewy, and sweet.

Not only do these cookies get a burst of flavor from the dried cherries, they also have a delicious nutty base from the pecans and sunflower seeds!

Chocolate chips running throughout the batter also pair nicely with the cherries, nuts, sugar, and vanilla.

The batter comes together quickly to create something extraordinary that your taste buds will thank you for.

In my opinion, Polka Dot Pecan Cookies are not only easy to make, but they make the best gifts for friends and family throughout the year as well.

Look at the pretty extra add-ins!

I am a cookie lover through and through. There is just something so wonderful about baking a batch of cookies at home.

Maybe it’s how your house smells while they’re cooking. Or maybe it is the sweetness of the cookie on a cold fall evening that makes me fall in love with them.

My favorite part about these cookies is there are just so many options!

You can customize them to the season by adding a pinch of something special too.

I feel like adding a dash of pumpkin spice and nutmeg would make them the perfect thanksgiving cookies!

WHAT IS A VEGAN COOKIE MADE OF:

You might be surprised to find out that Vegan baking isn’t much different from traditional baking.

By replacing just a few common ingredients you can easily change any recipe into a delicious Vegan dessert!

One suggestion that I always give to my friends is to read labels. Make sure what you are buying is in fact Vegan. Ingredient sources often change, as well as where a product is manufactured.

Always double-check the packaging, visit product websites, and when in doubt, call the company directly and ask questions.

I always make sure I am prepared when a sweet tooth hits by having the following ingredients in my pantry and readily available:

Flaxseed Meal
Whole Wheat Flour
Dairy Free Butter
Dairy Free Milk
Chopped Pecans
Organic Coconut Sugar
Organic Brown Sugar

At this point, I also want to show you another ‘look ‘ to these cookies. It’s just to give you another option.

You can dollop the cookie dough on the pan into a casual ball shape as in the photo on down the page.

Or … you can roll it tighter and then push it down a bit with the bottom of the glass. Then you will get a more classic smooth cookie as in this picture.

ARE CHOCOLATE CHIPS VEGAN:

Chocolate lovers will be happy to hear that YES! Good high-quality chocolate can be vegan.

Again, make sure to check the labels, and stay away from chocolate that has unnecessary fillers.

The ingredients in vegan chocolate will be simple: Cocoa, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, lecithin, and vanilla.

Low-quality chocolate will have a longer list of ingredients so beware if you see whey, artificial flavorings, food starch, milk, milk solids, milk fat.

Also, take note that anything that says “milk chocolate” will contain milk products and therefore not be vegan.

If you can’t find vegan chocolate in your local grocery store be sure to search online. I know Amazon has some amazing chocolate bars and chocolate chips to choose from!

Here is a photo of every single ingredient including water and salt 🙂

PECAN COOKIES – INGREDIENTS THAT YOU WILL NEED:

dairy free butter – makes the sugars light and fluffy and adds richness to your cookies
organic coconut sugar – is a bit milder and helps cut back on the refined sugar
organic brown sugar – gives that deep flavor for traditional for pecan cookies
flaxseed meal egg – is 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons water
whole wheat flour – makes the cookies just a tad healthier
baking powder – aids baking soda in the rising process
baking soda – aids baking powder in the rising process
salt – is amazing for adding just that extra oomph
dairy free milk – adds a flavorful liquid necessary for cookie dough
vanilla – seems to be a necessity in baking
chocolate chips – gives an extra crunch and flavor
dried cherries – are a fat and fruity flavor
pecans – are a milder nut and also add texture
sunflower seeds – add crunch, you can use all pecans too but chop these

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN COOKIES:

Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Mix the flaxseed meal and water together and set aside so that it can gel a bit.
In a large bowl with a hand mixer – cream the vegan butter and both sugars together until it is light and fluffy. It takes about 5 minutes.
Add the flax meal egg mixture to THE creamed sugar mixture and mix together.
In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
Add this and the almond milk, alternately, to the creamed mixture.
Mix well after each addition.
Stir in the chocolate chips, dried cherries, nuts and seeds.
Place fat tablespoon balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll them loose or tight. Flatten them if you like.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes.

CAN YOU FREEZE VEGAN COOKIES:

Yes, you can freeze this vegan cookie dough for up to 3 months!

Simply form the dough into a log and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped cookie dough into a freezer ziplock bag and store until you are ready to bake a batch of cookies.

Don’t forget to label the outside of the bag with the recipe name, cook temperature, cook time, and date placed in the freezer.

When ready to bake, remove cookie dough from the freezer and let thaw on the counter until you can break the dough off and form into balls.

If you’re looking for more vegan cookie recipes, check out my favorites below:

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