Vegan Pecan Cookies (gluten-free and sugar-free)

Looking for a healthy cookie recipe? These pecan cookies fit the bill They’re not only festive, they’re also vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free. Dip in bittersweet chocolate to make them especially attractive and delicious.

This vegan pecan cookies recipe includes almond flour and cassava flour; both are not only gluten-free but also grain-free. No cassava flour? No worries, you can substitute with your favorite gluten-free flour blend (or all-purpose wheat flour).

I find these cookies taste even better a couple of days later when they crisp up .

Method Overview

• Stir dry ingredients together
• Mash vegan butter with rest of wet ingredients; stir in pecans
• Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients
• Shape batter into crescents; bake
• Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate and coat with pecans

Miyoko’s butter softened at room temperature before being mashed with wet ingredients

Print Recipe

5 from 14 votes

Vegan Pecan Cookies (gluten-free and sugar-free)

Course: dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: corn-free, gluten-free, grain-free, plant based, soy-free, sugar-free, vegan, yeast-free

Servings: 24 cookies

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Judy DeLorenzo

Equipment

• large-sized bowl and medium-sized bowl
• cookie sheet and parchment paper
• double boiler

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, preferably Miyoko's brand, softened not melted
• 5 Tablespoons maple syrup  (1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla, such as Frontier Co-op Brand (or alcohol-free almond)
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Dry Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cassava flour, such as Otto's Naturals brand
• 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

For Decoration

• 4 to 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350º
• Put the ground flaxseed and water into a large-sized bowl; this will create a “flax egg.” Set it aside while you prepare the dry ingredients
• Put all of the dry ingredients into a separate medium-sized bowl and stir well.
• Add the vegan butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the large bowl with the flax egg. Using the back of a fork, mash the butter into the wet ingredients. Add the pecans and stir together.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• Cover a flat baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Measure a Tablespoon of batter and shape into a crescent (see photo below). Repeat until all of the batter is used up. Space the cookies on the baking sheet 1 inch apart.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate, then coat the top side with chopped pecans (see photo below). Lay each cookie single layer on parchment paper until dry.

Notes

• Cassava flour can be replaced with gluten-free flour blend or all purpose wheat flour.
• Miyoko’s vegan butter can be substituted with refined coconut oil.
• When melting chocolate in a double boiler, be careful not to let any moisture drip into the chocolate otherwise it may become lumpy.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Forming Cookies into Crescents

You’ll find that this cookie batter is very easy to work with. Form 1 Tablespoon of the batter into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle with rounded ends – then shape into a crescent.

Dipping Cookies in Chocolate

• Melting the chocolate chips in a double boiler prevents them from scorching. The result is smooth melted chocolate perfect for dipping. I love my new All-Clad double boiler! It includes a 2-quart stainless steel covered pot with porcelain insert.
• Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, then coat the top-side with chopped pecans. Lay each cookie single layer until they dry.

If you like this vegan pecan cookie recipe, you may also enjoy my Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies and Maple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.