My Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

Easy vegan oatmeal cookies that are 100% maple syrup sweetened, made with whole spelt flour and rolled oats and loaded with melted chocolate chunks.

When we were in sweden I naturally found my way into the kitchen. Some said it was because that was where I belonged, others were just happy that some one else was doing the dishes but mostly it was my way of sneaking out early on chores, and also – cookies. Matt and I had been traveling for a over a month by then and we were living off a luxury diet of oatmeal and pasta with a few carrots thrown in the mix. I missed baked goods. And tahini. And simmering soups. But I only realized how much I longed for these things until I walked around this new kitchen we had found ourselves in. Truth be told, I probably could have happily survived off carbs and carrots and adventures for a long while, but now here I was in this cozy nordic home and cookies were calling me by name.

Cookies can be tough. Seemingly such a simple treat but so many things can go wrong in the process. I used to make these cookies all the time in France, but I do believe that the white almond butter is really key and I have yet to find some here in Canada nor the energy to make it myself. So, what do I look for in a good cookie? Well, first the recipe needs to be simple; no chia seeds or flax eggs or applesauce or any of that nonsense. Forget the bananas. Simple ingredients and let’s not try to make them too healthy. I do like something with oats and whole grains; it gives good texture and a nuttiness that really I enjoy. Naturally sweetened. Chunks not chips. Maybe a sprinkle of sea salt.

While living in France I worked at a cafe bakery where I probably made hundreds of dozens of cookies but the oatmeal chocolate chip were always the favorite. They were my true claim to fame. So fast forward to sweden and here we are, a bunch hungry people and a fika in need of a treat. I made a batch of cookies. And a few more after that. And so on. We were a good mix of people form all over but everyone understands the love language that is a good cookie. And if traveling taught me anything that summer it would be that we definitely don’t need much to be happy, but a good cookie can always bring a much appreciated moment of comfort + joy.

To cookies.

 Easy vegan oatmeal cookies that are 100% maple syrup sweetened, made with whole spelt flour and rolled oats and loaded with melted chocolate chunks.


VEGAN OATMEAL COOKIES (WHOLE GRAIN, MAPLE SYRUP SWEETENED + LOADED WITH CHOCOLATE CHUNKS)

Here is a simple vegan oatmeal cookies base recipe. Leave out the chocolate chunks and add raisins and cinnamon. Or walnuts. How about pecans and dates. Or some  fragrant orange zest. I do believe that you really can’t go wrong here. There is great power in a good cookie and a cup of tea.

Notes:

Follow the instructions in order. I think letting the oil cool slightly before adding it to the batter helps a lot. You can also put the batter in the fridge and bake the cookies later which will result in a crispier edge (also delicious!). The dough will need a little more work to shape before baking. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Makes 10-12 large cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup  + 1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup  spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
100g of dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2/3 cup maple syrup
2.5 tablespoons milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch of flaky sea salt such as maldon, to sprinkle

Instructions

Melt the coconut oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once almost completely melted through, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, spelt flour and baking powder. Add in the chocolate chunks and stir to coat in flour.

In anther mixing bowl, whisk together maple syrup, milk, vanilla and fine sea salt. Add in the coconut oil and whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold gently until well mix and no dry flour remains. The batter will look really wet. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to thicken.

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C

Divide the batter into cookies. You can use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup for this, or simply use your hands. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Flatten the tops of the cookies and shape the edges to form a small round disc. Cookies won’t spread out much in the oven so make them the size that you want.

Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

Let cool on the baking sheet then cool completely on a rack. Cookies will keep for a few days in a sealed container or you can freeze for later.


Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!

24 Comments

  • Reply
    Moira
    April 28, 2017 at 10:37 am

    I love a good oatmeal cookie – they’re often the perfect mid-afternoon / post-activity nibble. I’ll definitely be giving these a try. :)

    • Reply
      Jodi
      April 28, 2017 at 3:07 pm

      Me too, Moira! Cookies are my favorite treat, they just make a good afternoon that much better. x

  • Reply
    Sarah | Well and Full
    April 28, 2017 at 11:57 am

    Welp. Time for me to go home now because the perfect chocolate chip oatmeal cookie has been achieved ;) But seriously, as a recipe developer myself, I rarely make other recipes I see online. But I just printed out this recipe and I’m making these cookies as soon as I can get my hands on chocolate chips.

    • Reply
      Jodi
      April 28, 2017 at 3:10 pm

      Ah I hope you like them, Sarah! Man simple, somewhat healthy cookies are tough. I’m so eager to now what you think! I know what you mean about recipe testing, seems like we are always trying to come up with something new we rarely allow ourselves the time to let someone else do the work :) Enjoy and have a great weekend x

  • Reply
    Sophie MacKenzie
    April 28, 2017 at 1:20 pm

    Jodi, these are gorgeous! I always love to have a stash of cookies in the freezer for ’emergencies’, and these will for sure be our next batch <3

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 1, 2017 at 7:02 am

      Now I have about 4 dozen cookies in the freezer and I’m not complaining about it :) You never know when the next cookie emergency might be! Thanks Sophie x

  • Reply
    Sophie | The Green Life
    April 28, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    These look SO good Jodi! Funny, I’ll be posting a veryy similar cookie recipe to my blog tomorrow (from the Greenhouse cookbook!). Yay for cookies! And okay, if you’re looking for a good blanched almond butter, you HAVE TO order the one from Prana. You can only order it on their website (it’s not available in stores or anywhere else), and it’s truly the best almond butter I’ve ever had in my life. I used to make my own nut butters at home but ever since discovering this one a couple months ago, I just can’t go back to anything else. It’s that good. (I swear it tastes like cake icing!!) Same thing for their hazelnut butter btw, they’re both out of this world. Trust me, you have to try it. Let me know if you do. <3

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 1, 2017 at 7:08 am

      Oh those cookies look incredible, Sophie! Gosh I’m such a sucker for a good cookie. I did see that Prana makes white almond butter but I’m just too lazy to order it online. The stuff is so good, you’re right it is like icing (by the spoonful!). I think I just might have to try it! Thank you for the nudge x

  • Reply
    Ashley
    April 28, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    Looks fantastic! I’ll be trying them out soon. Thank you!

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 1, 2017 at 7:08 am

      Thank you, Ashley! Have a great week x

  • Reply
    Maya | Spice + Sprout
    April 29, 2017 at 9:31 am

    Cheers to not making them *too* healthy! A good cookie is a good cookie, and these look like my ideal version. I always love reading what you have to say. Your writing is so fluid and paints such beautiful pictures. Thinking I might have to go out and re-fill on maple syrup so I can make these to share with my family tonight <3

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 1, 2017 at 7:11 am

      Haha – when you want a cookie you just want a good cookie – am I right? Thanks for your kind words of encouragement Maya, your comments always bring a smile to my face. I hope you’re well and spring is bringing all sorts of joy! x

  • Reply
    Kiki
    April 29, 2017 at 10:35 am

    Did you mean to say “3/4 cup” coconut oil?
    Also could I replace spelt flour with all purpose or whole wheat?

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 1, 2017 at 7:13 am

      HI Kiki! Thank you so much for commenting – there was a big mistake in the published recipe and I only caught it when you posted this! I’ve updated it now. I do believe you can replace whole wheat flour, I haven’t tried it myself – I’d go with one scant cup of ww flour (not full). Thanks again!

  • Reply
    Gabi
    May 18, 2017 at 1:29 am

    can i replace the spelt flour with oat flour??

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 18, 2017 at 3:42 pm

      Hi Gabi! I would imagine you can, I haven’t tried it with this recipe but I have done that in past and even though it doesn’t turn out the same kind of cookie, it still works! Let me know if you do try. x

  • Reply
    Ashley
    May 26, 2017 at 10:32 pm

    Is there another flour I could replace the spelt with?

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 27, 2017 at 1:56 pm

      Hi Ashley, I haven’t tried it but I would imagine a whole wheat pastry flour or an unbleached all purpose would work just fine.

  • Reply
    Joanna
    April 26, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    I really want to make these but have no spelt flour on hand.
    Will try oat flour and post the results soon.
    I hope it’ll work out.
    Thank you for great recipe (and all the others). Love this site.

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 3, 2019 at 11:11 am

      Great! I have made these using regular all purpose flour as well. Let me know how it goes! xx

  • Reply
    JOanna
    May 4, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    I have made these yesterday. I used oat flour in place of spelt, date nectar in place of maple and added a little cinnamon. Turned out very delicious and this recipe is a keeper. I absolutely love it. For some reason I ended up with 22 cookies :-)

    • Reply
      Jodi
      May 5, 2019 at 9:01 pm

      Oh thats great Joanna, I’m so glad to hear that! And yes, I guess I like to make really big cookies :)

      • Reply
        Joanna
        May 18, 2019 at 8:58 pm

        I have made these about 10 times already. Today we had a hot day here in NJ so while my oven was heating up I put the tray of cookies in the freezer for about 7 minutes and they came out even better than all of my previous batches. Thought I’d share :-)

        Your site is wonderful.

        • Reply
          Jodi
          May 21, 2019 at 12:37 pm

          Thank you so much for letting me know! I love that freezer trick :) I’ll have to try that for sure! xx

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