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I love traditional peanut butter and chocolate no-bake cookies, but this year I decided to give them a spicy Fall twist.
I’ve learned quite a bit about making no-bake cookies recently, through a lot of trial and error. For some reason, every batch I made wouldn’t set at room temperature– instead, they would be too soft and slightly sticky, and the oats were too tough and chewy. I wondered if it was due to the fact that I was using all-natural nut butter (the kind you need to stir the oil back into), or if for some reason coconut sugar didn’t set the same way white sugar did. So, I did a lot of experimenting, and here’s what I’ve figured out:
- All-natural nut and seed butters work just fine
- It’s crucial to use “quick cooking” oats. (Not old-fashioned.)
- When using coconut oil and sugar, boil the mixture for 2 minutes, instead of the usual 1 minute.
Knowing these things, I now feel like I’ve mastered no-bake cookies. Feel free to use these tips when trying my recipe for Paleo No-Bake Cookies, too. (I feel like that recipe is due for an update now!)
The recipe below is loaded with Fall spice and is a nice alternative to the chocolate variety. It can be customized to use any nut butter you have on hand, but I prefer cashew butter for its lightly sweet and neutral flavor. I also had success using almond butter, and even sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version. Feel free to double this recipe and make a larger batch, if you like! They should go fast.
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Vegan No-Bake Spice Cookies
Makes 10 cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cashew butter
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions:
Place the cashew butter and oats in a large bowl and set it aside.
Combine the coconut sugar, water, oil, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as the liquid starts bubbling around the edge of the saucepan, set a timer for 2 minutes. Let it boil without stirring.
Once the timer goes off, turn off the heat and quickly pour the boiled mixture into the bowl with the oats and cashew butter. Stir well to combine– the mixture will be sticky. Use a heaping tablespoon to drop the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and then use your fingers to gently flatten each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool completely at room temperature before serving.
These cookies should store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Place the cashew butter and oats in a large bowl and set it aside.
- Combine the coconut sugar, water, oil, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as the liquid starts bubbling around the edge of the saucepan, set a timer for 2 minutes. Let it boil without stirring.
- Once the timer goes off, turn off the heat and quickly pour the boiled mixture into the bowl with the oats and cashew butter. Stir well to combine-- the mixture will be sticky. Use a heaping tablespoon to drop the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and then use your fingers to gently flatten each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool completely at room temperature before serving.
- These cookies should store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 104, Fat: 6g, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g
Note: These cookies are only gluten-free if you use gluten-free certified quick cooking oats. I’m not sure how other sweeteners will work, so if you make any substitutions please let us know your results in the comments below!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite holiday cookie?
We all love this easy cookie recipe.
Megan, LOve “Everyday Detox” and have been drinking down the homemade almond milk. Making hummus with the leftover almond pulp, but not eating that as fast as I’m using the milk. DO you have other recipes for the leftover almond pulp? I tried making up a cookie recipe – with cocoa, sunflower butter, and vanilla – but it wasn’t very good.
These are amazing! We have been making them about once a week. We use almond butter because we can’t do cashews. Thank you so much for posting delicious recipes. We use so many of yours on a consistent basis.
Just made these and they were delicious. I added pumpkin and chia seeds as well as shredded coconut. And now that I’ve actually read the recipe, I see you were supposed to cook it on stovetop for a bit, which I also didn’t do. It came out a bit watery, no doubt because I didn’t cook it, so I’m calling mine cookie dough. I’ll definitely be making these again, and I may even follow directions next time.
For those with Tree nut allergies, what do you suggest?
I’ve made these with sunflower seed butter, and they are delicious!
Coconut is a tree nut as well. What do you suggest substituting for the coconut sugar if you don’t want to use refined sugars such as white or brown sugar. Would unsweetened applesauce, honey, or maple syrup work or is there too much moisture that it would not set? I’m sure the 2 Tbsp of coconut oil can be replaced easily as there are many options for substitutions but was just wondering about the coconut sugar substitution. Thanks!
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, coconut is actually a fruit. The FDA just lumps it into the tree nut category on package labels.
“Coconut is not a botanical nut; it is classified as a fruit, even though the Food and Drug Administration recognizes coconut as a tree nut. While allergic reactions to coconut have been documented, most people who are allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut.”
http://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/types-food-allergy/tree-nut-allergy
That being said, if you want to avoid using coconut sugar, sucanat would probably be the closest substitution.
Any suggestion on sub for oats? We can’t eat oats, corn or wheat
try using quinoa flakes
Perhaps flaked coconut? Not shredded, but those large flakes would be a nice texture. (Like these: http://amzn.to/2enRhWU) I’ve also made no-bake cookies using sliced almonds and sunflower seeds before. The results are tasty! https://detoxinista.com/2012/12/no-bake-chocolate-cookies-grain-free-nut-free/
You could try puffed rice and coconut! Bet it would be good!
Are you buying gluten free oats and still can’t eat them?
Can I sub almond butter?
1/2 ____ coconut sugar…? 1/2 cup, I assume?
Yes, sorry for the typo! I just corrected the post.
Thanks! Just made them and waiting patiently for them to cool!