These Vegan Pecan Cookies are the ultimate combination of sweet and crunchy goodness. These delicious vegan cookies are the perfect healthy fall dessert for cookie season. This easy recipe is made with clean and simple ingredients, and they're so good nobody will even know they're vegan or healthy!
I've been on a bit of a mission to create a variety of nut butter cookies after seeing how many of you loved my Gluten-Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies and my Sunflower Seed Cookies.
However, since pecans are my favorite nuts, I knew this chewy cookie recipe had to be extra special. I recently made Healthy Maple Candied Pecans, and I knew they'd be the perfect addition to today's cookie recipe!
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Jump to:
- Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookies Ingredients:
- How To Make Candied Pecan Cookies:
- Vegan Pecan Cookies Substitutions:
- Candied Pecan Cookie Variations:
- What You Will Need To Make These Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookies:
- How To Store These Vegan Pecan Cookies:
- Top Tip:
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Related Recipes Using Maple Crystals:
- Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookies
- Food Safety:
- More Delicious Pecan Recipes:
Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookies Ingredients:
These maple pecan cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes because they are super easy to make, only require a few simple ingredients, and taste like they're straight from a bakery!
Wet Ingredients:
- Coconut Butter - I like to use coconut butter, because it works a lot like coconut oil, except it contains more fiber and nutrients. This helps to make the cookies more filling and wholesome.
- Pecan Butter - The key ingredient in this cookie recipe is the Wilderness Poets pecan butter. This pecan nut butter is a mix of raw pecans and raw cashews. This makes it super smooth and creamy. Not only does this nut butter have the ultimate creamy texture, but it's made with the best quality pecans. They are organic and the nut butter is processed at a low temperature to retain as many of the nutrients as possible. If you're interested in ordering some goodies from Wilderness Poets, my code: "NATURALVEGAN" gets you $10 off!
- Vanilla Extract - I always recommended using Mexican Vanilla extract when baking. It has a much richer flavor, and instantly elevates any baked good.
- Water - You will need water to create the flax egg.
Dry Ingredients:
- Maple Crystals - Another one of the key ingredients in this vegan pecan cookie recipe is maple crystals. It's no secret that maple crystals are my favorite natural sweetener to use in baking. I tell everyone about them because they truly are game-changing. Maple crystals are crystalized maple tree sap (aka pure maple syrup). This means they retain all the vitamins and minerals and are not a refined sugar. However, they work just like cane sugar, yet are sweeter and lower in calories and don't spike your blood sugar as much. It works as a 1:1 substitute for white sugar and tastes amazing! If you want to purchase maple crystals from Wilderness Poets, my code: "NATURALVEGAN" gets you $10 off your purchase!
- Gluten-Free Flour - Most gluten-free flour blends will work for this recipe. I have linked my go-to gluten-free flour. I love this one because it is made with good quality and wholesome ingredients, and tastes the most like all-purpose flour.
- Ground Flax Seed - You will need ground flax seed to make the flax egg which is a vegan egg substitute.
- Baking Soda - This will help the cookies to spread and bake evenly.
- Cornstarch - I love adding cornstarch to my cookie recipes because it makes them perfectly chewy.
- Cinnamon - Is there a better combo than pecans and cinnamon? I don't think so! Cinnamon helps to make these candied pecan cookies the perfect holiday cookie.
- Sea Salt - Salt is another necessity in any good cookie recipe. A pinch of salt brings all the flavors together and helps the baking process.
- Healthy Maple Candied Pecans - The ingredient that sets these cookies apart from other vegan pecan cookies is the candied pecans. These healthy crunchy nuts are the perfect addition to this recipe. If you can't make the candied pecans, you can simply use pecan halves from Wilderness Poets.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Candied Pecan Cookies:
These candied pecan cookies may seem a bit intimidating, however, they are super easy to make!
1. Begin by making the flax egg by combining the ground flaxseed and water together in a small bowl and setting aside for 10 minutes.
2. Add the flax egg and remaining wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Use an electric mixer to mix the wet ingredients together for a couple of minutes on medium speed until the mixture becomes fluffy.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
5. Place pecans on a cutting board and roughly chop. Add the chopped pecans to the cookie dough. Mix until combined. Let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350.
6. Scoop dough out with a small cookie scoop (these cookies spread, so make sure to give them plenty of room when baking) and place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.
7. Place in the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Once baked and golden brown, remove from heat and allow the baked cookies to cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Hint: If you want large cookies, use a bigger scoop, and let the cookie dough sit at room temperature. If you want smaller cookies use a small scoop and let them sit in the fridge - this will also give you thick cookies.
Vegan Pecan Cookies Substitutions:
There are a variety of easy substitutions that can be made to this candied pecan cookie recipe.
- Sweetener - If you can't get your hands on maple crystals in time to make this recipe, there are some sweeteners that'll work. I still recommend maple crystals, because they will result in the best flavor. However, you can use coconut sugar, white sugar, or a monk fruit erythritol blend as a 1:1 substitute. Dark brown sugar will also work, however, since it is a little bit more dense I recommended removing 2 tablespoons from the original measurements.
- Flour - If you don't follow a gluten-free diet, you don't have to use gluten-free flour. You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe, or even whole wheat. If using all-purpose flour, use 1:1 and if you're using whole wheat subtract Ā¼ cup from the original recipe.
- Egg - The flax egg can be replaced with both a regular egg (if you're not vegan), or a chia egg. To make a chia egg, add the chia seeds to a blender and blend until they form a powder. Use the same measurements for making the chia egg.
Candied Pecan Cookie Variations:
These delicious cookies are perfect just the way they are. However, there are still some easy ways to mix it up.
- Vegan Butter Pecan Cookies - You can replace the coconut butter with 2 tablespoons of cashew milk-based vegan butter for the perfect buttery cookies. I like using unsalted butter since the recipe already calls for sea salt.
- Chocolate Pecan - Add about ā cup of dark chocolate chips for the perfect mix of pecan pieces and chewy chocolate chip cookies. The dark chocolate chunks will melt and bring out the candied pecan flavor.
See my Maple Pecan Cookies for a similar vegan pecan cookie variation.
What You Will Need To Make These Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookies:
These vegan pecan cookies are the perfect cookie because they don't require any crazy equipment, and they're super easy.
- Mixing Bowls - You will need a small bowl and a large or medium bowl.
- Electric Mixer - You can either use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer. A whisk will also work but will be significantly more work.
- Large Baking Sheet - You will need a baking sheet or cookie sheet to make these cookies. If it is not a non-stick, I recommend lining the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Cooling Rack - You will need a cooling rack of some sort. I recommend a wire rack.
As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.
How To Store These Vegan Pecan Cookies:
These candied pecan cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes because they keep very well. They have crunchy pecan bits, crispy edges, and a soft chewy center. If you store these cookies properly you preserve all these delicious textures.
The best way to store these candied pecan cookies is in an airtight container. This helps to preserve the great texture of the cookies and retain their freshness. I personally prefer chilled cookies over warm cookies so I store mine in the fridge, however, they will keep just fine on the countertop. They will keep for about 2 weeks.
Another option is to wrap the cookies individually in plastic wrap, however, this is quite tedious. When all else fails, a plastic bag will work fine as well.
These cookies can also be frozen as well. If you plan to freeze them, I recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap and then storing them in a plastic bag with the air sucked out. The cookies will keep for 3 months like this.
Top Tip:
When the cookies are fresh out of the oven, use a mason jar ring and spin it around the cookies. This will give you perfectly round cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you run into the problem of your candied pecans being chewy instead of crunchy, it's most likely because you didn't cook them long enough. It's better to overcook the pecans than undercook.
To make it as simple as possible, chilling cookie dough helps to control the spreading of the cookies while baking. If you like thick cookies, I recommend chilling them, however, if you like them thin and crispy, don't refrigerate.
Related Recipes Using Maple Crystals:
Looking for other amazing recipes to make with your maple crystals? Try these:
If you try this Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookie recipe, Iād really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Iād also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!
Vegan Maple Candied Pecan Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- Ā¼ cup coconut butter
- ā cup pecan butter "NATURALVEGAN" for $10 off
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon water
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 Ā¼ cup maple crystals "NATURALVEGAN" for $10 off
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tsps baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Ā¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by making the flax egg by combining the ground flaxseed and water together in a small bowl and setting aside for 10 minutes.
- Add the flax egg and remaining wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to mix the wet ingredients together for a couple of minutes on medium speed until the mixture becomes fluffy.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Place pecans on a cutting board and roughly chop. Add the chopped pecans to the cookie dough. Mix until combined. Let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350.
- Scoop dough out with a small cookie scoop (these cookies spread, so make sure to give them plenty of room when baking) and place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.
- Place in the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Once baked and golden brown, remove from heat and allow the baked cookies to cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Food Safety:
It's important to always be safe in the kitchen. Here are some food safety practices to follow for this vegan pecan cookie recipe.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 Ā°F (74 Ā°C)
- Wash hands before handling food
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
More Delicious Pecan Recipes:
Looking for more delicious recipes using pecans? Try these:
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