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Healthy Vegan Snickerdoodles on a cooling rack

Healthy Vegan Snickerdoodles

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  • Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 11 minutes
  • Total Time: 26 minutes
  • Yield: 16 Cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Tis the season for delicious holiday cookies, and we’ve got one that is sure to have you doing your happy dance. Fluffy, tender, and utterly scrumptious, these Healthy Vegan Snickerdoodles are the perfect melt in your mouth puffs of irresistible cinnamony goodness.  A  fabulous addition to your family holiday dessert table. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 Medjool dates *
  • 1 ¼ cup almond flour ( + more see notes) *
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour *
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon *
  • ½ cup maple sugar *
  • 1 teaspoon molasses
  • 1 Tablespoon flax meal
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened almond butter *
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt *

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place oven rack(s) in the upper-center position.
  2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. We used a silicone mat.
  3. Place the Medjool dates in a food processor to break them up, about one minute. Then add all the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until well combined and the dough forms a sticky lump.
  4. Use a cookie scoop (double scoop or about a golf ball size scoop) to scoop up the cookie dough, roll into a ball, then place the rolled cookie balls onto a plate. After all the dough has been rolled into balls, then pick up each cookie ball and slightly flatten them between your palms (see notes) and place them on the lined baking sheet, then slightly flatten each cookie a little more forming them into a thick disk.
  5. Place the baking sheet on the upper-center rack and bake at 350F for 10 to 11 minutes. Then remove from the oven and allow to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

*Medjool dates and Maple Sugar:  We get tons of questions about sweetener substitutions. We totally get it. Some folks want to use all Medjool dates, while others want to use all maple syrup. We’ve tried these cookies using all Medjool dates, they turned out gummy.  We also tried using all maple syrup, they just didn’t hold up.  Honestly, the best sweetener for this cookie recipe is the combination of Medjool dates and maple sugar.  Additionally, using date sugar is not recommended either as it just doesn’t have the same flavor and texture needed for this recipe.  ***We also get a lot of questions about using coconut sugar, if your diet permits, you can substitute coconut sugar for the maple sugar.  However, we have not tested with coconut sugar; many of our readers have let us know that coconut sugar works well as a substitute for maple sugar.

*Medjool dates: If using Medjool dates vs another dried date, there is no need to soak the dates as Medjool dates are typically very soft. However, if you are using a different date, test the date by pinching it. If the date is very soft, gooey, and pliable, then you can just add them to the food processor to break them up. If the dates are drier and stiff, then you will need to cover them with boiling water for about 20 minutes to soften them up before adding the dates to the food processor.

*Cinnamon Spice:  Some cinnamon spices are stronger than others.  For example, some brands have a very strong cinnamon flavor whereas Penzeys has a mild cinnamon flavor.  I think individual personal preference really depends upon what you are most familiar with and what brand of cinnamon spice you enjoy.  If unsure, you can actually taste the batter to get a sense of the flavor for the end product and adjust as needed.

*Almond Flour/Cookie Dough Tips for Success:  The cookie dough is sticky, but it should form a ball.  When processing the cookie dough in the food processor, the dough should ultimately come together in a big lump.  The dough should be sticky, but not overly sticky.  Test the dough by scooping some up, if it feels overly sticky, then add an extra teaspoon of almond flour (or two).  This will help create a light fluffy cookie.  Tip: The more round and smooth you make the cookie ball, the better cookie texture results.  What we have found works well and creates a great cookie is the following:  We create all the cookie balls, washing our hands in between about every 3rd or 4th cookie. Then we wash our hands again and pick up each cookie ball and roll it again in our hands to create a very smooth round ball, then slightly flatten the cookie between the palms of our hands to form a thick disk slightly more than ½ inch in height. These cookies do expand in the oven so do not place them too closely together on the baking sheet.

*Almond Butter:  Most almond butter is generally already very soft; however, some brands do require refrigeration after opening, and it becomes rigid when cold.  If you are using an almond butter that has been refrigerated, then heat it up in the microwave for about 25 seconds or remove the required amount from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before adding it. It is difficult to distribute refrigerated almond butter evenly throughout the batter as it tends to lump up. You want it softened, not melted.

*Substitutions:  We designed these cookies specifically to use almond flour, brown rice flour, and almond butter.  We do not have any substitutions to offer.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  Makes approximately 16 cookies.

*Storage: Use within 5 days.  Freezes well.