Oat groats make these cookies super chewy, and the dates studded within the dough remind me of sweet, warm caramel. If you love a good chew in your cookies, you'd love these vegan nutty morsels!
Ingredients
2 c. oat groats, divided*
¾ c. spelt flour
2 c. pecans, toasted
⅓ c. coconut sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pink himalayan sea salt
⅓ c. dates,pitted
¼ c. maple syrup
3 tbsp. coconut oil
3 tbsp. almond milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using a food processor, add 1 cup of the oat groats and give it 6-7 pulses until the groats resemble a course flour.
Add in the pecans and pulse again until the nuts become a meal and combined into the flour. Do not over process or the nuts will release its oils.
Add in the rest of the oat groats, coconut sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the food processor. Pulse until all the dry ingredients are well mixed.
Add in maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Give the food processor another few whirls until the ingredients become a dough. Add in the dates and pulse 2-3 times so the dates are studded within the dough, and not thoroughly mixed in. This dough should be sticky, so use a cookie scoop or two spoons to create little cookie bites on your lined cookie sheet.
Optional: press pecans on each cookie before putting in oven.
Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
* Steel cut oats can be substituted to create the same chewy texture as oat groats. If neither oat groats or steel cut oats are available to you, feel free to use regular rolled oats; the cookies' texture will be different, but they will be lovely regardless.
Recipe by Radiant Rachels at https://radiantrachels.com/chewy-caramel-pecan-oat-groaties/