Soft and chewy, these vegan chocolate chips oatmeal applesauce cookies are a great wholesome treat to have around! Easy to make, and are ready in 20 minutes. They are naturally gluten-free and oil-free too.
I am guilty of having cookies for breakfast, and these vegan applesauce chocolate chips oatmeal cookies are my current obsession! They are sweet and chewy, yet are actually filling and hearty too.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Soft, thick and chocolate-y - This oatmeal vegan applesauce cookies taste just like the traditional ones! Every bite is chock full of gooey chocolate chips and chewy rolled oats.
- Quick and easy to fix - Everything can be made in a bowl, and your cookies are ready in 20 minutes. This recipe only calls for simple wholesome ingredients that you might already have on hand!
- Easily portable and can be eaten warm or cold - Therefore, these vegan applesauce cookies are great for filling lunchboxes to be taken on the go to school or work.
- Keeps well and is freezable - They are basically perfect for meal prep. These cookies will last in the fridge for a week, and can be frozen too!
🌾What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Oat flour - If you do not have any on hand, make your own by blending up some oats in a blender or food processor until finely ground.
- Oats - You can either use rolled oats or quick oats, according to personal preference. But if you like your cookies super chewy, I recommend sticking with rolled oats.
- Applesauce - Both store-bought or homemade applesauce can be used. It is actually pretty easy to make your own at home, and I recommend checking out this post on how to make applesauce for more detailed instructions.
- Almond butter - Can be substituted with other nut butters like cashew or peanut butter. To make vegan applesauce cookies nut-free, use seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter instead.
- Maple syrup - Feel free to use other liquid sweetener like agave syrup in place.
- Gluten-free - Make sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour and oats.
🔪How to make
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, add in applesauce, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Next, add in oat flour, oats, chocolate chips, baking soda and baking powder. Stir until everything is well incorporated. The batter will be on the stickier side.
Using a large trigger cookie dough scoop or spoon, scoop out 3-4 tablespoons of batter onto baking tray, leaving some space between them. You should get about 8-9 cookies. Gently flatten them out using the back of a spoon.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown and cookies appear to be set. Let them cool down slightly before digging into your vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies!
✔Helpful tips
- It is highly recommended to weigh out ingredients using a kitchen scale. The next best option is to measure them using the spoon and level method with measuring cups. DO NOT scoop flour out directly using your cups or pack flour into your cups.
- Cookie batter will be on the wetter side, so do make sure to use wet utensils and hands while shaping cookies to prevent batter from sticking on any surface it comes into contact with.
- Gently flatten down your cookie dough before baking. As these vegan applesauce cookies are made without butter, they will not expand much after baking.
- Be careful not to overbake your cookies. As they are made without oil, they tend to dry out easily. Pull them out of the oven once they appear to be set and the edges are lightly golden.
🥜Variations/add-ins
Transform these vegan applesauce cookies into oatmeal raisin cookies by substituting chocolate chips with raisins. You might one to add a teaspoon or so of cinnamon powder to give them some warmth.
You can also make double chocolate chip cookies by adding 2-4 tablespoons of your favorite cocoa powder. Increase applesauce used by 1-2 tablespoons if your mixture appears dry.
Or, throw in some chopped nuts, like almonds, peanuts or pecans to your cookie dough for some extra crunch and texture. Add up to ⅓ cup.
Lastly, feel free to add in whatever spices or flavoring that sounds good into your vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Pumpkin spice, nutmeg, coconut extract or even apple pie spice are some awesome additions!
❔Commonly asked questions
Leftover vegan applesauce cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days, and refrigerated for up to a week. Make sure to store them in air-tight containers to prevent them for drying out.
You can also freeze cookies too! Store them in sealed containers or freezer bags before freezing. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat from frozen, let them thaw completely overnight in the fridge, or on countertop for a few hours. You can them proceed with heating them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed. To speed up the heating process, thaw cookies in the microwave using the "defrost" function, before heating them on high for 15-30 seconds.
If your vegan applesauce cookies are dry, chances are you had overbaked them. As these cookies do not contain oil and are low in fat, they tend to dry out easily. They are done baking when they appear to be set with slightly golden edges.
It might also be due to the inaccuracy in measuring. Hence, it is highly recommended to measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale as oppose to using measuring cups.
Unfortunately, most chocolate chips available on the market are not vegan, and oftentimes contain milk or other dairy products. However, it is still possible to get your hands on some amazing dark chocolate chips that are free from animal products! Some of my personal favorites include Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels, Lilys Dark Chocolate Chips, and Equal Exchange Chips.
🍽More recipes using applesauce
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📖 Recipe
Chewy Vegan Applesauce Chocolate Chips Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- ¼ cup almond butter or other nut/seed butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cup oat flour use gluten-free if needed*
- 1 cup rolled oats use gluten-free if needed
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, add in all wet ingredients and mix well.½ cup applesauce, ¼ cup almond butter, ⅓ cup maple syrup
- Next, add in all dry ingredients. Stir until everything is well incorporated. The batter will be on the stickier side.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cup oat flour, 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup chocolate chips
- Using a large trigger cookie dough scoop or spoon, scoop out 3-4 tablespoons of batter onto baking tray leaving some space between them. You should get about 8-9 cookies. Gently flatten them out using the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown and cookies appear to be set. Let them cool down slightly before digging into your vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies!
Notes
- It is highly recommended to weigh out ingredients using a kitchen scale. The next best option is to measure them using the spoon and level method with measuring cups. DO NOT scoop flour out directly using your cups or pack flour into your cups.
- Cookie batter will be on the wetter side, so do make sure to use wet utensils and hands while shaping cookies to prevent batter from sticking on any surface it comes into contact with.
- Gently flatten down your cookie dough before baking. As these applesauce cookies are made without butter, they will not expand much after baking.
- Be careful not to overbake your cookies. As they are made without oil, they tend to dry out easily. Pull them out of the oven once they appear to be set and the edges are lightly golden.
You can also freeze cookies too! Store them in sealed containers or freezer bags before freezing. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating - To reheat from frozen, let them thaw completely overnight in the fridge, or on countertop for a few hours. You can them proceed with heating them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed. To speed up the heating process, thaw cookies in the microwave using the "defrost" function, before heating them on high for 15-30 seconds.
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