FAQ: Dreena, how can I make oil-free vegan cookies?… “can I replace the oil with applesauce?”
Short answer: No.
Long answer…
You *can* substitute with applesauce if you don’t mind the texture changing to a softer, more muffin-like baked good.
However, if you want a classic cookie texture – that is, a chewy/crisp texture, applesauce is not the answer.
Applesauce, and other fruit purees like pumpkin and banana work beautifully in muffins, quick breads, and snack cookies that are soft. These purees lend moisture and also sweetness, flavor, and body. When you want a classic cookie texture, however, it’s quite difficult to do so without adding some fat.
That fat doesn’t have to be oil. It can be a whole-foods fat, such as peanut butter, nut butters, avocado puree, seed or soy nut butters, or coconut butter. When using nut and seed butters, you will generally have a nutty flavor. Somewhat obvious. When using coconut butter, however, the final product tastes buttery and rich.
Coconut butter is one of my favorite ingredients for plant-based desserts, and also for oil-free vegan cookies. I receive plenty of questions about coconut butter too. It’s a confusing ingredient, because labelling is not very standardized. Coconut butter is not the same as coconut oil. It’s the whole coconut pureed into a butter – much like peanuts to peanut butter or almonds to almond butter. Yes, it’s high in fat. However, in terms of working with whole foods ingredients, it is one. In fact, you can make it yourself at home with unsweetened shredded coconut and a blender! (I have the DIY in Plant-Powered Families, flip to page 253). It is still quite high in fat, so I’m not suggesting you consume coconut butter liberally in your daily diet. We’re talking cookies and desserts here, not lunch. 😉 So, if you want to bake cookies from whole vegan food ingredients, this is one of your go-to swaps, along with nut/seed/soy butters, and also avocado.
When using a nut butter or coconut butter, it’s not usually a straight substitution for oil either. That’s because nut butters (and coconut butter in particular) are denser and thicker than oil. You will have difficulty bringing the mixture together without some other fixes. As a rule, I recommend using established oil-free vegan cookie recipes, rather than experimenting with substitutions and finding the process frustrating or time consuming. I’m sharing a recipe for you today to help you!
However, if you do want to embark on that recipe testing, here are my tips…
5 tips for making oil-free vegan cookies:
1) Look at the amount of oil used in the recipe, and substitute nut/seed/coconut butter for about 3/4 (roughly) of that amount. This is a general rule, every recipe will be different. But, generally, you will want close to the measure, but not quite the full measure.
2) Now, add back some liquid moisture. Because oil is thinner than nut butter, you need to help liquefy the batter again. I wouldn’t advise water, but instead I’d reduce the dry sweetener slightly and then add back a little liquid sweetener. My choice is almost always pure maple syrup.
3) How much liquid you use (point 2) you use will depend on the recipe and also the thickness of your nut/seed/coconut butter. For instance, coconut butter is exceptionally dense and dry. It’s not smooth and liquid like tahini or macadamia nut butter. Macadamia butter is particularly buttery and liquid, more than say almond butter or cashew butter (which is often thicker than almond butter). Each seed and nut butter varies in its thickness, and also varies from when you open it (a fresh jar) to when you are almost finished it. Despite stirring, a jar of nut butter is always thicker and drier at the end of that jar!
4) If the batter is dry, try another touch of sweetener mixed with a touch more nut/seed/coconut butter… or, add a touch of non-dairy milk. Not too much milk though. For most cookie recipes yielding about 20 cookies, I wouldn’t add more than about 1-2 tablespoons for optimal texture.
5) On the other hand, if the batter is too loose/wet (which can happen especially if a nut or seed butter is thinner/oilier – see point 3), add back a little more flour or dry sweetener – other other dry ingredient like rolled oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, flax meal, etc.
Those are the steps I use when working out a recipe. Of course, you can instead just use a recipe that already works!
These oil-free vegan cookies from Plant-Powered Families have already received a lot of love, so I’m sharing it for you today. It uses coconut butter as the oil replacer. I do have others in the book and on my blog using nut/seed butters.
Enjoy! x Dreena
Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut butter not tightly packed, see note
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup nondairy chocolate chips mini or regular
Instructions
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the coconut butter and maple syrup. Mix, slowly to start, then at a higher speed until smoothed out. Add the oat flour, coconut sugar, vanilla bean powder, and sea salt to the coconut butter mixture, and sift in the baking powder and baking soda. Mix at slow speed (so the dry ingredients don’t poof!), and then bring up to medium speed and mix until everything just comes together. Add the chocolate chips and mix to just incorporate. The mixture should be a little sticky, not dry, but not too wet either. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula, then transfer to the fridge to chill for 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1–1 1/2-tablespoon scoops of the batter on the prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten each cookie with a spatula or your hand. Bake for 11 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool for 2–3 minutes on the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completel
Notes
photo credit: Nicole Axworthy
Zina says
I just made these and they were delicious! I used 1/4 Trader Joe’s mixed nut butter And 1/4 unsweetened applesauce, as well as whole wheat flour. I baked them a few minutes longer than instructed but still yummy.
Cass says
Can I use erythritol instead of liquid sweetener?
Megan says
After weeks of trialing different oil free PB choc chip cookies, i was losing hope it was possible. But then i tried this recipe and was so surprised by how much they spread in the oven (quite flat actually). They also tasted more like what i was going for. If i wanted to trial reducing the sweetness a little, which sweetener would you suggest i reduce? This first trial came out quite flat and chewy, but what if i wanted them to be soft with some chewiness but not quite so flat? Many thanks!
Dreena says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed them. If you want to reduce the sweetness try omitting the 2 tbsp of coconut sugar- see how that works for you for taste and texture.
Liz S says
Love these cookies. I make them at least once a week and they don’t last a day. Sometimes I use cashew butter. My husband likes them without the chocolate chips but rolled in cinnamon & coconut sugar. Thank you for posting such a lovely recipe.
Louise says
I love this recipe!! I substitute peanut butter or almond butter for different variations Yumm!!
Dreena says
Wonderful, thanks Louise! (and those nut butters would be delish indeed!)
Sareen says
Made these tonight for my daughters birthday treat at school tomorrow. They are really tasty and soft! My sad excuse for a blender (ninja) didn’t blend the oats up to flour well enough so they are a bit chunky with the oats but very good regardless.
Dreena says
Oh, wonderful! Glad you enjoyed the cookies, thanks Sareen.
Bethany says
Do these cookies spread in the oven? I just made some and I have’nt baked them because I don’t know if I should flatten them
Dreena says
They will a little, but shouldn’t spread out such that they are flat and touching each other. Do chill the batter first, helps a lot! Hope you love them!
Raquel says
We love these cookies!!! They are so good
Elisabeth says
These cookies were incredible!! thank you for a great recipe 🙂
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
I am SO making these cookies! I keep all of those ingredients on hand. I love that you clarified how some fat is a must! Even with muffins and such, I hate it when people make them fat-free and then complain that the texture is off – well, yes! And it cookies, you really do need that fat.
Megan says
These look so good! Great information too. I’ve never tried coconut butter but it sounds like I’ll need to get some.
Honey says
Yum yum! I have tried several great recipes from PPF, but I haven’t tried these cookies yet. I need to get some more coconut butter. I have made your home style chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter subbed for half of the oil. Yum!
Dreena says
Thanks Honey, and that’s a great idea for the homestyle cookies. My sister made a similar version when we visited her a couple of years ago, and I thought “why didn’t I think of that”… lol!