Carina Finn Koeppicus

My obsession with raw, vegan cookies is sort of a dirty secret. I’m neither raw nor vegan, but sometimes I want a snack that feels like a cookie but is actually legitimate food. Raw vegan “baked” goods fill this niche perfectly.

The best thing about them is that you don’t 100% need a recipe or any special equipment beyond a high-speed blender or food processor. I’ve had my Ninja for so long, they don’t even make the model anymore. It comes with a large-format blender, single-serve, and food processor attachment, and I’ve used it for everything from nut flours to blended soups. When it comes to vegan cookies, I pretty much toss in whatever is in my pantry that seems like a good cookie ingredient, within some loose guidelines.

The minimal base of any good raw, vegan cookie combines finely pulsed raw nuts or nut flour with something fatty (coconut oil, tahini, and nut butter all work well) and something sweet (think dates, agave, brown rice syrup). You can mix and match these three components, blend to a paste, shape however you like, and be good to go.

Or you can get fancy, which is what I did when I had a few hours to myself this week to indulge in some serious raw baking. See those chocolate chips? There are almost as many chocolate chips as there are cashews in this recipe, because chocolate is important.

Tahini Chip Cookies

Makes 12

Ingredients 

• 1 c raw cashews (no need to soak!)
• 1/3 c rolled oats
• 1/3 c shredded coconut
• 1/2 c soaked dates or date paste
• 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp mesquite powder or liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp water
• As many chocolate chips as you want (I used about 1/3 c)

Method 

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 F. Don’t worry — you’re not actually “baking” these cookies, but you will use the pre-heated oven to dehydrate them later.
2. Pulse cashews and oats in a high-speed blender until they have a flour-like texture. Add all other ingredients except water and blend until they form a crumbly dough.
3. Just before your dough is finished, add the water and blend for an additional 30 seconds. Finally, fold in your chocolate chips.
4. You could just shape the dough into balls or flat disks and eat it at this point. If you do, be sure to store your cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you’re a little more patient, keep going!
5. Roll the dough into a log (think old-school slice and bake cookies) and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour before slicing and placing on a baking sheet prepared with parchment.
6. Once you put the cookies in your pre-heated oven, turn it off! Leave your cookies in the cooling oven to dehydrate overnight. If your oven goes low enough, you can also leave them in a 120 F oven for 4-6 hours.

The results of dehydrating these babies are worth the wait. You get a chewy, somehow fluffy texture that really is a cookie, not a protein bar masquerading as a cookie. Dehydrated cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for one week, but I highly doubt you’ll be able to keep them that long.

Did you try this recipe at home? Leave a comment and let me know how it goes — and more importantly, how long they lasted 🙂