I’ve never been a huge sweets person, but this is a cookie I can get behind. More specifically, a raw vegan oatmeal cookie. If someone had said this to me a few years ago, I would have said, “Oh, you mean cardboard?” Little did I know the luscious tastes and flavors that raw and whole foods contain. Something about eating a cookie that is good for you totally changes the experience, in my opinion. I ate these cookies and my body was like, nutrients! Vitamins! Minerals! Let’s goooo!
It’s a bit weird for me to be so enthusiastic about a dessert food, but I’ve been experimenting a lot with raw vegan foods lately and it’s been so rewarding. A huge part of this has been seeing so many ingredients in raw foods come up in popularity in the grocery stores – I got the medjool dates for this recipe at Stop and Shop. Stop and Shop. This is huge, people. No longer are raw vegan foods expensive, “fringe” ingredients. They are becoming less expensive and more accessible to all Americans and that is fantastic.
I don’t follow a raw foods diet, but it is true that some nutrients are lost through cooking certain foods. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, I try to eat them raw as often as possible, but sometimes I’ll enjoy some steamed broccoli or potato wedges. And of course, there’s rices and pastas and breads, which I just couldn’t live without! For me, it’s all about balance. I eat as many raw foods as possible, supplemented with healthy whole cooked foods.
However, it’s really important to acknowledge my privilege in being able to make these food choices for myself, when so many people in the world go hungry, or live in food deserts without access to healthy food. Hopefully by raising awareness of these issues, they can be fully addressed and worked on by our society. But in terms of making a personal difference, choosing a vegan diet is the most humane lifestyle – not only towards the animals, but towards the world. I’ve spoken about this before, but the crops and grain that are used to feed livestock could feed millions of hungry children worldwide. For more information, I’d highly recommend this very informative infographic.
Really Good Raw Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 Cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats ground
- 1 Cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats whole
- 2/3 Cup Raw Coconut Sugar
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 2 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Cup Pecans
- 12 Medjool Dates pitted
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
- Up to 6 Tbs Water if needed
Frosting
- 1 Cup Cashews soaked overnight
- 2/3 Cup Almond Milk or other plant milk
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
- 2 Tbs Coconut Oil
- 2 Tbs Coconut Nectar
Instructions
Cookies
- Start by grounding the first cup of oats into flour using a blender. Once a rough flour is formed, add to a bowl with whole oats, coconut sugar, ginger, and cinnamon.
- In a food processor, process pecans, dates, and coconut oil until a smooth-ish "dough" is formed - the dough should ball up in the food processor.
- Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients in a bowl until a sticky dough is formed. I found it best to mix dough with your hands!
- If the dough doesn't clump together, add up until 3 Tbs of water until it sticks. If dough is too thin, add a little more oat flour incrementally.
- Using an ice cream scoop, form little dough balls and flatten with hands into cookies.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, dehydrate cookies in your oven at its lowest setting for two hours, checking halfway for doneness. When done, cookies should hold their shape but still be a bit soft in the middle.
Frosting
- Start by draining the cashews from the water they soaked in. Add drained cashews to a blender with almond (or other plant) milk, vanilla, coconut oil, and coconut nectar. (If you haven't any coconut nectar, maple syrup can be used as well.)
- Blend frosting until it's smooth and creamy. Scoop a dollop of frosting on each cookie, and top with a little bit of cinnamon.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Song of the Day:
One Day – Matisyahu
P.S.
If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)
14 Comments
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
January 12, 2016 at 7:00 pmThese look glorious! I’ve always loved oatmeal cookies, so from the oats to the pecans and that cashew frosting..heaven!
Sarah
January 13, 2016 at 7:57 amThanks girl!! <3
Emilie @ Emilie Eats
January 13, 2016 at 9:40 amThese look so amazingly delicious! And that frosting is to die for <3
Sarah
January 13, 2016 at 9:14 pmThanks Emilie!!
Brianne @ Natural Girl Modern World
January 14, 2016 at 7:36 pmLove these! They look wonderful:) Such a good idea!!
Sarah
January 15, 2016 at 10:08 amThank you Brianne!!
Rakhee@boxofspice
January 15, 2016 at 8:13 amRaw desserts are a bit of a mystery to me. I think I’m just too lazy to try it out. Having said that growing up in India I remember eating such a ton of raw fruits and vegetables. That’s just how it was. I’ve kind of lost that a bit. A pity. These cookies look fantastic and that frosting is to die for!
Sarah
January 15, 2016 at 10:08 amYou should definitely try some raw desserts, it’s so worth it!! :D
Jessie Snyder | Faring Well
January 15, 2016 at 5:56 pmUmm why are these not in front of my face to eat right now?! SARAH. These sound incredible (!!!).
Sarah
January 16, 2016 at 8:53 pmAww thanks Jessie!! <3
Aimee / Wallflower Girl
January 20, 2016 at 5:27 pmI’m not lying when I tell you that looking at these cookies has me salivating to the point of almost drooling. They sound amazing!
Sarah
January 20, 2016 at 10:41 pmHaha thank you Aimee!! ;) :D
Miss Padberg
March 10, 2016 at 1:00 pmvery interesting
Sarah
March 10, 2016 at 1:49 pmThanks!