How to Make Kid-Friendly Bite-Sized Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
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I posted on Instagram right after Halloween that I’d made these yummy little vegan oatmeal raisin cookies for my toddler’s daycare party. There was a pretty decent response on that post and then went dark. So, I apologize for the delay.
I had used the end of the coconut oil for that recipe and was waiting to buy more. Recently, we were enough under budget to afford a jar from Aldi, and now I can finally share this recipe.
I’m Not Vegan, but…
Here’s the thing about how my family eats. We are not vegan, not even vegetarian. I don’t really even keep us on any special diet. All we do is try to eat healthy and eat mindfully.
What that means is that we acknowledge that it’s not great to eat a lot of meat. That’s why, if you check out my Meal Planning Intro post, you’ll notice we do a Meatless Monday and Fish Friday. At least two days a week, we focus on a sustainable meal. We also try to limit red meat and pork to once a month at most. All this to say, we’re not 100% committed, but we’re trying.
So… Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!
Getting to the point, though, the main reason you need to try this cookie recipe is simply because they are good. The cookies come out moist, soft, and chewy. They’re the right size for little bitty hands to hold (in my kid’s case, there was one in each hand).
The other reason behind making a vegan version of my favorite oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is allergies. We had to consider two dairy allergies, one egg allergy, and the daycare’s nut-free policy.
Breaking Vegan
So, how do you go make cookies without dairy or eggs? It’s so easy actually. For starters, I replaced the butter with coconut oil because it is solid at room temperature. You could use vegetable shortening as well, and one day, when I remember to buy some, I’ll let you know how that goes.
The egg is easy too, and you don’t have to buy vegan eggs. You just need ground flax seed and water. While flax has a lot of fabulous benefits, it’s such a small concentration in this recipe, it’s not worth noting. What it does, though, is it gels up when soaked in water in a way that helps bind your recipe, much like an egg.
A Flax Egg is 1 Tbsp ground flax meal with 2 Tbsp water. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and that’s it!
The Concern Over Coconut Oil
Here’s the thing about coconut oil. It’s high in saturated fat. We’ve been told for years that this is bad for our hearts, but we’re now finding out that may not be the case.
So, I did my own research. There are some studies that show the saturated fats in coconut oil are actually fine for your heart. And in terms of giving it to my kid, I’ve also read that the lauric acid in coconut oil mimics that found in breast milk, and is necessary for brain development (Source).
All that said, I believe in moderation, so that is why I went for 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 1/2 cup of applesauce. In case you’re still worried about the coconut oil, these cookies are tiny.
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup pure cane sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp ground flax meal mixed with 2 Tbsp water
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Soak the 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds in 2 Tbsp water for 5 minutes.
- As the flax soaks, cream the coconut oil and sugar together. Add in the vanilla and applesauce.
- Add in the dry ingredients all at once (including the raisins), and mix to combine. Do not over stir.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spoon out teaspoon sized dollops onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes.
- Allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cooling rack.
