Vegan chocolate cookies (2 ways)

Name: Vegan chocolate cookies (2 ways)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: makes 10
Ingredients: 120 g / 1 cup raw hazelnuts* OR 180 g / 1 cup raw quinoa; ½ tsp baking powder; a generous pinch of salt; 25 g / ¼ cup raw cacao powder; approx. 80 ml / 1/3 cup maple syrup**; coarse sea salt; zest of one orange; ¼ tsp powdered ginger, adjust to taste; 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder, adjust to taste

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Vegan chocolate cookies (2 ways)

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chocolate easy gluten-free oil-free refined sugar-free

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These vegan chocolate cookies came to me last night! I just finished a photoshoot, tidied up and started to relax after a day’s worth of work when an idea for these cookies sparked up in the superior temporal gyrus of my brain (sorry, I have been listening to a lot of podcasts about neurology lately) and I had to give them a go. It sort of worked, apart from two minor tweaks. Then I started trying out other variations and I obviously had to try every single cookie as it came out of the oven, didn’t I? It’s that beautiful chocolate and hazelnut aroma that fills your house when you bake these that makes you have three cookies just before bed!! 😉 Argh…

These cookies are a cross between my vegan brookies (have you tried these yet?) and an almond brittle I made for my ginger cheesecake pots. They have crispy edges and are slightly chewy on the inside, super easy to put together (5 ingredients, can you believe that?) and take about 25 minutes to make in total (baking time included). I gave mine a good sprinkling of salt (which is totally optional, BTW – in fact, below are some other suggestions on jazzing them up a little) as I looooove the dark chocolate and salt combo! There is this one chocolate with a hint of salt here, in the UK, that I am totally addicted to and I cannot stop buying it, no matter how much I try to distract myself when I’m passing by.

I had planned to release a different recipe today, but I fell in love with these cookies so much that I had to share them with you immediately. In my usual fashion, I could not decide which version to share as, even though I am a hazelnut and chocolate kind of girl, I knew that the quinoa ones had something going for them too (they are crispy all over BTW – not chewy). I asked you to weigh in on my dilemma on Instagram and Facebook and even though the hazelnuts won, below are both versions for you. The quinoa one is handy if you cannot have nuts or cannot be bothered with a food processor. See, I am chronically indecisive…!!!

And as an aside, what is wrong with me? The minute I decide that I should probably stop making desserts, as I’m training for a 10 km race and I would like to lose a few pounds before summer, my head is suddenly awash with cookie and cake ideas – I have two recipes finalised, ready to shoot next week!! And my neighbour is on a diet too so I cannot even con him into taking some off my hands. Seriously! Do you guys have any savoury (but not deep-fried) food that you would like me to attempt to veganise? I cannot promise anything, but I will certainly give it a red hot go. Let me know in the comments, maybe that will motivate me to stop dreaming of all things chocolate 😛 .

If you make this recipe please tag me on Instagram using the #lazycatkitchen hashtag and @lazycatkitchen. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

vegan chocolate cookies making of

vegan chocolate cookies spooning cookies

vegan chocolate cookies stacked

vegan chocolate cookies baked

makes

PREP

10 min

COOKING

10 min

makes

PREPARATION

10 min

COOKING

10 min

8 reviews

5.0

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INGREDIENTS

120 g / 1 cup raw hazelnuts* OR 180 g / 1 cup raw quinoa
½ tsp baking powder
a generous pinch of salt
25 g / ¼ cup raw cacao powder
approx. 80 ml / 1/3 cup maple syrup**

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

coarse sea salt
zest of one orange
¼ tsp powdered ginger, adjust to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder, adjust to taste

METHOD

If making the hazelnut version, grind the hazelnuts up in a food processor until you get a coarse but fairly uniform grind. Be careful not to over process.
If making the quinoa version, toast the raw quinoa in a dry pan until golden, making sure you stir it the entire time as it’s easy to burn. Allow it to cool down completely.
Preheat the oven to 170° C / 340° F. Line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. If you would like, add some ground ginger or cayenne pepper or orange zest to flavour them a little. I opted for a grind of salt after baking.
Add maple syrup until you get a sticky mixture. I found that an 80 ml / 1/3 cup of maple syrup is sufficient, but you may need a touch (a teaspoon or two) more for the dough to hold together. Make sure you mix well before adding any more maple syrup as initially it may look like it’s not enough, but it is! Trust me.
Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and flatten each cookie with the back of the spoon to ensure they are flat and low.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes (12 minutes makes them a bit crispier). Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool down completely before removing them from the tray with a metal spatula – they will crisp up as they cool.
Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt if you like.
They keep in an air-tight container for a few days.

NOTES

*Hazelnut meal is too fine so I recommend using coarsely ground nuts. You can use other types of nuts or seeds if you wish.

** I have tried date syrup and it works well too but I didn’t feel that it fit my flavour profile as well as maple syrup does. I suspect that other liquid sweeteners will also work, but I have not tried them myself.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

calories

114

sugars

7 g

fats

8 g

11%

saturates

1 g

proteins

2 g

carbs

11 g

*per cookie

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5.0

8 reviews, 32 comments

REVIEWS & QUESTIONS

aramnoor shop:

28 Apr 2021

Thank you for the recipe...
..
very good ...

Ania:

28 Apr 2021

Thank you, I'm really happy you enjoyed it! Ania

Maya:

27 Aug 2020

These are so delicious! I only had about 2/3 cup quinoa so I added 1/3 cup ground rolled oats and they turned out super yummy! And my 6 year old fussy eater loved them too. Thanks!

Ania:

28 Aug 2020

That's fabulous to hear. Glad to hear that your little one enjoyed them too - I hear that the little ones are the hardest people to please. Ania

Ariel:

18 Jul 2018

Tried to make these and they turned out great! Do you know how many calories are in each cookie?

Ania:

18 Jul 2018

Thanks Ariel, I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed them! No, I don't unfortunately (and it's probably for the best to be honest as they are cookies after all ;) ). Ania

Annette Gibbs:

12 Jun 2018

I just finished making these cookies and in typical form I did not read your recipe correctly so instead of nuts OR Quinoa I used both and as I did not have hazelnust I used almonds instead, well I must say if I had not caught my mistake I would have thought that was how they were meant to feel and taste, quite satisfying, thank you.
Annette

Ania:

15 Jun 2018

Ha ha, that's great news, Annette! I'm happy to hear that they turned out well. Ania

Petra:

10 May 2018

I did that, rinsed it very well before cooking. Will make them soon again :) Thank you for the recipe!

Ania:

10 May 2018

My pleasure! Ania

Petra:

9 May 2018

Hi. I've made this recipe with quinoa. They are sssoooo good!
Only that it was quite difficult to use the composition. I have added 1 spoon of flour to make it a little less complicated to use. It was really sticky, it got on my hands and on the spoon, it hardly remained in the tray. I hope I'll do better next time :)
My question actually is Do you know if quinoa served like this is ok for kids? We have only boiled it so far. Never raw and fried. Thank you

Ania:

10 May 2018

I'm delighted to hear that, Petra! As far as I know it's perfectly safe to eat quinoa like this, not sure if that's any different for kids. If want to be extra sure, rinse it well first and then dry (air dry or in the low oven) before toasting. Hope that helps! Ania

Ailish Lalor:

8 Apr 2018

These are delicious! So simple to make and yet the perfect mix of crispy and chewy. Amazing!

Ania:

10 Apr 2018

Yay! That's so great to hear, Ailish! I'm delighted! Ania

Veronika:

6 Apr 2018

Thank you for this recipe! I made the hazelnut version and I have never eaten better cookies in my life! Thank you so much :)

Ania:

6 Apr 2018

That's amazing, Veronika! I'm super chuffed to hear you liked them so much! Ania

Yvonne:

1 Apr 2018

Thank you for helping me out! You might be right about my raw cacao powder - I will definitely follow your advice with the quinoa version; first I will try the hazelnut version. Sorry, but I have just one more question - I feel like 'Columbo' in the detective serie :) : what do you think that roasting the hazelnuts before grinding them would do to the resulting cookies?

Ania:

1 Apr 2018

You could try, but I would say that it's not necessary as they are getting roasted while the cookies are being baked. Ania

Yvonne:

1 Apr 2018

I don't think I burnt the cookies nor the quinoa (I don't like my cookies or bread dark) and my mother didn't find them bitter so it must definitely be my palate : )

Ania:

1 Apr 2018

In this case, Yvonne, next time, you could either add more maple syrup or decrease the amount of cacao powder used (or both). Does your cacao taste very bitter? Maybe that's where the issue lies. Mine isn't that bitter when eaten straight up, I mean it isn't sweet, but it isn't bitter either. Hope that helps! Ania

Artemis:

1 Apr 2018

Hi,this sounds very interesting but a bit scary to me. I have never tried eating quinoa in this form. Are you sure it's not too gritty and teeth breaking?

Ania:

1 Apr 2018

Hi Artemis,
I'm pretty sure, yes, but they are definitely crunchy/crispy not chewy so be aware of that. I would say that baking them for less is the way to go (the longer you bake them the crispier they get once they cool) and also, if you are that worried, try the hazelnut version instead. Ania

Yvonne:

31 Mar 2018

I made them with quinoa and they are indeed crunchy! I followed the recipe, but even with the quinoa being toasted, I find the cookies taste bitter and not sweet at all (maple syrup is there but doesn't help to sweeten it up?) - or am I mistaken? I think I will try them with the hazelnuts - you didn't roast these first (for added flavor)?

Ania:

31 Mar 2018

Hmm, I am not sure, mine were definitely sweet, not bitter. Did they get a bit burnt by any chance? That would explain the bitterness. Ania

Helen:

31 Mar 2018

If you can work out how to do GF, vegan Yorkshire puddings I'm all ears!

Ania:

31 Mar 2018

Thanks Helen, but I have never been a fan on Yorkies myself I won't be able to judge how they compare to the non-vegan ones, I'm afraid. Ania

Joc:

31 Mar 2018

Made these cookies last night with ginger powder and kosher salt on top, everyone loved them both vegan and non-vegan in my household. I used hazelnut version. I also liked that it was only a few ingredients.

Ania:

31 Mar 2018

Thank you for your lovely comment, I'm so pleased to hear that they went down so well with everyone! Ania

Basia:

28 Mar 2018

Made them with orange zest and a few drops of orange EO and love the result! So crunchy! Do you think I could swap the quinoa for millet or buckwheat groats in the future? I have tons in my pantry and this seems like a great recipe to “smuggle” them in ;)

Ania:

28 Mar 2018

Glad to hear, Basia. I'm unsure about millet as it tastes a bit funny unless prepared in a very specific way. A mixture of raw buckweat and ground hazelnuts should work well, though! I would love to know what your thoughts are if you decide to try! Ania

Yvonne:

28 Mar 2018

Would this recipe work with raw millet or raw buckwheat groats instead of the raw quinoa, and, would I have to grind the buckwheat first because it's larger than millet and quinoa? Also, is it safe to eat quinoa, millet and buckwheat like that, just toasted (without cooking or soaking)?

Ania:

28 Mar 2018

Hi Yvonne,
I'm not sure about millet as it tends to have a bitter taste unless prepared in a particular way. Buckwheat should work quite well, but it is chunky so the cookies may have trouble staying together - you may need to add something, like buckwheat flour, for example to it to act as a binder. I am pretty sure it is safe, but if you are concerned about saponin (which are a naturally occurring substance and apparently are not only non-toxic, but in fact good for you) that some quinoa brands contains (some rinse it out before packaging), you are welcome to soak your quinoa first and then dry it out in the oven before using in these. Hope that helps! Ania

Basia:

28 Mar 2018

Omg this is oil free and crunchy??? I have to make these tomorrow (with the quinoa)

Ania:

28 Mar 2018

Yes, indeed! Hope you'll enjoy them! Ania

jacquie:

23 Mar 2018

are you serious about wanting ideas for recipes? if so i would love to have a recipe for a healthy savory quick bread that was vegan. that perhaps has some wheat germ and herbs in it. I had something like that in my pre-vegan days and would love to have healthier version that i could put some nut butter on and throw in my pack for a day of hiking or along side a nice seasonal salad.
Thanks for considering

Ania:

24 Mar 2018

I think you got your wish, Jacquie ;) - here is the recipe (including a video recipe) you might be after! Ania

Irma:

23 Mar 2018

Yum. This looks sooo good! I only have cocoa powder though... would that be okay instead of cacao?
I will make it and return to rate the recipe (5 stars, I'm sure)
You asked for a recipe to veganise: beef rendang
It would be SO amazing if you could get a vegan rendang with the same sort of texture and aromas. Really miss this dish
Also... Pakistani Saag Gosht (Rapini, Spinach, Red Meat). Or Halwa Kadoo Gosht (Pumpkin and Red Meat)
I could SO go on, but I think this is enough for now 😊
Thank you for an amazing site and your hard work 💕

Ania:

23 Mar 2018

Hi Irma,
I haven't tried, but I don't see why it would not work. Let me know how it goes! Oh and thank you for all these suggestions, I don't think I've ever had any of these dishes, but I will be very happy to research them and see if there is something I can come up with :) Ania

Judy:

23 Mar 2018

Thank you for getting my ESP signals from the U.S.! Seems it only took a week for them to reach you as last week at this time, I was searching for a healthy chocolate cookie recipe. Ended up just mixing some oatmeal, cocoa powder, and peanut butter for a no-bake treat, but now I have a recipe for an Ania cookie which will be much better than anything I could have created. The weekend is looking much brighter already as these look yummy.

Ania:

23 Mar 2018

Ha ha, Judy! I'm glad we are on the same wavelength and I hope the cookies will live up to your expectations! Hope you'll have a lovely and chocolatey weekend! Ania

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