Super Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Cashew Butter
The ideal oatmeal raisin cookies - super soft and chewy, full of cinnamon, vanilla, and a hint of molasses for that classic, comforting oatmeal raisin cookie flavor. These cookies are just as delicious and indulgent tasting as the OG but they’re made with more nutritious ingredients like almond flour and cashew butter! And they’re vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free.
This may sound strange, but these cookies were actually inspired by my latest vanilla cherry and almond granola. The liquid base in that recipe is a mix of cashew butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, but when combined, the ingredients have an almost caramel-like flavor and drizzly yet creamy texture. It’s irresistibly delicious, and I’ll admit I was definitely licking up all the extra leftover bits - which is how I ended up with the idea of turning the mixture into a cookie! I knew I wanted to create some sort of chewy oatmeal cookie with vegan white chocolate, but I was missing the white chocolate, so I pivoted to using a pantry staple and classic oatmeal cookie pairing - raisins. With the help of some molasses and cinnamon, I created my own cashew butter-based version of one of my all-time favorite cookies, oatmeal raisin!
Why You’ll Love these Cookies
Ultra chewy texture. These cookies are super, super chewy and soft, with the slightest crisp around the edges for that tiny - but extra satisfying - bit of contrast. They’re studded with raisins throughout, which helps to add more chewy bits into their already chewy base. 🤤
Made with nutritious ingredients. Aside from the sweetener (maple syrup) and tiny bit of molasses, these cookies are made of whole food ingredients like oats (whole grains!), almond flour, cashew butter, and raisins. But don’t worry, they don’t taste like those dreaded cardboard-esque “healthy” cookies 😉 - they’re insanely delicious.
Oil-free & refined sugar-free. Using a mix of very creamy cashew butter and liquid sweetener like maple syrup helps keep these free of any oils and refined sugars, while also helping to give the cookies their perfectly soft, chewy texture and tasty flavor.
Indulgently delicious & comforting classic oatmeal raisin flavor. Even though these cookies are made with more nutritious ingredients, they’re every bit as delicious and indulgent tasting as classic oatmeal raisin cookies! Cinnamon, a tiny bit of molasses, and loads of vanilla, together with the cashew butter, help give these cookies that classic, ultra comforting oatmeal raisin cookie flavor we’re all here for.
Ingredient Overview
Rolled oats. Obviously a key ingredient in oatmeal cookies! Bonus points for oats being fiber and protein-rich whole grains. Make sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats or steel-cut oats, as those are processed differently and have different profiles and textures.
Almond flour. For structure! Almond flour is just finely ground blanched almonds, so it’s fatty (like almonds), which helps retain the moisture in these cookies so that they can be nice and chewy. Don’t try subbing any other flours - they’ll make your cookies very tough and unpleasant (trust me - I tested it so you don’t have to).
Baking soda. To make the cookies rise!
Cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. For the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie flavor! Vanilla adds warmth, cinnamon gives the cookies that comforting spice that’s irresistible with raisins and oats, and a bit of salt helps round out the overall flavor of the cookie!
Cashew butter. Cashew butter is the primary source of fat in these cookies, replacing the butter or oil found in traditional recipes. But on top of providing the fat needed to create a soft-textured cookie, it’s also essential in enhancing the vanilla, oatmeal-y, and raisin-y flavors of this cookie. I used a homemade, very creamy roasted cashew butter (recipe here!) that’s drizzly and spreadable, but if you’re using a storebought cashew butter, make sure it’s 1) super creamy/drizzly and 2) made with roasted cashews and absolutely nothing else, except possibly a hint of salt (check the ingredient label to make sure cashews (and maybe salt) are the only ingredient(s)!). Since roasted cashew butter is so essential to the flavor of these cookies, I don’t recommend substituting it with any other nut/seed butters.
Maple syrup. To sweeten the cookies while also helping to give them their soft and chewy texture! Plus it keeps the cookies refined sugar-free.
Unsulphured “golden” or “light” molasses. The tiniest bit of molasses (just a teaspoon!) gives these cookies that flavor depth and taste that’s reminiscent of the classic oatmeal raisin cookie flavor. More traditional oatmeal raisin cookies are typically made with some brown sugar, which contains molasses in it. So mixing in a bit of liquid molasses helps give these cookies that same ultra comforting, home-y oatmeal raisin cookie flavor! There are three different types of molasses, light or golden, dark or robust, and blackstrap - make sure to use the light/golden variety as the other two will be overpowering.
Raisins. Obviously an integral part of oatmeal raisin cookies! They also add more chewy bits into these perfectly chewy cookies.
Tips for Baking These Cookies
Baking these cookies is pretty straightforward, but here are a few helpful tips to help you achieve the perfect texture.
Chill the dough. Chilling the dough helps firm it up so that the cookies don’t overspread when baking, and it also helps perfect their texture! I’ve tested these with unchilled batter and the cookies end up with a tougher, more dull texture, so don’t skip this step.
Lean into the sticky dough. Even after chilling the dough, it will still be quite sticky - this is normal! Just do your best to shape it into 12 evenly-sized, semi-flattened rounded cookies (see the photos above).
Avoid overbaking for the perfect chewy texture. Bake the cookies until they’re slightly golden and just starting to brown around the edges. Once you take them out of the oven, they’ll be very soft and may even feel raw if you try touching them, but they’ll continue to bake once outside the oven and will firm up as they cool. In my current oven, baking them takes about 17 minutes, but in my previous oven (which I suspect ran quite hot) it took 13. I recommend using that timing range as a guideline and looking out for the visual cues (lightly golden color throughout, the slightest hint of browning around the edges) to achieve that perfectly chewy texture.
Super Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Cashew Butter
Vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free
Makes 12 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup almond flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine salt
½ cup very creamy, well-mixed roasted cashew butter* (homemade or storebought)
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon unsulphured “light/golden” molasses (not the “dark/robust” or blackstrap varieties)
1 cup raisins
Directions
In a medium to large bowl, mix together the oats, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, add the cashew butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and molasses and mix together until well combined.
Add the mixed wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to combine everything together until a dough forms. Then, fold in the raisins.
Transfer the dough to the fridge to chill for 60 minutes. Meanwhile, start preheating the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
After the dough has chilled for an hour, remove from the fridge and use your hands and a spatula (as needed) to shape it into 12 evenly-sized, semi-flattened round disks (see photo in blog post above), spreading them evenly across the entire baking sheet. The dough will be quite sticky - just do your best to shape the cookies!
Bake until lightly golden and just starting to brown around the edges, about 13-17 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet, untouched, for 10 minutes.
The cookies will be very soft if you try touching them, but they will continue cooking once removed from the oven and will eventually set as they cool.
Using a large spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to further cool until fully set, about 20-30 minutes.
These cookies are best when fresh within the first few hours of baking, but leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes:
*Be sure to use a single ingredient, roasted (not raw) cashew butter (i.e. just roasted cashews). I used my homemade roasted cashew butter - I just processed the cashews until they turned into a very drizzly butter. If using a store bought cashew butter, make sure it’s very creamy!
**Recipe originally published 4/8/2021; last updated 8/4/2022.
If you bake these cookies, don’t forget to leave a review below and tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) so I can hear/see how they turned out! And who knows, maybe this will become your new go-to super chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!