Let’s keep this holiday goodie train chuggin’ along, with a new cookie recipe that I made recently for a holiday get together. It’s inspired by the Turtles candy, with a nutty, “buttery” base of toasted pecans, caramel-like Medjool dates, and mini dark chocolate chips. They did not last long. I bet you’ve never had an oatmeal cookie quite like this one – it’s a keeper, for sure! I have to say, it replaces my oatmeal raisin cookies as the new reigning champion. And I didn’t think anything could top those.
Introducing the world’s best tasting cookie dough. Try it and see…
The cookies aren’t too shabby either! My favourite way to eat them is straight from the fridge or freezer. Weird, right? They get really firm and crispy when chilled – almost caramelized in texture – and I just can’t get enough.
I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I’m keeping the recipe a secret.
Don’t be mad.
Sometimes I just want to keep a recipe all to myself. Is that wrong?
I feel horrible!
Ok, ok stop punching your computer screen. I’m only joking! Poor computer screen.
For the full recipe, head on over to Keepin’ It Kind where I’m participating in Kristy’s Vegan Cookie Swap Party.
Edited to add: you can now find the recipe below:
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Vegan "Turtle" Oatmeal Cookies
Yield
16 large cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Inspired by one of my childhood favourite candies, these "Turtle" Oatmeal Cookies are studded with caramel-like Medjool dates and dark chocolate chips, all surrounded with a nutty toasted pecan and oat base. If you can stop eating the dough for long enough to bake them, you are in for a real treat. This sounds a bit strange, but my favourite way to enjoy these is straight from the fridge or freezer where the cookies get firm and crisp.
Ingredients
- 1 + 3/4 cups pecan halves
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
- 3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s brand, see note)
- 1/2 cup Sucanat or unpacked brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 3.5 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- heaping 1/3 cup pitted dates, diced
- 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast pecans for about 9-11 minutes, until golden and fragrant. After toasting, remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Add pecans into food processor along with 1 cup of oats and process until coarsely chopped with some fine powder (see photo in blog post). Be sure not to over process or the oils in the nuts will release.
- In a large bowl, stir the pecan/oat mixture, the remaining 1 cup rolled oats, flour, Sucanat, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, milk, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture on the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, coat the chopped dates in 1/2-1 teaspoon of flour and toss until coated. This prevents the dates from sticking together. Fold the dates and chocolate chips into the dough.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of dough, roll it into a ball, and then press down on it with your hand to flatten it on the baking sheet. Space cookies a couple inches apart. Repeat until you have about 16 cookies.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes at 350F until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 3-4 mins before placing cookies onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
Tip:
Notes: 1) Instead of gluten-free all-purpose flour, you can probably swap it for regular all-purpose flour. Depending on the flour you use, the results can vary. 2) As for the gluten-free flour blend, I recommend using one that is rice based (such as Pamela's brand) and avoid using one that is garbanzo based (such as Bob's Red Mill) to avoid any bean-y flavour.
Nutrition Information
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Whoops! I forgot to add the sugar and … They turned out lovely and sweet enough! Thanks for another scrumptious recipe. My only other variation was deliberate: using pumpkin seeds instead of pecans due to nut allergies. I love that I can rely on your recipes and make them work for my family!
This dough is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!!!! I cannot wait until the cookies are done…. maybe I will share some with my kids;-) I’m excited to try them right from the freezer…yum!! My favorite way to eat cookies– frozen!! I hate to admit it but I already devoured the Healthy Strawberry bars ( big family favorite) in 3 days…. I guess I did share 1/4 of the pan with my hubby. Keep posting more outstanding recipes!!!! Oh, fyi…I’m I. LUV with coconut sweet potato fries too!! Really just addicted to sweet potatoes, butternut squash, every orange veggie…
Hi Angela! I just took these out of the oven and they are delicious! I recently switched to a vegan diet and you and your site have been such an inspiration. I’ve made many recipes and my family can’t get enough, especially the pasta with avocado cream sauce…oh my!! Thank you for sharing your story, thoughts, and recipes. :)
They are soooooo good, my family loved them, only problem is we can’t stop eating them…
next time I make them ill have to double the recipe!!
Just made these with my daughters and we all gave them a big thumbs up! Adding this recipe to our other favorites from this season: Peanut “Better” Balls, Oat Squares with Chia Seed Jam, and that magnificent Best Shredded Kale Salad (E-V-E-R). Yours is the only site I’ve found where I’m confident enough to make a dish for company before I’ve tried it. You never disappoint! Keep rockin’ on.
These are amazing, I can’t get enough :)
It is a shame that schools are all nut free these days, my daughter also loves them and they are a great mid day snack..
oh did I mention? Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!!
~Danny
This is everything I love in a cookie! So good – thanks for the recipe!
I could not get these to hold their shape at all! So I had to make them as a crumble and eat them with a bowl and spoon. They were AMAZING! Also great over ice cream.
Thank you.
I just made these and hooooly cow. My house smells like Christmas and I’m looking for “broken” ones that need to be eaten.
I skipped toasting the pecans and processing the oats, and I used the Bob’s AP GF flour, and they still turned out pretty great. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to bring these out at my Super Bowl party tomorrow.
The husband: “Oh, mmm. These are good. Are they Vego Gluto Organo Fruity Something or Other?” Yes, my dear. The better to tempt you with!
I used walnuts instead of pecans and made my own flour blend using the almonds and sweet rice I have on hand (1:1 almond flour to sweet rice flour). They are just scrumptious! Thank you!
I just made these for my book club and they are fantastic. I used sunflower seeds instead of pecans because I needed them to be nut free and I used whole wheat flour because I didn’t need them to be gluten free. My kids will love these too! Thanks for another fabulous recipe.
Loved the cookies…always trying to find great snack ideas with great ingredients for my 4 boys who are always looking for Oreos! Lol …I did not have any gluten free all purpose flour so i added some whole wheat flour, just had on hand,…did not have any dates…so I added a few raisins!!
All I have to say or should I say all they had to say was these are awesome Mom!
Thanks for the awesome reciepe!!
Thank you for the awesome cookie recipe! I’m always looking for a good snack recipe for my 4 boys who are always looking for Oreos! Lol!
I did not have gluten free flour on hand son I used whole wheat and no dates either so substituted raisins, which were awesome with the chips! Yum!
Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Noreen Cunningham
I just made these last night for the whole fam….everyone devoured them! I had run out of coconut sugar so I added 1/4 cup more maple syrup instead and they came out just devine!!! Thanks for this awesome recipe Angela!!!
Holy crap those cookies are beyond delicious! Just eating the dough was amazing but once they were baked, the gooey chocolate morsels coating the pecans and oats was an unbelieveble party in my mouth.
I love these! I’ve made them three times in the past three weeks. For the last batch I doubled the amount of dates and omitted the chocolate chips and I have to say I love them even more that way than with the chocolate. Perfect nutty crunch with tea. Thank you Angela!
Hey Angela!
Just wanted to thank you a million times over for this magnificent recipe!!! I had a chocolate chip cookie craving, but the pact I made with myself is that I would have to make it from scratch. I did use regular AP flour and it still turned out great! I may try spelt next time. The toasted pecans really made a humongous difference; typically I get lazy and just put them in recipes raw and untested, but, boy, it was worth it to toast them! I just want you to know that my husband—a picky eater—told me to “keep this recipe because it is really good!” We both loved the dates, too. It is not as sweet as a raisin or cranberry, so it doesn’t overload the cookie’s flavor. Just an unbelievable cookie that I will be using this year for Christmas gifts. Hands down, the best cookie we’ve had to date! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
If I vacuum packed these, do you think they would keep for a month or two at room temperature? The reason I ask is because I am going to be in Alberta in the field, sleeping in tents for 2 months, but they do not have many Vegan food options for someone in the military. Soooo, I will be making lots of snack foods to bring with me alongside my raw protein supplements! Thanks!
Haha – I can’t believe you joked about withholding the recipe – I was thinking, whatt? What is she doing to us? I like your sense of humour! :p Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
I’ve been following your recipes for a while now & always enjoy them! Thank you so much for sharing such yumminess with us all, as these sure are tasty! I found it impossible to roll them into a ball as they were soooo sticky & crumbly though, so I baked them as one on a cookie sheet, then cut them into squares. Any thoughts around how to overcome this issue? Thanks again!