I can tell it’s a Monday by how entirely full I am. Do you ever do that? Do you ever try your hardest to eat well, exercise, and make generally healthy choices all week long only to crash and burn in a sugar and butter-induced dumpster fire of weekend disgustingness? Welcome to my world. I ate my way through the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and now Monday is kicking my tail.

We went to the beach with friends this weekend, and it was terrific. I can officially promise you that the only thing better than owning a beach house of your own is having best friends with a beach house. We trucked the kids to south Alabama’s Orange Beach and spent 72 hours power eating, sun soaking, and wrangling tiny humans. Now I know Alabama does not have a reputation for seriously delicious dining, but there are some really good meals to be had on the Gulf. Our schedule was basically built around the restaurants we planned to eat at and the rest of our tine was spent munching on snacks ever half hour. No crab claw, french fry, or margarita was left unscathed this weekend, because went in HARD.

Which brings me to this case of the Mondays. 3 days of over-indulging has left this pregnant lady’s stomach even more stretched out than ever. I wake up hungry and go to sleep hungry, and that sad-looking sandwich I’m destined to eat for lunch would sound much better if it was deep-fried and covered with tartar sauce and tator tots. The beach restaurant weekend life spoiled me to pieces, and I’m totally dragging my feet on this road back to normalcy.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

The perfect remedy for the transition from vacation and work week eating is healthy-ish treats like these vegan oatmeal cookies. Instead of butter, we’ve got coconut oil, and in lieu of chocolate and caramel we have dried fruit and nuts. These vegan oatmeal cookies pack a few extra health benefits without sacrificing any bit of flavor, taste, and texture. These are the type of treats you can enjoy without feeling entirely guilty (if you’re the type of person who feels guilt via baked goods).

This recipe for vegan oatmeal cookies was adapted from my favorite original vegan chocolate chip cookie. I depended on Diamond of California Fruit and Nut Blend to make the prep that much more simple. I use Diamond Nuts for pretty much any and every nut-filled dish I create, but when I was thinking for some creative uses for their fruit and nut blends (I mean, besides just eating straight out of the bag) I immediately thought of cookies. The fun variety of fruits and nuts included in their three different blends adds a little something special to an otherwise ordinary batch of oatmeal cookies. I was delighted by how at home they were in these chewy little bites of cinnamon-spiced deliciousness.

Making the Cookies

To make vegan oatmeal cookies, we start by creaming the fat and sugar. Blend coconut oil with organic brown, cane sugar, and a little vanilla extract. Next, add a flaxseed egg to hold the cookie together. Toss in the dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, salt and a smidge of cinnamon. The oats, Marcona almonds, dried blueberries, and cranberries, are last and the cookies bake up into fragrant and flavorful chews. I love how simply the dough comes together and how they keep well for days at room temperature.

If this Monday has got you wishing for a little Friday/Saturday/Sunday special, no worries! Bake up some vegan oatmeal cookies to soften the blow of yet another weeklong grind. I just know you’re going to love them! Many thanks to my BFFs at Diamond of California for being terrific partners and for sponsoring this post. These vegan oatmeal cookies would be the perfect home for any of their fruit and nut blends, so give them a try and let me know what you think! I hope this week treats you right and that you get some time to love yourself in the kitchen. Happy Monday and Happy Baking!

If you like these vegan oatmeal cookies you should try:

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Fluffernutter Cookies

Almond Coconut Chocolate Cookies

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.2 from 6 reviews

These vegan oatmeal cookies are a coconut oil based dough with oats, dried fruit and almonds! Simple one bowl recipe!

• Author: Kate Wood
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 24
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• 3 tablespoons water
• ½ cup (120 gm) coconut oil
• ¾ cup (150 gm) organic brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 gm) organic cane sugar
• 1–1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 gm) all-purpose flour
• 1–1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (200 gm) old fashioned oats
• 1 cup of Diamond Marcona Fruit and Nut Blend OR ½ cup chopped almonds, ¼ cup dried blueberries and ¼ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed meal and water and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the coconut oil, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add in the flaxseed mixtures and stir to combined. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring on low to combine. Add the oat and fruit and nut mixture and stir just until combined. The dough is very dry, but if you find that it is so crumbly that it won’t pack together, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you can pack it slightly.
4. Spoon 1-1/2 tablespoon sized rounds of dough 2 inches apart on a sheet pan prepared with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes or until the edges have turned golden and set. Remove from oven and allow to cool prior to enjoying.

Notes

• If you don’t have a problem with using regular granulated or brown sugar, you can substitute that here, however, most standard sugars are not truly vegan. I used Wholesome Cane and Brown Sugar for these cookies.
• Be sure that your coconut oil is not liquidy or melted. This recipe was tested using solid coconut oil, although there were some small differences between brands.
• You can substitute GF flour here, although the cookies may spread slightly differently. Test the baking out on one or two to verify that they will bake as you’d like. If they spread too much, refrigerate the dough, and if they stay more puffed than you’d like, slightly press down on the dough balls.