Vegan Coconut Flour Flax Cookies (4 Ingredients)

If you love pecan sandies and other types of tender shortbread cookies, you will love these vegan coconut flour flax cookies! Made with 4 ingredients,these straightforward, delectable nut-free cookies taste like fine textured nut shortbread, but are gluten-free, grain-free, and Paleo.

Nut-Free & Vegan Coconut Flour Flax Cookies

This recipe is a long time coming.

Ever since I posted the recipe for my3-Ingredient Almond Flour Cookiesawhile back, I’ve received numerous queries for similarly plain cookie recipe using coconut flour. Coconut flour does not work as a substitute for almond flour in the aforementioned cookie recipe, or some of my other almond flour cookie recipes. so a plain re-working was not a possibility.

I’ve come up with a few vegan coconut flour cookies in the meantime, including chocolate chip and chocolate options. Last week, I set aside time to test, and test, re-test, and then test some more. I wanted to recreate a cookie akin to one of my all-time favorites (Pecan Sandies–a pecand style shortbread cookie). Made without nuts, flour, eggs, or butter. I know, I’m a wee bit crazy.

Well, I did it. I covered myself, head to toe, in coconut flour cookie dough, dirtied every mixing bowl in my possession, and plowed my way through multiple bags of coconut flour.

Most importantly, I made a Pecans Sandies-style cookie with coconut flour: Straightforward, memorable,4-Ingredient Vegan Coconut Flour Sandies!!!

Why You’ll Love These Vegan Coconut Flour Flax Cookies

Here’s what you need to know about these irresistible cookies. They are:

• Made with 4 ingredients (coconut flour, flaxseed meal, coconut oil & sweetener)
• Very quick & straightforward to make
• Vegan (egg-free & dairy-free)
• Gluten-free
• Grain-free
• Nut-free
• Paleo
• Keto (with 1 ingredient swap)

What is the Texture of the Cookies

The texture of the cookies is akin to pecan sandies: a tender, not hard, crispness that melts in your mouth.

My husband is a bit of a pecan sandies aficionado, so it meant everything that he gave these his unabashed approval. The secret to the nut-like “sandies” texture comes from the addition of flaxseed meal. The flaxseed meal is also essential for holding the cookies together.

Ingredients for the Vegan Coconut Flour Flax Cookies

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.

The four ingredients for the coconut flour flax cookies are familiar and humble:

1. Coconut flour
2. Flaxseed meal
3. Coconut sugar (I have options, including keto-friendly granulated sweetener)
4. Coconut oil

I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt, too, but it is optional according to your tastes and dietary needs. If you like, you can also add in spices, citrus zest, or a small amount of vanilla extract (or other extracts) to enhance or vary the flavor. This is your template cookie for all kinds of variations.

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper (you will need to be ready to scoop the dough as soon as it is mixed).
• Melt the coconut oil just before mixing the dough(so that it is still very warm).

• Whisk the dry ingredients:coconut flour, flaxseed meal, sweetener, and optional salt in a medium bowl, breaking up any and all lumps.
• Add wet ingredients:Add the VERY WARM coconut oil and stir until completley combined. If the ingredients have been measured correctly, the dough should have the consistency of wet sand (like what you would use to shape a sand castle).
• Scoop and shape the dough.Working quickly, scoop the dough into 13 equal mounds onto the prepared baking sheet (leave about 2 inches/5 cm distance between the mounds). I used my small cookie scoop to create rounded mounds. A tablespoon measure, just full and leveled off, will also work.
  • Use your fingertips to pat the dough mound, smoothing the edges. Like wet sand, this happens instantly when you touch it (straightforward!).

Bake the Cookies

Bake the cookies in a preheated 325F (160C) oven for 8 to 9 minutes until set and light golden brown at the edges.

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Hello, especially memorable cookies!

The cookies are delicate while still warm. They are less so once completely cooled, and firm as shortbread once chilled (I recommend storing them in the refrigerator).

Recipe Variations

Vegan Coconut Flour Thumbprints

The cookies can also be transformed into thumbprints. Us any jam, jelly, marmalade, or preserves you prefer.Shape the cookies as directed for the basic recipe and then use your fingertip or thumb to make an indentation at the center. Since the dough is like wet sand, it is straightforward to smooth the edges if they crack a bit while making the divot.

Fill with 1/4 teaspoon jam per cookie and bake and cool in the same manner as the original recipe.

Chocolate: Always a Variation!

The cookies do not work as chocolate chip cookies (the warm dough will melt any added chocolate chips).

But you can always add chocolate afterwards by dipping or drizzling the cookies. Oh, yeah.

Tips for Success

• Work Quickly Once Mixed.As the coconut oil cools and re-solidifies, the dough consistency turns from a wet sand consistency (straightforward to scoop and shape) to a dry and crumbly sand consistency (difficult to scoop and shape). That is also why it is important to use very warm coconut oil when mixing the dough (more time to work with a warm dough). If the dough crumbles from the coconut oil solidifying (distractions and interruptions can happen!), try popping the dough into the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds to rewarm it.
• Weigh Your Ingredients. This is such a plain recipe, but it can go wrong if the measurements are not accurate. It is very straightforward to measure too much coconut flour if using measuring cups. Coconut flour is very light and is used in smaller amounts than grain flours. Just a little bit too much can make the cookie dough and the cookies dry and crumbly.

Frequently Asked Questions

• My cookie dough turned out dry and crumbly. Why?t is almost certainly due to adding too much coconut flour, and possibly too much flaxseed meal. This can happen from measuring using cup measures instead of weight measures. For reliable results, weigh the ingredients (the coconut oil and sugar, too). If using cups, very lightly spoon in the dry ingredients and level with a knife.
• Can I substitute another oil for the coconut oil?No, other oils will not work in this recipe. It demands a fat that is solid at cool room temperature or when chilled. Plant butter (vegan margarine) that is sold in sticks (e.g., Earth Balance buttery sticks, Flora plant butter, or Country Crock plant butter) can be used in place of the coconut oil. It is important to use a plant butter with a high fat content (some margarines, even sticks, have a high percentage of water). If you are not vegan, an equal amount of butter can also be used.
• Can I leave out or replace the flaxseed meal?No, the flaxseed meal cannot be left out. It holds the cookies together and provides essential texture to the cookies. An equal weight of ground chia seeds (chia meal) should work well as a replacement, but I have not tested it.

Happy baking, friends!

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