Chewy Pecan Oat Cookies
These cookies are indeed chewy and delicious. I was so happy to use up the steel cut oats my husband bought my mistake (I wanted oat groats). They were also enjoyed by my neighbors and were kid approved!
Oat groats are the whole oat with just the outer inedible husk removed. Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been cut up into 2-3 pieces. Here is a 12-minute video by Brenda Davis RD, a plant-based dietitian, in which she explains whole grains vs processed grains.
The original recipe for these cookies, which I modified, was posted by Radiant Rachels.
Chewy Pecan Oat Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups steel cut oats, divided
3/4 cup spelt flour
2 cups pecan halves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons almond butter
1/4 cup. maple syrup
3 Tablespoons almond milk
1 Tablespoon. vanilla extract
1/2 packed cup pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped (I used 6 pitted dates weighing 4 ounces)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F with oven rack in center position. Place the pecans on a baking tray and bake for approximately 6 minutes until toasted.
Using a food processor with sharp blades grind 1 cup of the oats until it becomes a course flour. Remove and briefly process the other cup of oats leaving small, noticeable pieces of oats. (My food processor blades were not sharp enough so I processed both sets of oats in a high speed blender.)
Add the spelt flour, oat flour and toasted pecans to the food processor and pulse to combine well. Do not overly process.
Add in the rest of the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the food processor. Pulse until all the dry ingredients are well mixed.
Add in the almond butter, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Process until the ingredients become a dough. Add in the dates and pulse several times so the dates are dispersed throughout the dough with small pieces still noticeable.
Use a spoon to remove about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll to form a ball. Space out the balls on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Use the bottom of a glass covered in plastic wrap or your hands to flatten the balls. If desired, press a pecan half onto each cookie. I made 40 cookies.
Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Allow them to cool on the baking tray for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
