After the success of egg free version of the classic chocolate chip cookies (both chewy and crispy), I wanted to try my hands on another American classic the "Oatmeal Raisin Cookies".
I didn't know then that it's going to cost me a lot of time and material to find the perfect recipe for an eggless version. I had one recipe in hand from a book called "Cookies". Also check out the full collection of Vegan Cookies.
Since I have baked earlier from this book, I thought of proceeding with a recipe from that book itself. Then I saw that it used 1 and ½ sticks of butter, so I thought why not search for a healthy version of the cookies and found one in the net. It used only 5 tablespoons of butter, if I remember right.
I proceeded with that recipe, substituting flax seed meal for the eggs in the recipe. I think I went overboard by replacing ½ the quantity of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, because the cookies did not taste any good. I guess it was because of too many substitutions.
After the failure of the first experiment I decided to follow a regular recipe (not the low fat versions) exactly, but only replacing the eggs. So as per my first plan I decided to go with the recipe from the "Cookies" book. Again I used flax seed meal here to replace the one egg in the recipe.
The dough came together and the cookies also looked like the store bought ones. I couldn't wait to taste the cookies. But this time, the sugar in the recipe messed it up for me. It was way too sweet, even for a sweet toothed person like my mother and myself.
I did see a vegan oatmeal cookie recipe in "The Joy of Vegan Baking" book, but it used steel cut oats and I was not able to find it in the grocery store which I go regularly. So I thought why not try a recipe from the "Joy of Baking" website! Found this recipe and I was surprised that the recipe which I had tried out earlier was the same, but for the quantity of sugar.
The previous recipe used 1 and ¾ cups of sugar, whereas this recipe used only 1 cup of light brown sugar. This convinced me to try the recipe because only the sugar was excess in the previous batch. I baked these cookies yesterday and am very happy that they came out very well.
Everybody liked the cookies, it tasted just like the ones from the bakery. Who said you need eggs to bake tasty cookies? We were not able to taste the flax egg at all. The cookies were chewy and tasted awesome. I can bet that nobody would guess that they are vegan cookies.
Recipe
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Vegan Butter 1.5 Sticks, at room temperature OR regular butter, unsalted
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Count flax egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt I Used Only ¼ Teaspoon
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon I Used Only ¼ Teaspoon
- 3 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats I Used Quick Cooking Oats - Not Instant
- 1 Cup Raisins or dried cherries, dried cranberries, white/dark chocolate chips
- 1 Cup Walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Prepare 2 large baking sheets either greasing it or lining it with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. I used a hand mixer.
- In a blender, add flax seed powder and water and blend it until it's foamy.
- Add the flax seed mixture and vanilla extract to the creamed butter. Stir it well using a wooden spoon/spatula.
- In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine it well using a spatula.
- Now stir the oats and other optional ingredients you wish to include.
- Drop the batter by a table spoon 2 inches apart. I used an ice cream scoop.
- Wet your hands and flatten the cookies so that they are about ½ an inch thick.
- Bake it for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the centre is little wet.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool in the baking sheet itself for 5 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool it completely.
My Notes
- I baked the batch with aluminum baking sheet for 14 minutes and the one in dark color non stick baking sheet for 13 minutes. The cookies were chewy.
- I wanted to try baking with vegan butter alternatives for long time now. So I bought Earth Balance Vegan Butter and tried this recipe with that, instead of regular dairy butter. I'm 100% sure that the cookies will come out good with regular butter also, because the original recipe uses the same.
Nutrition
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Bella1 says
So yummy! Thank you
Madhuram says
You're welcome Bella.
Victor D. Cabral says
Thank you kindly for this recipe. It's the first one that I came across. I've just completed a batch and so far so good. The only issue I had was in making the flax seed mixture. I need to find a way for it to foam up. Otherwise, tomorrow will be the big test. I made them for a friend. See how they hold up. 🙂 Wish me luck.
Madhuram says
It foams up better if you whip it up in a blender but these days I don't have the patience and just whisk it with a fork and leave it for a couple of minutes and it doesn't foam up but does get gelatinous and that's just fine and it doesn't affect the taste/texture of the baked treat.
Lina says
just made these and they came out great! I actually used 1 cup of regular oats, and then 2 cups of the super quick cooked oats so I feel like it somehow all worked out well in the end. Also, used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon instead of 1 because I just love cinnamon haha. thanks for the recipe!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Lina.
Nell Matthews says
I used the flax 'egg'. However, I did not fluff it. It was about to be mixed with lots of butter, which I assumed would break any bubbles, so I failed to see the utility. Baked 11 min on convection oven setting and came out nicely. I made 22 from this recipe using a scoop for uniformity. I appreciated the note to squash the cookie before baking.
Madhuram says
Thanks for the feedback Nell. Yes you are right about whisking the flax.
Marianna says
HI,
I was wondering what I could use for the all purpose flour because I can't tolerate wheat or quinoa. I don't die from an allergic reaction, but I get very bloated and tired. I want to use oat or rice flour since I react to those flours the least. I was wondering, would it be ok if I grind oats till they are almost a flour consistency and use that as my flour? Would the bars turn out as soft as yours?
Madhuram says
Have you tried the gluten-free baking mix which is available in stores? It can be used measure to measure for all-purpose flour. Regarding grinding oats and using it, it does not work well in all recipes. I guess you should try it for yourself and see. Sorry.
Rachel Miller says
Just took out of oven. I didn't have ground flax seed so I put about 1/4 c golden roasted flax seed in blender pulsed a few times. Took 1 T mixed w/3 T water let it set for 15 min or so. It made 17 cookies. Ate one came out good,seemed too buttery,but very tasty. I'm packing them for my vegan granddaughters for Christmas. Thank you! Oh I did soak the raisins w/ about a T warm water in a few drops of almond extract (didn't have rum)!
Madhuram says
That's great Rachel. 🙂
Andreiza says
very nice
Aparna says
Hi can you give me an egg replacer other than flax seeds and Ener-G
Thanks in advance
Madhuram says
Hmm...unsweetened applesauce maybe. 1/4 cup. But the cookies will not be crispy. It will be very soft.
Sandie says
There's a new egg replacement for vegans called aquafaba, it's just the liquid after opening a can of chick peas. It's amazing but might not work in all recipes like cookies. Chia seeds too replace and egg..called chia egg, look it up online, very easy just like flax. Another site shows how to use vinegar and baking soda, I use org. apple cider vinegar and baking soda. So there are many alternatives. Some use apple sauce and mashed banana too or pumpkin puree.
Shine says
Ripe bananas
Nan says
Aquafaba works perfectly in backing.
Candice says
Hello: Thanks for the recipe. How long do these keep? Can they be frozen? Thanks very much!
Madhuram says
Yes it can be frozen like any other cookies. I'm guessing it will stay fresh for a week or so.
Tahmeena sheikh says
I made these cookies for my daughter, and she loved them. But with flaxseeds, she is getting rash on her body. So is there any substitute for flaxseed in them.
Madhuram says
How about Ener-G egg replacer?
Renu says
My son is allergic to egg. I tried this version. It came out very well. Everyone loves it. Thanks
Madhuram says
You're welcome Renu.
Kate says
My 4 year old has an egg and peanut allergy, and we find ourselves doing a lot of cooking from scratch to avoid problems. We opted out of raisins/cranberries and just made these as eggless oatmeal cookies. They are fantastic! We didn't change a thing about the recipe, and I love when it's that easy 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this one!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Kate.
Graeme Glendinning says
I've been vegetarian for 25 years and am giving up dairy, which is how i found this site as i do alot of baking.
I'd just like to say it is quite fantastic and i look forward to trying Many recipe's.
Thank you
Meera says
thanx for the Recipe.
1. If I use veg. oil instead of butter...what difference will it make ?
2. If I use whole wheat flour instead APF, do I need to make any changes in the Ingredients ?
regards
Madhuram says
If using oil, the cookies may spread a little too much. In this recipe try using 1/2 cup in place of 3/4th cup of butter. You need not change any other ingredients while using whole wheat flour. If you are used to the flavor of whole wheat flour in baked goods go ahead and do it or start with using 1/2 APF and 1/2 WWF or use whole wheat pastry flour instead.
harini says
cn i use olive oil instead of butter. if yes, wats the quantity of the oil to be used. how many cookies can we make?
Madhuram says
You could try it with 1/2 cup of oil.
Bindi says
Hey I have been a regular visitor of your blog & have tried many of your recipes as I love to bake & am vegetarian. They always turn out amazing!! My husband had been pestering me about making oatmeal raisin cookies for quite a while & I finally baked these a couple of days ago & we simply loved these...they are soft & chewy & yummy!!
Thanks for your great recipes & keep posting more & more recipes!!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Bindi. Do rate the recipe when you find time.
Sri says
Madhuram,
This recipe calls for brown sugar...can we replace it with powdered jaggery...I dont have brown sugar right now and am dying to try this out...will it work??
Madhuram says
I don't know Sri. Sorry.
Yana says
I baked these cookies today and came out yummy.. I reduced the measurments to half and baked them for 17 mins as I like crunchy cookies as compared to chewy ones.. But still they were not as crunchy as the jello pudding cookies I had baked earlier but the taste is delicious..
Thank you very much for trying the recipe Yojana. I guess the raisins in the cookies give out moisture and make it chewy more than crunchy. Maybe you could try it without dry fruits.
Amira says
Hi Madhuram,
I can't wait to try this recipe though I am a little afraid; I have never baked cookies before becuase of my egg allergy. Thank you for all of these recipes and keep them coming!
-Amira
You're welcome Amira. You should definitely try these cookies and all the others I have here. They are simple to bake and pretty straight forward. Do write to me if you have any questions.
TaijaMarie says
I was just wondering if you NEED the flax seed powder. I wasn't able to find any at my local grocer.
See if you can get whole flax seeds. In that case you can powder it yourself. These days most of the grocery stores (at least in US) have it in the organic/natural products aisle.
Harsha says
Dear Madhuram,
Being a strict vegetarian, I have had to deny 'indulgence' of cookies,pastries and cakes all the while because of eggs. I stumbled upon your blog and am greatly encouraged to see that all these yummy foods can be made without eggs!
Having only baked potato:grin: before, this is the first bake I ever tried(I substituted the raisins with Chocolate chips- cos I promised my husband choco-chip cookies when he is back)... Oh, it turned out to be really amazing... (since I have only one baking sheet and am new to baking, I decided to make a small batch and had to reduce all the items to 1/3 the size) it turned great and all that aroma- I felt proud myself :D!! Thanks for all these EGGLESS recipes!! Please keep adding more...
Harsha
That's great to know Harsha. Usually recipes don't work out that great when the measurements are altered, so its really good to know that scaling down to 1/3rd has been successful. Sure I'll keep adding more recipes, but have to admit that I'm kind of very busy now not being able to update as often as I would like to.
Nadine says
My oldest son is allergic to eggs and nuts. This recipe is wonderful. Thank you.
You're welcome Nadine.
Suba says
Thank you for me & my kids. My little one is extremely allergic to egg & nuts and so the only cookies she can enjoy are what i bake at home. today we tried this one and it was awesome !! she loved , so did the rest of my family !
we had it in the oven an extra 3 minutes and they came out crunchy.
we are big fan of your website ! keep up the good work Madhuram 🙂
You are very welcome Suba. I'm so happy to hear that your kids loved the cookies.
Julie says
Thank you so much! I made this recipe tonight and the cookies are fantastic! I loved that they weren't overly sweet and they are so yummy!
You're welcome Julie.
Olga says
thank you for a wonderful recipe!
just baked those (i added 1 banana for chewiness and flawour) and they came out delicious!
You're welcome Olga. That's a nice addition.
Kumudha says
I baked these cookies today and they were fantastic!
Thank you so much for posting so many delicious vegan recipes!
You're most welcome Kumudha. Thank you for giving your feedback.
Jess says
These cookies were so fantastic! I've had some vegan oatmeal raisin recipes come out tasting just like cardboard, but I definitely prefer these over non-vegan recipes. They've made it to two potlucks so far and some even flew to Michigan! Thanks!
Jess, you're welcome. Thank you for trying the recipe and for taking the time to leave your feedback here.
Carla L. says
I'm so excited to find these after a few vegan cookie disasters. I'm a nursing mom of a baby with allergies, so avoiding eggs and dairy is crucial! I added 1 tbsp of flour for baking at high altitude, and they came out perfectly. Next time I'll take them out a minute or two earlier to make them more chewy, but they're delicious either way. Thanks!
You're welcome Carla.
Hien says
Thank you for the advice. I'll try that way next time. Thanks again.
Hien says
Hi there,
Thank you for the recipe of Vegan oatmeal raisin cookies. I just baked it 1 hour ago. They came out pretty good but they are crispy instead of chewy. my son likes the chewy ones. So I am just wondering if you can show me how to correct the problem. Thanks alot.
Hien
Hi Hien, I think it's the oven, try removing the cookies from the oven 2-3 minutes earlier. Cool it on the sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer it to a wire rack.
Recipejunky says
Just made these for the kids snack. They are delicious!!
Thanks for the feedback.
misha says
looks delicious...where can I find flaxseed meals? Can i make the cookies without it?
Hi Misha, if you are from US you can find it in almost all chain of super markets. In the store which I shop it's usually in the Natural/Organic produce aisle. The brand I use is Bob's Red Mill. You can also buy it online in Amazon.com. The purpose of flax seed powder in these cookies is to replace eggs, so I'm not sure how the cookies will turn out without both.
vanamala says
cooool delicious cookies...nice one
Vidhya says
cookies are mouthwatering yum. Something special is waiting for you in my blog.
kamala says
The cookies look so crunchy Madhu..I tried your Chocochip cookies using Condensed milk..Came out really good.And Madhu regarding your question about whether I sew like my mom visit my page..Not much like amma ...But I do some justice to her name..http://harish-nandu.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-100-th-post-boondhi-laddu-diwali.html
Thanks for the feedback Kamala. I'm off to check it out.
Vaishali says
Such delicious cookies, Madhuram. You've really been stepping it up with the vegan cooking! Nice job.
Priya says
Simply superb...cookies look really delicious...prefect for evening snacks...would love to pick one from the plate, really inviting..
sagari says
yummy and healthy cookies madhu
Mansi says
another one of your vegan hits Madhu! the cookies look great, especially with that glass of milk 😆
Usha says
I have used so many other egg replacements from tofu to corn starch,yet flax seeds is something I have yet to try,your cookies look delicious and inviting and healthy too with all that oatmeal ....
hemamalini says
lovely cookies that too without egg. its a gr8 job dear..
come and have something waiting in my blog ma... 🙂
Cham says
Lots of trial Madhu, those cookies re looking delicous noone will say No No to those healthy cookies 😀
Bharti says
Lovely..those are my favorite cookies. I find that replacing too many ingredients at one time often messes up the recipe for me too. I always bake these using energ egg replacer, I still have to try out with the flax seeds. I swear I remember your flax event everyday but just find it hard to find the time now days 🙁
Thanks Bharti. Actually I have not yet used EnerG, will try it out soon. Reg. the event no pressure, pitch in whenever you find time.
Rupa says
lovely cookies....you are the pioneer in egg less cooking Madhu...can't tell you how much I love your space...YOU TRULY ROCK 😎
I'm flattered Rupa. Thank you very much for your words of appreciation, it motivates me to do even better.
DivyA Vikram says
That looks pretty and too inviting madhu..
Sweatha says
Lovely and gorgeous.They sure look like store bought ones.Mine always turns out thin.
BTW,I have just mailed you another entry for the Flax seed event.Kindly Do confirm the receipt of the photo.:D