SALTED CHOCOLATE PECAN SANDIES (GLUTEN FREE)

Salted Chocolate Pecan Sandies – meet my new favorite flourless cookie recipe! I love anything pecan, and when you add some chocolate to the mix, you’ve really got a winner!

The base of this recipe is almond flour, or almond meal, which has a nice mildly sweet & nutty flavor. If using coconut sugar, it will add a touch of caramel flavor. The salt adds a nice touch, finishing them off beautifully.

These chocolate pecan sandies bake up perfectly – lightly crisp on the outside and chewy in the center. When the craving for a baked cookie comes around, this is my go-to recipe!

Pair with a glass of your favorite non-dairy milk, or tall glass of water, and enjoy this chocolate chip style cookie. They’ve been kid tested, and most definitely mother approved!

Recipe inspired and adapted from Comfy Belly.

How To Make Salted Chocolate Pecan Sandies

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups packed almond flour or almond meal
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar, turbinado sugar or pure cane brown/white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda or 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, warmed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces (raw or roasted), chopped
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• mineral or sea salt to garnish

Start by mixing your dry ingredients first, then add in the wet, mix well.

Lastly, you will add in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out rounded mounds, firmly but gently press into a ball and place on the cookie sheet. Using your fingers, gently press down to slightly flatten. They will puff up a little when cooking so leave at least a half an inch or so between cookies.

Don’t worry about making these perfect. I tend to like a little rusticness and irregularity myself. Sprinkle with a little mineral salt or fleur de sel (really any sea salt will do).

Place in the oven, and…

Once done, you’re ready to enjoy these wholesome cookies. Nom Nom!

More Vegan Cookie Inspiration

• Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Snickerdoodles
• Chocolate Pistachio Oatmeal Energy Bites

SALTED CHOCOLATE PECAN SANDIES

A delicious gluten-free chocolate chip cookie using almond flour/meal!

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 14 - 16 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed almond flour or almond meal
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar, turbinado sugar or pure cane brown/white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda or 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, warmed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces (raw or roasted), chopped
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• mineral or sea salt to garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare a baking sheet with coconut oil, parchment paper or use a non-stick mat.

Combine the first five dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, add the coconut oil and maple syrup together, heat until warmed and coconut oil is melted. Add in all three wet ingredients to the dry mixture and blend well. Add the pecans and chocolate chips, mix again.

Scoop out rounded tablespoons full and roll dough into balls about an 1 inch or so in size, place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with your fingers. Leave about an inch between cookies as they will expand when cooking. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes. They may look like they need to cook more but don’t worry once they cool they will darken slightly, harden a little and be a perfect cookie. Let cool and enjoy!

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

NOTES:

You can make your own almond meal in a food processor. 1 – 1/2 cups of almonds will easily give you 2 cups of almond meal, and it’s super easy too. Simply process for 4 minutes or so, depending on your processor. Store any leftover flour in a mason jar or sealed container of choice for later use. Store your flour in the refrigerator to maintain maximum freshness.

I used almond flour in this recipe. Almond flour tends to be lighter in color than almond meal since the skins have been removed. I’ve made this recipe with almond meal and almond flour, both work great. Use whatever is more accessible and convenient for you.

This time around I used baking powder instead of baking soda since it had expired. Either one works well, and to be honest, I couldn’t see any difference between the batches. My conclusion is to use whatever one is on hand. You will be just fine with either one.