Browned butter is the key to making the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. Given that butter is a dairy product and thus not vegan, we had to develop a vegan-friendly and gluten-free alternative. The substitute is (drumroll, please!): toasted pecans combined with melted coconut oil. It takes about 20 minutes to make, but it is worth the time and effort. These goodies taste a bit like Entenmann’s chocolate chip cookies, but better. You got to give them a try! Smiles guaranteed!

Ingredients

Vegan browned butter

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans 
• ¾ cup refined coconut oil, melted (or vegan margarine)

Dry ingredients

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1½ cups oat flour 
• ½ tsp baking soda 
• 1 tsp sea salt 

Wet ingredients

• ¼ cup maple syrup  
• ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk – I used Oatly
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Fold-ins

• ½ cup chopped semisweet chocolate chunks 

Topping

• Flakey sea salt 

Instructions

1. Add the pecans to a large skillet. Toast over medium heat for roughly 6-8 minutes, until the pecans are lightly browned. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
2. Add the melted coconut oil to the pecans and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer and let the pecans steep for 8–10 minutes until the coconut oil has turned brown and a strong nutty aroma is achieved. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. 
3. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes and then strain out the pecans.
4. Add the vegan browned butter, sugar, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla to a small saucepan. At medium heat, whisk to combine and remove from heat as soon as the sugars have dissolved. 
5. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until well-combined. 
6. Sift the dry mixture into the wet mix and gently combine using a spatula. Don’t overmix
7. Gently fold in the chocolate chunks. 
8. Chill dough in the fridge for 60 minutes. 
9. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 375 °F.
10. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Six cookies should fit, with plenty of space between them. Flatten the cookies with a spatula and sparkle with some flakey salt.
11. Bake the cookies for 12–18 minutes, until browned. Let cool for approximately 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
12. Enjoy!

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