No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

I’m not much of a cook myself, or a baker for that matter, so when my friend sent me this recipe, my eyes lit up at the term “no bake.” I had asked her if she had any good vegan cookie recipes, and being the health and wellness guru she is, she sent me this one.

When I first looked it over, I had opened my pantry and realized I had very few of the ingredients. Well, actually, none of them. The original recipe called for specifically gluten-free and organic ingredients. While I am one to opt for organic versus conventionally grown produce, I had never even heard of “organic vanilla bean powder” (neither had the clerk at my local grocery store when I went looking for it).

So, I decided to re-evaluate my friend’s recipe through the lens of my own pantry. What could I use in this recipe that I – a novice baker – already have? Regular flaked oats from that one time I made oatmeal cookies; cacao powder left over from a failed attempt at brownies; generic maple syrup, because what Canadian doesn’t have maple syrup in their pantry? The only ingredient I did not modify from the original recipe was organic peanut butter, since it has considerably less sugar than the kind I usually spread on my toast in the morning.

Ingredients assembled and spatula in hand, I put my culinary skills to the test! What resulted was a semi-messy, but yummy treat – think oatmeal cookie meets puff wheat square. My favourite part about these cookies is the fact that they are no-bake. They take five minutes to make, and they’re a great grab-and-go snack to satisfy your sweet tooth!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of flaked oats
• 1/2 cup of organic peanut butter
• 1/2 of maple syrup
• 1/2 coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Steps:

1. In a medium bowl, combine oats and cacao powder. Mix until oats are evenly covered in cacao powder.
2. In a second bowl, combine peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
3. Microwave coconut oil in a separate bowl until it is a consistent, clear liquid. Add to the wet ingredients in the second bowl.
4. With a whisk, mix wet ingredients until completely smooth.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the oats and cacao powder. Use a spatula to fold all the ingredients until fully mixed.
6. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop mixture onto the baking sheet in ¼ cup-sized portions, about 1 inch apart from one another. Recipe makes 12-14 cookies, depending on the portion size.
7. Freeze for about 30 minutes, or until cookies are solid. Enjoy!