Cashew Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Rich, decadent, and studded with chocolate chunks, these amazing cashew butter cookies are the perfect sweet treat or anytime snack. Learn how to make your own cashew butter at home, and bake a batch of these delicious cookies today! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, but they taste so good no one would know!

My Love for Cashews

I love cooking with cashews – from grinding my own cashew flour, making homemade cashew milk, baking cashew bread and coconut cashew bread, there are just so many ways to use the cashew nut. Naturally, I also wanted to make cashew cookies.

Cookies for Snacking on Anytime

Whether you’re baking for a cookie exchange during Christmas or the holiday season in general, or simply want to snack on something sweet, these cashew cookies are definitely a very good idea!

Studded with chocolate chunks, these cookies are rich, decadent, and definitely perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth! Crispy on the outside and soft inside, they are the absolute bomb!

Why This Recipe Works

Apart from tasting absolutely delicious, these amazing cashew cookies are insanely easy to make (especially if you already have cashew butter on hand – and if not, I’ll show you just how simple it is to make your own)!

This recipe is also completely gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, but honestly, they’re so good that no one’s going to care!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Cashew Butter: In this recipe, I made my own cashew butter from unsalted roasted cashews, but you can always use 2 cups of store-bought unsalted cashew butter for convenience if you prefer.

• Sugar: I used cane sugar in this recipe, but feel free to use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar too. If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that has zero glycemic index).

• Coconut Oil: I always prefer to use refined coconut oil in my cooking, as it has a more neutral taste (compared to extra virgin coconut oil that has a stronger coconut flavor and smell). Alternatively, you can also use another neutral vegetable oil.

• Flax Eggs: I used flax eggs but feel free to use an egg replacer or chia eggs or aquafaba instead. Alternatively, if you can take normal eggs, use 2 chicken eggs instead.

• Chocolate Chunks: These are entirely optional, so feel free to leave them out if you don’t like chocolate. I used vegan semi-sweet chocolate chunks but feel free to use normal chocolate chunks or chocolate chips if you aren’t lactose-intolerant or vegan.

How to Make Cashew Butter Cookies

1. Preheat and Line

Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

2. Prepare Flax Eggs

Combine the flaxseed meal and water together, mix well, and let stand for 15 minutes (see my post on how to make flax eggs).

3. Make Cashew Butter

Place the soaked cashews in the bowl of your food processor or electric blender, together with water and melted coconut oil, and process until you get around 2 cups of thick but creamy cashew butter. (This may take at least five minutes and you may need to scrape down the sides of your food processor or blender as necessary.)

4. Prepare Cookie Dough

In a large bowl, combine the cashew butter, sugar, flax eggs, baking powder and salt, and mix well until you get a homogeneous cookie dough.

5. Fold in Chocolate Chunks

Gently fold in the chocolate chunks until they are evenly distributed.

6. Drop Cookie Dough on Baking Sheet

Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten dough down with a spatula (the cookies will only spread very slightly).

7. Bake

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cashew cookies are firm on the top.

8. Cool Completely

Allow cookies to cool completely (around 20 minutes) before eating as they will continue to cook on the inside even after you remove them from the oven.

Helpful Tips/Tricks:

• Plain Cashew Cookies: If you prefer to make plain cashew cookies, simply leave out the chocolate chunks.

• Optional Add-Ins: Alternatively, you can swap out the chocolate chunks for equal amounts of chopped nuts, or raisins or other dried fruit if you prefer.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Almond Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Gingerbread Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Crunchy Almond Biscotti (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Coconut Macaroons (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Buckwheat Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Dessert Recipes to Enjoy

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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