Chewy Vegan Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies

Who doesn't love a good cookie? I definitely do. Especially if it is an easy and nutrient-packed one!

That's why I'm excited to share this cookie recipe with you. It's one of two original new cookie recipes I created in honor of my daughter's birthday a few months ago. But since this turned out to be my daughter's favorite, I'm sharing it with you first. Some of the things I love about these Chewy Vegan Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies are that they only need 8 key ingredients, and come naturally dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free and refined-sugar-free. They can also easily be made gluten-free if certified gluten-free oats are used. But best of all, they're done after only 10 minutes of baking in the oven. Yes, you heard that right - 10 minutes! 


One Delicious Plant-Based Cookie

If you're just moving to plant-based eating, you may already be wondering how you're going to handle 'treats and snacks' like cookies. Sure, there are dairy- and egg-free commercial cookie products available, but these are still ultra-processed commercial products that often come with additives such as refined sugars, processed oils, salt, and possibly embedded artificial food colorings.

That's why I wanted to create a healthier homemade plant-based version. I also wanted a quick, hassle-free way to make tasty cookies, so I could whip them up at a moment's notice for my family or guests to enjoy. But this recipe also needs to be simple so that my children could help make the cookies and easy enough that I would want to make them often.

Well, enter in these Chewy Vegan Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies. Give these cookies a try and they just might become your next favorite cookie. These cookies are freezable too, so feel free to make a double batch and save some for later in the freezer. Here's the recipe!

Chewy Vegan Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies 

Recipe by: Anna Tseng | PlantNourished
Makes 24 cookies (2 inches in diameter each)

Prep Time: 20-25 min       Bake Time: 10 min       Total Time: 30 - 35 min 

  
Ingredients:

• ½ cup raisins [85g]
• 2 ½ cups oat flour [280g] (if gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats)
• 1 ½  teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato [240g]
• ¼ cup tahini [60g] 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Additional 2 Tablespoons of raisins (see Recipe Notes)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350^oF or 177^oC and line 1-2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. If you don’t have a pre-cooked sweet potato ready to use, cook a large sweet potato first by using either a microwave, oven, or by steaming or boiling on the stovetop (see Recipe Notes). Then let it cool slightly before removing the skin and mashing the flesh into a mostly smooth purée.

3. Meanwhile, soak the ½ cup of raisins in 1 cup of hot boiled water for ten minutes, in a bowl covered completely with a lid or another plate. Then drain these soaked raisins well before placing them into a blender (You can hand squeeze handfuls of the raisins at a time quickly for 5 seconds to remove excess liquid before transferring them to the blender bowl.)

4. Now make the oat flour if you don't already have some available (see Recipe Notes) and then put 2 cups of it into a large mixing bowl. Any remaining oat flour can be stored away in a storage container and put in a cool dark storage pantry area, to be used in another recipe.

5. Next, add in the baking powder to the measured amount of oat flour in the mixing bowl and stir briefly to combine.

6. After this, take a few seconds to chop up the additional 2 tablespoons' worth of raisins into slightly smaller pieces. You can use a large knife and a cutting board to quickly do so. Then add these coarsely chopped raisins into the dry mixture of oat flour and baking powder. These will provide the cookies a bit more texture and give an added boost in natural sweetness.

7. Now blend together the soaked raisins, mashed sweet potato, tahini, ground cloves, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon until a smooth purée is formed.

8. Now add the wet blended mixture into the mixing bowl with the dry mixture. Stir well using a silicon spatula to fully combine all the ingredients together. Note: after mixing, the cookie dough formed will continue to feel somewhat wet and sticky, and that's fine. You will still be able to form cookie dough balls which will bake well in the oven.

9. Next, use a large spoon to scoop little mounds of the cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking trays. You can then roll the dough mounds with both hands or two spoons to create little balls of about 1.5 inches in diameter. Then, press each one down with a spoon vertically and horizontally to flatten them slightly. (Note: there is no need to make the cookies look perfectly round or identical in shape to one another.)

10. Bake these cookies in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, then remove the baking tray promptly from the oven. Let the baked cookies cool slightly, then enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

If you are allergic to tahini (sesame seeds), you can substitute the tahini in this recipe for a nut or seed butter like peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pumpkin seed butter or sunflower seed butter.

To make oat flour, blend 4 -5 cups of rolled oats down in a blend until a fine flour is formed. Then measure and use 2 ½ cups of the oat flour in this recipe.

The fastest method to cook a sweet potato is to use the microwave. To do so, simply poke a few holes into the washed sweet potato using a fork, then put it in a covered microwaveable bowl with a ¼ cup of water, then cook it on high in the microwave for 3-4 minutes at a time, until done. When done, the fork should pierce through the flesh of the sweet potato easily. Let the sweet potato cool, then peel and mash it to get one cup’s worth.

If you want a little additional sweetness, you could mix in 2-4 tablespoons of mini dairy-free chocolate chips into the final cookie dough batter, before baking.

These cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in a lidded container, or for at least 1-2 months in the freezer. Just thaw a day in advance in the refrigerator before enjoying them.

Before You Go, Grab this FREE Resource

If you’re wanting to learn how to start plant-based eating or to begin a whole food plant-based diet, grab this FREE resource “Quick Start Grocery Guide for Plant-Based Essentials" to help you on your journey.

This FREE guide gives you the essentials you need to get started, including a one page recommended grocery list, money saving shopping tips and some easy starter recipes. This guide is perfect for all beginners interested in transitioning to a plant-based diet. So grab this guide if you’re looking for tips for eating a plant-based diet!