Move over, salted caramel; salted maple has come to town.
And it is good.
These perfectly-formed Salted Maple Cookies are, quite frankly, addictive. The combination of salt and sweet is so delectable, you’ll be reaching for another. And another. Dan has suggested that I call these ‘bad cookies’, because you just can’t stop until the box is empty… but we can’t be good all the time, can we?
I think you’re going to fall in love with the texture of these cookies! These are melt-in-the-mouth, lightly crumbling, buttery morsels that teeter on the edge of becoming shortbread. My wonderful friend Aisling will attest to that: on gallantly accepting the official role of taste-tester, her eyes literally shot wide open and there were definitely sounds of approval.
Vegan butteriness is indeed achievable.
Not that you should need any further convincing, but here are my top 5 reasons to bake these cookies today:
- you’re only 6, whole food, easy-to-find ingredients away from salted maple heaven;
- they only take 5 minutes to prepare;
- they really are a taste-sensation;
- you’ll be loved even more by all who get to sample them (note: it is most definitely acceptable if that person is you); and
- you can be the first to say “yeah, salted maple is a thing”.
#1 in my list above is definitely something to shout about, especially when it comes to making vegan cookies. You can impress others (and yourself) with the “wow, is that really vegan?” and “these can’t actually be healthy, can they?” responses in one fell swoop. Not only that, but there really is no vegan wizardry involved either – no flax eggs or chia seeds required here. So if you’re not stocked up on egg-alternatives, this one’s for you.
Tempted much?
Like peanut butter, I’ve found tahini to be a great binding agent in baking, as you’ll recall from my Chewy Chocolate Tahini Cookies. I love the smooth consistency it brings to the cookie dough, and the taste is subtle, yet creamy, which is great for a sweet recipe.
While I’m on the subject of peanut butter (and when am I not; I hear you say), check out this great recipe from my archives, for Maple Cinnamon Peanut Butter Cookies – they’re delicious, and super-syrupy (although please excuse the bad photography!).
And finally, a note on maple syrup. Did you know that a lot of the brands sold in supermarkets are actually maple-flavoured syrup? That can mean it’s not pure, has a higher refined-sugar content and isn’t as healthy a choice, so make sure to check the label if that’s something you want to watch out for.
I’m personally kicking myself that I only brought home one small bottle from our trip to Portland last year… it was just so good.
- 90g rolled oats
- 30g hazelnuts
- Generous pinch of Himalayan pink, sea or rock salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- 20g melted coconut oil (about 2 tsp solid)
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Place the oats, hazelnuts and salt in a food processor and blitz on a high speed until you have a fine powder.
- Transfer your cookie 'flour' to a mixing bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients, except the additional salt.
- Mix well by hand until you have a firm, combined dough.
- Take teaspoon-sized amounts of the dough and roll into balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Gently press down each ball of dough with a fork and sprinkle on a little salt.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes on the top shelf, or until lightly browned.
Did someone say maple??? Ohhh, be still my little Canadian heart. And definitely move over salted caramel, because I want a piece of this maple cookie!
Yay! So excited to have *actual* Canadian joy at the thought of these cookies 😀 I hope they don’t disappoint! Lx
These sound heavenly!!! Maple syrup, hazelnuts AND tahini?!? Three of my absolute favorites. I can’t wait to try these…I know I’m going to love them!
Thank you, Mandy!! You are indeed the maple and tahini queen – so I eagerly await your thoughts on this one! Happy July 4th to you and your family, I hope you have a fun weekend Lx
These look so good! I think salted maple is definitely going to be a thing! Going to try them this weekend
Thank you Amy! It definitely needs to be a thing – salted maple everything! I hope you enjoy them – do let me know how you get on! Lx