Vegan Christmas Cookies with White Chocolate, Cranberry + Pistachio
Perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these gluten-free, vegan Christmas cookies are the perfect healthy holiday treat!
In my younger years, I was obsessed with perfecting a specific french silk pie recipe in one of my mom’s old Marie Calender’s recipe books.
I would make that pie over and over and over again, yet I could never seem to get the right consistency. Instead of a firm, fluffy filling, my french silk pie always turned out a little more like french silk soup.
Disappointed, but not dissuaded, I would slurp up the liquidy mess and vow to get it right the next time. Eventually, I did. But it must have taken about a hundred tries.
These white chocolate cranberry vegan Christmas cookies are a lot like that silk pie.
I recently purchased the cookbook Vegan For Everybody from America’s Test Kitchen — which I highly recommend — and found a delicious vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that I was excited to try.
Being a health nut, naturally, I wanted to modify it to make these sweet morsels a little more nutritious.
Swap the all purpose flour for a whole grain base, cut the sugar a bit, add some healthy mix-ins. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?
Wrong. It turns out that making gluten-free, vegan Christmas cookies that aren’t either hard as a rock or spread out to cover your entire cookie sheet isn’t as easy as you would think.
My intern Jen and I must have gone through about ten iterations of modifications before we got it right. A far cry from the recipe we started with.
But get it right we did — and these cookies are out of control delicious, flavorful, chewy, and even a tad nutritious!
With vegan white chocolate (which is pretty hard to find — I recommend buying it online), crunchy green pistachios, and tart dried cranberries, this festive trio perfectly complements the sweet nutty flavor of the cookies.
The base that finally sealed the deal was a mixture of oat and almond flour, which provides a hefty dose of fiber, heart-healthy fat, and makes these cookies completely gluten-free for those with allergies/intolerances.
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoons water)
- 1 cup oat flour*
- ⅔ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- Heat oven to 350.
- In a small bowl, combine flax and water. Set aside.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
- Combine all wet ingredients in another bowl, including the flax egg.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients together.
- Fold in chocolate chips, pistachios, and cranberries.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form cookie dough into balls, about 2 heaping tablespoons each, and place on baking sheet.
- Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for about 12 minutes each.
- Let cookies cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
I had several friends taste test the successful batch with unanimous feedback — these cookies are a winner!
As for the other nine batches, Jen and I will be gifting those to friends lower on the totem pole.
Just kidding, I’ll be eating the majority of them anyway. I never met a cookie I didn’t like ;)
For more vegan, gluten-free, healthy holiday recipes, try these! >>
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Ginger-Spiced Pear Cranberry Crisp
- 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
PIN the recipe! >>
Weigh in: Do you make holiday or Christmas cookies? Have you remade a recipe ten times?!
amanda -runtothefinish says:
I’m always trying to come up with cookies I can make sans dairy, but everyone will love and not even know…pretty sure this nails it!
Rachel says:
I love that I can make these and any one of my friends could enjoy them! Yum!
Jenn says:
These look so good! I love cookies made with almond flour. I definitely need to try these!
Lorie says:
There’s a reason no bake are my favorite words. But it looks like you definitely have a winner with this one!!
Kristina @ Love & Zest says:
These cookies look amazing! I want to bake some up right now!
Ashley | Fit Mitten Kitchen says:
These really do look so perfect though! Amazing job, ladies!
retainingwallsatl says:
Hello! I can make these and any one of my friends could enjoy them! Yum. There’s a reason no-bake is my favorite word. But it looks like you definitely have a winner with this one. I love cookies made with almond flour. I definitely need to try these.
Steven Johnson says:
Trimmers adapted by wearing protective gear, altering their work hours, limiting their number of clients and projects
Shari says:
Can I substitute another healthier sugar for the brown sugar? I know that maple syrup will change the consistency and i seem to be allergic to coconut sugar.
uniswift.PK says:
Discover the joy of soccer for kids with Uniswift, your go-to multi-sports store. Our collection features specially designed soccer gear crafted for young players. From mini soccer balls to child-friendly apparel, Uniswift ensures a fun and safe experience for kids on the field. Let Uniswift inspire the next generation of soccer stars!
Osh University says:
Looking to pursue health science courses ? Osh University provides a comprehensive range of programs, ensuring students receive a well-rounded education in this ever-evolving field.