Healthy Small Batch Coffee Cake Cookies [Vegan, Gluten Free]

These cookies are soft, chewy, and taste exactly like coffee cake! This recipe is healthy, vegan, and gluten free, and super easy to make.

One of those desserts that you never knew you needed, but make you so glad once they've entered your life. At least for me--previously I wouldn't think I'd be craving healthy coffee cake cookies, but here I am. Writing this blog post now definitely isn't helping either...

Anyway, as much as I love coffee cake, cookies deserve to be topped with cinnamon streusel too! It's an amazing combo of soft, chewy cookie + sweet crumble. This recipe is also vegan, gluten free, and made with nutritious ingredients.

I'm sure most of you know this but I just want to clarify before getting to the recipe: coffee cake does not have coffee in it! No, I didn't forget to include it lol. It only has that name because it's meant to be paired with a cup of coffee, and these cookies are no exception.

If you don't have time to read or make this now, be sure to click here to save the recipe on Pinterest!📌that way, you can always come back to it🥰

ingredients in healthy coffee cake cookies

• flaxseed meal: this ingredient is crucial for the texture. Since this recipe has no eggs, the cookie holds together with a flax egg. A flax egg is comprised of just flaxseed meal and water, set to gel for 5-10 minutes--it's super simple, and prevents the cookies from crumbling apart.
• nut butter: this is key for achieving the rich & soft texture since it's creamy and high and healthy fats. I used almond butter, but cashew butter would also be a great alternative!
• unsweetened applesauce: adds moisture to the cookies without making it too heavy!
• oil: you only need a tablespoon, but it is very important for moisture. Pretty much any oil will work here, but I recommend avocado oil or light-tasting olive oil.
• cane sugar: the main source of sweetness, but it's also crucial for the texture! This works much better than liquid sweeteners like maple syrup, but you can use any kind of granulated sweetener, such as coconut sugar.
• nondairy milk: the batter is very thick so this just thins it out a tad. I used oat milk, but really anything will work here!
• oat flour: oat flour is just blended oats, but it's a great flour replacement in this case! It holds the cookies together and gives them such a nice chew.
• almond flour: another gluten free flour that is essential in this recipe. Like oat flour, it acts as a binder, but it also adds moisture from the healthy fats of almonds. Make sure it is finely ground and blanched!

streusel topping

This recipe does not have any coffee in it; the coffee cake flavor is signified by the streusel topping! It's super simple and more nutritious than a typical streusel.

• oat flour & oats: these are both the basis for the crumble topping, but it's important to use both fine and whole oats for texture!
• sugar: more granulated sweetener, such as cane or coconut sugar, to add sweetness, and again, texture.
• oil: binds everything together and...helps the texture! Hey, streusel is very texture-based.
• cinnamon: the key to coffee cake flavor!

how to make vegan & gluten free coffee cake cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flaxseed meal with water and let it sit to gel for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients: applesauce, nut butter, oil, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the dry: oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Place on the prepared baking sheet in 2 tablespoon-sized scoops and flatten into cookie shapes (they will not spread much).
5. In a separate small bowl, combine all the streusel ingredients: oats, oat flour, sugar, oil, and cinnamon. Evenly distribute among the cookies and bake for about 13 minutes. Let them cool before trying to pick them up (they can crumble easily when hot). Enjoy!

I really hope you like this recipe! If you decide to make it, be sure to post a picture/story and tag me @nutritiousdelights on Instagram–I’d love to see!💕

Also, don’t forget to leave a comment if you make this so everyone knows how it goes 🙂 You can also feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions about the recipe!🥰

More recipes you might love:

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Coffee Crumble Granola [Healthy, Vegan, Gluten Free]

>>> click here to save the recipe on Pinterest so you can always come back to it!