Cashew butter cookies are crisp around the edges, soft in the middle, salty, lightly sweet, and totally irresistible! Even better, they're ready in just 20 minutes! Perfect when you want just a few bites of something rich and nutty. These cashew cookies are vegan, gluten-free, and made without oil or refined sugar.
We vegans appreciate the creaminess and neutral flavor of cashews, right? But usually we're blending them into vegan ice cream, dairy-free mac and cheese, dairy-free queso, or other creamy sauces and dressings.
So when I spotted a jar of cashew butter on the "last chance" shelf at the grocery store last week, I figured why not turn it into the star of a recipe!
Though I always have raw cashews on hand, for some reason I never make cashew butter. In baked goods I usually go for peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, or sunbutter to add richness and replace butter and oil.
But cashew butter has its own beautifully unique flavor, and these quick and easy cashew butter cookies highlight it perfectly.
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Why You'll Love Cashew Butter Cookies
- Quick & Easy: When you're craving just a few bites of something rich and sweet but aren't in the mood to bake a complicated dessert, cashew cookies to the rescue! Only 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes bake time.
- Delicious: In a way, these cashew butter cookies remind me of Pecan Sandies. They're super nutty, and almost shortbread-like!
- Perfect 2-Bite Dessert: These are essentially a lightly sweetened bite of cashew butter in cookie form. In other words, they're very satisfying. A little goes a long way, and sometimes that's exactly what you want!
- No Special Equipment: To make these cookies all you need are one bowl, a cookie sheet, and measuring cups and spoons.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Flour - I tested these with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend because I wanted to share a cookie specifically for the gluten-free folks out there. If you prefer to use oat flour or another whole-grain flour, I suspect they'll turn out just fine. I find most healthy cookie recipes to be fairly forgiving in that way.
- Sweetener - If you don't have coconut sugar feel free to substitute another granulated sweetener like organic cane sugar or light brown sugar.
- Cashews - While the chopped cashews aren't necessary, I do think the added texture is really nice. If you don't have whole raw cashews on hand, feel free to substitute another nut or seed.
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See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
How to Make Cashew Butter Cookies
Making these cookies couldn't be easier! Here's a quick overview of the process:
- First, preheat the oven to 325° F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a mixing bowl cream together the wet ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Scoop up approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on the baking sheet and use a fork to flatten them into shape, creating a criss-cross pattern on top of each cookie.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, keeping a close eye on the bottoms of the cookies during the last couple of minutes so they don't burn.
The cookies will be soft straight from the oven. Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing.
Variation
If you enjoy dried fruit, try these cookies with raisins, currants, dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries or apricots folded into the dough.
The burst of tart dried fruit tastes amazing with the richness of cashew butter!
FAQ
Yes, cashew butter works well in a variety of desserts and baked goods, from cookies and breads, to creamy vegan cheesecakes and puddings. The neutral, lightly sweet flavor and high fat content of cashew butter makes it an easy swap for peanut butter and other nut butters.
For this cookie recipe you can use either raw or roasted cashew butter.
Store cashew butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to one week. They also freeze well.
I hope you enjoy these quick and easy cashew butter cookies! If you try the recipe let us know in the comments below.
More Cookie Recipes With Nut Butter:
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1-Bowl Sunbutter Cookies
- Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Protein Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Recipe
Cashew Butter Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted cashew butter
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar - Sub other granulated sweetener, if desired.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup chopped raw cashews, optional
- ⅓ cup 1:1 gluten-free flour blend - I used Bob's Red Mill. Sub oat or wheat flour, if desired.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- pinch of flaked sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (162°C), and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the cashew butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cashews until combined.½ cup unsalted cashew butter , ⅓ cup coconut sugar , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¼ cup chopped raw cashews, optional
- Add the flour and baking powder, and mix well until no visible flour remains. The dough will be very dry and thick. Add the milk, and mix again until it has been fully absorbed.⅓ cup 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- Using a tablespoon or a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop up dough and place on baking sheet. Use a fork to create a criss-cross pattern on the top of each cookie, gently pressing down to flatten into shape.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cookies near the end. Cashew butter tends to burn quickly, so slightly under-done is better in this case. The cookies will be soft straight from the oven. Immediately sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if using. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.pinch of flaked sea salt, optional
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Cindy says
Would these work using peanut butter & peanuts in place of the cashew butter & cashews? I have several friends who can't eat cashews.
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Cindy - Yes, that should work. I also have this vegan peanut butter cookie recipe.
CR says
These are delicious and so easy to make! They are perfect as is, but I might try adding some chopped up crystallised ginger next time 😋
Lorrie says
Made these this morning to take to a group function. They were a big hit! They went fast so I'm making more to share with my family today and adding an egg to the recipe and a bit more of my gluten free flour mix. I needed a quick recipe and this was perfect in every way.
Teresa says
These are delicious. I used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. I also would like to thank you for writing ingredients under each step.
Fawn says
Truly a great recipe. Delicious and simple to switch out or modify should one want. I recommend adding spices. Thank you!
Helen says
These cookies are fantastic! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Brittney Chung says
Can i use cashews and throw them into a food processor instead of cashew butter?
Lori says
Absolutely, process them into cashew butter. Enjoy!
Nada says
Great recipe. Thank you
Pam Ravizee says
Can you add dark chocolate chips to this recipe?
Lori says
Sure, that sounds great to me!
Leah says
Wow these are sooo yummy!!!! I baked mine for 9-10mins and they were just perfect! Slightly crunchy around the outside and beautifully soft and fluffy on the inside. So more ish! I used cashew milk in mine too. Next batch may drizzle dairy free chocolate ontop!
Karen Ricketts says
"Delicious" just isn't a strong enough word for these cookies. They're similar to shortbread cookies, except much, much better. I made my own cashew butter for these (ground cashews in our high-speed blender). These melt in your mouth - our new favorite cookie.
Lori says
Wow, such awesome feedback, Karen. Thank you!!
Khalidah says
May I know the purpose of adding vegan milk in the recipe? What will happen if I omit the milk? Thanks...
Lori says
Hi, yes you can omit the milk. It just makes the dough a little bit softer and easier to mix, but omitting it won't cause a problem. 🙂