These vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Orange Spice Cookies are the perfect winter spin on the classic chocolate chip cookie. With buttery pecans paired with orange and cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, these cookies will make your whole house smell amazing. Get the recipe and join me in the kitchen for a cooking video for this recipe..

In the kitchen video..

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Well I am just about to close up shop on work for a few days to enjoy the Christmas weekend with my family, but I wanted to leave you guys with one more cookie recipe. Because you totally wanted ONE more, right??

I mean, this is going to be a long and cozy holiday weekend and movie watching, cocoa sipping and cookie baking is in order.

These cookies are super decadent and amazing. Those pecans really glam things up for the holidays with their rich, buttery bite.
And if you love the flavor pairing of orange + chocolate these cookies will be perfect for you.

..And if you do not think you like orange and chocolate, seriously, give them a try anyways because these may change your mind on that!

These are the ‘fluffier + longer baked’ batch..

These are the ‘less baking powder + soda and slightly underbaked’ batch..

How Much Rise? So I made these cookies a few times for testing and my video. And one time I used 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder — then the next time I doubled those amounts. The doubled batch baked up much fluffier. You can see from the photos the cookies look a bit different in shape. That is from the baking powder and soda – and also from a variation in baking times. I cooked the “fluffier” cookie about three minutes longer, I would estimate.

Basically, if you like a fluffier cookie, use a heavier hand on the baking powder and soda. If you like a flatter, dense cookie, use less. And sometimes underbaking your cookies a bit can lose the “puff up” and help them rise and then fall more easily. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments!

“Do I have to chill the dough before baking??” I actually answer this question at the end of my video, so be sure to give it a look!

And finally, thank you for a wonderful 2017, I am so honored that you are here reading my blog and checking out my recipes. Thank you. I just have one post left for the year, my end of the year “Top Recipes of 2017” post, and then we are on to brand new things in 2018. Not sure what this next year will bring to be honest. So many things are up in the air. But I am excited and open to letting them unfold however they were meant to be.

Lots of love and happy cookie baking! xoxo ~ Kathy

Chocolate Chip Orange Spice Cookies

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 12/22/2017
These holiday-ready cookies smell like orange spice and taste amazing with nutty pecans and rich chocolate chips. Vegan dessert.

Ingredients

Wet:

1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp vegan butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
optional: 1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 cup apple sauce (or sub with mashed banana or pumpkin puree)

Dry:

1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 – 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 – 1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour (+ 1-2 Tbsp as needed)

Fold in:

1 cup raw pecans, chopped roughly or crumbled
1 cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

Add all wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.
Add in dry ingredients, adding flour last. Add the last 1-3 Tbsp of flour as you see fit. Beat until smooth. You want your dough to be nice and moist, yet stiff enough to hold its shape.
Chill dough for at least a half hour. Two hours is great. Overnight is best.
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Scoop cookies into balls then bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Baking for a longer period of time will get a stiffer cookie with crispier edges. “Underbaking” a bit will give you a doughier cookie. Both versions are delicious!
Cool on a cooling rack and serve. Eat within a few days or freeze.

Yield: 16 cookiesPrep Time: 00 hrs. 12 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 12 mins. Total time: 24 mins. Tags: cookies,holiday,dessert,chocolate,christmas,vegan,citrus,orange,