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Soft and cakey vegan cassava flour applesauce cookies! A cinch to make, they are vegan, Paleo, oil-free, grain-free, gluten-free, and only 36 calories each!
Table of Contents
- New Year, New (Healthy!) Cookies
- Recipe Benefits
- Ingredients for the Vegan Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies
- Cassava Flour Measurements Vary by Brand
- Step by Step Instructions
- Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheet
- Step Two: Whisk the Wet Ingredients
- Step Three: Add the Dry Ingredients
- Step Four: Scoop the Dough
- Step Five: Bake
- FAQ
- Storage for the Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies
- What is the Best Way to Measure Cassava Flour?
- Related Recipes
- Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies (Vegan, GF) Recipe
New Year, New (Healthy!) Cookies
December is inarguably all about cookies. But January needs cookies, too.
January cookies need to be comforting, uncomplicated, and not-too-sweet. They should be healthy, yes, but still fall squarely in the realm of cookies, not health food.
My 5-Ingredient Vegan Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies fit the bill!
Recipe Benefits
Soft and cakey, these applesauce cookies are at once both old-fashioned and new-fangled (cassava flour). They are also:
- Vegan (egg-free & dairy-free}
- Paleo
- Oil-free
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Low-carb & low-sugar
- Fast & easy to prepare
- Only 36 calories per cookie
Cassava flour is the only unusual ingredient. I am still getting the hang of it in my various kitchen experiments, but so far, I love it. It is a naturally grain-free and gluten-free flour made from the whole cassava root, which has been peeled, dried and ground into a fine powder.
Ingredients for the Vegan Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- Cassava flour
- Applesauce
- Coconut sugar
- Creamy nut or seed butter
- Baking powder
Cassava Flour Measurements Vary by Brand
Cassava flour has one issue that needs addressing: measurement.
In a medium bowl, whisk together unsweetened applesauce, creamy nut butter (e.g., cashew, almond, peanut), and coconut sugar until blended and smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together unsweetened applesauce, creamy nut butter (e.g., cashew, almond, peanut), and coconut sugar until blended and smooth.
Hence, for my cassava flour recipes, I am choosing the middle ground:
- 1/4 cup of cassava flour is 32 grams
- If using a cup measure, do not fill (anywhere close) to the top of the cup!
- For greatest accuracy, use a small digital kitchen scale to measure
Step by Step Instructions
Now, back to this (otherwise) super-easy recipe!
Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheet
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step Two: Whisk the Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together unsweetened applesauce, creamy nut butter (e.g., cashew, almond, peanut), and coconut sugar until blended and smooth.
Step Three: Add the Dry Ingredients
Stir in the cassava flour and baking powder until blended. You can also add 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, if you like.
The cookie dough will be fluffy, not stiff.
Step Four: Scoop the Dough
Using a small cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon measure, scoop the dough onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. You should get a yield of 13 cookies.
Step Five: Bake
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 11 to 12 minutes until golden brown and set at the centers.
Let the cookies remain on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes (they will continue to firm up) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
FAQ
Storage for the Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.
What is the Best Way to Measure Cassava Flour?
Cassava flour can be difficult to measure (and standards for 1/4 cup vary from 30 to 35 g, depending on the brand). Additionally, 30 to 35 grams does not fill a 1/4 cup measure. Here are the measurements I use: (1) 1/4 cup of cassava flour is 32 grams (128 g per cup); (2) If using a cup measure, do not fill (anywhere close) to the top of the cup! (3) For greatest accuracy, use a small digital kitchen scale to measure.
Related Recipes
Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies (Vegan, GF)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons smooth nut butter , (e.g., cashew butter, almond butter, peanut butter)
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar , (or brown sugar)
- 43 grams cassava flour, (about 1/3 cup, not filled to top of cup; see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, (certified GF, as needed)
- optional: 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the applesauce, nut butter and coconut sugar until blended and smooth. Add the cassava flour, baking powder, and (optional) salt, stirring until blended into a fluffy cookie dough.
- Using a small cookie scoop or rounded tablespoons, scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet in 13 equal portions (space about 2 inches apart).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 12 minutes until golden brown and set at the centers.
- Cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
I just wanted to let you know that I think I figured out what the problem is. I believe that the company mislabeled the packaging for their cassava flour. I am pretty certain that I received tapioca starch instead, lol! I did some experiments. Let’s just say, it makes great cheese sauce and oobleck! I will definitely try your recipes again once I find the actual cassava flour. I always love your recipes and knew there had to be a logical explanation. xo
Hi Aimee,
How annoying that they sent you the wrong product. But I am relieved that that may be the issue. That would definitely cause the problem you described (definitely more like oobelik!). All the best 🙂
I tried these today and they didn’t work. My dough was the consistency of cake or pancake batter. I used a digital scale and measured carefully. What do you think could have gone wrong? I tried to salvage it by baking it in a small glass dish, but sadly, that didn’t work.
I recommend that anyone making this recipe use a digital scale to weigh the cassava flour precisely. I made these Vegan Cassava Flour Applesauce Cookies today and had to make them a second time because the first time the cookies had a rubbery-chew. I do not have a scale for the cassava flour but went with a scant 1/3 cup as described and spooned the flour into the measuring cup so it was not compacted. When I made them the second time, I backed off the cassava flour to be a scant 1/4 cup (reduced from a scant 1/3 cup). They still had a slightly rubbery-chew (less than before!). Overall, I don’t plan to make again until I own a digital scale. I love many other Power Hungry recipes so just pick another recipe if you don’t own a digital scale!
Thanks so much, Deb. It is true, cassava flour is especially hard to measure with cups or tablespoons–weighing is especially important for this powdery flour, it is really hard to achieve accuracy without weighing it. Thanks so much for sharing your tips, and for the sweet compliments, too 🙂
tasty! I used homemade chunky applesauce so I think my measuring was off compared to yours. I added a little more cassava flour. They came out a teeny but gummy but I think that’s from the extra cassava flour I added, my bad. They are still very good!
Hi! Sounds amazing! Is there a way to make these nut-free?
Thanks!
Hi Gemma,
Yes, definitely! You can use seed butter in place of nut butter (e.g., tahini, sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter).
Thank you for this recipe. I am always looking for a recipe that has less fat, yet a cookie that is moist enough to eat and enjoy. Speaking of enjoy: the joy of eating a cookie without a ton of calories! This recipe is it. GF and Vegan too! Added GF sprinkles, pumpkin pie spice, some date sugar (for the sugar), with a dash of maple extract with same vanilla. Secret ingredient is a dash of cumin! Chewy and delish…I am glad I doubled the recipe as the 2 of us will polish these off quickly.
That’s wonderful, Justine! I am always a sucker for old-fashioned, simple cookies, too (these do not last at our house, either :))