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Easy Vegan Cardamom Cookies. These soft cookies are a cross between cardamom shortbread and Snickerdoodles. Vegan Soyfree Palm Oil free Recipe. Glutenfree option. Jump to Recipe
If you love cardamom, you will love these cookies! Soft, melt in your mouth cookies that remind you of shortbread, snickerdoodle, and Indian Desserts, all rolled into one.
I use seeds from whole green cardamom pods and ground cardamom for extra flavor punch. The nut butter and almond flour add the texture. The cookie is easily refined sugar free and is palm oil free. Change up the spices to cinnamon, chai, pumpkin pie spice for variation.
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- Best Chocolate Chip Cookies with coconut oil
Tips to make Cardamom Cookies with amazing texture and flavor
- Use a neutral flavor nut butter so that it doesn’t overshadow the cardamom flavor (or any other spice flavor you use). some peanut butters have a strong flavor. Almond or cashew butter works best.
- Use both ground cardamom and cardamom seeds
- The dough should be soft for the best crackling.
- Bake longer for crispier cookie and a min less for softer.
Step by Step Photos
Mix the wet ingredients. Fold in the dry to make a soft dough.
Chill, divide the dough into balls, roll in spice+ sugar, flatten on a parchment lined sheet and bake.
Vegan Cardamom Cookie - Cardamom Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Wet
- 1/3 cup smooth almond butter or peanut butter, or cashew (some peanut butters have a very strong flavor, so choose a more neutral flavor nut butter)
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp applesauce or non dairy yogurt
Dry
- 3/4 cup flour, (I use a mix of whole wheat and all purpose), see gf option in notes
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- seeds of two green cardamom pods, coarsely crushed, (or use 1/4 tsp more ground cardamom)
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cardamom powder, (us full 1/2 tsp if omitting cardamom seeds)
Coating
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cane sugar, or use more coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- In a bowl combine peanut butter, oil, Maple syrup, Apple sauce/ yogurt. Mix until smooth.
- In another bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and cardamom. Mix well
- Add to the wet bowl and combine to form a sticky dough. Add a tablespoon or more flour if the dough is too sticky. You can also do this after chilling.
- Chill the dough for 20 mins
- Mix the coating ingredients in a shallow bowl.
- Take the dough out of the fridge. Divide it into equal size balls of inch or larger. Roll the balls into coating mixture and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten them.
- Bake at 350 F (176 C) for 11 to 12 minute
- Cool completely before storing
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these and they turned out *amazing*! (I needed a recipe that was non-dairy, non-wheat, and customizable for my daughter, who is on a strict elimination diet for breastfeeding a sensitive infant.) I used sunflower butter instead of the nut butter, flax meal instead of almond flour, and only 1/4C maple syrup to cut the sugar a bit. I also used demerara sugar instead of regular cane sugar in the coating. I omitted the crushed cardamom and used more ground cardamom, plus about 1/4tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter. The only thing I might change next time is to make “flegg” from some of the flax meal (mix 1 part flax meal with 3 parts water and let sit to thicken — creates an egg-like protein that I think would help to bind the cookies, which were a little bit crumbly).
Wonderful!
What Is the difference between using cream of tartar and not using cream of tartar? How does it come out differently?
it can be omitted, it acts as a leavener, also,
It’s what separates a tangy, chewy snickerdoodle from an ordinary cinnamon-coated sugar cookie. The acid in cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinctive tangy flavor, and the chew happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness.
hi dear!!
For a gluten free option do you mean twice 1/3 cup of almond flour or just once ,please?
I still did not make it, but i certainly will.
All the best for your work
Thank you
Namaste
Claudia
That’s for just the gf blend. So it’s more almond flour when you use the blend in the recipe
Would it be OK to add candied ginger, minced very small? Or powdered ginger? I love the combo of cardamom and ginger.
Yes! Candied ginger will work so well!
I live this recipe so much. Baked it at least 6 times. My extended family loves them!
Do you have any suggestions for cutting down on the added sugars? Would mashed banana be a good replacement for the agave syrup? What about the coconut sugar sprinkle replacement? Any other suggestions?
TIA
wow! you could use more apple sauce in place of the maple syrup, or the banana would actualy work. as for the sprinkle – it’s totally optional or you could just use a tiny bit. or date sugar but it has the same sweetness as coco sugar
Thanks. Keep up the good work! Your recipes are amazing!
These sound so good!! What kind of oil do you recommend using? Thanks, Keren
any neutral oil such as safflower or canola
delicious and easy. Added crushed roasted salted pistachios and it was quite a yummy addition!
Thanks!
Awesome
So easy, and fail proof. Turned out beautifully, and tasty!
I added half almond butter and half peanut butter, however, the peanut butter over powered the cardamom. I didn’t add oil (except from the almond and peanut butter). Next time I’ll add a tiny less maple syrup too as they are quiet sweet especially with the apple sauce. otherwise, YUM!
Awesome ! thank you Dee
They were delicious ! The first bite had me remarking -This is the best thing I’ve ever made !!
Thank you !
wow! great
Super delicious! I love cardamom so have used a bit more in the dough. Baked them for 7 minutes and they came out perfect! They are morish!
I love the cookies! Soooooo delicious!!!
thanks!
My son took one to have with a glass of milking, came back for three more 😊