Description
If you’re a fan of baklava, you’re going to love these easy vegan baklava cookies! They’re made with a rich, buttery cookie dough, then topped with a sweet, and sticky nut filling and baked until golden. You won’t be able to eat just one of these Mediterranean-inspired cookies!
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- ½ cup (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
- 1 flax egg (3 tablespoons water or non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon (13g) flaxseed meal)
- ¼ cup (55g) brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ (50g) cup granulated sugar
- Zest of ½ of an orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¾ (210g) cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon vegan honey, agave, or date syrup
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ cup chopped nuts (I used a mix of almonds, walnuts, and pistachios)
- ¼ cup finely chopped pitted Medjool dates
Instructions
- Soften the butter. Make sure to set the butter at room temperature 30 minutes before starting. This will help soften the butter to room temperature.
- Prepare the flax egg. In a small bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and ground flaxseed meal and mix to combine. Set the mixture aside for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Next, combine the flax egg, vanilla, and cream again.
- Sift in the dry ingredients. Using a fine mesh strainer, first sift in the baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt and mix to combine. Lastly, sift in the flour. Switch to a spatula, and gently fold the flour into the cookie dough until well combined.
- Chill the cookie dough. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or reusable wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 2 1/2 hours, or up to overnight.
- Prepare the simple syrup. While the cookie dough chills, prepare the topping. Melt the vegan butter in a small pot or small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the vegan honey, sugar, and a cinnamon stick. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the syrup for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. After 3-4 minutes, remove the cinnamon stick and mix in the nuts and dates. Set aside.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls and preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. After the dough has sufficiently chilled, scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop. Roll the dough between your hands until a smooth ball forms, and transfer each dough ball to the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Make an indent in the middle of each cookie using your thumb or a tablespoon.
- Add the filling. Once all of the dough is rolled, scoop a heaping teaspoon of the nut mixture into the indentation of each cookie.
- Bake. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake the baklava cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until cracks begin to form around the edges and the bottoms are golden brown.
- Enjoy room temperature. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Then serve immediately while fresh and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Leftover cookies will keep best in an airtight container at room temperature. Baked cookies may also freeze well, but we have not personally tested it and cannot confirm.
- Prep Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 19 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven and Stovetop