Cinnamon Cookies
These vegan cinnamon cookies are soft, warmly spiced oat-and-flour cookies rolled into balls and baked until golden. They come together in one bowl with pantry staples, no chilling and no fuss, which makes them the treat I reach for the moment the weather turns cold. If you want a cozy, budget-friendly cookie that tastes like the holidays, this is the one to bake first.
Today I want to share with you some of my favorite vegan cookies in the world, cinnamon cookies! If you’re a regular guest on my blog, you probably know that I’m a big fan of desserts. Whenever I have some extra time on my hands, I try to come up with a new recipe to try, and for me the act of baking is a pleasure in itself, not even a chore. Cinnamon is the spice of this season, and these little cookies are my favorite way to bring it into everyday baking.
What you’ll need for these cinnamon cookies
The ingredient list is short and forgiving. Here is what each part does so you can shop and swap with confidence:
- Oats, pulsed into a flour: blitzing the oats until powdery gives the cookies a tender, slightly rustic crumb while keeping that wholesome oaty flavor. Rolled oats work best.
- All-purpose flour: gives structure so the cookies hold their shape as they bake.
- Brown sugar: the molasses in brown sugar adds moisture and a soft chew, and pairs beautifully with cinnamon. Adding brown sugar here is extremely satisfying, and I’m sure we all love that.
- Butter, vegan or dairy: room-temperature butter is what creams with the sugar to trap air. Use vegan butter to keep these fully plant-based.
- Psyllium husks (or a flax gel), or 1 egg for a non-vegan version: soaked in water, the psyllium or flax forms a gel that binds the dough the way an egg would.
- Baking powder, vanilla extract and plenty of cinnamon powder: the cinnamon is the star flavor of this recipe, so don’t be shy with it.
How to get soft, golden cinnamon cookies
Start by pouring the water over your psyllium or flax and letting it sit for 5 to 7 minutes. This is the step people rush, and it matters: you want a thick, egg-like gel before it goes anywhere near the dough, because that gel is what holds everything together. While it hydrates, pulse the oats into a powder and cream the room-temperature butter with the brown sugar until fluffy and pale. Creaming properly is what gives the cookies a light texture, so give it a full minute or two.
Once the gel is ready, beat it in with the vanilla, then fold in the flour, powdered oats, cinnamon and baking powder until you have a soft dough. Roll it into balls, space them on a parchment-lined tray, and bake at 180C (350F) for 12 to 15 minutes. Pull them the moment the edges turn golden brown; they firm up as they cool, so slightly underbaked in the center is exactly right for a soft cookie.
Tips for the best results
- Use fresh cinnamon. Ground cinnamon fades fast, so if yours has been in the cupboard for a year the flavor will be flat. If you want to go deeper on the spice, see my guide on how to cook with cinnamon.
- Soften the butter properly. Cold butter won’t cream, and melted butter makes the cookies spread and go greasy. Room temperature is the sweet spot.
- Don’t skip the gel rest. If the psyllium or flax hasn’t thickened, the dough won’t bind and the cookies can crumble.
- Roll even balls. Same-size cookies bake at the same rate, so they all come out golden together.
- Watch the last few minutes. Golden edges are your cue. Cinnamon and sugar can go from perfect to over-baked quickly.
Storing and making them ahead
These keep beautifully, which is part of why I love them. Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and they’ll stay soft for about five days. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a sealed bag for up to three months and let them come back to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the rolled dough balls raw and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the time. When I have a batch of fresh cookies, I just love to take them with me and let the sweetness follow me throughout the day.
If you’re baking your way through the season, these sit happily alongside my other favorites: try them next to vegan gingerbread cookies and vegan oatmeal cookies, or browse the full roundup of vegan Christmas cookies for your holiday tray. And of course, they’re perfect with something warm to have your coffee with.
Quick and cheap recipes are my favorite type of recipes, and this one won’t empty your pockets. If you bake these, please rate the recipe below and leave me a comment telling me how much cinnamon you dared to add and how they turned out. I’d love to hear all about it!
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Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter room temperature; vegan or dairy
- 2 Tbsp psyllium husks or 1 large egg, for non-veg version
- 6 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Pour the water over the flaxseed meal and leave it aside for 5-7 minutes.
- Pulse the oats in a food processor until powdery.
- Add the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream together until fluffy.
- When the flaxseed has reached a gel, egg-like consistency, add it to the butter mixture with the vanilla extract and combine.
- Add the flour, powdered oats, cinnamon and baking powder to the bowl and mix well.
- Roll the dough into balls and place on a tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as written they are vegan when you use vegan butter and the psyllium husk or flax gel as the binder. The recipe also gives a non-vegan option, so you can swap in dairy butter and one egg instead if you prefer. Either way the method and baking time stay the same.
Soak psyllium husks (or ground flaxseed) in water for 5 to 7 minutes until it forms a thick, egg-like gel, then use it in place of one egg. This gel binds the dough so the cookies hold together without any animal product. Make sure it has thickened fully before adding it, or the dough may crumble.
Pulsing the oats into a powder lets them blend smoothly into the dough and gives the cookies a tender, even crumb rather than large chewy flakes. It also helps the oats absorb moisture like a flour would. Rolled oats work best for this.
Bake them at 180C (350F) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Pull them while the centers still look slightly soft, since they firm up as they cool. This gives you a soft cookie rather than a hard, crunchy one.
Once completely cool, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature and they stay soft for about five days. You can freeze the baked cookies in a sealed bag for up to three months and thaw at room temperature. You can also freeze the raw rolled dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two.
Yes. You can roll the dough into balls and freeze them raw, then bake directly from frozen whenever you want fresh cookies, adding a minute or two to the bake time. This is handy during the holidays when you want warm cookies without starting from scratch each time.
Favorite winter cookies! They go do well with a big glass of almond milk… yum!