Vegan Blueberry Muffin Cookies

Blueberry muffins remind me of lazy weekend mornings growing up. I remember making them with my Dad often and enjoying them with brunch. Even though they came from a boxed mix I still enjoyed them and looked forward to them. I especially loved scraping the last bit of batter from the bowl to enjoy. I now make my own blueberry muffins and that is still my favorite flavor. So the other day I was thinking, how delicious would it be to make blueberry muffin cookies and enjoy the best of both worlds?! So I made Vegan Blueberry Muffin Cookies!

I used my chocolate chip cookie dough as a base and it was perfect! The only changes I made to it were only using granulated sugar instead of half granulated half brown, and adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg. This cookie dough uses all things that I normally have on hand. instead of vegan butter I use coconut oil in these and they contain apple sauce to replace the eggs in classic cookies, which gives them a nice chewy texture. I used whole wheat pastry flour but if you prefer all purpose or even a gluten free flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free baking flour which I have used with success) you could use those instead.

I stirred in plenty of fresh blueberries. The reason I did not use frozen was because I was afraid they would be too watery and add too much moisture to the cookies. If you wanted to use frozen though I think you could thaw them well and really squeeze them out. I sprinkled the cookies with some turbinado sugar before baking like I would with muffins.

These cookies smelled so heavenly while baking and I could not wait to try them!  They were soft and chewy, scented with vanilla and a hint of cinnamon, packed with jammy blueberries!  Sooo delicious!  My husband loved them as well, and kept sneaking them when I wasn't looking.  If you are a blueberry muffin fan, definitely give these Vegan Blueberry Muffin Cookies a try!

Vegan Blueberry Muffin Cookies

Makes 16

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour (for a lighter colored cookie)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• Turbinado sugar for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line two sheet pans with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the coconut oil, sugar, apple sauce and extracts until well blended.
3. Mix in the salt, baking soda and baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg then the flour until smooth.
4. Stir in the blueberries until they are evenly distributed.
5. Form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on the cookie trays about 2 inches apart.
6. Press the dough balls down slightly and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
7. Place the pans in the oven and bake for about 7 minutes, then rotate them and bake another 7 or so until the cookies are done and lightly brown at the edges.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before enjoying.