Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

I hadn't made any holiday cookies yet and Twitter was making me feel left out...everyday my feed is flooded with delicious sweet treats. So I was determined to get my festivity on, but the catch was the temperature finally dropped in Texas and I didn't want to go out to the store (yes, 30 F is  too cold to go outside here). I was really craving chocolate peppermint fudge cookies, but that just wasn't in the cards without the necessary ingredients. So the challenge: develop a cookie recipe with only ingredients I already have in the pantry. I think these came out tasty, but tbh not my best cookie! I am usually an Earth Balance kind of gal, but I'm out, so I opted for coconut oil. I think a more "buttery" flavor would have done some good here. Also, the orange zest is a must here, don't skimp on it, it really brings out the other flavors! 


Oatmeal Pecan Cookies (yield 24 cookies)
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 C quick oats
1/2 C coconut oil (solid, not liquid state)
2-3 tsp non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 C pecans (chopped)

0. Preheat oven to 325 F.
1. In a large bowl combine coconut oil, and sugars. Cream together until there are no chunks of coconut left.
2. Add vanilla, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, milk, orange zest, and gently mix. If too dry add 3rd tsp milk.
3.  Add flour a 1/4 C at a time. Gently incorporate and do not over mix. 
4. Add oats and pecans.
5. Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Gently flatten each cookie.
6. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until golden brown (keep an eye on these, my oven temp is a little wonky!)