Caramel Pecan Ginger Cookie Dough Skillets (Vegan Gluten-Free)

These Caramel Pecan Ginger Cookie Dough Skillets are gooey, sticky and delicious made with vegan, gluten-free and wholefood ingredients. They make a great small-batch dessert for two and take 20 minutes.

I just love a cookie skillet and small batch desserts so after my amazing Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Skillet and my Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes, I am back with another single-serve baked dessert. Be warned, these are gooey, sticky, rich and delicious and you may not want to share, but one of these can easily serve two people, as well. They have a simple sticky pecan top, a gooey salted caramel middle and a delicious chocolate chip studded healthier cookie dough batter that hits the spot.

Why will I love these skillets?

These are amazing:

• Rich, gooey, sticky and sweet
• Nutty, chocolatey and caramel-y
• Gingery and festive
• Made with plant based ingredients, wholesome and healthier
• Naturally vegan, egg-free and dairy-free
• Gluten-free and easily nut-free
• Easy and quick to make
• Bakes in 20 minutes
• Delicious on the day or the day after
• High in fibre, protein and healthy fats
• Great for all the family

If you already love the sound of these skillets then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

The ingredients are simple and you probably already have them at home. you can see the weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite products in the “shop the recipe” section.

For the cookie dough:

• Mashed banana: this replaces the egg in these vegan skillets. You can also use pumpkin puree.
• Coconut sugar: for sweetness. You can also use caster, golden caster or light brown sugar.
• Maple syrup: for sticky sweetness. This adds moisture to the mix, making them really delicious. You can use agave syrup too or vegan honey.
• Smooth cashew butter: I love cashew butter as it’s naturally sweet and quite “cookie” like in flavour. You can swap this for almond or peanut butter, and where needed use pumpkin seed butter or tahini for nut-free options.
• Coconut oil: this creates the buttery texture that we all love about cookies without the need for butter. Note that the cookies harden as they cool, as the coconut oil sets but they’ll soften again as you warm them up. You can also use olive oil, and they won’t harden as much.
• Vanilla: for flavour.
• Ground almonds: I love the nutty richness these add to the cookie dough and make them really delicious. You can swap this for plain flour, if needing to make them nut-free.
• Oat flour: I grind my own by blending up oats into a fine flour. This is a fibre-rich alternative to plain flour and makes the cookies more wholesome.
• Vegan vanilla protein powder: this adds vanilla flavour, sweetness and a rich, fudgy texture. I use the Form vanilla protein which is naturally delicious and contains amazing healthful ingredients.
• Bicarbonate of soda and salt: for rise and flavour.
• Spices: ginger and cinnamon work so well for these cookies, making them taste and smell quite festive.
• Chocolate chips: you can use dark chocolate or dairy-free milk chocolate chips here. Use chips, buttons or chop up your favourite bar.

For the skillets:

• Sweetened condensed coconut milk: this is an amazing alternative to dairy condensed milk and I use the squeezy one from Natures Charm which is so sticky and delicious. Pouring this into the base of the dishes means that when you invert the cookies, you have the best caramel sauce on top.
• Pecans: to add on top of the sweetened condensed milk so they turn sticky and delicious.
• Salted caramel sauce: I use the Natures Charm coconut salted caramel sauce which is fully vegan and so amazing inside of these cookies. You can also make your own, using this recipe here.

Are these gluten-free and nut-free?

These are naturally gluten-free, as long as your oat flour does not contain gluten. To make these nut-free, swap the ground almonds for plain flour, swap the cashew butter for tahini or sunflower seed butter and swap the pecans on top for pumpkin seeds.

How do I make them?

These are easy to make in a few steps:

• Whisk together the wet ingredients: until smooth.
• Add in the dry ingredients: and stir in the chocolate chips.
• Pour the sweetened condensed coconut milk into the dishes: and sprinkle over the pecans.
• Add some cookie dough on top: with a spoon of caramel sauce.
• Add on more cookie dough: and seal the edges.
• Bake for 20 minutes: or until risen, golden and sticky.
• Leave for 5 minutes to cool: and then carefully run a knife or spatula around the edges.
• Invert onto a plate: and watch the caramel sauce pour down.

How long will they last?

These will keep for 2-3 days, covered well, in the fridge. They will firm up as they harden, so warm them back up in the microwave for 40 seconds or in the oven for 5 minutes. You can also freeze them, wrapped well, for 1 month and allow to defrost before warming back up.

What else can I make?

If you are looking for more desserts, how about:

• Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Skillets
• Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes
• Chocolate Strawberry Pistachio Ganache Tart
• Vegan Banana Bread Tiramisu
• Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Cake

Shop the recipe

Stay in touch

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Caramel Pecan Ginger Cookie Dough Skillets so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With pecan cookie skillet love x

p.s. this recipe was first made with Natures Charm who I love, but this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. You can find their range of vegan products worldwide online.