Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies w/Walnuts (vegan, gf, oil-free)

0 In a small bowl, make the flax egg by mixing the ground flax seed with water. Set aside for 10 minutes to gel up.
1 In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together except for the pecans.
2 In a medium bowl, whisk the nut butter and maple syrup together. If your nut butter is a little dry or stiff, you can microwave it with the maple syrup for about 20 seconds. Then try whisking again until it is well combined. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and flax eggs. Whisk until well combined.
3 Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a spatula to mix it until JUST combined. Do NOT overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips. Again, careful not to overmix.
4 Place bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5 While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
6 Scoop the cookie dough using a cookie scoop (mine is 1 1/2 Tbsps) onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced at least 1/2″ apart. Evenly sprinkle the dough with the crushed pecans. Press the nuts down slightly and you can flatten the dough slightly with your fingers. They don’t spread much while baking.
7 Place into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes (mine only took 12 min). Careful not to overbake. It can be easy to overbake since the cookies are brown to begin with. Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes on pan before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up when they continue to cool. Store in an airtight container on the counter for 1 day and in the fridge for up to 5 days.
8 Enjoy!
9 (recipe adapted from Sweet Simple Vegan)