If you’re looking for easy vegan chocolate peanut butter cookies, look no further. This recipe is easy to follow and mixed by hand, so you don’t need to drag out your mixer. You can leave out the PB if you just want a chocolate cookie, or replace it with almond butter.
I really like how these turned out, my mind can’t decide if it’s eating a cookie, or cake.. so “CAKIES” it is! These cookies are soft like cake, but hold the shape of a cookie. They can be stored in the fridge for a chewier cookie like bite, or left on the counter for a soft cake-like texture.
I’m really excited to develop this recipe further into vegan chocolate cupcakes, and whoopie pies! I am also thinking of a peanut butter base with chocolate chips.. yum!
As always I’m going to get right to the recipe but please read my notes afterwards because there are a few important tips I want you to know before you bake these.
Easy Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 Ounces dairy free butter 1 ½ sticks
- 4 Ounces pure maple syrup ¼ cup
- 1 Tsp baking soda
- ⅓ Cup warm water
- ½ Tsp vanilla extract
dry ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cup all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ¾ Cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ Tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- ¼ Cup cocoa powder
- 1 Pinch salt
- ½ Cup vegan chocolate chips
filling
- peanut butter
Instructions
- Melt together the dairy free butter and maple syrup. Do not boil.
- Mix the hot water, vanilla, and baking soda. Once the butter is melted remove from heat and add the water mixture to the pot.
- Place all the dry ingredients together except the vegan chocolate chips and use a metal whisk to combine them, breaking up the sugar as needed.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry and whisk together until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chips.
- The batter will look wet, like a cake batter. Use plastic wrap and cover the surface of the batter. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight until the mix is firm. If you’re in a rush, you can put it in the freezer.
- While the mix is chilling spoon 20 or so tsp of peanut butter onto parchment paper and place into the freezer.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- When the batter is firm, use a cookie scoop (1” diameter) and scoop some up. Use your thumb to create a dent in the dough. Put 1 portion of peanut butter inside and close the cookie.
- The cookies will spread to about double the size, so leave a lot of space.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. The cookies will look dry on top.
Notes
Yum, yum, yum… I’m finishing off the last cookie as I type this. I wish I could have more self control to tell you exactly how long these lasted before loosing quality but we only made it 3 days. Don’t worry I have a few in the freezer to test out some whoopie pies. So I should mention both the scooped batter and baked cookies can be frozen.
I made these with and without the peanut butter, and I have to admit I can’t decide exactly which way is best. The peanut butter does add an addictive decadence to them.. Ok Ok the peanut butter wins.
I used natural peanut butter for the filling, (and to be honest) I think the thicker junkier stuff might work better for this. The natural PB spreads after you spoon it out onto the parchment paper so you need to work with it a bit to get it into the cookie. So the thicker stuff might lend an ease.
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I haven’t tried any other brand of vegan chocolate chips besides the Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips, 10 oz and I see no reason to try others because these are wonderful. As far as cocoa powder goes, Valrhona Pure Cocoa Powder 8.8 oz. makes the best chocolate in the world, so their cocoa powder is the one you want to go with. The butter I used was just the store brand Wholesome Pantry dairy free butter in sticks, you can use whatever is your go-to. As far as maple syrup goes, you have to make sure you’re using pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. (Sorry Mrs. Buttersworth)
If you don’t know what I mean when I say ”Spooned and leveled” in the recipe for the flour and cocoa powder, let me explain. Use a spoon to over fill your measuring cup and tap the edge to make sure it settles, than use a flat edge like a butter knife to level the top. You should use this method to measure anything light and airy like the flour and cocoa powder. Check out these measuring cups with a built in leveler Dreamfarm Levups | Scraping Self-Leveling Measuring Cups | Set of 4 Cups | Red they make it easy!
I’m going to use this recipe to develop a few other vegan recipes, but please give this one a rating if you try it and let me know what others you want to see!
Michelle
February 25, 2022 at 4:40 amThere is nothing better than chocolate & peanut butter & these cookies are proof! Not only were they delicious, they were easy to make and did not require any expensive or harder to find ingredients that vegan recipes sometimes have. Definitely going to be sharing, thanks Amanda!!!