These vegan peanut butter cookies have a delicious chewy texture and crunchy exterior that is difficult to resist.
I like making cookies, I think that might be obvious. But cookies are best when shared! And dietary restrictions are something to keep in mind. And with a mixture of lactose intolerance and the inability to have eggs, sometimes going vegan is the easiest choice. Or sometimes I get vegan requested specifically.
And that’s why I decided to make vegan peanut butter cookies! I think peanut butter is magical. It is able to take on double duty acting as fat in place of butter and as a binder in place of eggs. It’s kind of crazy what peanut butter alone can accomplish!
While these vegan peanut butter cookies do not have the same taste and texture as my normal peanut butter cookies, they are delicious in their own right. The cookies are a bit denser but that makes them all the more rich.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
Since I am going vegan for this (or doing my best attempt to) there are quite a few ingredients that I needed to substitute out. Eggs, butter, and milk were off limits. I also discovered than some sugars are not vegan, and my mind was blown. That is a battle I would have a hard time fighting.
Since peanut butter is doing the heavy lifting for these cookies, the only other “interesting” ingredient is almond milk. The almond flavor of almond milk blend very well with the nuttiness of the peanut butter. Alone, the peanut butter is too thick to give a proper cookie, so the almond milk is able to add in a little moisture.
Process
The Dough
These vegan peanut butter cookies started in the same place that most of my cookies start: with the dough. I used a stand mixer to help add air to the cookies as I felt that was even more crucial with some of my normal ingredients missing.
The first two ingredients to go into the bowl were the peanut butter and sugar. This is very similar to whipping together butter and sugar. There are just peanuts involved now. I wanted to whip the mixture for quite some time to get it light and fluffy. That perfect texture to start off a cookie!
Then I added in almond milk and vanilla extract to cut the mixture and make it a bit more wet. The consistency of the dough because similar to when eggs are added in a standard cookie recipe. I know I keep comparing vegan to non-vegan, but I have to go off my experiences. I was also surprised that, texturally, the two were not far apart.
In a small bowl, I whisked together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then I added the powders into the big bowl and mixed. I was able to incorporate most everything with the stand mixer, but I did have to finish it off by hand as the dough was quite dense.
Shaping and Baking
And that density was perfect more making dough balls! It was actually very easy to work with and I was able to roll out dough into so many little balls. The good thing about vegan peanut butter cookies when baking is that they do not spread much so you can place they relatively close together.
Then I used a fork to give these vegan peanut butter cookies the classic peanut butter cookie shape. Which is just a crisscross pattern made with a fork. It did dawn on me that these cookies might handle a cookie press quite well, but that’s an experiment for another time. Now it’s into the oven to bake!
Reflections
Yup. Delicious. I was curious to see how these vegan peanut butter cookies would be in comparison and while there are some textural differences, peanut butter is an overwhelming flavor. And when it’s invited, it comes to party.
I really love this as an alternative recipe for the classic cookie as while different, and I think it’s completely delicious in it’s own right. I feel like when it comes to vegan and vegetarian foods, it’s good to determine if it’s delicious regardless of other factors (like what it is supposed to be imitating). Let food just be good.
Lessons
Crunchy vs Creamy
There are two types of peanut butter typically available on store shelves: creamy and crunchy. I usually work with creamy peanut butter as I feel like the cookies end of being more fluid and airy. But I have seen recipes that call for crunchy peanut butter. And I don’t get it. I get that the crunchy would add a crunchy texture in the final cookie, but wouldn’t it mess up the shaping? It blows my mind. This isn’t really something I learned, I just was to talk about it.
recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 6 Tablespoons Almond Milk
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- A Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix peanut butter and sugar until creamy. Then add the almond milk and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined.
- Scoop out the dough into 1 inch balls and placed on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Use the back of a fork to get a crisscross pattern pressing the for in one direction and then again after rotating 90 degrees.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes. Let cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
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