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–+ servings
hand picking up peanut butter cookie from tray of cooking

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

These dairy-free & vegan pb cookies are made with creamy peanut butter for the best chewy peanut butter cookies!
5 from 9 votes
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Course: Vegan Cookies + Brownies
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings: 18 cookies
Author: Megan Horowitch

Ingredients 
US Customary - Metric

  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter I used salted, if using unsalted add ½ teaspoon salt to cookie dough
  • ¾ cup cane sugar (½ cup for cookie dough, ¼ cup for rolling cookies before baking)
  • ½ cup brown sugar light or dark brown sugar works
  • 1 flax egg (1 Tablespoon/ 8 grams ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water, left to sit 5 minutes)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • First, add the vegan butter, brown sugar, and ½ cup of the cane sugar to a large mixing bowl. Then, cream together with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy.
  • Next, add in the peanut butter, flax egg, and vanilla and whip together for another minute.
  • Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the mixing bowl. If using unsalted peanut butter, this is also when you would add in the additional salt. Make sure to add the flour first and then add the other ingredients on top. Then, use the electic mixer to mix everything together until a thick cookie dough forms. The dough will be slightly sticky and easily to handle, but not dry.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Then, fill a small bowl with the remaining ¼ cup of cane sugar.
  • Use a cookie scoop to scoop out 14 evenly sized cookies (about 45-50 grams per cookie). Roll into balls between your palms and then roll in the bowl of sugar until the cookies are coated.
  • Place each cookie dough ball onto the parchment-lined baking sheet making sure to leave the cookies 2-inches apart. All of the cookies will not fit on one baking sheet, so I recommend baking 9 cookies at a time  on one tray vs. putting two trays in the oven at the same time. Make sure the cookies are about 2-inches apart as they will spread quite a bit while baking.
  • Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes until the cookies are cooked through but have slightly soft centers (If making large cookies adjust baking time to 13-15 minutes). The cookies will continue baking after they are removed from the oven so the centers should still be soft, but not glossy or raw,, when they are removed from the oven.
  • As soon as you remove the tray of cookies from the oven immediately "bang" the tray of cookies on the counter to help the cookies deflate. This will also give them that desirably crackly texture.
  • Then, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. The cookies will continue to naturally deflate a little while cooling. After 5 minutes transfer the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling. Once cooled, serve & enjoy!

Notes

  • It is SUPER important to use smooth, runny peanut butter for this recipe with absolutely no additives in it. Otherwise, the cookies will not spread as much. In fact, if you use dry peanut butter, the cookies may not spread at all. 
  • I used Natures Promise peanut butter for this recipe
  • To make cookies gluten-free you can substitute with a GF all-purpose baking flour. 
  • I used light brown sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar is what interacts with the baking soda and allows these cookies to spread, so it cannot be substituted. You can use dark brown sugar, but it will slightly change the texture of these cookies (they will be softer and may spread a bit more).
  • Peanut butter cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I like storing them between sheets of parchment paper so they don't stick together.
  • I highly recommend freezing cookies over the other storage method as it helps them maintain their chewy texture. Just remove from the freezer and let them defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes-1 hour before serving.
  • To freeze cookie dough before baking, scoop the cookies and roll them in sugar. Then, place the cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer until solid. Remove the tray of cookies from the freezer and then place them into a freezer-safe bag or container to store.
  • To bake frozen cookie dough balls, you'll need to add an extra 2-3 minutes of baking time. Also, the cookies will likely spread a tiny bit less. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1small cookie | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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