Oh YUM! Crunchy vegan peanut butter cookies!
If you love peanut butter as much as I do, then you want to put it in as many things as possible, and baking it into cookies is nothing but a very fine idea.
Of course peanut butter cookies is kind of a classic, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here or anything, it’s just a case of veganizing an old fave. And really, I made these 3 times to try out some different things and every time I made them they came out slightly differently, but ALL 3 batches were sensationally good. So I don’t think it’s really possible to mess this one up!
There’s just a couple of things to be aware of that I’ll get into below.
The first time I made these I couldn’t find my regular favorite peanut butter brand in the store (which is Black Cat, a South African brand), so I got an American brand instead. It was just a standard smooth salted version, but clearly must have contained a higher proportion of oil or something, because the first time I made it, I didn’t need to add any extra wet ingredients to get my cookie dough to the right consistency, it was easy to roll into balls.
The first batch came out almost like shortbread – with that awesome hard crunch you get with shortbread. I was a big fan!
But because they were so shortbready, I wondered how it would be if I added a flax egg to the recipe. So I did this to the second batch and again – this batch came out deliciously, but was more soft and chewy, quite similar in texture to my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Which is great, but I thought the first batch was likely closer to a classic peanut butter cookie, even if it was a little like shortbread.
So…. for this third batch that you see pictured, I decided to stick with the original recipe for the first batch, BUT in the meantime my usual peanut butter brand was back in stock so I used this one instead.
And suddenly my cookie dough was just too dry, it would not form into balls, it was just crumbling. So I added 3 Tbsp Soy Milk and then it was great.
So you have a couple of options: Depending on the brand of peanut butter you use, you might end up with a dough that is just the right consistency, you’ll know this by whether or not you can roll it into balls quite easily. It needs to stick together when you roll it into a ball, not crumble and break apart instantly. If it rolls easily then you have a perfect cookie dough and there’s no need for any troubleshooting steps.
However, if it breaks apart and crumbles when you try to roll the cookie dough into balls, then your dough is too dry. You can either add a flax egg OR 3 tablespoons of soy milk (or other plant milk of your choice).
Then see if you can roll it into a ball, at this point you should be able to and be good to go.
Just be aware that the flax egg tended to result in a more chewy texture, versus the more crunchy texture if you use soy milk. And if you don’t need to add any extra wet ingredients at all, then you know you’re going to get some epic crunch in your cookies! All ways, they are some damn fine cookies!
They are really quick and easy to make – taking 35 minutes in total and making in the region of 22-28 cookies.
My first batch made 22 cookies, my second 24, and we ended up with 28 cookies on the third batch. I mean it’s the same amount of dough, it just depends on how large you want to roll those balls.
These vegan peanut butter cookies are wonderfully crunchy, sweet, peanut-buttery and satisfying.
Have with a glass of non-dairy milk for a milk and cookies afternoon treat or with a cup of tea.
I hope you enjoy this recipe – any thoughts or questions, post them in the comments section below!
And if you happen to make these, I’d love for you to take a pic and tag it #lovingitvegan on instagram. Seeing your photos there makes me super happy I tell you!
- 1 cup (200g) Sugar + ¼ cup (50g) for rolling
- ½ cup (112g) Vegan Butter
- 1 cup (250g) Smooth Salted Peanut Butter
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1.5 cups (190g) All Purpose Flour
- 3 Tbsp Soy Milk or 1 Flax Egg (if needed)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit (190 degrees celsius).
- Add the sugar and vegan butter to a mixer and beat them together until creamy. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix in.
- Then stir in (by hand) the salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour.
- Test the cookie dough by trying to roll some into a ball. If it holds together perfectly then you're good to go. If it crumbles and won't hold together, then add 3 Tbsp Soy Milk or 1 Flax Egg (will result in a more chewy texture).
- Roll the dough into balls, and then roll them in sugar and place evenly onto a parchment lined baking tray.
- Flatten slightly with a fork.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
Can’t wait to make these with my little girl
These are the peanut butter cookies I’ve been looking for!!!
I had tried many, many recipes but these are the winners. Perfect taste, consistency and super easy to make. I used brown rice and oat flour for gluten free😁
Thank you a ton~
Yay! So happy to hear! Thanks for posting! 🙂