Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are rich, delicious and so easy to make! Made in just 20 minutes with 6 ingredients, these chocolate chip peanut butter cookies will soon become one of your families’ favorite recipes!
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – no fancy equipment needed to make these vegan chocolate chip peanut butter cookies! All you need is 1 bowl and a spoon to mix the batter! This is a great recipe for beginner bakers as it’s very easy to follow!
- Simple ingredients – you likely already have all the ingredients you need to make vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in your pantry right now! Don’t let the oat flour throw you off, you can make your own oat flour in just 30 seconds using your blender! These plant based cookies are so yummy, you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy them!
- Freezer friendly – these cookies are almost as good from the freezer as they are made fresh! These are great to make ahead, freeze and eat directly out of the freezer or allow to defrost on the counter for a bit before serving!
Ingredients
Maple syrup – this naturally sweetens the cookies and helps to provide the necessary moisture to the dough.
Apple sauce – without added applesauce, these cookies can be a bit crumbly, which is perfect for traditional peanut butter cookies, but I wanted these to be soft in the center and just crispy on the edges, so I added extra moisture in the form of apple sauce.
Natural peanut butter – this is the peanut butter that you have to stir from the grocery store. The only ingredients should be peanuts or peanuts and salt. Peanut butter provides all the flavor and helps to bind the cookies together when baking.
Oat flour – oat flour is made by griding up oats into a powder. It’s very absorbent and can provide great structure for the cookies, especially when baking with gluten free flour. If you need to be 100% gluten free, be sure your oat flour (or the oats you make oat flour with) is gluten free.
Baking powder – baking powder helps the cookies rise a bit when baking. The batter is pretty thick so the cookies don’t rise much but the baking powder does help them to puff up during baking.
Dairy free chocolate chips – to ensure this recipe is vegan, be sure to use dairy free chocolate chips. There are so many great options available at local grocery stores now, just be sure to check the label. Trader Joe’s now has a 72% dark chocolate chip that is dairy free and soy free. Enjoy Life Brand is also very easy to find in most grocery stores and Pascha and Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems are great brands to grab online (I love Thrive Market for these).
How to make vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
Be sure to check out the story that shows the step by step process on how to make these oat flour peanut butter cookies!
Start by preheating the oven to 350F. Add a piece or parchment paper to a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine the maple syrup, apple sauce and peanut butter. Stir well until fully combined.
Add the oat flour and baking powder to the bowl. Stir well, making sure all the flour is well combined into the batter with no lumps or clumps.
Stir in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed.
Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a tablespoon measuring spoon, spoon out the batter onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. This should make between 14-17 cookies depending on how you scoop the batter.
For flatter, more traditional cookies, wet your hands a bit and flatten the cookies to ensure they will get crispy around the edges. If you want a slightly thicker cookie, leave the cookies alone.
Bake at 350F for 13 minutes.
Take the cookies out of the oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or enjoying.
Top tips
- Be sure to use a natural peanut butter for this recipe. Using a “no stir” peanut butter could create a crumbly dough that doesn’t form properly. The added ingredients in the no stir peanut butter will change the structure of the cookies.
- Make these peanut butter free! You can use almond butter, cashew butter or sunbutter in place of the peanut butter.
- Cookies really won’t flatten out as they cook – these are great flattened out or you can leave them in larger mounds for thicker cookies. Baking time does not change. Be sure to lightly wet your hands before pressing the cookies down as the dough is wet and sticky. You may have to do this 2-3 times to press down all the cookies
- Since these cookies do not have any eggs in them, they will take a bit longer to firm up after baking. Allow cookies to cool 5-10 minutes before moving from the baking sheet so they have time to set up.
- These cookies freeze well and can be eaten right out of the freezer! Make a double batch and freeze extra so you always have cookies on hand!
- Use a cookie scoop to easily measure out the dough. For the longest time I thought this was just a nice to have kitchen gadget but I have to say it really helps to measure out the dough and is so easy to use! I can’t imagine not having a cookie scoop now! If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use 1 tablespoon to measure out the cookies.
- If you don’t have oat flour on hand to make these oat flour peanut butter cookies, you can make your own oat flour using a high speed blender.
Other add-in ingredients
- Chopped peanuts, pecans or walnuts
- Chopped up peanut butter cups
- Dried cranberries, dried cherries or raisins
- White chocolate chips or chunks
- Sprinkle Coarse salt or fleur de sel on top before baking
Common questions
How to make oat flour
Oat flour is very easy to make and ends up being a very inexpensive ingredient because it’s simply made from griding up dry rolled oats.
To make your own oat flour at home:
- Add dry rolled oats or quick oats to a high speed blender.
- Blend on high for 30 seconds -1 minute. Stopping 1 or 2 times to reset the blender to really ensure most of the oats get blended.
- For a super fine powder, pass the flour through a fine mesh strainer to get out any large pieces of oats that didn’t break down.
- Use the flour immediately or store it in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Can you eat the cookie dough raw
Yes! This vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe is made without eggs so you can eat the dough raw without worrying about salmonella. This dough is delicious right out of the bowl and I highly encourage you sneaking a taste before baking!
Can you freeze the dough before baking
Yes! Make the cookies as indicated. Scoop them out onto parchment paper or wax paper. Flatten out the cookies with your hand if you plan on flattening them before baking. Freeze solid on the parchment paper/wax paper. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Be sure to indicate the name of the recipe, the use by date and baking instructions (temperature and time) on the bag to make them easy to bake when ready.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You can bake the cookies from frozen by adding 3 minutes to the baking time (baking them for 16 minutes). You can also allow them to defrost on the counter first, which would not change the baking time.
How long can you store frozen cookies in the freezer
After baking, allow the cookies to come to room temperature. Place them on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet and allow them to freeze solid. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to label the bag with the name, date, and use by date if needed. Freeze the cookies for up to 6 months.
Storing leftovers
- Counter – these cookies can be left out on the counter in a airtight container for 24 hours. Be sure to let the cookies cool completely before adding to a container.
- Fridge – store cookies in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months in an freezer safe bag.
Substitutions
- Maple syrup – maple syrup helps to sweeten the cookies but also helps to moisten the batter. Because of this you will want to use a liquid sweetener. Other great options include date syrup or honey (will change the flavor).
- Apple sauce – apple sauce helps to ensure the cookies are soft when baked. You could also use mashed banana or pumpkin puree in place of the apple sauce. You could even try adding dairy free milk in place of the apple sauce as well.
- Natural peanut butter – it’s important that you use a natural peanut butter or natural alternative. This means there is only 1 or 2 ingredients on the jar. Other options include: almond butter, sun butter (made from sunflower seeds) or cashew butter.
- Oat flour – oat flour can be made at home from rolled or quick oats. You could also use your favorite gluten free flour alternative. Almond flour may require 2-4 more tablespoons of flour than the recipe calls for to create the right consistency of the batter.
- Baking powder – if you don’t have baking powder, you can simply omit it from the recipe.
- Chocolate chips – if you don’t have chocolate chips, you can also cut up a chocolate bar into chunks and use that. See the “other ingredients to add” section for other ideas on how to replace the chocolate chips in this recipe.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Vegan Sunbutter Cookies
- Vegan Protein Peanut Butter Cookies
- Air Fryer Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan)
- Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies (vegan)
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies with Cashew Frosting
- Oat Flour Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
$5.01 Recipe/$0.31 CookieIngredients
- 1/2 cup maple syrup - $2.50
- 6 tbsp. applesauce - $0.30
- 2/3 cup natural peanut butter - $1.33
- 2/3 cup oat flour - $0.40
- 1 tsp. baking powder - $0.06
- 1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips - $0.42
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Add parchement paper to a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine the maple syrup, applesauce and peanut butter. Stir well until well combined.
- Add the oat flour and baking powder to the mixing bowl. Stir well until all the flour is well incorporated and there are no lumps.
- Mix in the chocolate chips and stir until well incorporated.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoon to spoon out the cookies onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This makes between 14-17 cookies depending on the size.
- If you want thinner, criper cookies, press down on each cookie with damp fingers (so the dough doesn't stick to your fingers). If you want thicker cookies, don't press down on them.
- Bake in a 350F oven for 13 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or enjoying.
Notes
- Use a natural peanut butter for this recipe. Using a “no stir” peanut butter could create a crumbly dough that doesn’t form properly. The added ingredients in the no stir peanut butter will change the structure of the cookies.
- If you need these cookies to be peanut free, you can use almond butter or sunbutter in place of the peanut butter.
- Cookies really won’t flatten out as they cook – these are great flattened out or you can leave them in larger mounds for thicker cookies. Baking time does not change. Be sure to lightly wet your hands before pressing the cookies down as the dough is wet and sticky. You may have to do this 2-3 times to press down all the cookies
- Since these cookies do not have any eggs in them, they will take a bit longer to firm up after baking. Allow cookies to cool 5-10 minutes before moving from the baking sheet so they have time to set up.
- These cookies freeze well and can be eaten right out of the freezer! Make a double batch and freeze extra so you always have cookies on hand!
- Use a cookie scoop to easily measure out the dough. It makes measuring out the dough so simple!
- Chopped peanuts, pecans or walnuts
- Dried cranberries, dried cherries or raisins
- White chocolate chips or chunks
- Sprinkle Coarse salt or fleur de sel on top before baking
- Add dry rolled oats or quick oats to a high speed blender.
- Blend on high for 30 seconds -1 minute. Stopping 1 or 2 times to reset the blender to really ensure most of the oats get blended.
- For a super fine powder, pass the flour through a fine mesh strainer to get out any large pieces of oats that didn’t break down.
- Use the flour immediately or store it in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- Counter – these cookies can be left out on the counter in a airtight container for 24 hours. Be sure to let the cookies cool completely before adding to a container.
- Fridge – store cookies in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months in an freezer safe bag.
