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Packed with dark chocolate chunks and made with a generous amount of peanut butter, these cookies are a must-try for peanut butter lovers (like me). They are crunchy outside, a bit soft inside, and the perfect vegan snacks/desserts for every day!
Story behind these Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
I think we can agree that the name of these cookies already sounds delicious. I mean, it’s chocolate and peanut butter. (wink wink)
And, not sure if you know (but I’m going to say it anyway), I’m a chocoholic and a huge peanut butter lover.
I’ve made tons of chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies before, inducing Vegan Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Cookies. And somehow it didn’t occur to me to combine both.
Well, at least these cookies are here now, and it’s even better because we’re going to have big chunks of chocolate in these delicious, moreish peanut butter cookies!
Why we love these chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies
- Chocolate chunks in every bite
- Tantalizing peanut butter aroma with moreish flavour
- One-bowl easy-peasy recipe
- Vegan, no dairy, no eggs
- Perfectly sweetened with less-processed sugar
What do we need for Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
For the ingredients:
- Wholemeal plain flour: I like wholemeal flour because it’s more flavourful and got more fibre in it. Just make sure here it’s wholemeal PLAIN flour, not common wholemeal flour, which is usually for making bread. You can just use normal plain flour if it’s easier for you, or you are not keen on using wholemeal flour.
- Baking powder & baking soda (bicarbonate of soda): If you want the cookies to be fluffy and crispy, these two are not to be missed.
- Salt: I always like to add a pinch of salt in sweet stuff. Here is no exception. It’s even better if using sea salt flakes.
- Dairy-free spread: aka vegan spread or margarine. It gives out a slight buttery taste without overpowering the peanut butter flavour.
- Sugar: Here I use a combination of soft light brown sugar and golden caster sugar to create a more interesting sweet profile. You can use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for a deeper toasted flavour.
- Dark chocolate: Yes, this is a must. Here I use 74% dark chocolate. I would suggest using dark chocolate with cacao content between 50-80% for the most balanced flavour.
- Maple syrup: It makes the cookies more flavourful and moist. You can also use another type of syrup.
- Peanut butter: Make sure to use pure peanut butter, aka no added oil or sugar, to get the right consistency and the best taste.
Tools:
- A cookie baking sheet / baking tray
- A kitchen scale
- A set of measuring spoons
- A baking mat or parchment paper (baking paper)
- A spoon (for mixing)
- A medium mixing bowl
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies are a single, delicious mixture incorporating peanut butter and chocolate chunks. It’s like a one-bowl recipe, with not too complicated steps.
Basically, we need to mix flour and powdery ingredients first, then mix in dairy-free spread to create something like a wet bread crumb. This step is crucial to make our cookies crispy.
Then we start the party by adding sugar, chocolate chunks, peanuts, maple syrup, and a bit of water to the mixture. Mix everything evenly to form a smooth cookie dough. This part is important as well because no one wants a chunk of flour in their cookies, right?
After that, we just need to bake these cookies until your kitchen smell amazing and they look golden brown. If you want a soft-inside cookies, make sure don’t overcook them.
Then let them cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely. This way the cookies can get firmer on the outside so they won’t break easily. And then, time to dig into the peanut butter and chocolate match-made-in-heaven!
Extra Tips
- Weigh the ingredients. Using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups for the most accurate amount.
- Pay attention during baking. It’s crucial not to overcook the cookies so the inside and stay soft. Or you like crunchy in and out, just bake them for another 1-2 minutes. And let them completely cool down on the baking tray.
- Allergy to peanuts or nuts? You can use tahini instead of peanut butter and just skip the toasted peanuts in the recipe.
For my peanut butter lover and chocoholic friends:
Vegan Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 g wholemeal plain flour, wholewheat pastry flour (1 ¼ cup)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda, bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to sprinkle
- 70 g dairy-free spread, diced (5 Tbsp) or coconut oil, soft
- 50 g soft light brown sugar, (~3.5 Tbsp packed) or coconut sugar
- 25 g golden caster sugar, (2 Tbsp)
- 40 g dry roasted peanuts
- 125 g 74% dark chocolate, chopped (4.4 oz)
- 70 g maple syrup, (2.5 Tbsp)
- 120 g peanut butter, (1/2 cup) Homemade Peanut Butter
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
- In a big bowl, mix wholemeal plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then add dairy-free spread chunks. Use your fingers to rub them into the flour until it looks like wet breadcrumb.
- Stir in sugar, roasted peanuts, and chopped chocolate chunks. Then add syrup, peanut butter, and water. Mix to incorporate all ingredients until the cookie dough’s colour looks even.
- Use a spoon to shape the mix into 24 small balls, about 1 heaping tablespoon each (or 2 tablespoons each to make them bigger). Arrange them on the prepared baking tray, leaving space in between for them to expand during baking. Flatten them slightly with the heel of your hand.
- Place the baking tray in the oven to bake for 12–15 minutes until golden brown. They will be a bit soft right out of the oven, but they will firm up once cooled. Leave them on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Then dig in!
Notes
- This recipe makes about 24 small cookies/12 big cookies. You might need to adjust the baking time according to your oven and the size of the cookies.
- Storage: These cookies will keep up to 3–4 days in an airtight container. Or you can keep them in the fridge for up to a week. If you’re worried you cannot finish all in time, you can freeze some cookie dough and bake them after shaping for 15–17 minutes. Follow the steps above accordingly.
