Day Three of 12 Days of Vegan Christmas Cookies!
Hear ye! Hear ye! You guys asked and I delivered. The perfect cookie for the holidays that is gluten-free and vegan! These gluten-free vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are stunning. Sweet and salty. 10 ingredients, no flour, anyone can make these cookies! You may want to make a double batch of these babies, cause you. will. not .be. able. to. stop. eating. them.
What You Need To Get This Party Started:
- A Flax Egg: I choose my egg replacer specific to every recipe I make, and for these cookies, flax meal mixed with water works best!
- Creamy Peanut Butter: For general eating purposes, I use a natural peanut butter. But when I am making cookies, I just use some good old fashioned Peter Pan or Jif.
- Cane Sugar and Brown Sugar: Of course.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: For rise and spread.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: I love Enjoy Life brand!
- Roasted, Salted Peanuts: For some crunchy, salty goodness.
- Vanilla: Adds a nice rich sweetness.
I think these gluten-free vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies may be the fan fave of all my holiday cookie boxes. They are consistently the ones that get eaten the fastest and everyone always asks for the recipe. Then they are super surprised by how incredibly easy they are and that they have no flour at all!
Why Should You Make This Peanut Butter and Chocolate Magic?
- Chocolate and peanut butter, duh.
- Gluten-free and plant-based!
- 10 ingredients.
- No flour, at all!
- Probably the most delicious cookies ever.
These cookies are based on a pretty classic recipe that I used to make as a kid. Peanut butter, sugar, egg and chocolate. So this is a jazzed up, veganized version of one of my childhood favorites. I promise it will be one of your favorites too! Love peanut butter cookies? Try my Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Potato Chip Cookies!
Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Flax meal
- 3 Tablespoons Water
- 1 Cup Creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 Cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup Organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Vegan chocolate chips, I used Enjoy Life
- 1/3 Cup Roasted salted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees(F).
- Now, in a small bowl, make a flax egg by whisking together the flax meal and water. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes to thicken.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, brown sugar and cane sugar. Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer, beat together until fully combined.
- Then, add the flax egg you made, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Continue to mix until everything is incorporated.
- Pour in the chocolate chips and peanuts. Then fold them in with a large spoon or spatula.
- Taking about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick spray. Place each cookie about 2 inches apart from the others. You will probably need to do 2 batches.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely before eating.
Nutrition
I did not make this recipe simply because it requires 1 cup of sugars, and no substitute flour is included? So these are basically just sugar, peanut butter chocolate balls? The image used is clearly a ‘flour’ based cookie and I see no evidence of flax meal which typically has a dark brown grainular look. Im sorry but I have lost faith in your recipe.
Having been there for the process, I assure you that no flour was used for the cookies pictured. Lauren has a degree in Baking and Pastry, I promise she knows what she’s doing! They are delicious!
Hi there, I promise this recipe works just as written. There is absolutely no flour in them at all. It would be great if you tried them before judging. I think even Martha Stewart has a similar recipe. I used golden flax meal, so you can not see any dark granules because the golden flax is lighter than the peanut butter. I take a lot of pride in my recipe testing and writing. Also like my blog manager mentioned, I do in fact have a baking and pastry degree. What you said is incredibly hurtful. I work day and night on this blog and I’m an actual person. Plus these cookies are amazing.
I tried these today and I assure you they work. Two enthusiastic thumbs up, fine holiday fun! (Kudos to anyone who can identify the movie that quote is from!). Just trying to spread some cheer amid these hurtful accusations.
Like I said, they work! Wish I had taken the make two batches advice!
Thank you, Krystal!
I have made many, many of your recipes and they are always stellar. I will be trying this one next. I apologize for the rude, insensitive, uninformed commentary by Racheal who didn’t even try the recipe before being very critical. I will let you know how it turns out. All the best to you…
I made these cookie today, and can vouch that the cookies pictured are the cookies in the recipe; mine look the same. You are missing out, because they are so good! I have made other vegan cookies in the past with flour and even more sugar. This recipe made a lot of cookies.
I made these cookie today, and can vouch that the cookies pictured are the cookies in the recipe; mine look the same. You are missing out, because they are so delicious! I have made other vegan cookies in the past with flour and even more sugar. This recipe made a lot of cookies.
The Midwest traditional peanut butter cookie has only three ingredients: peanut butter, sugar, and egg. So the flourless flag isn’t that crucial for this recipe. The cookies we all probably grew up on didn’t include flour either.
Whenever a recipe includes more sugar than I would like, and I agree with you this one has a lot, I substitute Lakanto monkfruit sugar. It works perfectly and I avoid all added sugars that way. I definitely recommend you try it. They have all kinds: golden, brown, white, and powdered.
Hope you have a better day. Your review is so negative that its disheartening, especially from someone that didn’t even try the recipe. Life is better if you find a way to put a positive spin on it all.
I wish people would really think before they speak. Such unnecessary and hurtful comments. I absolutely love your recipes, and can just imagine how hard you work on this blog. Your blog is hands-down one of the best vegan food blogs on the internet. Your recipes are exceptional. Keep doing what you do so well, Lauren.
Thank you so much! That is so nice of you. I teared up a little!
WOW! you’re just mean…. never gave these a try before attacking the creator of this delicious cookie recipe.
So freaking amazing! I loved these cookies so much!
I literally couldn’t stop eating these cookies!
Turned out great and so simple! I will make these regularly. Yum!
Just made and ate two of these, they look exactly as pictured and taste amazing. Thank you for this recipe!!
So easy and they turned out perfect!
So let’s start with I am so not a baker. These seemed fool proof and they really were.. I do not own a mixer so hand mixing was a chore and I believe probably changed the texture of the cookie. That being said they were still very good and I would definitely make them again, after I purchase a mixer. They did need to seem to bake longer than stated time, but no big deal.
These are the best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever eaten!
Hello! Was wondering how the consistency would change if I replaced the peanut butter with cashew butter?
As a baker who continually messes up, this recipe was simple enough for me to not go wrong. So easy, so delicious. I did think I did something wrong when I placed them in the oven and realized I did not use flour. I had a big fuckkkk moment. Then re-read the recipe and calmed down. 😂
I didn’t have peanuts so used some cashews … and added some vegan marshmellows – but they were delicious!! Another R&W recipe that I love!
I made these this evening – so simple and absolutely delicious.
Hi! I just stumbled across your website while searching for a recipe for v/gf peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. These look amazing and I can’t wait to make them! A question first, though. I currently only have chunky peanut butter and refuse to go anywhere near a grocery store days before Christmas. How should I adapt the recipe if I’m using chunky peanut butter? Do I use more and eliminate the additional roasted peanuts? Help!! Thanks!!
I think you can go ahead and use the chunky peanut butter! I would just omit the peanuts just like you said! Should work about the same.
So good. And my partner, who is one of those annoying people who thinks vegan/gluten free is going to taste gross has no idea what recipe I used and is eating them sooo that shows a lot ! Thanks for the recipe.
Oh my gosh were these delicious! Even my non-vegan friends liked them and couldn’t get enough. I will make these again for sure. It’ worth mentioning that I avoid sugar like the plague, but one has to live it up once in a while! So I know these are not the most healthy, but……..they are healthier than than their glutenous flour counterparts. So yea, these are a keeper!
Mine somehow came out with a crunchy, sandy texture, like the cane sugar didn’t dissolve. I used crunchy pb, maybe there was something off about my ingredients. However, they’re still rich and delicious. Thank you for the cool recipe, these were very easy to make.
Same thing happened to me and I’m a very experienced vegan baker and followed the recipe to the letter. They were certainly easy to make and very tasty, but not the right consistency. They were chewy in the middle like you’d expect for a PB cookie to be. But still very good!
*weren’t chewy
Hi, do you think these would ship well?
AMAZING!!!!!! and they freeze well too:)
I’m amazed by these cookies! So easy and so delicious. I don’t have peanuts at home so I omit those and use a heaping 1/2 cup of chocolate chips!
Do you flatten the dough balls? First batch I rolled them but I didn’t flatten them. So far they don’t seem to be leveling out in the oven. Just wanted to make sure if I missed something, thanks!
This recipe is so simple and quick to put together on a whim, which is how I ended up baking them this evening. I was really surprised by the consistency, how well they held together given no flour, and the richness of flavor. So yum! My only question is whether or not the dough freezes well …? I’m going for it anyway but thought I might put it out there for future reference. Thanks for this recipe!
These are really good! I didn’t have pure cane sugar so I used coconut sugar, and they turned out great. Thanks for the recipe, Lauren!
I made these last night and my teenaged son exclaimed “These are awesome!” Tonight, I overheard him chatting with his buddies over his Xbox headset telling the guys “My mom made these peanut butter sugar cookies and they are awesome!”
Thank you, Lauren!!
Love this!
Isn’t that just the best feeling? =)
These are PERFECT! I did omit the chocolate chips, and used chopped cashews instead of peanuts, but they turned out so well! The consistency is perfect, and I love the way they look!
I’m baking them for someone else who is gluten free, and I’m so excited that they look so good! 🙂
Thanks!!!
Literally melt in your mouth. I am not vegan and not usually excited about chocolate chip or pb cookies. Oatmeal raisin all the way! However, my son’s gf made these and I am hooked! I prefer them even to my fave cookies! The taste and texture are amazing and unexpected. She said she pressed them to flatten.
These cookies are so easy, so delicious, and turned out looking exactly like they do in Lauren’s photos! I will definitely make them again!
Hi Beth, i dont have cane sugar either. so i am planning on using coconut instead, could you please tell me if you used coconut instead of cane only or did you replaced brown sugar too? 😉
I have just made these and they are INCREDIBLE. I had to make some recipe alterations: I used chunky peanut butter instead of smooth and omitted the roast peanuts but put in macadamias for extra bourgeois tastiness and no regrets! Pray for me as I try to not eat the whole tray in one night.
I made these the other night (to follow your White Lasagna Soup that we had for dinner) and they are incredible! I’d never made any flourless baked goods and I was amazed how easy they were to to make – and with pantry ingredients I had on hand! These are a new staple in our dessert rotation. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Warning: I’m not fully plant based, but I just try to incorporate whatever plant based changes I can! So I will admit, I used real chocolate chips with this recipe. But still, these are AMAZING. So so good. And so few ingredients. Thank you!
I tried it and used my stand mixer I wonder what I did but mine turned out crumbly. Do you need to crush tge flax seeds?
Yes, the recipe calls for flax meal, not flax seeds, so that is the flax seeds already crushed. I hope that helps! Sorry for the confusion.
These are fabulous! I did a mediocre job of mixing wet ingredients together, they. still came out great, a little crispy on the outside., used walnuts in place of peanuts. Thanks for a great recipe.
These are the best vegan cookies ever!!!! I was skeptical about the no flour thing but followed the recipe exactly (well except I used egg replacer instead of flax) and they turned out amazing.
I had never heard about making cookies with no flour but I’m not a professional chef so i didn’t judge and I gave them a try. AMAZING!!! They look exactly like the picture and I can’t tell there isn’t any flour. Thanks for a great vegan recipe 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! I often avoid recipes that have a bad review – but that one negative reviewer did not even try the recipe (the fool). I had to substitute a chia egg for the flax egg, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. LOVE this so much. These are early vegan gluten-free days for me + I am SO excited to have found you! Many thanks + Happy New Year!
This is such a lovely comment! Thank you and good luck on your new GF journey!