Soft and Chewy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies dipped in dark chocolate…ooh, ooh, and ahh…bet you can’t eat just one! Even better that they’re naturally sweetened with dates and applesauce…so no refined sugar!!! These dairy-free cookies are also grain-free and eggless. Perfect for those who are looking for a wholesome treat that tastes great!
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One bite of these Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies and you’ll be hooked. Trust me, I’ve tasted a lot of peanut butter cookies in my lifetime and not only are these cookies perfectly delicious in every way….but they’re made with wholesome pantry ingredients that are both vegan and gluten-free and I always have on hand.
WHAT? Yes, really…no grains, no oil, no sugar, no dairy, no eggs needed. I kid you not! I mean it’s a PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE….shouldn’t it taste like peanut butter? Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies are easy to make and taste incredible.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Medjool Dates: Low on the glycemic index-–meaning they won’t spike blood sugar levels the way refined sugars do….and they help these cookies taste delicious. Dates are high in disease fighting antioxidants, and digestive regulating fiber plus they are mineral dense which is good for bone health. I love the rich color and flavor that dates provide, without having to use any refined sugar.
- Applesauce: A natural way to sweeten peanut butter cookies without added sugar.
- Almond Flour: low in carbs, high in protein and great choice to add texture, flavor and nutrition to baked goods.
- Cassava Flour: Made from a root vegetable making it ideal for grain-free baking. A good substitute would be arrowroot powder.
- Ground Flax: I love the nutty flavor, plus the omega 3 essential fatty acids and fiber they add to these vegan cookies.
What kind of peanut butter is best for cookies?
- Peanuts are one of those heavily sprayed crops, so be sure to buy organic peanut butter.
- Also look for a brand of peanut butter that has only one ingredient: peanuts. Sounds intuitive, but you’d be surprised how many brands appear to be healthy or “all natural” and yet they are filled with refined vegetable oils, refined sugars or artificial sweeteners.
- Learn to read labels and look at the ingredient list, not just the nutritional information.
- Drippy peanut butter works best in cookies. Be sure to mix your jar thoroughly when you first open it to evenly distribute the natural oils.
- I prefer creamy peanut butter for cookies, but crunchy for eating….what about you?
How to make them
Remove pits from dates and then soak them in warm water for at least 10 minutes.
Place soaked dates, plus ¼ cup of the soaking water, applesauce, vanilla extract and peanut butter into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy.
Add dry ingredients and process until everything is well incorporated and the texture is uniform. If desired, stir in some chocolate chips, by hand. Cover and chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
Drop onto rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Use a fork, dipped into almond flour to make fork marks in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction.
Why do Peanut Butter Cookies have fork marks?
I love the way traditional peanut butter cookies have fork marks. You definitely know they’re peanut butter cookies without having to ask, right? Peanut butter is heavy, and so is grain-free almond flour. The fork marks actually have a useful purpose: they help the cookies bake more evenly and make them less dense.
Bake cookies for 15 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely before storing or dipping into chocolate.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Soak the dates in warm water to make them soft and easy to mix into the peanut butter
- Save some of the date water to use in the recipe.
- CHILL THE DOUGH before making the cookies. They’ll be easier to scoop and they’ll hold their shape better.
- Use a small scoop to make uniform sized cookies.
- Dip your fork into some almond flour or cassava flour before making marks in the cookies so the tines don’t stick to the dough.
- Consider adding chocolate chips to the dough…or melting some to decorate the cookies.
- Double the recipe and freeze some for another time. They taste great cold and they can go straight from the freezer to the lunch box.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Mix in ½ cup chocolate chips to the batter and bake as directed in the recipe card.
- Let cookies cool completely and drizzle with melted chocolate.
- Dip one corner in melted dark chocolate for a decadent treat.
- Place drizzled or dipped cookies on unbleached parchment and place in the fridge until chocolate hardens.
How to freeze peanut butter cookies
- Freeze dough before baking: scoop golf-ball sized portions onto a sheet of unbleached parchment paper and roll them into balls. Pop them into the freezer until solid and then transfer into freezer safe bags. Pull out just the amount you want to cook and bake.
- OR, bake the cookies and then: Cool baked cookies completely and then transfer to freezer safe containers for up to 6 months.
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📖 Recipe
Healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup medjool dates*
- 1 cup organic creamy peanut butter*
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup cassava flour*
- 2 Tablespoons ground flax
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Remove pits from dates and soak in warm water for 10 minutes. SAVE soaking water.
- Place soaked dates, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla and ¼ cup soaking water into bowl of food processor and mix until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients: almond flour, cassava, flax, baking soda and sea salt and process until just incorporated. It should pull away from the edges of the processor. If it’s too dry, add an additional Tablespoon date water, if it’s too sticky, add additional Tablespoon almond flour.
- If desired, stir in ⅓ cup chocolate chips by hand.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes*
- Preheat oven to 350. Line rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- Scoop out golf ball sized balls of dough onto prepared pan.
- Use the back of a fork to make a crosshatch pattern on each cookie. To prevent the fork from sticking to the dough, dip it in cassava flour in between pressing down.
- Dust with a pinch of flakey sea salt if desired.
- Bake 15 minutes until golden.
- Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy.
- Baked cookies can be stored in airtight container once they have cooled at room temperature for 4 days, in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Susan
These cookies are delicious! I can’t wait to make them. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Debra Klein
You will be delighted at how simple they are to make. A new favorite for sure.
Gail
These sound wonderful! Can I use organic date nectar instead of pitted dates? Would I need to change the recipe in any way?
Debra Klein
I’m sure you could use date nectar, but I haven’t tried it in this recipe so I’m not sure the quantity to sub for the right consistency. Please let me know if you do use it how they turn out.
Gloria
I have been doing some baking with the grandkid this summer. They just love to help me in the kitchen. I think we need to bake up a batch of these cookies. I try to keep things on the healthier side for treats. This would be the perfect after-school snack starting next week.
Debra Klein
This is a great recipe to make with kids. Simple. Healthy. Quick and fun. Kids love to make the fork marks.
Carmy
This looks amazing Debra! I have a vegan friend who would love this recipe as she hasn’t had a great pb cookie in a while. I’ll have to share it with her! She’ll be so excited to try it.
Debra Klein
Thanks for spreading the love and the recipe.
Anna
I could totally eat half a dozen of these cookies! So tasty and easy to make. I need to make a batch with my kiddos soon!
Debra Klein
That’s the one problem with these cookies….totally addictive, hard to stop at just one…or two…
Debra Klein
Love your honesty! It’s not hard to eat 1/2 dozen in one sitting….be mindful!
Tina
Honestly, when I saw ‘healthy cookies’, I was skeptical. Then I saw the ingredient list, genius! I’m going to make these for hubby and yes, I totally would serve these for breakfast. Thanks for this!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome….and I hear ya….I click on those “healthy” recipes all the time and clearly they are mislabeled.
Amanda
I love a good cookie. I mean, of course I do. A healthy cookie I can feel good about eating? I am totally behind that. Gimme all the cookies please!
Debra Klein
Ok….I’ll share them with you!
Stef
Yay for cookies for breakfast!! And, I’m also with you about sort of wanting to get into fall baking. I’m making an apple pie tomorrow. These cookies sound fabulous and I love how healthy they are!
Debra Klein
Thank you….apple pie? That’s a full commitment to fall!
Marisa Franca
What an amazing sounding recipe. A treat I can make for the grandsons and not feel guilty about it. It’s so hard to tell the kiddos no when it comes to treats. But having some delicious treats that are good for them too — well it’s a win-win for all of us.
Debra Klein
Absolutely best to be prepared with a treat that also is nutritious….because you know they are going to want something.
Tracy Koslicki
Hey I think you can enjoy these cookies in the summer too!! Why not? LOVE peanut butter cookies and ones that vegan and refined sugar free! It’s so sad though that you can’t send peanut butter anything to school for my little one. But I’ll definitely have them ready for when she gets home!
Debra Klein
Oh….we eat these all year round, for sure. I keep a supply stashed in the freezer for when a craving hits.
Dana
These are *perfection*. I’m always telling my husband there should be such thing as a guilt-free cookie for people who just need to sate that rare sweet tooth. I honestly don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but sometimes I get hit with a craving for something sweet and I wish there was a healthier option! But HELLO. You’ve answered my wishes. And PB is my fave, so seriously, THANK YOU.
Debra Klein
Enjoy….without any guilt!
Maggie
Just made these yesterday and they were a big hit. Kid and husband approved! I realized too late that I didn’t have cassava flour so I used chickpea flour instead and it worked great! Thanks for a great oil and refined sugar free recipe!!
Debra Klein
That’s a great sub….glad they were a hit!
Jane
When I calculate the calories it is higher. I made this recipe and got 21 cookies out of it. I calculated approximately 135 cal per cookie.
Debra Klein
I don’t personally calculate the nutritional information. It is a program that takes the ingredients and serving size, and uses online tools to calculate. It’s always important to know your own needs and make decisions that work best for you.