These vegan peanut butter cookies are delicious on their own, but enter "best cookie ever" territory dipped in peanut butter chocolate ganache. They're chewy on the inside, with a soft crunch around the edges. File this one under "don't tell them it's vegan and they'll never know."
I could swim in a pool of this chocolate.
I am firmly believe that there is never a bad time for a peanut butter cookie, or any cookie for that matter. Though these delicious peanut butter cookies would be great in a holiday cookie box, for a spooky halloween party, or to surprise your Valentine! It's the perfect gift for peanut butter lovers.
This vegan peanut butter cookie recipe was inspired by my best-ever vegan chocolate chip cookies and my everything but the kitchen sink cookies. Also be sure to check out our vegan rice krispie treats with chocolate peanut butter.
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📋 Ingredients
Nothing too crazy required. These are pretty simple ingredients...
Wet ingredients
- Vegan butter - Miyoko's unsalted is the best
- Granulated sugar or white sugar
- Dark brown sugar - light brown sugar works in a pinch, but isn't as rich
- Creamy peanut butter - a storebought version like Jiff or Peter Pan works best for maximum peanut butter flavor. Natural peanut butter is fine, but note we don't want anything that is too runny or loose, though that is typically what I use for smoothies and everyday snacking. The "natural" version of Jif or Skippy should work, as it's still quite thick. Note that these store bought peanut butters may not be technically vegan due to cross contamination. Use whatever you're comfortable with, as long as it isn't crunchy peanut butter.
- Vanilla extract - the good stuff, such as Nielsen Massey
- Ground coffee to complement the peanut butter and chocolate
- Aquafaba - aka juice from a can of chickpeas or white beans - this is a fantastic egg replacer for cookies
Dry ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
Chocolate ganache
- Dairy free chocolate chips, chunks or chopped chocolate
- Canned coconut milk or coconut cream
- Creamy peanut butter
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
This naturally eggless recipe is also vegan and dairy-free. As always, if you have food allergies, always review the ingredients on the packaging of all ingredients.
If you're not a fan of chocolate, make the cookies without it!
For a cookie with a chocolate surprise, freeze ganache for 30 minutes, then scoop into marble size balls using a melon baller. Flatten two cookie dough balls, and wrap the chocolate in, rolling the dough back into a ball.
If you have a coconut allergy, you can try to thin out the vegan chocolate ganache with another plant-based milk instead. The higher the fat content, the better! Speaking of coconut - I have not tested substituting the sugar for coconut sugar or coconut milk for coconut oil. If you try this out, let me know how it goes!
If you don't like the taste of coconut, see the suggestions for coconut allergies above. The first time I made the ganache, it was too coconut-y, even for me. The peanut butter helps a ton, and I also reduced the amount of coconut cream.
For gluten free cookies (though not eggless or vegan), my friend Daniela has a fantastic recipe! She is an expert with gluten-free flour and all things baking, as a former pastry chef.
If you're looking for an egg free peanut butter cookie that is NOT vegan, simply substitute the vegan butter for dairy butter. You may also use heavy cream in the ganache instead of coconut cream.
If you want a slightly sweeter cookie, you could add a little bit of maple syrup (1 tsp), or substitute for vanilla extract if you're out. Or you might want to try this vegan chickpea cookie dough balls.
Finally, let's address the elephant in the room. If you have a peanut allergy, you could substitute the peanut butter for almond butter in the recipe, however, almond butter tends to be a bit more runny and not as smooth as peanut butter, so tread lightly. I do NOT recommend using almond butter in the chocolate ganache - stick to chocolate and a tablespoon or two of coconut milk.
Baking Equipment
There's plenty of equipment out there for baking cookies. Here's what I recommend for the best vegan peanut butter cookies.
- An electric hand mixer is easiest to use when whipping air into the dough. You may also use a stand mixer, or mix by hand, but prepare for a workout.
- Disher scoop for scooping cookie dough balls. I love a size 16 or 8, but use whatever you have.
- Baking sheet or baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat for easy clean-up and non-stick capabilities
- One large mixing bowl and one medium mixing bowl for combining wet and dry ingredients
🔪 How To Make This Recipe
First - refrigerate your can of coconut milk for at least 12 hours so the coconut cream can separate from the coconut water. Try not to move the can too much. Do NOT shake it.
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream softened vegan butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat the ingredients for 2-3 minutes to ensure the sugar and fats really dissolve and combine. Look for a color change - the batter should become lighter as you whip in more air.
Then add aquafaba (or juice from a can of chickpeas), and beat until smooth - another 1-2 minutes.
In a separate large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, stirring lightly. Add to wet ingredients in 3-4 parts, mixing in between. Once flour has been absorbed, stop mixing! I repeat, DO NOT over-mix the batter once the flour is in. We want to keep the gluten nice and light - not heavily kneaded like bread.
Scoop dough into golfball size spheres or smaller using a cookie scoop or disher scoop. Refrigerate for at least an hour, and up to 48 hours.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Gently form dough balls into spheres so the dough is smooth. Place 4-6 cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Keep an eye on the cookies, as baking time will depend on your oven. They're ready when the edges are JUST starting to brown, otherwise you'll have a crispier cookie than you may want. Remember - they'll continue cooking while they cool on the counter.
Finally, make the chocolate ganache. Combine chocolate and peanut butter in a heatproof glass bowl. Heat in the microwave in 15-30 second increments, gently stirring in between.
Note that once 60-70% of the chocolate has melted, you probably don't need the microwave as the melted chocolate will take care of the rest of the melting.
Once most of the chocolate has melted, add coconut cream.
Gently remove the can from the refrigerator and measure out scoops of the harder cream on the top. If the cream didn't separate, it's ok to add the thinner coconut milk, but add it slowly so the ganache doesn't thin too much. You may need to add less coconut milk than coconut cream.
Once cookies are room temperature, dip half or a quarter of each cookie into the chocolate ganache, then place onto parchment paper to cool. To harden chocolate, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Top with a pinch of salt if desired, and enjoy!
Alternatively, for a peanut butter cookie explosion, freeze the chocolate ganache for 30 minutes, then scoop out with a melon baller. Aim for chocolate balls the size of a marble. Then gently flatten two cookie dough balls, placing the chocolate ball between them. Roll the cookie dough back into a ball, then bake.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Pro Tip 1: mix the wet ingredients well! Watch for the color change - it will be slight, but noticeable.
Pro Tip 2: Refrigerating the dough makes a difference, with basically zero effort. So get lazy and wait on those cookies.
💭 FAQs
These eggless peanut butter cookies use aquafaba, or the juice from a can of chickpeas or white beans. It whips nicely into the batter, and doesn't affect the texture. 3 tablespoons of aquafaba equate to one egg.
It is the most consistent 1:1 egg substitute for most cookies, like these chocolate chunk cookies and kitchen sink cookies. You'd never know they're eggless!
You can also use a flax egg - ground flax combined with water, left to thicken for 2-3 minutes.
I do not recommend using applesauce in eggless cookies - it spreads too much, and alters the sugar content and texture of the cookie. Applesauce is a great egg substitute in this vegan carrot cake bread.
Baking powder and baking soda are both leaveners. However baking soda relies on acidic properties in other ingredients to active (like brown sugar, lemon juice, buttermilk, vinegar etc.), while baking powder has everything it needs to activate upon the addition of water and heat.
Eggs are a classic cookie leavener, and since these are eggless cookies, we need a little extra leavening action, so we add baking powder.
Once dipped in chocolate, store in the refrigerator until chocolate hardens. Then store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
You may freeze peanut butter cookie dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. To bake, refrigerate for 24 hours first. You may also enjoy these cookie dough balls before baking, as they are eggless.
I do not recommend freezing the ganache for more than a week.
Related Cookie Recipes
Looking for more vegan cookie recipes? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Also be sure to try our vegan chickpea cookie dough balls.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below, or tag us in your photos on Instagram! Alternatively, bookmark it in your browser or save to Pinterest.
Looking for more vegan cookie recipes? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Also be sure to try our vegan chickpea cookie dough balls.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies With Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 8 oz Vegan Butter such as Miyoko's
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Peanut Butter Creamy
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coffee
- 6 tablespoon Aquafaba
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 10 oz Dairy Free Chocolate Chips chunks or chopped chocolate
- ¼ cup Peanut Butter Creamy
- ¼ Cup Coconut milk or coconut cream Canned
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 Cup Chocolate Ganache
Instructions
- Refrigerate can of coconut milk for at least 12 hours so the coconut cream can separate from the coconut water. Try not to move the can too much. Do NOT shake it.
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream vegan butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. I like to beat the ingredients for 2-3 minutes to ensure the sugar and fats fully dissolve and combine. Look for a slight color change - the batter should become lighter as you whip in more air.
- Then add aquafaba (or juice from a can of chickpeas), and beat until smooth - another 1-2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients, stirring lightly. Add to wet ingredients in 3-4 parts, mixing in between. Once flour has been absorbed, stop mixing! I repeat, DO NOT over-mix the batter.Once the flour is in. We want to keep the gluten nice and light - not heavily kneaded like bread.
- Scoop dough into golfball size spheres or smaller. Refrigerate for at least an hour, and up to 48 hours.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Gently roll chilled cookie dough balls into spheres so the dough is smooth. Place 4-6 cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on the cookies, as baking time will depend on your oven. They're ready when the edges are JUST starting to brown. They'll continue cooking while they cool on the counter.
- Finally, make the chocolate ganache. Combine chocolate and peanut butter in a heatproof glass bowl. Heat in the microwave in 15-30 second increments, gently stirring in between until chocolate is completely melted. Note that once 60-70% of the chocolate has melted, you probably don't need the microwave as the warm chocolate will take care of the rest of the melting. To add coconut cream, gently remove the can from the refrigerator and measure out scoops the harder cream on the top. If the cream didn't separate, it's ok to add the canned coconut milk, but take extra care to add in 1 tablespoon increments, stirring between so the ganache doesn't thin too much.
- Once cookies are cool to the touch, dip half or a quarter of each cookie into the chocolate ganache, then place onto parchment paper to cool. To harden chocolate, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Alternatively, for a peanut butter cookie explosion, freeze the chocolate ganache for 30 minutes, then scoop out with a melon baller. Aim for chocolate balls the size of a marble. Then gently flatten two cookie dough balls, placing the chocolate ball between them. Roll the cookie dough back into a ball, then bake.
Angela Milnes says
not a better peanut butter cookie out there....vegan or not. chewy on the inside, with a soft crunch. perfection.