Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Three ingredients! Can you believe it?! I am not kidding! Well, if you decide to dip these cookies in chocolate, then there are 4 ingredients. I definitely recommend doing this because, you know, chocolate! However, they also taste great when you leave them plain! I tried to make these peanut butter cookies as easy, quick, healthy, and delicious as possible, and I am very satisfied with how they turned out!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
This is a no-bake recipe that can be made without an oven. The cookies need to be chilled in the freezer for a bit to firm up. They aren’t dry at all like most cookies. I am really not a fan of crunchy/crispy cookies, I prefer them soft and chewy. However, you can bake them in the oven for 12 minutes, and then they won’t be as soft and gooey anymore!
How To Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies?
All you need is a food processor, 3 ingredients (4 if you want to dip them in chocolate), and then you can start. STEP 1: Soak 150 grams of pitted dates in hot water until they are soft (about 15 minutes). Skip this step if the dates you are using are already soft and juicy. Discard the water and pat dry the dates.
STEP 2: Measure the peanut butter. I used exactly 160 grams which is about 1/2 a cup + 2 tablespoons.
STEP 3: Rinse and drain one 15 oz can of white beans and pat dry them. Use only 175 grams (1 cup) of white beans and save the rest for a salad or any other savory dish.
STEP 4: Process all 3 ingredients in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the processor every 30 seconds or so. The dough will come together after about two minutes.
STEP 5: Scoop out 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of dough and form into balls. Flatten the balls with your hands and place them on a tray (or platter) lined with parchment paper. Use the back of a fork to create a cross-hatch on one side of the cookies.
STEP 6: Enjoy the peanut butter cookies as-is or dip in melted chocolate! Simply melt about 60 grams of dairy-free chocolate in a microwave or double boiler (you can add one to two teaspoons of coconut oil to make the chocolate runnier). Then dip just half of the cookie in the chocolate. Freeze for about 20-30 minutes.
Which Peanut Butter?
I used natural peanut butter which contains only peanuts and salt. You can use peanut butter without salt and simply add about 1/4 tsp of salt to the mixture! You can also use sweetened peanut butter if you have a sweet tooth, but in my opinion, it’s not necessary for these vegan cookies. I wouldn’t recommend a peanut butter that contains palm oil or any other additional ingredients except peanuts (and salt). I tried making these cookies with powdered peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter and the result was not very good. The taste was fine, however, the mixture was quite sticky and not as manageable as with normal peanut butter. Probably because the powdered peanut butter contains 90% less fat.
Peanut Butter Cookies With White Beans?!
You might think, why did she use white beans in cookies?! Well, I love to experiment in my kitchen and I love using unusual ingredients, haha. 😀 Beans and chickpeas are awesome in desserts and the other ingredients will mask the taste. They also add healthy plant-based protein to desserts! You can most likely also use cooked chickpeas instead of white beans. Here are some gluten-free vegan dessert recipes which contain legumes and I promise they are delicious:
Vegan Blondies Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars Edible Vegan Cookie Dough Chocolate Stuffed Cookies Flourless Brownies No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars The Best Vegan Brownies
Variation
You can make these gluten-free no-bake cookies with different kinds of nut butter, for example, almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter (for a nut-free version). Of course, you can’t call them “peanut butter cookies” anymore, but “almond butter cookies” sounds great as well. 😀
These Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies Are:
Dairy-free Egg-free Gluten-free Refined sugar-free (if you don’t use chocolate) Soft Chewy Gooey Super easy + quick to make with just a few ingredients A no-bake recipe Protein-rich Healthy
Should you give these vegan no-bake peanut butter cookies a try, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see your remakes! 🙂
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