So begins the time of the year when it’s totally acceptable to have a freezer bursting with cookies. There’s always something on hand for unexpected guests, not to mention evening nibbles while cozied up in front of the TV, which we’ve been kinda glued to lately (oops). My friends and family are about to be bombarded with cookies over the next few weeks. I just hope they don’t mind when I force them to fill out a recipe feedback form removing all pleasure from the cookie eating experience. There are always strings attached, you know.
These peanut butter chocolate cookies are made gluten-free by using almonds and gluten-free oats – both ground in my Vitamix to make a flour. You can either grind it yourself in a high-speed blender or you can buy pre-made almond and oat flour. I weighed and measured the amounts to take the guess work out of it for you. As is the case with many of my vegan cookie recipes, a flax egg (which is simply ground flax mixed with water) mimics the texture of a traditional hen’s egg.
Almond flour gives these cookies a crispy, chewy, and crumbly quality. If you’re looking for a softer texture, you might want to try swapping the almond flour for an all-purpose gluten-free flour (and perhaps a touch of almond milk if the batter is dry). After the cookies came out of the oven, I sprinkled them with flaked sea salt to bring out the peanut butter flavour and make everything pop! Flaked sea salt, where have you been all my life?
Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield
20 medium or 15 large cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookies are crispy, chewy, and perfect for dunking into a glass of almond milk! Ready in a half hour, you'll turn to this recipe again and again due to its quick prep time and irresistible flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup (45 grams) non-dairy buttery spread*
- 1/4 cup (70 grams) natural smooth peanut butter or almond butter**
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (55 grams) organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, blended into a flour (105 grams or 1 cup oat flour)
- 1 cup almonds, blended into a meal (145 grams or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond meal)
- 1/3 cup mini non-dairy chocolate chips (or regular size chips)***
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax and water. Set aside for a few minutes so it can thicken.
- With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the buttery spread and peanut butter until combined.
- Add both sugars and beat for 1 minute more. Beat in the flax mixture and vanilla extract until combined.
- Now, beat in the dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, salt, oat flour, and almond meal) one by one.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving about 1 tablespoon for pressing into the top of the dough balls.
- Shape 1-inch balls of dough (smaller than golf balls) and place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart. You can also use a retractable cookie scoop. If chocolate chips aren’t sticking to the dough, just press them in with your fingers. There is no need to flatten the balls as the cookies spread out while baking. Press reserved chips into the tops of the dough balls.
- Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes until spread out and lightly golden. The cookies will be very soft coming out of the oven, but they will crisp up as they cool. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes.
Tip:
- * I use soy-free Earth Balance.
- ** Be sure to stir the peanut butter well before using. Also, avoid using the dry nut butter that's often found at the bottom of the jar. It's simply too thick and dry for this recipe and will result in cookies that don't spread.
- *** For "pretty" cookies, reserve 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips for pressing into the tops of the dough balls before baking. I use Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Eric’s two cents – “I’m not a big peanut butter fan, but if you put a plate of 12 of these cookies in front of me, I’d probably still eat them all.”
Wise words, husband, wise words.
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I’ll be making these this weekend and wait ’til after to tell the fam “There’s no ‘flour’ in there, ya know!” Thanks, Angela, for helping me stay excited with eating a plant-based diet….with the occasional cookie. :)
Thanks Valerie, I hope you and the fam enjoy them!
These look scrumptious! Do you think they would work without the peanut butter? (Should I substitute more EB?)
Hey Shannon, I would check out my GF choc chip cookie recipe – it uses all EB http://ohsheglows.com/2011/09/16/vegan-and-gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/ the cookies are thinner so you can probably reduce the flax egg water by a tbsp if you want them a bit thicker. enjoy!
There is no combo better than peanut butter and chocolate. I love the mini chips too – it’s the perfect amount of chocolate in each bite!
Could I use almond butter instead? I just can’t get to grips with the taste of peanut butter!
I can’t see why not!
I’m allergic to peanuts and I’ve made these cookies twice with almond butter and they turn out amazing! BEST gf cookie I’ve had, plus I love how they don’t require any hard to digest flours. My vegan husband loves them too!
I am waiting for these bad boys to finish up baking. I used almond butter instead of peanut and they were delicious raw. Can’t wait to taste them baked!
Can I avoid chocolate chips as it isn’t available sugar free. I want to make these cookies using erythirol will it turn out crunchy like yours?
Oh yes please! These are dunkers for sure! (Almond milk, of course!) ;-)
I don’t understand how someone could not like peanut butter!
I think he does deep down inside but is unwilling to admit it. shhhh.
I just discovered flaked sea salt as well! What a game changer.
Isn’t it? Im in love! I think I had some a while back but it fell off my radar. Glad it’s back…so good to finish desserts.
I love sea salt on cookies! So delish…
The title of this recipe got better with every word! I am utterly astounded that your husband can claim to not be a fan of peanut butter, but the fact that he’ll eat these must be a testament to their greatness. Who can deny the power of chocolate and peanut butter!? I’ll absolutely be making these cookies, but I’ll have to hide them from my boyfriend, who has quite the love affair with peanut butter.
Yum, almond flour is my fave. Also, a cookie feedback form is a brilliant idea :)
Since you’ve been so kind to include metric measurements, I’ll definitely be making these in the days ahead. Me thinks they’ll go along v. nicely with hot mugs of tea! THANK YOU
I’m glad you enjoy the measurements, I will try to do this more often!
Looks so good! Do you make Eric fill out a recipe feedback form too? :)
These look absolutely delicious! I bet they would be great dunked in almond milk.
Since this is my first Christmas as a vegan (and I’ve had serious cravings for cookies) I’ve been rounding up great recipes to have under my belt to please even the non-vegans in my family. I will definitely be trying these, thanks Angela!
Yum these sound amazing
Look lovely ans delicious. Can’t wait to try and see if I can get some GF cookies made for my son that don’t flatten like a very thin pancake! :)
Well that’s a pretty darn good review from your husband! I need to start filling my freezer with goodies, but I have to choose things that freeze solidly because anything you can still bite into doesn’t make it very long LOL. For some reason, my willpower is really, really wimpy this time of year ;-)
Gah I want to make these!!! I have an almond allergy (or so my allergist says…I had a reaction from the skin prick test, blah) should I just use GF flour in place of the almond flour? I know that will change the taste and texture though…thoughts?
Could I use coconut oil instead of earth balance?
I’m hoping so too. I don’t ever use EB products due to the palm oil issue. Thx!!
Wow wow wow!! These actually look like REAL cookies!! Must make them!! :)
They look so yummy! Perfect for a cosy night in front of the TV :)
I’ve got to get a bigger freezer or maybe another one, exclusively for yumful delights such as this! These will be perfect for stuffing stockings tonight on St. Nick’s eve. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! :)
These look scrumptious! I love the taste of almond flour in baked goods. I just made a quiche with an almond flour based crust and it was so delicious!
These look delicious, and I can’t wait to try them. I was on the search for vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes just last night, but now that you posted these the others are going to have to wait :)!
My boyfriend says the same thing about a lot of the dishes I make.. It can be so nerve racking, but I suppose we should be happy that they are eating it!
I love the fact that almond flour gives them the great cookie texture, I’m starting to get into using almond flour so will have to give this a try. I wonder if using agave instead of granulated sugar will still have the ‘crisp and chewy’ effect…only one way to find out!
These look so good, and I love peanut butter. You would never know they were gluten free. I can’t wait to give these a try!
I’ve been looking for a good GF chocolate chip cookie for a while and these look awesome. I wonder if there’s any substitution for the oat flour?
YUM!! The bigger question is. . .how do I get on that mailing list!?! I’d fill out a review form or write an essay. No problem! haha
I confess, I’m usually a chewy cookie person, but crispy works just fine (and besides, I find if I undercook crispy cookie recipes a little I end up with chewy ones anyway!). I’ll definitely take PB + chocolate cookies any day…
I don’t necessarily do gluten free, but these cookies don’t look like they’re missing a thing. Yummo!!!
I love the first picture, it looks like the propped up cookie is basking in the sunlight! I adore the Enjoy Life mini-chips, perfect size to get chocolate in every bite of cookie. I agree that chocolate and peanut butter go together, just like dark chocolate and mint!
you read my mind, its the best of both world cookies! some banana soft serve sandwiched between them, ill be in heaven! gettin pb tm for these!
These cookies look amazing!! Due to food allergies, I have to eat vegan and GF . . . but I also have peanut and almond allergies. (sigh) Could I sub another nut butter for the peanut butter? What would you recommend for a substitution for the almond flour (that is still GF)?
Thanks!!
These look good! I can eat gluten, but I still love backing with oats and oat flour!
I think I will try replacing the almond flour with spelt flour (increasing by 1/4 cup).
I prefer spelt to nuts…and this recipe looks amazing.
I also use no oil. Replace half the oil with almond butter, and then add one tablespoon of soy yogurt and applesauce, which is equivalent to to the 1/4 cup oil/butter used. The texture comes out amazing because of the fat in the almond butter. I find this trick works best when the cookie has maple syrup in it, because maple syrup creates a buttery flavor.
Just a fun, oil free trick I have learned. Thanks for the recipe.
I am soooo excited about these!!! Even my daughter (11) can’t wait to make them. I stumbled on your website after I found out my son has a milk allergy. I am nursing him, so that means I can’t have any dairy either.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes:) I have truly enjoyed learning new ways to cook without the fat and sugar!
Hey Melissa, Im so glad to hear that! Thank you for your kind words.
This recipe is so dangerous! I already get through far too much peanut butter as it is :)
Angela, your healthy recipes changed my life! Can you please do a dish with cranberries for the holidays? Thank you…and I love you!
Baking of any kind, especially baking vegan, or GF, or both – can be really challenging! The texture and consistency of the dough is always a pot-luck, hoping it will work out but never quite knowing..and so major!! props to you for pulling off some gorgeous cookies, that are also vegan & GF. Impressive!
Made your gf chocolate chip cookies from last year and they were divine and than I made these gf pb chocolate chip cookies tonight and I could not believe it but these were better! I am very partial to pb so I think that is why :-) thank you for sharing this!
Umm ok these look RIDICULOUSLY good! I’m not sure if they’d actually make it in the oven before I eat all the dough lol! Gorgeous photos, Ange. That first one is the money shot! :)
Hi Angela!
I’m spending the holidays in the Toronto region and would love a few tips on some good vegan restaurants or places to stock up on some cooking staples! I loved reading about your trip to BC (I’m from Vancouver) and you may have noticed we don’t have Bulk Barns, so that’s on my list of places to visit- anywhere else?
Thanks!
Happy Holidays :)
Hey Hilary,
I enjoy Fresh restaurant and Fressen in Toronto. I’ve also heard The Big Carrot is a good grocery store, but i havent been myself. Have fun!
I will be making these!! No doubt about it I miss my dads cookies the most around the holiday season!! I can not wait to make them!
Oh wow these look so delicious. I’ve been going through your cookie recipes lately trying to find some to make for my parents’ Christmas party this weekend. I’m thinking the vegan nanaimo bars. I’ve been eying them since your project food blog days and haven’t gotten around to trying them. So many choices you give me, Angela!
Is there a difference between almond flour and almond meal?
from my understanding almond flour uses blanched almonds while almond meal uses the whole almond with skin.
Angela,
These look delicious and super healthy.
I would love to have one with a tea.
I love how dense these cookies look! And any Ike chocolate and peanut butter come together is a winner in my book! :)
Insomniac tendencies tonight so I thought I’d peruse your blog for some low-calorie and healthy recipes to make tomorrow and I click and find these cookies haha
Gosh They look so delicious!!!
Yum!! What a wonderful cookie! I love peanut butter and chocolate chips together! Great recipe!
They look incredible! Chunky and crumbly!
These are absolutely lovely!