Vegan Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Imagine what happens when you combine peanut butter cups and chocolate chip cookies? Pure deliciousness! Secretly vegan recipe, gluten free friendly.
Free from: Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free (see notes), Gluten free (see notes)
If chocolate chip cookies are one of your favorites (mine too!) you have GOT to try out these chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. Filled with chopped peanut butter cups and loaded with chocolate chips, they are ooey gooey in the middle with perfectly crisp edges for one of my ultimate favorite cookies of all time.
These cookies are:
- Just as easy to make as chocolate chip
- Loaded with flavor and chocolate
- Can easily be made gluten free and nut free with simple swaps
- Extra chocolate on top!
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe amounts, please see the recipe box below.
- Peanut Butter Cups: Use your favorite vegan peanut butter cups for this recipe. I find that a mini size works better. If you are allergic to peanuts, use a safe equivalent. My personal favorite are the Sun Butter cups from Trader Joe’s!
- Chocolate Chips: A good chocolate chip or chocolate chunk works great in this. I would avoid mini chips as they melt in the batter. Enjoy Life makes my favorite vegan chocolate chips for baking.
Substitutions
- To make these nut free: Use a nut free candy bar, such as Sun Butter Cups from Trader Joe’s or the Sun Cups from Free 2 B.
- To make these gluten free: Use your favorite brand of gluten free all purpose flour. I always bake and get great results with King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend.
- If avoiding soy, I suggest the Sun Cups from Free2B and using a soy free vegan butter such as Earth Balance soy free or Miyoko’s butter.
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Start by making your flax egg. Combine the hot water with the ground flax seeds and set it aside for about 5 minutes to gel together.
Next make the dough. It’s really easy to mix together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Start with the room temperature vegan butter and add the granulated sugar and brown sugars. Mix on medium until light and fluffy. Add the flax seed and the vanilla. Mix that in.
Now add the dry ingredients into the same bowl. Mix it all together.
Finally, add the chocolate chips and chopped peanut butter cups. Give this a quick mix, to get the chips evenly throughout the dough.
Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, place each cookie dough ball onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Add a few more chips on top.
Bake for about 12 to 13 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the hot tray before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Top Cookie Tips
- Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer for this recipe. That way you can really mix the sugars with the vegan butter to get it fluffy!
- You don’t need to chill the dough before you begin baking, but I do like to place the cookie sheets that are still raw in the fridge until it is their turn to bake, just to make sure they don’t melt in the hot kitchen.
How to Store
Countertop: These cookies are best enjoyed for the first 5 days on the countertop in an airtight container.
Fridge: You can make the cookie dough up to 2 days in advance and store the cookie dough in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to bake.
To store the cookies before baking: Make the cookie dough balls and freeze for one hour in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a freezer safe container. These will keep frozen for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, add an additional 1 to 2 minutes of baking time, no need to thaw!
To store them in the freezer after baking: Place fully baked and cooled cookies in a freezer safe container. Layer parchment paper in between each layer of cookies. These will keep for up to 3 months. Make sure you allow them to thaw on the countertop for a few hours before enjoying.
Chocolate Chip Recipes
I hope you and yours love these cookies as much as my family does!
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Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls and spoons
- Cookie scoop
- parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour see notes for gluten free adaptation
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peanut butter cups chopped, see notes for nut free adaptations
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
- Make the flax egg. In a small bowl, mix together the flax seeds and the hot water. Set aside for 5 minutes to gel.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the flax egg and vanilla, mixing again for another 30 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer off and add into the same bowl the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips, and chopped peanut butter cups.
- Shape. Use a one tablespoon scoop to make the cookie dough balls. Place 12 to a tray as they do spread a little bit. Press any extra bits of cups or chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies, if desired.
- Bake. Bake each cookie tray for 12 to 13 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the cookie tray for at least 10 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cool and enjoy!!
Nutrition
More Cookie Recipes
Vegan cookies for every occasion! From classic vegan chocolate chip cookies to sugar cookies perfect for the holidays, these cookies are easy to make and always super delicious.
