Chocolate Peanut Butter "Crinkle" Cookies
Merry, merry! Christmas Eve is just two days away—which means there’s still time for cookie baking! There’s always time for cookie baking, obviously, but there’s just something about holiday cookie baking that floods a person with all the warm fuzzies. These healthier-than-typical-for cookies chocolate peanut butter bites are festive enough for the holidays and wholesomely simple enough for sometimes snacks anytime.
I hesitated to post these here, namely because they didn’t turn out pretty and richly crinkly the way I’d hoped they would—thus the quotes around the “crinkle” in the name. But they have rich chocolate brownie-like flavor with dancing nutty notes of peanut butter—a combo that offers a superb degree of single cookie satisfaction. Plus, they’re naturally sweetened, vegan, and oil-free.
Whipped aquafaba is a perfect egg substitute—while prepping it may seem an unconventional enough extra step to be offputting, it’s definitely worth it, and it whips up very quickly. If you have the time in advance, make that whipping process even more effective and efficient by reducing your aqufaba in a saucepan. The added thickness does wonders when you’re looking for proper meringue—in this recipe, you can take it or leave it.
I recommend a runny nut butter, if possible. You can warm it slightly or even add some water if needed. These won’t top the list on looks for cookie swapping or gifting, but that punch of peanut butter chocolate is awfully winsome and most certainly earns its place on any sampler plate.
In another vein, while I waffled on about appearance here, I deeply endorse and am working on letting that kind of concern go. For Dave’s birthday this year, Felix and I made him a yule log to celebrate. I'd never made one before, and I think we just pulled it off...but believe me, for a little while there it seemed a sure thing that it was going to turn out looking like another, very unappetizing kind of log. Like in the case of these cookies, I'd had these visions of something else as the product; unlike these cookies, those aspirations were too unrealistic, as in British Bakeoff-worthy magnificence.
As we went along, Felix and I nearly doubled over laughing about what our "fail photos" might turn out like. Imagination kicked in nicely, and I think we put together something pretty adorable. Plus, it was soooo yummy.
The thing is, for both yule log and cookies, the taste would have come through regardless of the aesthetics. And honestly, the laughing when feeling near failure may have been the best part. Some of the best memories come from messiness.
We have so little time to enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year”. Let’s give ourselves a little grace and space to actually enjoy the holidays. Hope yours are starting off beautifully and merrily!
Boost the goodness a little further with a pinch of Turmeric! Use code HAPPYAPPLE for 15% off Organic India products!
Chocolate Peanut Butter “Crinkle” Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup aquafaba
- 1/4 Teaspoon vinegar
- 1/3 Cup coconut sugar
- 1 Cup spelt flour
- 1/3 Cup cacao powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 Cup natural peanut butter, nuts only
- 1/3 Cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 Cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking tray with parchment or silpat.
- Whip the aquafaba with the vinegar until it has thickened (no peaks needed).
- Add the coconut sugar to the aquafaba, whisking well.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the peanut butter and maple syrup and stir to begin forming a crumbly batter.
- Fold in the aquafaba. The batter will be thick. (If it’s too thick, you can add a little unsweetened plant milk to soften.) Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon batter into approximately a heaped tablespoon on the tray one inch apart.
- Bake 8-10 minutes. While the cookies are still warm, press gently with a fork to flatten slightly. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
112Fat
5 gSat. Fat
2 gCarbs
15 gFiber
2 gNet carbs
13 gSugar
8 gProtein
3 gSodium
61 mgCholesterol
0 mg