Peanut Butter Cookies (Vegan)
Cookies
Ingredients:
- 256 g (1 cup) natural peanut butter, creamy or chunky
- 144 g (¾ cup) coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 flax egg (7 g / 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 45 ml / 3 tbsp water, rested 5 min)
- 5 ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
- 2 ml (½ tsp) baking soda
- salt to taste (omit if peanut butter is salted; otherwise ¼ tsp / 1 ml fine sea salt)
Equipments:
- Large mixing bowl
- Small bowl (for flax egg)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop or tablespoon
- Fork (for crosshatch pattern)
- Wire cooling rack
Freezer Friendly
Gluten-Free
Grain-Free
Meal Prep Friendly
Soy-Free
Features:
Freezer Friendly
Gluten-Free
Grain-Free
Meal Prep Friendly
Soy-Free
Prep
Instructions:
- Make the flax egg: In a small bowl, stir together 1 tbsp (7 g) ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp (45 ml) water. Let sit 5 minutes until gel-like.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine 256 g (1 cup) peanut butter, 144 g (¾ cup) coconut sugar, the flax egg, 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract, 2 ml (½ tsp) baking soda, and salt to taste. Stir until a thick dough forms.
- Scoop & shape: Roll dough into 1.5-inch (4 cm) balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press a fork crosshatch pattern into each cookie to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are set (centers may look underdone — they firm up as they cool).
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They are fragile when hot!
Common Mistakes, Notes, Storage, Swaps & Tips
Add-ins: Fold in 43 g (¼ cup) dairy-free chocolate chips before shaping.
Common Mistakes: Do not overbake — cookies look underdone at 10–12 min but firm up as they cool. Baking past 12 min results in dry, crumbly cookies.
Nut-free: Swap peanut butter for sunflower seed butter.
Prep Ahead: Dough can be made 24 hours in advance and refrigerated; add 1–2 minutes to bake time if baking from cold.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days, or freeze up to 2 months.
Sugar-free: Use a granulated monk fruit sweetener 1:1.
Why these Ingredients
- Natural peanut butter — the base of the entire recipe, providing structure, fat, and protein. Natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) is essential — commercial brands with added oils or sugar will make the dough too greasy and affect texture.
- Coconut sugar — adds sweetness and helps the cookies spread and brown slightly. Its molasses-like depth gives these cookies a richer flavor than white sugar. Brown sugar works the same way.
- Flax egg (ground flaxseed + water) — replaces a regular egg by creating a gel that binds the dough together. Without it the cookies would crumble. The 5-minute rest is essential for the gel to fully form.
- Vanilla extract — enhances and rounds out the peanut butter flavor, adding warmth and depth.
- Baking soda — helps the cookies puff slightly and spread evenly during baking, giving them a lighter texture rather than being dense and flat.
- Salt — balances the sweetness and amplifies the peanut butter flavor. Omit if your peanut butter is already salted.
Peanut Butter Cookies (Vegan)
2 servings
Prep 10 min
Bake 20 min
Total 30 min
Ingredients:
- 256 g (1 cup) natural peanut butter, creamy or chunky
- 144 g (¾ cup) coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 flax egg (7 g / 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 45 ml / 3 tbsp water, rested 5 min)
- 5 ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
- 2 ml (½ tsp) baking soda
- salt to taste (omit if peanut butter is salted; otherwise ¼ tsp / 1 ml fine sea salt)
Equipments:
- Large mixing bowl
- Small bowl (for flax egg)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop or tablespoon
- Fork (for crosshatch pattern)
- Wire cooling rack
Features:
Freezer Friendly
Gluten-Free
Grain-Free
Meal Prep Friendly
Soy-Free
Instructions:
- Make the flax egg: In a small bowl, stir together 1 tbsp (7 g) ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp (45 ml) water. Let sit 5 minutes until gel-like.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine 256 g (1 cup) peanut butter, 144 g (¾ cup) coconut sugar, the flax egg, 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract, 2 ml (½ tsp) baking soda, and salt to taste. Stir until a thick dough forms.
- Scoop & shape: Roll dough into 1.5-inch (4 cm) balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press a fork crosshatch pattern into each cookie to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are set (centers may look underdone — they firm up as they cool).
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They are fragile when hot!












