Peanut butter cookies are my favorite Christmas cookie - when I was little, my mom always said they were Santa's favorite, so we made them every year! This recipe is vegan and very easy to make! You only need a few ingredients and there's a fun surprise in the middle thanks to Double Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip GoMacro Bar!
I chose these bars because I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, and these are one of my favorite GoMacro bar flavors. You can add your favorite chocolate and/or peanut butter snack bar in the middle of these - it ends up being like a cookie within a cookie! Another option would be to cut up a chocolate bar into small pieces, and end up with a melty chocolate center! If you want to try the GoMacro bars for yourself, use my code “barreandbrunch” for 25% off your order online at gomacro.com!
*Note: I used honey in this recipe because my family keeps bees, so I have a lot of free honey that is super local and sustainable at my house, but if you are strictly vegan, you can use maple syrup instead!
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
(Makes about 10 cookies - although if you make them smaller you could likely make a bit more!)
1.5 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt (use ¼ tsp if your peanut butter is salted)
½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used unsalted, unsweetened)
¼ cup melted vegan butter (can sub coconut oil)
½ cup honey (or sub maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt) together in a large bowl.
3. Mix the wet ingredients (peanut butter, butter, honey/maple syrup, and vanilla) together in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula until fully combined. It will form a dough that is slightly sticky, but stays together well.
4. Freeze the dough for 10-15 minutes so it becomes more solid. While you are waiting, cut your GoMacro bar into 12 pieces (they will be about half an inch by an inch).
5. Remove your dough from the freezer and use a spoon or your clean hands to roll about one tablespoon of dough into a ball. Flatten it out, place a piece of GoMacro bar on top, then add another flattened piece of dough on top. Roll the whole thing in your hands a bit to smooth out the edges, then flatten slightly into a circle - it will be slightly raised in the middle due to the fiIling. Use a fork to gently press down and create the traditional peanut butter cookie crosshatch pattern!
6. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until slight cracks appear on the surface. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for another 3 minutes, then remove and let cool. Enjoy!
Thank you to GoMacro for sponsoring this post! They are one of my favorite snacks and I love being an ambassador for this sustainable and ethical brand.