This post was created in partnership with ALDI. All opinions are our own. It’s cookie time! What’s your ultimate cookie? These vegan peanut butter cookies are where it’s at for Alex and me! They’re soft but perfectly crumbly, and salty sweet. Decorated with the classic criss-cross pattern, they’ve got a sparkle of sugar. And a chocolate icing drizzle makes them look even more fun. (Plus, Larson and I are choco-holics!) All the ingredients for these cookies are from ALDI, our favorite place to stock up on high quality, affordable and organic baking ingredients. Ready to bake? Want to try it too? Let us know if you head to ALDI to stock up and make this recipe! Head to the ALDI website for a store locator. Tell us in the comments below or tag us on Instagram using @acouplecooks and @aldiusa.
Are they really the BEST vegan peanut butter cookies?
OK, we’ll be honest. Alex and I are picky cookie people! The cookies we like aren’t just a sugar bomb. They’re cookie recipes that have nuance, distinct flavor and texture, and are just sweet enough. If you follow along with us, you’ll know Alex and I love to make vegan desserts, though we don’t eat exclusively that way. Here, we’ve come up with a recipe for the very best vegan peanut butter cookies. And they are seriously good. Eat them plain as a classic peanut butter cookie, or add our simple chocolate icing to make them suitable for a holiday cookie tray! They’re a perfect healthy-ish Christmas cookie, but they work for anytime too. Our son Larson is totally obsessed with them (we keep them in the freezer and use them on special occasions).
The tricks to making vegan peanut butter cookies
You won’t have to mention these are vegan (to people who’d be wary). All you’ll have to mention is that they’re incredible peanut butter cookies! They’re not too sweet, perfectly salty, and have the best soft but crumbly texture. Want us to reveal the magic? Here’s how our trick is done:
Coconut oil. Instead of butter, these vegan cookies use organic coconut oil. Just enough sugar. These cookies are sweetened just enough, and a sprinkle on top adds another sparkle. Lots of peanut butter. Peanut butter adds texture and big peanut flavor. It also helps as a binder: no egg needed!Almond milk. Non-dairy milk works perfectly here!
Tips for an even bake
It’s hard to get an even bake and appearance on cookies! Of course, they’ll taste good either way: but it’s nice to have a picture-perfect appearance. Here are our secrets for making the perfect vegan peanut butter cookies:
Measure 1 ½ tablespoons dough (or use a Size 40 cookie scoop). A cookie scoop isn’t required here because you’ll re-form the cookies into balls with your fingers. The most important part is to portion it out in exactly 1 ½ tablespoons of dough. A cookie scoop is nice for this job if you have one! Bake each baking sheet separately, and rotate the sheet halfway through. To get the most even bake, it’s nice to bake each baking sheet separately, instead of all 24 cookies together. It improves airflow and helps to keep the heat even (instead of having one sheet closer to the heat source). Also make sure to rotate the sheet halfway through the bake time.
Add a chocolate drizzle if you’d like!
Now, these vegan peanut butter cookies are incredibly tasty as is! Serve them plain as the classic peanut butter cookie. But for the holiday season, we decided to decorate these cookies by adding a vegan chocolate icing! Powdered sugar icing is our favorite easy icing for cookies and cakes, and we created a chocolate version just for these cookies. Here’s how it’s done:
Mix powdered sugar and cocoa powder together with almond milk until a creamy glaze forms. If it’s still a bit dry, add more almond milk a teaspoon at a time if necessary until a thick but drizzle-able consistency is reached. Be careful not to add too much liquid or the icing will spread and not dry properly. Use a fork to drizzle the icing onto the cookies. Yes a fork, not a spoon! While using a spoon seems natural, it results in a chunkier drizzle: a fork is perfect for making a thin line like shown in the photos.
These vegan peanut butter cookies are…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free. For gluten-free, see Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies. 5 from 4 reviews
⅓ cup refined coconut oil ⅓ cup almond milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup creamy peanut butter 2/3 cup cane sugar (or granulated sugar) 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt
For the vegan chocolate icing (optional)
¼ cup powdered sugar ¼ cup cocoa powder 2 ½ tablespoons almond milk, plus additional as necessary
