Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft and Chewy or Crispy and Crunchy. Everyone has their preferred type of peanut butter cookies. Here is a recipe for both! Any way you like, you can make it with this recipe. I took my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe from Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York's Most Creative Bakery by Erin Patinkin & Agatha Kulaga and made it into a peanut butter cookie. Their Recipe is so versatile and easy to make. Check their original recipe out for the best vegan chocolate chip cookies at: https://food52.com/recipes/39132-ovenly-s-secretly-vegan-salted-chocolate-chip-cookies

Also, I tested their recipe out with different types of oil and butter alternatives which you can check out here:

https://www.surfandsalt.org/post/that-s-how-the-cookie-crumbles-cookie-recipes-compared

Recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup peanut butter, (unsweetened crunchy)

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon canola

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until well combined then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, canola oil, water and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth and completely combined. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and fold together to form a cohesive batter.

Place the batter in an airtight container and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight. Letting the batter sit allows the flour to fully absorb the moisture from the wet ingredients which enhances the flavor and texture of the cookie.

After the cookies have chilled, preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

For Large Soft Cookies:

Scoop about 2 tablespoons worth of dough and form it into a ball. Place it on the baking sheet and use the center of your palm to flatten it out. Use a fork to indent the traditional peanut butter crosshatch marks on the cookie. Other options are to dust the cookie with sugar or peanuts, or press your thumb into the middle and place a teaspoon of jam in the middle.

Repeat with all the dough until it is gone. Place the cookie on the baking sheet about an inch apart (they will spread a lot). Place the whole baking sheet into the fridge for about 10 minutes. Refrigerating the cookies before baking will ensure that the cookies don’t spread too much and leave a soft and moist center.

After the ten minutes has elapsed, place the cookies into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges. Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely before serving.

For small Crispy Cookies:

Scoop 1 tablespoon worth of dough and form it into a ball. Place the ball onto the baking sheet. Press the ball down with the center of your palm to flatter the ball out to about half and inch. Use a fork to gently press down on the cookie and create the traditional peanut butter crosshatch pattern. Repeat with the remaining of the batter while leave about 1 inch space between the cookies on the baking sheet.

Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before serving.