Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside delicious homemade almond flour peanut butter cookies that also happen to be vegan AND gluten-free…no eggs, no dairy, and no gluten. They’re quick and easy to make, plus, they’re refined sugar-free and perfect to enjoy with a cold glass of plant-based milk!
Prepare your baking sheet(s) by lining it with parchment paper, if needed.
Prepare your flax egg by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, add peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and flax egg. Mix until all ingredients have combined.
Add almond flour and baking soda to the wet mixture. Mix very well until everything has fully combined. The cookie dough will be very thick and stiff.
Using a medium-sized cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet(s). If you are using a tablespoon, roll the cookie dough into balls before placing them on the cookie sheet.
Using a long-pronged fork, press the fork into the top of each cookie so it flattens them slightly (don't press too hard) and leaves indents, then turn the fork and press again, just slightly, to create the criss-cross pattern. (See images above)
Bake for 10 minutes, don't overbake!
Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool for at least 10 minutes, then remove them and place them on a cooling rack.
Notes
Please read all of the helpful tips and info above before making this recipe to make sure your cookies turn out perfectly.
This recipe will make 16 cookies if you use a medium-sized cookie scoop, (medium scoops are usually 1.5 tablespoons), if you use a tablespoon to scoop the dough, you will end up with roughly 24 smaller cookies.
I have only made this recipe with natural peanut butter, the type that only has ONE ingredient: roasted peanuts. This is the peanut butter you have to stir to combine the oil with the peanut butter and it contains no extras on the ingredient list such as added oil, salt, sugar, or preservatives (or anything else!). If you use a different type of peanut butter, your results may be different than mine.
Make sure your peanut butter is stirred well before measuring it.
This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
Brown sugar can be used if you don't have coconut sugar.
When making the criss-cross pattern, if the fork is sticking to the cookies, dip it in water occasionally.
The cookies will be very soft when they come out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool. Be sure to leave them to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to your cooling rack. If you remove them too quickly, they will fall apart. They will firm up as they cool.
Store fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Freezing baked cookies: Freeze your cookies in single layers in a freezer bag or airtight container, with parchment paper separating each layer, for up to 2 months. When you're ready for them, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Freezing unbaked cookies: Follow steps 3-7 in the recipe, then place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place the cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container, with parchment paper separating each layer, and freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake them, remove them from the freezer, place them on a prepared baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes (no need to thaw them but if you do thaw, just bake for 10 minutes).
The nutrition info listed below is based on one of 16 cookies and the recipe was made as written. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.