Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

 
I am so incredibly grateful for you. When I shared my big life update here a few days ago, I had no idea how you would respond. Part of me worried about being called a hypocrite and seeing you turn away… Yet instead, when I let down my guard and was so raw and real, you embraced me with wide open and outstretched arms.  

I’ve been completely blown away by the number of comments, emails, DMs, texts, and even phone calls I’ve received… Especially from people who were brave enough to open up, share their own vulnerable stories, and say, “Me too. I’ve been there too.”

If you were one of those people, I’m truly honored that you’d be so willing to share your own journey and trust me with your story.

And even if you weren’t… Even if you simply read what I wrote without responding…

I’m still just as truly honored that you’d spend that time, that incredibly precious time in your hectic and chaotic life, to read about my big life update. That means so much to me.

My heart feels so, so full right now… and I’m so truly grateful for you. ♡
 

 
And now… Back to today’s regularly scheduled recipe!

During the holidays a couple of years ago, my family and I flew to Arizona to visit my grandparents to celebrate both an early Christmas and their wedding anniversary. My mom invited all of our extended family in the area to a low-key pizza party and white elephant gift exchange, so my brother and I met quite a few new relatives that night.

In addition to the massive pizzas to feed the hungry crowd, Mom also bought plenty of fresh fruit, salads, and a few desserts. She ordered a large tres leches sheet cake from the bakery at the local grocery store, and one of the bakers scripted a special “Merry Christmas!” message in bright green frosting across the top.

While at the store and waiting to pick up the cake, the two of us searched for a sweet treat for my brother to enjoy. He’s allergic to eggs, which meant he couldn’t eat a single slice of the cake… But we couldn’t find any decent egg-free desserts in that particular bakery, so we grabbed a pint of raspberry sorbet for him instead. He never turns that down!
 

 
By the time we arrived at the airport to fly back home a couple of days later, the rest of us had thoroughly enjoyed — and completely polished off — every last crumb of that tree leches cake… But my brother still hadn’t eaten a single baked treat or pastry. Even though he didn’t seem to mind watching us enjoy the Christmas and anniversary cake, I had a feeling he was craving something baked…

Because as soon as we passed through security, everyone scattered to buy lunch before we boarded the plane, and while my parents returned to the gate with sandwiches, chips, and protein snack boxes, my brother arrived with a small bag clutched in his hand. When he opened it, we all laughed.
 

 
He had purchased pretzels, nuts, and a big allergy-friendly cookie! As soon as we found seats on the plane, he tore off the wrapper and took a big bite out of his soft and chewy egg-free cookie. When we asked how it tasted, he responded that it was decent enough — not necessarily the best cookie he had ever eaten — but it definitely satisfied his baked dessert cravings!

When I flew home for my parents’ usual Super Bowl potluck party this year, I spotted the same brand of cookies in one of the convenience and snack shops at the airport, and that particular memory floated through my mind… Which inspired me to bake a batch of egg-free cookies that I knew my brother would love!
 

 
So shortly after returning to my own kitchen, I whipped up a dozen of these Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies! They’re incredibly soft and chewy, exactly the way my family loves their cookies, with lots of sweet peanutty flavor and plenty of rich chocolate morsels.

These healthy cookies are also so simple to make; you just need one bowl and a fork! Even better? They have no butter, oil, eggs, dairy, refined flour or sugar… And they’re 114 calories!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Let’s go over how to make these healthy one-bowl chocolate chip peanut butter cookies! If you’ve been scrolling through all of my recent recipes, then you’ve probably already guessed… I’ve been obsessed with super easy one-bowl recipes lately! I love how that usually means fewer dishes to wash. 😉

So grab your favorite mixing bowl, and add some homemade creamy peanut butter into it first! This is my incredibly easy homemade creamy peanut butter recipe. You just need 5 minutes + peanuts, salt, and a blender to make it!

Hint: If you’d like to use store-bought peanut butter instead, then make sure it’s the natural drippy-style kind that only includes peanuts and salt. Don’t substitute crunchy peanut butter in these cookies!
 

 
Next, you’ll stir in a pinch of a salt, a splash of vanilla, and unsweetened almond milk. The almond milk actually replaces the eggs… And by using dairy-free milk, your healthy one-bowl chocolate chip peanut butter cookies are actually vegan!

Hint: Many of my family members are lactose-intolerant, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk is their favorite non-dairy milk. Unsweetened cashew milk is my favorite (with almond milk as a very close second!), but any milk will work in these healthy one-bowl chocolate chip peanut butter cookies!
 

 
As for the vanilla extract, you’ll use a bit more compared to most traditional peanut butter cookie recipes. This is intentional! Vanilla extract can actually imitate butter’s rich flavor, so by using a bit more, your healthy (vegan!) chocolate chip peanut butter cookies taste just as buttery and indulgent as traditional recipes… Even though they include no butter or oil!

Next, you’ll stir in coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts. However, it does not actually taste like coconuts! It has a rich caramel-like flavor, similar to brown sugar, and you can often find it on the baking aisle right next to the regular sugar.
 

 
Time to add the flour and baking soda! You’ll use white whole wheat flour in these healthy vegan peanut butter cookies. And as crazy as it sounds… White whole wheat flour is not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour!

Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… Which lets the sweet flavor and chewy texture of your healthy chocolate chip peanut butter cookies shine!

And pretty, pretty please… Do NOT dump your baking soda straight into the bowl! Instead, sprinkle it over the top of the flour before stirring both of them in together. Sprinkling helps prevent clumps of baking soda… Which means your healthy vegan chocolate chip peanut butter cookies will have the best texture imaginable!
 

 
Finally, my favorite part… The chocolate chips! I use mini chocolate chips because their small size ensures that every bite contains at least one morsel of chocolate (if not more!). These are my favorite vegan and allergy-friendly mini chocolate chips. They taste so rich and decadent!

If you’ve measured everything correctly (especially the flour!), then your cookie dough will be pretty sticky when you first mix all of the ingredients together. Therefore, chilling is mandatory! Chilling helps stiffen the cookie dough, which makes it easier to work with. Just 20 minutes in the fridge is all it needs!
 

 
Before you bake your healthy vegan chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, remember to flatten the cookie dough! It barely spreads at all, so your cookies will look exactly the same before and after baking… Just no longer raw. 😉

And because people always ask… No, I don’t use a cookie scoop! I just use a spoon and this mini spatula (isn’t it cute??) to drop it onto my silicone baking mat. Then I use that same spatula to flatten and shape it into nice, round cookies. No secret tricks here — just a little time and patience!
 

 
Now all that’s missing is a glass of milk! And maybe a second cookie… Maybe. Just maybe. 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy one-bowl chocolate chip peanut butter cookies!

Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 12 cookies

These are the BEST chocolate chip peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had! They’re perfectly soft and chewy, full of yummy peanut butter flavor, and have plenty of chocolate too. With how amazing they taste, it’s almost dangerous how easy they are to make! Leftover cookies will last for at least four days if stored in an airtight container on the counter or at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (if not longer!). They freeze really well, too!

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients 

• ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter
• 3 ½ tbsp (53mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
• 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add the flour mixture, and sprinkle the baking soda over the flour (to prevent clumps!). Stir in the flour and baking soda just until incorporated. Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a spoon and a spatula, and flatten to the about ½" thick using a spatula. (The cookies don’t spread much, if at all, so they'll look about the same shape after baking as they do before!) Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

This is my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe. It’s so easy to make. You just need 5 minutes and a blender! If you prefer using store-bought creamy peanut butter, use the natural drippy-style kind where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter.

 

Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

 

Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.

 

It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cookies turn out cakey or dry, instead of soft and chewy.

 

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free, if necessary!) will also work, but be extra careful when measuring it!

 

For the gluten-free option, I recommend the following: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

To keep these cookies completely vegan and dairy-free, I recommend using vegan-friendly chocolate chips, like these vegan mini chocolate chips.

 

This recipe is easily doubled!

 

{gluten-free, vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Chip Brownies
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Almond Butter Cookie Bars
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Blueberry Muffins
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
♡  Healthy One-Bowl Blueberry Pancakes
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cookie recipes!