Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

These are the best and easiest one bowl almond flour peanut butter cookies that also happen to be vegan and gluten-free. They’re melt in your mouth delicious!

Peanut butter lovers, rejoice! I have the cookie for you! Finding a good vegan peanut butter cookie recipe is almost like stumbling upon golden treasure.

I wanted to recreate a simple peanut butter cookie recipe that required one bowl, a few simple ingredients, and a quick turn around time.

I like to make homemade plant-based desserts, but I also don’t want it to take me all day and dirty up a bunch of dishes.

Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more moisture, and almond flour is quite delicate, so you must have the right balance to of wet and dry ingredients to achieve the perfect cookie!

These peanut butter almond flour cookies were inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie. I made some adjustments to the recipe to make them gluten-free, whole food plant-based, reduce and avoid processed sugar, and help with the crumble factor.

Why This Recipe Works

• Simple ingredients
• One bowl recipe for easy prep and clean-up
• No refrigeration needed for the dough
• Wholesome unprocessed ingredients
• 20 minutes from start to finish
• No oil, and no processed vegan butter
• No refined sugars
• Crunchy Edges
• Soft Center

Ingredients and Notes

Organic Natural Peanut Butter: I find that the natural peanut butter tends to get hard when you reach the bottom of the jar. However, when you first open the jar, the oil has risen to the top. Make sure to stir well, all the way to the bottom for best consistency. You want the consistency to be thick, but not dry. Use a brand that is unsalted, and doesn’t have added sweetener or palm oil. You can use creamy peanut butter or chunky, depending on what you like best!

Almond Flour: Use blanched almond flour, not almond meal. It has a sweeter flavor than other flours which allows you to reduce the overall added sugar.

Baking Soda: This helps to leaven the cookies.

Coconut Sugar: A less processed sugar than cane sugar, it works nicely in these cookies to give them a subtle sweetness.

Unsweetened Applesauce: Adds a bit of needed moisture without needing extra oil.

Unsweetened Almond Milk: If the batter is too crumbly and won’t form into a ball, add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk. The consistency of the batter will really depend on the thickness of your peanut butter.

Tools and Equipment

• Mixing Bowl
• Cookie Sheet
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Spatula
• Tablespoon Scoop to get evenly round cookies.

Instructions

Prepare Wet Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl (peanut butter, vanilla extract, applesauce, and almond milk). If peanut butter is thick and not easy to combine, warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds with 1 tablespoon of almond milk to make it smoother.

Add the Dry Ingredients: Add the almond flour, baking soda, and coconut sugar. Stir with spatula until combined.

Form Cookie Balls: Scoop a tablespoon amount of dough and roll into a ball. In a shallow bowl add 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar. Then roll the cookie ball in the sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pressing gently with a fork, make crisscross pattern on each cookie.

Bake: Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

FAQS

Expert Tips

• Different brands of peanut butter have different consistencies. The first batch I made I used the peanut butter I had at the bottom of a jar. It was drier than the typical spreadable peanut butter. If you use a drier peanut butter add a bit more almond milk for more moisture.
• Different gluten-free flours can also react differently in the baking process. Almond flour works well, but a different type of gluten-free flour may absorb the liquid more which could result in you needing to add more moisture.
• If your dough is crumbly and doesn’t stick together when you roll it into a ball that means you need to add more almond milk. Try adding 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency that easily sticks together.

Variations and Substitutions

• Add mini chocolate chips for an extra special treat!
• If you don’t have almond flour, try subbing with coconut flour.
• Sprinkle with sea salt before backing for a salty sweet flavor.
• If you don’t have coconut sugar, you may sub it for maple syrup.

More almond flour recipes!

• Vegan Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
• Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars
• Best Ever Apple Crisp

If you’ve tried these gluten-free vegan peanut butter cookies, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!