These tasty Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a dream come true! They’re soft and chewy and combine your favorite chocolate chip cookie with peanut butter to create the ideal cookie recipe. 

I was going to wait a couple of months to share these vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, but I just couldn’t! Honestly, they’re a perfect year-round cookie, but also ideal for the holidays. 

I based the recipe off of my vegan chocolate chip cookies, but added peanut butter, which really takes them to the next level. 

If you’re a fan of peanut butter, you’ll adore my vegan peanut butter cookies, so be sure to check those out as well. 

Recipe features

• Prep time is only 10 minutes!
• Large cookies flavored with peanut butter flavor and loaded with chocolate chips
• Made without eggs, these cookies are NOT dry; instead they’re perfectly soft and chewy! 

Ingredients

• Peanut butter – Be sure to use peanut butter with NO added oil. The peanut butter should list “peanuts” and “salt” as the only ingredients. This will ensure the correct final texture of the cookies.
• Butter – Use your favorite vegan butter (I used Earth Balance).
• Sugar – A combination of cane sugar and light brown sugar works well; if you want these cookies to be less sweet, you can use coconut sugar. 
• Milk – Any kind of non-dairy milk works. I tend to opt for almond milk or oat milk.
• Applesauce – The secret ingredient! It helps keep the cookies nice and moist. Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce, and 3 tablespoons is all you need.
• Vanilla extract – A must for pretty much any cookie recipe.
• All purpose flour – I haven’t tested these cookies with any other kind of flour; If you want them to be gluten free, use gluten free 1:1 baking flour. 
• Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks work best; you can also sub dark chocolate if you prefer. 

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Whisk the peanut butter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and peanut butter together with a hand whisk for 20 seconds, then add the cane sugar and brown sugar and whisk for an additional 20 seconds. 

Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. To that same bowl, add the milk, applesauce and vanilla and stir to combine. 

Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients. Pour the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl, then pour the dry ingredients into the wet and use an electric mixer to stir everything together. The dough will look a little crumbly, but it should stick together when you pinch it with your fingers.

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate. Last, fold in the chocolate chips by hand.

Step 5. Bake. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 16 large cookie dough balls (these cookies are meant to be big!), then place them on the baking sheets, ensuring they’re at least 2 inches apart. Use your palm to slightly flatten the cookies, then bake them for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges have set but the center is slightly underdone. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack. 

Tips and tricks

• You’ll have to use 2 baking sheets for these cookies, and either place one sheet on the upper oven rack and one on the lower, OR bake the cookies in batches.
• This recipe makes 16 large cookies. If you want them to be more normal sized, roll them into balls slightly smaller than golf ball sized, flatten them out and bake them for 11-12 minutes.
• Remember to line your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone mat before adding the cookie dough to ensure the cookies don’t stick. 

What kind of peanut butter should I use? 

When it comes to peanut butter and baking, simple is best. Many peanut butters at the store contain added oils and sugar, and we don’t want that. Added oil affects the texture of the peanut butter, and therefore has a huge impact on how these cookies turn out. 

Look for peanut butter that only lists “dry roasted peanuts” OR “peanuts” and “salt” as the only ingredients. Costco peanut butter (Kirkland brand) works great, as does Crazy Richard’s.

How do you know when cookies are done? 

Cookies are done when they look slightly underdone 😉 Trust me on this one! The edges of the cookies should be set, but the center should still be slightly wet and under-baked. The cookies will continue to cook while they cool, and if you want a soft cookie, this is the way to do it! 

Storage

Room temperature: Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days. 

Freezer: Wait for the cookies to cool, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

More vegan cookies

• Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Ginger Cookies
• Chocolate Avocado Cookies

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!