These chocolate peanut butter cookies are dark chocolate cookies full of plenty of peanut butter chips and baked to perfection! Inspired by Levain Bakery’s dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, this version is completely vegan and gluten free.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
It’s no secret that I love giving my own spin on famous cookies. We’ve had Levain bakery chocolate chip cookies, Subway cookies, and these chocolate peanut butter chip cookies.
These cookies are a copycat of another one of Levain’s famous cookies, their dark chocolate peanut butter chip ones. This was the second flavor I had sampled and mainly chose it because of the gorgeous dark cookie with bits of peanut butter throughout. As someone who is a diehard chocolate peanut butter fan, I had to stop myself from ordering another ten!
I’ve been meaning to recreate these cookies for quite some time now, but give it my own spin. Unfortunately, none of Levain’s cookies are vegan or gluten free, so that was my first obstacle. Secondly, I had to hunt down some vegan peanut butter baking chips as most supermarket brands contain dairy!
Fortunately (for the both of us!), what we have here today are pretty much the BEST chocolate peanut butter chip cookies that are both vegan AND gluten free. They are thick and chewy cookies, with a gooey center. Each cookie is loaded with plenty of peanut butter chips AND chocolate chunks, for the ultimate chocolate peanut butter flavor hit!
Made without eggs or dairy, these taste JUST like the famous Levain dark chocolate peanut butter ones, and dare I say even better! They use simple ingredients and the hard part is waiting for the cookie dough to chill- the bake time is under 15 minutes!
How do you make Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies?
The Ingredients
- All purpose flour– I used plain flour, but also tested it out with gluten free flour and both work well. Be sure to sift your flour first, to ensure there are no clumps throughout.
- Cocoa powder– Dutch processed cocoa powder or dark cocoa powder. Always use a good quality cocoa powder, to really give these cookies a rich and dark chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda– Gives the cookies some rise, and helps them from spreading too much.
- Salt– Brings out the sweetness of the cookies!
- Butter– Unsalted butter and preferably from a stick. Many vegan butter brands have excess water added to it, so look for one that has no or minimal added water.
- Oil– Any neutral tasting oil works well, like canola oil, vegetable oil, or safflower oil.
- Sugar of choice– I used white sugar, as I prefer thicker cookies. If you’d prefer softer and more gooey centers, use brown sugar.
- Water– To mix everything together! You may not need the full amount, as water will only be added should the dough need it.
- Peanut Butter Chips– They key ingredient! I used vegan peanut butter chips, to keep this recipe vegan. However, if you don’t follow any particular diet, you can use Reese’s peanut butter baking chips.
- Dark Chocolate– Optional, but adds extra gooey chocolate flavor. Use your favorite chocolate bar, chopped into morsels. Alternatively, use dairy free chocolate morsels.
The Instructions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients, until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together your butter, oil and sugar, and ONE tablespoon of water, until smooth and glossy. Slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined. If the batter is too crumbly, add an extra tablespoon or two of water, or as needed. Fold through your peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chunks. Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Form 12 large balls of cookie dough and place on the lined sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops look ‘just’ done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Can I freeze the un-baked dough?
You can freeze the uncooked dough if you’d like to prepare cookies at a later time.
Form a ball of cookie dough and cover completely with plastic wrap to ensure there are no air pockets. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Before using the dough, let the cookie dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Tips to make the best chocolate peanut butter cookies
- Do not overbake the cookies, as they continue to cook as they are cooling down.
- For Levain bakery cookies, form 6 balls of dough and do not press down into a cookie shape. Cook for an extra 2 minutes, and remove from the oven when the tops are firm.
- You must refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, to ensure they do not overspread. If you refrigerate longer than 2 hours, let the cookie dough sit for 20 minutes, before forming into balls of dough.
Storing and freezing cookies
- To store: Cookies can be stored at room temperature, in a sealed container, for up to 2 weeks. If you’d like them to keep longer, store in the refrigerator.
- To freeze: Place cookies in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More vegan cookies you’ll enjoy
- Double Chocolate Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour all purpose or gluten free
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon oil canola, vegetable, etc.
- 1/4 cup butter vegan or standard, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar white, brown, or coconut sugar
- 3-4 tablespoon water * see notes
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips vegan or standard
- 1/4 cup chocolate chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add all your dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together your oil, softened butter, and sugar, until combined. Add one tablespoon of water and whisk again, until glossy and smooth.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold through the peanut butter chips and chopped chocolate. Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Form 6 large or 12 small balls of cookie dough. Place on the lined sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are just done. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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