Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 c/77ml neutral oil
- 1/3 cup/77ml unsweetened applesauce *If using a homemade apple sauce add 1-2 tbsp/15-30ml non-dairy milk or water to thin the consistency.
- ½ cup/105g brown sugar
- 5 tbsp/63g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp/5ml vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp/30g cocoa powder
- 1 cup + 6 tbsp/165g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp/3g baking soda
- ½ tsp/3g salt
- ½ cup/125g creamy unsalted peanut butter
- 3 tbsp/24g powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp/2g salt
- Powdered sugar to roll cookies
Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F/160C. Line baking sheets with parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to beat together on low speed for 2 minutes until well emulsified.
- Add in cocoa powder and beat until smooth.
- Stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda until completely incorporated. Mixture should be very thick, but still soft.
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt. Work into a smooth dough.
- Roll teaspoon size balls (18 equal portions) of the peanut butter mixture.
- Place about ¼ cup/30g powdered sugar in a small bowl for rolling.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons/~40ml amounts of chocolate dough (divide into 18 equal pieces). Roll into balls and create a well in the center. Place one of the peanut butter balls in the center and mold the chocolate dough so it is completely enclosed.
- Roll into a smooth ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on lined baking sheet with at least 2”/5cm between the cookies.
- Bake for 12-12 minutes until just firm on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This cookie does not freeze well as the powdered sugar will absorb moisture and go sticky.
Notes
Texture/taste Notes: Rich dark chocolate cookies are stuffed with a peanut butter center making the reminiscent of a peanut butter cup. The chocolate cookie is soft in the middle with crispy edges. The cookie is lightly sweet to balance out the powdered sugar coating and sweeter peanut butter filling. Great for gifts and can be filled any number of ways.
Oil choice: Any unsaturated oil will work in this recipe. The best choices are very neutral flavored oils like canola, sunflower, or vegetable. Coconut oil should not be used as it will react with the applesauce and resolidify, creating uneven pockets of moisture.
Sugars: The combination of sugars results in the perfect balance of soft cookie with firm edges. Brown sugar adds moisture to a recipe, while granulated sugar leads to crisper edges. Substituting either of these will change the moisture and structure of the recipe. When rolling in powdered sugar, place a small amount of powdered sugar in a small bowl and shake each cookie ball in the bowl rather than trying to turn it with your fingers. This will create a more even coating of sugar.
Cocoa Powder: Use regular cocoa powder, not dutch processed. Dutch processed coco powder will create a more bitter flavor and does not have the acidity needed to react with the baking soda.
Peanut Butter: This recipe was designed using all natural peanut butter without emulsifiers. Other kinds of peanut butter may react differently and be drier when mixed with powdered sugar. Peanut butter can be replaced with almond or hazelnut butter. Or swap out the nut center with a chewy caramel candy. Or leave out the center entirely and just have a classic chocolate crinkle cookie.