Today is the big reveal day for the August posts for the Secret Recipe Club
And these fugdy, chewy, very chocolatey chocolate cookies
with hints of peanut butter undertones
are what I am really excited to reveal!
Last month, I made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Many of you have written to me to tell me that you’ve made these and you love the simplicity of the recipe and that the full-bodied peanut butter flavor has you hooked and you’re never going back to traditional PB cookies. Me either!
But I think you’ll be very happy with my enhanced version, i.e. chocolate is added in two forms
Because isn’t everything better with a little enhancing?
I think so.
This month, I was assigned the blog Not Rachel Ray and when I saw she had made Flourless Chocolate Cookies using Lori the Recipe Girl’s recipe (as an aside Lori is a fellow San Diego area blogger and she hosted an awesome party I attended a few weeks ago)
I knew I wanted to take a stab at Flourless Chocolate Cookies.
I adapted my own Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie recipe and this is what I came up with.
I’m pretty sure you won’t have problems with leftovers on your hands.
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Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Naturally Gluten Free, with Vegan Option. Adapted from my own Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe)
3/4 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 c peanut butter
1 egg (replace real egg by combining 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp warm water in a small bowl and stirring. Allow a “jelly” to form after a few minutes and use this as your “egg”)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c to 3/4 chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips) & stir to combine
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips in one bowl and stir by hand with a spoon.
After all ingredients are incorporated stir in the chocolate chips
At this point you have the option to place the dough in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Cold dough will create puffier/thicker cookies vs. thinner/flatter cookies during the baking process. It will also help with the rolling out/ball-forming process but it’s optional if you’re in a hurry.
Form into 1 inch balls (I rolled mine with my hands but you could just drop them on a cookie sheet with a spoon) and place on cookie sheet (I used parchment-lined + lightly sprayed with cooking spray for easy cleanup).
Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes or until they barely look done. They can go from raw to burned in about 90 seconds so watch them but know that because they are dark cookies, visuals may be tricky.
They may not look done after 10-12 minutes, but that’s ok. Take them out of the oven anyway and allow them to cool.
Yields 24 cookies (Mine were fairly small. Reducing to 12-18 bigger cookies is an option and adjust baking time accordingly)
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A Visual Guide:
Gather your ingredients
Add everything into one bowl except the chocolate chips.
I kept the dry ingredients at the bottom and then put the wet ingredients on top because I wanted a dry ingredients “bed” for the PB but I’m sure it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t want to waste a drop of PB by having it get stuck to bottom the bowl.
Stir to combine all the ingredients, then add the chocolate chips, and stir those in.
Dough will be very thick and it looks sticky and quite un-workable, but the fat in the peanut butter keeps the dough together and less sticky than you’d imagine.
Freeze your mixing bowl with the dough in it for 10-15 minutes before rolling out the balls.
Or, simply roll immediately if you’re impatient and don’t want to chill the dough.
Note: warmer dough will produce flatter and crisper cookies; colder dough will produce puffier and chewier cookies
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are barely done looking.
I like chewy, gooey, half-baked cookies so I was a 10 minute girl
Allow them to cool for as long as you can stand it
Devour
The beauty of these cookies are that:
they only take 2 minutes to mix up the dough
no electric mixer required & you can do it all by hand
minimal cleanup/dishes (I hate baking projects where you dirty every dish in your kitchen!)
naturally GF and very easily adapted to be vegan
and they will make all chocaholics very happy.
The cold dough really dis make a difference in the finished product.
The flourless chococlate cookies are really puffy compared to my previous flourless peanut butter cookies which I baked with warm dough on a warm day.
These cookies are perfectly chewy
And not dry. <– Dry baked goods are not worth my chew!
In terms of flavor, these are definitely chocolate cookies that have been enhanced with peanut butter
If you want more of a peanut buttery flavor, scale back the cocoa powder
Or just make these and add chocolate chips
But if you want to get your chocolate on, today’s cookies are for you.
And they’re small. So grab a few.
And if for some reason you want to stuff candy bars in your cookies, try Snickers Bar Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Feel free to stuff just about any kind of candy bar in these, too
Want to see what other people in the Secret Recipe Club made this month?
Questions:
1. What’s your favorite cookie?
My favorite cookies are half-baked, ooey-gooey, not dry. And if a cookie is properly baked and the flavors are balanced, I can appreciate just about any kind of cookie from chocolate chip to peanut butter cookies to snickerdoodle to molasses.
Ironically one cookie that tends to bore me are sugar cookies. And I love sugar! But they are usually too overbaked, too crispy, too dry, and the monotone flavor is boring for me. I created raw vegan sugar cookie dough bites though, and they’re not dry or boring. Promise.
I also really like texture which is why oatmeal raisin cookie with their chunky oats, raisins, and brown sugar are always a hit with me. The raw vegan oatmeal raisin cookies here are so easy, too. No oven required.
2. Can anything ever be too chocolatey? Too dark or intense?
I think not!
Just like I said nothing can ever be too rich or too sweet when I was talking about these
White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars – 4 Layers
Nothing can ever be too chocolatey or too dark.
I’d rather skip “milk” chocolate and either do white or dark chocolate, actually.
These cookies are more of dark chocolate meets hint of peanut butter.
I love sweet, white chocolate but I also love rich, full-bodied dark chocolate, too.
P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts from the weekend, here are mine since Friday:
- L is For
- Funky Town
- Happily Sitting It Out
- Meetup to Start the Weekend
- Quotes
- Sugar & Featured
- Beauty Then & Now
Have a great week!
Hi Averie! I just wanted to let you know that I’m featuring this amazing recipe in my post 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies. I’m also pinning it to my Gluten Free Cookie Madness Board. :)
You are more than welcome to share this amazing resource with your readers or link to this post if you’d like! Thanks so much for the inspiration! Here’s the url: 102 Gluten Free Cookie Recipies
I’m looking for things that are gluten free AND casein free, so to bake these as is would not be an option for me. Have you ever tried substituting Enjoy Life (or some other brand) of dairy free chocolate chips? My four year old thanks you!
Most good quality dark or semi-sweet chips SHOULD be casein free – just cocao butter solids and maybe some lecithin as an emulsifier – but if you want to spend the money $$ for Enjoy Life, go for it. They’d be fine in these.
Just made these for my grandmother who has recently been diagnosed with celiac disease.. she was pretty upset because she figured she couldn’t bake anything anymore and that it wouldn’t taste as good… Needless to say she absolutely loved them and couldn’t believe they were GF! My dad is also celiac for 6-7yrs and he really loved them too!! Everyone did! Thanks for this (and the other great recipes) Next time I’ll probably have to make a double batch!
That’s wonderful that you were able to bake these for your dad and grandma, both with Celiac, and that they loved them and that a double-batch is in store for next time. Wonderful news & thanks for LMK! :)
So sorry for the misspellings. The auto correct on my iPad doesn’t catch some things and changes others.
Like Jackie, my dough was quit crumbly and dry. I added a bit more peanut butter just to get it to stick but that didn’t really work. I think it would have come together if I had used my kitchen aid. The finished result was also like Jsckie’s cookie. It remained in a ball. They were not fudge or gooey but they are still delicious. I followed your recipe exactly, using one real egg as well. I saw in your comments that we shouldn’t use natural peanut butter. But that’s all I had. I’m guessing that’s the difference. I specifically buy it because its ‘natural’ and without all the fillers. But I think you need the fillers in this or add a little coconut oil or butter to help it. ??? These were still very good. My daughter absolutely loves them. I just wanted them to look more like yours. They’re perfect.
Whenever people write to say they didn’t get the results I got, but didn’t use the products I suggested, that’s 99% of the time why. And in this case, it’s the natural PB.
Sometimes people have luck with it, but other times, not so much. In a recipe like this where there are so few ingredients, each and every ingredient does matter and I’m sure conventional PB will do the trick for you! And if you think using your stand mixer will help, do that! Do whatever you think will help :)
Sounds like you’re awfully close and loved the flavor…and your daughter loves them…so that’s all that matters as a mom, right! Just use Jif, Skippy, etc next time and you’ll be all set!
These are my absolute favourite cookies ever!!! They are chocolatey, peanutty, fudgey perfection! I’ve made them with both almond butter and peanut butter and can’t decide which I prefer. I’ve also substituted Splenda for sugar, but I recommend reducing it to 1/2 cup Splenda if anyone wants to try that. Oh, and I like to sprinkle some fleur de sel on top of them… yum! I am so thankful that you posted this recipe and I stumbled upon it!
I am so glad that you love them! Thanks for coming back to LMK you’re a huge fan. I made a new version – using all brown sugar and choc chunks in case you’re interested. If you end up trying them, please LMK!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/01/peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-cookies.html
I made these to take to my family’s Christmas Day brunch tomorrow, and honestly hope I can stay out of them until then. They are so good – gooey and decadent! I’ve pretty much given up cookies since turning to a vegan lifestyle, since most traditional recipes call for butter and margarine, no matter what kind, just does not give the same result. Not so with these cookies – they are so moist and rich, you don’t notice the lack of butter and certainly don’t miss it.
The only thing I changed with the recipe is that I added about 1/8 tsp. of salt – the tiniest bit to enhance the chocolate flavor. I’ve found that this makes a significant in any chocolate recipe.
Thanks for this recipe, and happy holidays!
This recipe is an oldie but a goodie – and glad you’re so happy with them! You’re right that it can be very challenging to get the same results with vegan baking as with traditional (something about butter and eggs – can be hard to recreate) but glad that these have been a keeper for you and you’re so pleased! Thanks for the report back!
So I made these the other night. I can’t eat eggs so I used the flax seed substitute. The dough was very dry and crumbly. I put it in the freezer for 10min and then proceeded to ‘roll’ the cookies. Again, the dough was very crumbly, almost like sand. I got all the cookies rolled, and baked for 11min. They remained in the shape of a ball and didn’t look like cookies at all. However, they tasted really good! And are VERY rich and sweet. I just wonder if it’s the lack of egg that really makes a difference for these? Just wanted to share my experience with them. I’ll make them again for sure since they really do satisfy that chocolate craving!
I would say that if you would have doubled the amount of flax egg you used, you would have been in better shape. Cocoa powder, in general, and all that PB, is going to be very thick so you need to maybe have added some more moisture. Everyone’s PB, cocoa, powder, how ‘large’ their flax egg is, is all going to vary. I say double the egg/water volume, or play around with it a bit so the dough isn’t so dry, and you’d be in better shape. A real egg in this recipe is magical. As you know it ‘can’ be done vegan as you did, but just may require a few batches and testing to get that perfect consistency. LMK if you try again!
My mom has started a gluten free way of eating and today is her birthday. I just made these for her (rather than cake) after coming across the recipe on Pinterest. O….. M……. G…… they are so good! Thank you so much!
glad to hear they’re a hit! and happy bday to your mom! thanks for finding me, making these, and for the field report back!
hey what can I substitute for peanut butter. I want to make these but dont like peanut butter in my cookies
You could use sunflower seed butter or perhaps almond butter but these are a very short ingredient list-cookie. And a key ingredient is…PB!
So check under cookies, here, for something that may be more suited to your liking
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/recipes/desserts
What kind of PB is best with these cookies? I have the natural kind in my fridge right now. Or is a skippy type PB better? Thanks!
Not natural. You need a Skippy or Jif, etc. Something that isn’t going to separate, i.e. needs stirring. That won’t yield a good result in these cookies.
Just baked these and they are sooooo good! I used a half a cup of dark chocolate chips. I think next time I’ll mix in some peanut butter chips too.
Just wondering why the recipe says mix by hand. Would it ruin the cookies if I used a stand mixer? Maybe with a paddle? It was a little hard to mix by hand.
Such an easy recipe, I figured why bother dirtying up the stand mixer and paddle and I’m sure it would be fine to use, I just never have. Glad they turned out so well for you…I don’t know if I’d mess around with my results but LMK if you try it :)
These are the same principle, but chocolate!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/08/flourless-chocolate-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Thanks! I think I’ll try it that way next time since I just throw everything in the dishwasher anyway. My husband asked me to add these to my regular rotation of desserts, so I think I’ll be making them a lot!
That link takes me to this same recipe. is there another similar recipe you’re recommending?
Oh sorry, I thought all along you had made the regular PB ones, these…sorry! But you had already made the chocolate ones :) I read my comments from a different screen than the actual post is written on.
this is the plain
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/07/flourless-peanut-butter-cookies.html
But if you like chocolate cookies, you could also try these. You can use any dried fruit. TJ’s has great chocolate-covered fruit…or just skip it and make the cookies as is.
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/11/stuffed-dark-chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Those look so good too! I’ll try them next. Maybe I’ll try it with the chocolate covered orange sticks, which are my fave.
Thanks!
I’ve been wanting something really chocolatey lately, so I am bookmarking this recipe to make once my husband gets back from his business trip! :)
I made these yesterday for a friend, and they turned out great! They are especially delicious straight out of the oven. LOVE the texture! I only used 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, and used a combo of milk chocolate and peanut butter chips. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Thanks for the field report and glad they turned out so great. Sounds like a great combo of milk/PB chips :)
Wow these look amazing. No flour, eh? *Bookmarked*!
yes and you can veganize them w/ egg replacer or a flax egg. If you’re going the flax/chia egg route, make sure the dough is really COLD before baking them so they don’t turn into Spreadout City. :)
Hooray for your amazing recipes!!! I can’t wait to try this one out as well as the White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars – 4 Layers. From the flourless PB cookies alone, I know these will be a hit.
report back if you make them!
Looks great! SCR is turning out to be lots of fun — so many new recipes to try!
These look absolutely AMAZING, Averie. And I completely agree – nothing can ever be too chocolatey! Milk Chocolate is NOT chocolate in my mind!
Ah, your cookie picturese are always the best! As uaual, these looks fantastic! I have actually never tried to make flourless cookies, but I really want to! I have a feeling I would love them!
What Gorgeous work you have done! Your blog is absolutely stunning!
I make flourless peanut butter cookies all the time and would never have thought to add some cocoa powder! You are a genius!!
Wow! These look soo good. I am definitely making these! The one hard thing about reading blogs and magazines is I want to make so many different things that the list gets long. I’m making pb cup blondies and then these next when those are gone. You’re pictures look so good, I’m happy you got recognition for it. Thanks for putting up the other secret recipes too, it’s nice to click to see more things I need to make :)
I need these Gluten Free Cookies for my daughter! FUN
Thanks again for being a part of SRC and being a part of my first group, I enjoyed being your host! Now, I get to visit everyone’s blog, THIS IS THE FUN PART!
If you haven’t already, come check out my Secret Recipe Club Post: Cucumber Salad http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2011/08/cucumber-salad-secret-recipe-club.html
or my second post for the SRC Raspberry and Nutella Pizza
http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2011/08/raspberry-nutella-pizza-secret-recipe.html
Tina the work that you and Amanda have put into this all is soooo appreciated. Thank you!!!
Yummy! Would you believe I’ve never had a flourless cookie? I really need to make this recipe!
these are so easy, Amanda. Make them :)
Wow, awesome job on the cookies and pictures, these look and sound amazing! And so many wonderful recipes to go through, yum!
1. Tough call, anything with chocolate and nut butter I guess.
2. Probably not, unless mixed with nut butter and caramel.
I can’t wait to make these!
If you do, I’d love to hear about it :)
I HAVE to ask…..which was better the dough or the baked cookies? I bet the dough was divine! The pb cookies were so good, I know these will be awesome!
My favorite cookies are my mom’s jello-pudding cookies. They are so moist, soft, sweet….yum perfect! You will love them too! http://www.katieleehome.com/blog/?tag=health
I have never met a dessert that is so sweet, bring it on!!!
i need to make those jello pudding cookies…perfect!!
and both the orig PB and the addition of the chocolate…both are great. different.
pb is intensely PB
and choc is intensely choc
so it just depends what you’re in the mood for
oh and the dough…I didnt eat it raw b/c i used a real egg but was tempted to :)
Though I can’t say that I’m a huge chocolate fan, I would adore a plate of flourless pb cookies OR some of those white chocolate bars. Yum!
Ugh you’re KILLING me over here!! I would gladly eat a handful (or two) of these babies! And those bars look incredible as well.
Ohh these look so yummy and cute! love your blog glad to be a new follower!
welcome and thanks for reading!
These look great. I love how big and puffy they look – it makes them extremely appealing and also quite pretty. I made peanut butter flourless cookies for the SRC reveal this month, but I ALWAYS love the addition of chocolate!
cruising over to your blog next…
OMG! These cookies look to die for. I made your flourless pb cookies and they were amazing. Adding the chocolate can only make them better. Yum!
yes it kind of did :)
but both the orig AND the choc both have their places. both great and easy!
Mmm I’m all about those flourless peanut butter cookies (since I don’t like chocolate), buttt the chocolate ones look amazing as well!!
You have the most tempting, delicious looking recipes EVER. I seriously bookmark pretty much everything you publish because I know I HAVE to make it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but I love you lady!
love you back!
Curse you – every time you post a new recipe I have to make it. EVERY. TIME.
Dear GOOD GRIEF OF THE WORLD, these look good!
Thanks, Bev :)
Wow, that list at the bottom with pics is some intense food porn! A whole day could go by just surfing that sugar tide…
Looks like an awesome recipe, and I’m just like you: I hate losing any smidge of pb (or whatever) stuck to the bottom of the bowl!
I am actually coming to the conclusion (sacrilege?) that chocolate isn’t worth it for me. I love how it tastes but it really doesn’t make me feel good, and since I changed my diet in favor of more carbs, my cravings for chocolate just disappeared. But I have lots of chocolate lovers to pander to/fix for, who adore pb, so I bet I’ll make these at some point!
Isnt that list of links incredible! It’s fun seeing what everyone makes!
Oh, I was so hoping for a picture of a cookie broken in half! But there are enough pretty pictures of the whole cookies to (almost) satisfy me. ;) They look so amazing! YUM.
Those look just awesome. we love chocolate and PB so much around here.
My favorite cookies used to be the oat cookies my grandmom used to make. Sometimes she also added coconut flakes, but I like the pure oat version the best. Now that I eat a flourless, dairy-free, and very low sugar diet, I don’t eat cookies anymore. I can imagine to start experimenting around with nut butter and protein powder for baking, though.
I’m not a great fan of chocolate, especially the dark one. So for me, things can definitely be too dark, too chocolatey, and too intense. But I sometimes enjoy a hot chocolate made from unsweetened cocoa powder, hot water, and almond milk. :)
I am so so so gifting my gluten free girlfriends with these! That chocolate is basically dripping off the screen, and I for one cannot get enough of it – ever. Great post!
thanks for the compliments :)
OH MY HECK!!! I can’t wait to make these. They look amazing!!!
Oh my gosh! Wow, these look sooo good! I must make them soon. I absolutely loved your other flourless cookies. And thanks for the tip on chilling them for a while. I definitely want a chewy cookie. And yes things can definitely be too intense or dark, especially when it comes to chocolate. I have such a huge sweet tooth I have never tasted anything that was “too” rich or “too” sweet. But too intense and too bitter/dark definitely!
I definitely wish I could pull these babies right out of my computer screen and devour them … yum!!
You just made my dreams come true. Can’t wait to make these!
Averie! You always make me hungry :) I book marked this recipe! I am always sending cookies to my brother in law and I know he would LOVE these! Hope you’re doing well
Chocolate, peanut butter, and ooey-gooey? Count me in! I love my cookies a bit underbaked and chewy. Also, pretty sure I saw your mixing bowls at Urban Outfitters yesterday! I exclaimed this fact to the boyfriend, as if he cared.
Never too much chocolate! If you like dark chocolate, try Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar. I am addicted! It’s smooth and delicious but still has that slightly bitter dark chocolate taste.
Those cookies look beyond crazy yummy.
My favorite thing right now are blondies that my friend is making to raise money for her adoption. OH MY GOODNESS! I have never been in love with a baked good…but I am now.
Here is the link if you want to try some for yourself: http://chasingcharlotte.blogspot.com/p/charlottes-chocolate-factory.html
Brooke
http://www.TheAnnessaFamily.blogspot.com
Averie these look so good! And thanks for the tip about how chilling the dough gives you puffier cookies and warm dough gives you flatter/crispier cookies. I never knew why some recipes ask you to chill the dough first.
My favorite cookie — the PB blossom cookies with the kiss in the middle. I could eat those by the truckload.
I think these will be the next thing I will bake.
I love macadamia nut cookies with white chocolate and I also prefer them only half baked.
And no, I can never get too chocolaty or sweet. I totally agree with you on that one.
Have a good start of the week.
Lmk if you end up making them!
I have to go with either chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin as my favorite cookie. My tastes lately are simple. As long as they are gooey though, i’ll eat them. And there can’t be nuts.
LOVE the looks of these cookies!! And if I ad pb I’d make them right now. I have to go to the store later today….
These look amazing! Sorry I’ve been so MIA, I haven’t even looked at a blog in a week!
I wish I could go a week without looking at a blog some days :)
Your rendition of these cookies looks fabulous, makes me want to whip up another batch right now!
I loved finding your blog and the Secret Recipe Club…so fun!
MMMM, chocolate and peanut butter, my favorite!
These look AMAZING. So freaking dense- right up my alley!
My favorite cookies are anything soft and chewy, especially chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia. And too chocolatey or too rich? I’m as much of a sweets lover as you…unless it comes to alcohol, like that cocktail. Makes me sick!!
These sound incredible! I love how doughy they look… I can’t stand cookies that are rock hard and crumble at the first bite haha. Awesome recipe as usual, Averie! :)
Half baked cookies are definitely my fave. I have to eat the edges first so I can save the gooey middle for last….
Nothing can be too chocolate-y…dark chocolate. I’m not sure I could even eat milk chocolate anymore. It just tastes sweet….whereas dark choc has an actual flavor. Mmmmm…Is it too early for some now? I think one of your cookies would go great with my starbucks this morning!
1.) Haven’t met a cookie I don’t like. I like them to be crispy on the outside, raw in the middle.
2.) Chocolate can do no wrong. I love every chocolate I ever met.
Can’t wait to try these for my celiac husband. He is always sad when my baked goods aren’t GF.
glad these will work for you hubs!
I’m so excited to try these! I have one child with celiac disease and one child who is vegan. I almost never find a recipe that suits them both, especially one for cookies. Can’t wait to test these out on my girls!
glad that these will work for both of them!
These look incredible!
I’m totally with you in the ooey gooey cookie camp. I baked PB chocolate chunk cookies (with some incredible dark chocolate) last night and underbaked a sheet of 5 cookies just for myself and my mom to share! Haha!
I am in love with all your flourless creations. Keep ’em coming. Oh and might i add the photography is amazing!
;)
what a smashing invention! i have been wanting to bake using a flax egg for quite some time now, and this recipe fits the bill. plus, i have all the ingredients at home right now!
love the photos, too! i love chewy, soft cookies. dislike thin, cardboard-hard, dry cookies. best is chocolate chip, but i’m open to variations!
These look decadent!
Not only does this recipe look delicious, but the ingredient list is so simple its awesome! I recently moved back to school so I’m always looking to create recipes on the cheap.
You’ve impressed me again, Averie ;) Thank you!
simple and easy is where it’s at girl!
I baked some flopurless peanut butter cup cookies this weekend that I’m posting tomorrow. These look amazing. :)
mmm, sounds great!
You answered both questions for me :D
saw the guest post on your site and thought, that’s a new leaf for you. first ever, congrats :)