Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Vegan peanut butter cookie bars cut into squares.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Allie
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 9 bars 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Easy and delicious vegan peanut butter cookie bars.  They’re soft, sweet, chewy, and taste even better the next day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) unsweetened natural peanut butter (with salt) (measure after stirring)
  • 3/4 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) dairy-free milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1  1/2 cups (180 g) whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 cup (90 g) vegan chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons (13 g) ground flax seed
  • 1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Pinch of salt (if your peanut butter doesn’t contain salt use 1/4 teaspoon)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F(180 C).
  2. Line an 8x8 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper.
  3. Mix together the peanut butter and sugar with the back of a fork until the sugar is mixed into the peanut butter.
  4. Then to peanut butter mixture, whisk in the dairy-free milk and vanilla extract until smooth (a balloon whisk works well here).  Make sure there are no large clumps, a few tiny lumps are fine.
  5. In a large bowl whisk together the whole-wheat flour, chocolate chips, ground flaxseed, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix together with a rubber or silicone spatula. The dough will be thick.  
  7. Press the cookie dough into the glass baking dish and spread it out to the corners. Use a silicone spatula to help spread the dough out (I like to use damp hands to pat down and smooth out the top).
  8. Bake for 16-18 minutes.  To test lightly press the top of the cookie dough (careful it’s hot), if your fingerprint stays, cook for another 1-2 minutes. The top should look set, puffed up, and spring back slightly when touched.
  9. The cookie bars need to cool completely to set, if you cut the bars while they’re too warm they’ll crumble. I let them cool for around 15 minutes in the dish, then lift them out with the sides of the parchment paper to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  10. Store in the refrigerator and they’ll firm up more (personal preference I think they test better the next day after chilling in the fridge).

 

 

Notes

I use natural peanut butter, the kind you need to stir. If you substitute with a different type of peanut butter (not the ones that contain just peanuts and/or salt) you may get different results if they contain added oils and sweeteners.

If your peanut butter is too dry then your cookie dough may be too dry, add a tablespoon more of plant-based milk.  Sometimes the peanut butter from the bottom of the jar can be drier compared to peanut butter just opened and stirred.

Not all brands of granulated sugar are vegan, look for brands that are bone-char free or have the vegan label.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 17 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Find it online: https://www.threelittlechickpeas.com/peanut-butter-cookie-bars/