Double Chocolate Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

An easy recipe for double chocolate peanut butter cookies that are thick, soft, cakey & heavenly straight out of the oven while the chocolate chips are all melty. Make a batch in about 20 minutes start to finish with simple ingredients from your fridge & pantry. Fix this when you're craving a quick homemade dessert that's extra chocolatey but not too sweet. The best part? No flour, no butter, no electric mixer, and no chilling the dough! (gluten-free, grain-free & dairy-free)

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If you want your kitchen to smell like a mixture of cocoa & peanut butter - bake a batch of these cookies ASAP.

You'll experience happy vibes just from smelling the chocolate and then when you bite into one of the cookies (or three) while it's still warm, the double chocolate will hit your brain and give you all the cozy feels.

My double chocolate banana muffins have the same effect, so I highly recommend you bake a batch of those, as well! :)

TIP: Make this dessert when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Pair it with homemade hot cocoa, hot chocolate, a maple gingerbread latte, or a pumpkin spice latte for a double whammy of stress-busting goodness. Or a bubbly white wine spritzer (low alcohol content) or Gingerbread White Russian if that's more up your alley.

Some more good news about these cookies: they're not packed with sugar, so you won't crash afterward. I'm not a fan of cookies with sugar as the 1st or second ingredient cause they make me feel like crap or super tired afterward. Can you relate?

That's why shortbread cookies are my favorite. They're buttery, light & barely sweet. The perfect anytime treat or snack.

When I'm craving something a bit richer, I make my regular flourless peanut butter cookies or dark chocolate peanut butter balls, both of which are sweetened with maple syrup. So, today's double chocolate cookies are going in that rotation.

Fun Option: Turn These Into Festive Holiday Cookies

Because this recipe is so fast & simple it works great as an everyday cookie. But it's EVEN BETTER as a "base" holiday cookie. What do I mean by that?

Turn it into a triple chocolate cookie by decorating the top with melted white chocolate in whatever festive patterns you want and then (totally optional) finishing them with holiday-themed garnishes like sprinkles, candy eyes, hearts, etc.

The dark brown cookies contrast beautifully with the creamy white chocolate, which garners a lot of attention at parties & get-togethers.

In fact, I brought two batches of these cookies into my beau's work yesterday -- one plain and the other decorated as Mummy Cookies for Halloween (see pics below) -- and the mummy cookies disappeared first. No big surprise there since they're way more eye-catching.

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Mummy Cookies (Halloween Version)

I was inspired to make my chocolate peanut butter cookies into Mummy cookies after seeing these Mummy Pumpkin Cookies several years ago in my Pinterest feed. I would eat those in a heartbeat. Her cookies are definitely more professional-looking, though - LOL!

But I'm okay with that. Progress not perfection, right? All that matters is that I had fun making them & they taste amazing!

Also, I decorated these super quickly with pretty warm melted white chocolate spooned into a small plastic bag with the edge snipped off. (Serious bakers use royal icing & frosting tips to control the design better.) Next time I'll let the melted chocolate cool more so it's not as loose when I drizzle it on.

Anyway, I was feeling impatient & trying to catch the light, so I wasn't really paying much attention to my designs. 

Which is how I ended up with one cookie that has a Freemason-esque symbol on it. It was a total accident - I swear. 

Most of my readers & followers are women, but amongst the dudes, maybe there are a few Freemasons. (Who would know - they're so secretive!) 

I'll just imagine one of them making a batch of these cookies decorated with their symbol and bringing it to a Lodge meeting. 

Or, even better...Jamie or Roger from Outlander. If you've read the books you know what I'm talking about! :D :D :D

So far I've only decorated these for Halloween but I hope to get a Christmas and Valentine's Day version uploaded here soon for visual inspiration. :)

Okay, let's jump into the ingredients so you can read what you need & why!

Ingredients For Making These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies:

• Eggs: You'll want two eggs and large-sized if you have them. This ensures that the dough stays moist since we're adding a dry ingredient (cocoa powder) and it also acts as a binder, adds some much-needed fat + protein, and creates that irresistible soft cakey texture!
• Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar: If you use brown sugar, it doesn't have to be packed or pressed tightly into the measuring cup. However, you can do it that way if you want the cookies a bit sweeter. Coconut sugar has a molasses flavor similar to brown sugar but it's slightly less sweet, lower on the glycemic scale, and not quite as moist. It's my second favorite sweetener after maple syrup. 
• Vanilla Extract: Use the real stuff, even if it's only a teaspoon! To save money down the line, buy some vanilla beans in bulk and make several jars of homemade vanilla extract (it's super easy) so 3-6 months from now you'll have plenty on hand for baking. 
• Peanut Butter: You want it salted & unsweetened. (Almond butter and cashew butter works if you're avoiding peanuts.) You can use regular (everything's mixed in) or natural (oil floating on top). I've used this brand of natural creamy peanut butter several times now and it always turns out great. Just make sure to stir the jars well with a big butter knife when you bring them home from the store so you're ready to go for any recipe.
• Cacao Powder or Non-Alkalized (Regular) Cocoa Powder: (not Dutch-process - see below for tips on that): This is just unsweetened natural cocoa powder. It's bittersweet and smells wonderful. I always keep a bag around for baking, chocolate sauce, or making chocolate drinks.
• Baking Soda: It reacts with the acidic elements in the dough (brown sugar + cocoa powder) to help the cookies rise. (If you plan on making the dough ahead of time, only add it right before baking.) If you swap out either of those acidic ingredients, you'll need to adjust this and/or use baking powder instead. See the notes below for more info on this.
• Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate (bittersweet) is my favorite to use here - usually around 60%, but since the cocoa powder is already on the bitter side, you may want to use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips instead to add some sweetness. Note: Most chocolate chips are dairy-free, but if you need this recipe to be sans dairy, check the ingredients list first before using it. 

Optional - For Holiday Decorations:

• White Chocolate Chips: This is my favorite brand. It's rich and not too sweet. Perfect for dipping & drizzling. 
• Cooking Oil: Adding a 1/2 teaspoon or so of neutral cooking oil (like avocado oil, coconut oil or butter) to the chocolate when it's melted helps to keep it from drying/solidifying super quick and makes it easier to drizzle. If you want the white chocolate to dry faster, skip it. 
• Mini Candy Eyeballs (for Mummy Cookies): I used this small pack of mini candy eyeballs that I picked up at my local grocery store in the cake decorating section. I only use these for decoration and pick mine off when I eat the cookie, but everyone else thinks they're yummy. If you need gluten-free candy eyeballs, try this Homemade Candy Eyes recipe from Your Homebased Mom (only 4 ingredients that are all gluten-free). 
• Colored Sprinkles or Crushed Candy: Use your favorite colors to match the theme of the holiday. I'll update this once I get a chance to try a different version.  

Tips For Swapping Sugars & Cocoa Powders For These Cookies 

Coconut sugar, brown sugar, and regular cocoa powder or cacao powder (not Dutch-process cocoa powder) are all acidic ingredients so they react with baking soda in the recipe to help the cookies rise. It's similar to the way baking soda bubbles up when you combine it with vinegar or lemon juice for cleaning.

Want to use regular cane sugar and/or Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead? Both of those ingredients are not acidic (the latter is treated to make it alkaline) so they won't react with baking soda.

So...if you make those swaps you'll need to use a bit of baking powder instead.

I haven't tested those swaps yet, but a good place to start would be to replace half the baking soda with baking powder if you're swapping out one ingredient (like using cane sugar but still keeping natural cocoa power or vice versa).

If you replace both acidic ingredients, then you won't need the baking soda. There will be nothing in the recipe for it to react with so it could make the cookies taste bitter. Just use 1 teaspoon (or more) of baking powder instead. If you try this, let me know how it goes. :)

Why The Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Combo Works

The double chocolate version is fabulous but it's even better with white chocolate added on top. It's worth trying at least once. Why? You get three levels of sweetness + the peanut butter working together.

So in each bite or every other bite (depending on how many chocolate chips you add), you get:

• peanut butter (the flavor & aroma is there but it's balanced out by the cocoa)
• bittersweet chocolate from the cocoa powder or cacao powder - mild sweetness but lots of good chocolate flavor & aroma (this is what the main cookie tastes like)
• semi-sweet chocolate from the chocolate chips - medium-level sweetness 
• white chocolate from the drizzle or dipping on top - more sweetness but also richer from the cocoa butter fat so it's more decadent

This ends up tasting almost like a cakey peanut buttery brownie with chocolate chips. That's the best way I can describe it.

The outsides have the cracks in them like brownies with a bit of crispness and the inside is so soft, rich & cakey. I think they taste a little fudgy like a brownie, but the cake texture is strongest. Most likely because I added an extra egg for moisture.

TIP: If you don't manage to eat these all right away, save the leftovers for ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Tools That Make This Recipe Easier

Here are my favorite tools for prepping & baking these cookies. Clicking on the links will take you over to Amazon where you can check out more of their features & see a picture. 

• large rimmed baking sheet: Thes are the workhorses of my kitchen. I use them for roasting, baking, broiling, and prepping. I prefer to use a rimmed sheet for cookies since it's more versatile than a jelly roll pan. 
• parchment paper: I use these for non-stick baking (cookies, biscuits, etc.) or when I want easy clean-up & also for wrapping up freezer breakfast sandwiches.
• stainless steel magnetic measuring cups & measuring spoons: I've had both of these for YEARS. I love the magnetic part, which helps to keep them together so I don't have to go digging in a drawer. They're also dishwasher safe. :D
• glass mixing bowls with locking lids: I have the four bowl set with lids that nests so you can stack them to save space. These are sturdy, come in different sizes, and are see-through, which makes them fun for colorful recipes - you can serve them right in the bowl. And if you have any leftovers, just pop the lid on and stick it right in the fridge.
• 3-tired wire cooling racks: These make the cooling process go much faster & they're easy to store when you're done. I keep mine under the sink along with my muffin pan & drying pad for hand-washed dishes.

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easy, homemade, best, mummy, Halloween, cocoa powder, soft, Christmas

dessert

American

Yield: 8 cookies

Author: Elaina Newton - The Rising Spoon

Double Chocolate Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 20 M

An easy recipe for double chocolate peanut butter cookies that are thick, soft, cakey & heavenly straight out of the oven while the chocolate chips are all melty. Make a batch in about 20 minutes start to finish with simple ingredients you likely have on hand right now. Fix this when you're craving a homemade dessert that's extra chocolatey but not too sweet. The best part? No flour, no butter, no electric mixer, and no chilling the dough! (gluten-free, grain-free & dairy-free)

ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of coconut sugar or light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (or homemade vanilla extract) 
• 1 cup of peanut butter, salted & unsweetened (natural peanut butter or regular)
• 1/4 cup of cacao powder or unsweetened natural cocoa powder*
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips + extra for pressing on top, if desired (like milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or bittersweet chocolate)

Decorations (Optional - For Making Triple Chocolate Cookies or Holiday Cookies)

• 3/4-1 cup of white chocolate chips 
• 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or avocado oil
• 16 mini candy eyeballs or homemade gluten-free candy eyes (Mummy Cookies Halloween option)
• colored sprinkles (Christmas or Valentine's Day option)

instructions:

How to cook Double Chocolate Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine with a fork. Add the sugar and stir a few times until it turns liquidy. Mix in the vanilla extract and peanut butter. Add the cocoa powder & baking soda and stir until the mixture is combined (it will be quite thick by now). Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula or fork.
3. Portion the cookie dough into 8 even-sized rounds (you can use a greased cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or tablespoon to portion them out) and place at least 1 inch apart on the sheet. Gently press down on the tops of the dough balls with a fork so they flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 10 minutes (if your oven runs hot they may only need 9 minutes) and set aside for a few minutes to cool. Transfer from the baking sheet to a wire rack (this is the perfect time to eat one while the chocolate chips are melty) to finish cooling.
5. (Optional) While the cookies are cooling, combine the white chocolate & cooking oil in a glass bowl and melt over a double boiler or in 30-second increments in the microwave. Let the chocolate cool slightly and place in a ziplock bag. Before the chocolate hardens again, cut a tiny snippet off a corner of the bag and drizzle the melted white chocolate across the cookies in your favorite pattern (random diagonal lines if you're doing the Mummy cookie theme). If using candy eyeballs or other edible embellishments, place a bit of white chocolate on the back to help them stick to the cookie and place them wherever you want.

NOTES:

*COCOA POWDER & SUGAR SWAPS: If you want to use Dutch-process cocoa powder and/or regular cane sugar instead, you'll need to add baking powder to this recipe as both of those ingredients are not acidic (they are alkaline) and won't react to the baking soda. If you swap out both the regular cocoa powder & brown/coconut sugar for the alkaline versions, eliminate the baking soda altogether and just use baking powder. Read my tips in the post for more info on this. DOUBLING RECIPE: If you want to make more than one batch of the cookies, fix each batch separately instead of mixing all at once. Also, if you plan on doubling this recipe, buy more than one jar of peanut butter. I've found that one 16 oz jar of peanut butter (at least the natural kind with oil floating on top) only yields like 1 2/3 cup or thereabouts. You need 2 full cups of peanut butter for a double batch.

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