peanut butter

Name: No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (V + GF)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1/3 cup coconut oil or vegan butter; 1 cup natural peanut butter; 1/8-1/4 tsp salt*; 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder; 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch; 2 cups old fashioned oats; 3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips; 2 tsp coconut oil; 2-3 Tbsp natural peanut butter (to drizzle)

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (V + GF)

September 2, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Clearly I’m still on a chocolate + peanut butter kick. I. Can’t. Get. Enough. I’d like to blame the baby in my belly, but let’s be honest, who doesn’t jump at the opportunity to enjoy a chocolate PB treat?! And these No-Bake Chocolate PB Oat Bars? They’re the perfect mix of chocolate and peanut butter, and they’ve got a delicious texture thanks to the uncooked oats. They’re fairly low in sugar (compared to other similar bars) and packed with a bit of protein to boot.

This recipe comes together a bit like a no-bake cookie, but you won’t need to boil the chocolate mixture. Once you have all of your ingredients on hand, everything comes together pretty quickly – and easily – and the hardest part is waiting for them to set up in the fridge! I like to use natural peanut butter for these bars as it’s got no added sugar or oils, and it’s just so tasty!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is a low GI, unrefined sugar (that doesn’t taste like coconut!). It sweetens up these bars while also acting as a binder for the chocolate oat layer.

Natural peanut butter is nothing but ground up peanuts (and sometimes a little salt). No added oils or sugars.

Dutch process cocoa powder lends a deeper chocolate flavor and darker color to these bars.

Arrowroot starch helps thicken the chocolate mixture so it will set up in the refrigerator.

Yield: 16 Bars

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (V + GF)

An easy, no-bake bar made with lots of natural peanut butter, chocolate, and oats. Vegan and gluten-free, these delicious bars are perfect for many special diets.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Bars

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil or vegan butter
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/8-1/4 tsp salt*
1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
2 cups old fashioned oats

Chocolate + PB Topping

3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil
2-3 Tbsp natural peanut butter (to drizzle)

Instructions

Prepare an 8x8" baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray (like olive oil) and lining with parchment paper, leaving excess paper hanging over two of the sides.
In a medium saucepan, add the coconut sugar, coconut oil or vegan butter, peanut butter, and salt. Heat over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and arrowroot starch. Continue heating until mixture is hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the oats. Firmly press mixture into the prepared baking dish. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips and coconut oil until smooth. Remove bars from the refrigerator (they'll still be warm) and pour melted chocolate over the bars. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly over the bars. Gently shake/tap your baking dish to smooth out the chocolate layer. Refrigerate bars until firm.
Melt the 2-3 Tbsp of peanut butter. Use a spoon to drizzle over bars. Return bars to the refrigerator (optional) to allow peanut butter to set a bit.
Allow bars to thaw at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges without parchment paper, and then use the excess parchment paper to lift the bars up and out of your baking dish. Carefully slice into 16 squares, wiping your knife clean between each cut.
Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let them thaw at room temp for a few minutes before enjoying!

Notes

*1/8 tsp if your PB is salted; 1/4 tsp if it's unsalted

You can use regular cocoa powder in place of the dutch process cocoa powder; the bars just won't be as deep in flavor/color

Corn starch or tapioca starch can be used in place of the arrowroot starch since you only need it to thicken the chocolate mixture

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies (dairy-free)

August 28, 2019 by Rachael Ng 11 Comments

Ah, the classic peanut butter + chocolate combo. Seriously irresistible, and if I can find a dessert that curbs my seasonal yearning for a Reese’s egg (or pumpkin) then I’m so down. These cookies are a soft-baked chocolate cookie with just enough natural peanut butter on the inside to satisfy that PB chocolate craving. I’ve been re-heating these bad boys all weekend for a quick, sweet snack, and they are everything.

These cookies do take a while to get going since the dough, which is made with vegetable oil, needs to be refrigerated, but I promise that they’re totally worth it! For the filling, I used nothing but natural peanut butter. No powdered sugar. No thickeners. Just delicious peanut butter! Since natural peanut butter is runny, I recommend refrigerating it (if it’s not already) before scooping balls to freeze for the cookie filling. For a little extra pretty, I rolled the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar, but you can skip that step and eat them as is or drizzle the cooled cookies with a bit of extra peanut butter.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar that’s low GI (which means it won’t spike your blood sugar the way white sugar or honey does). And it tastes nothing like coconut!

Eggs bring moisture to these cookies, and the extra egg yolk is essential for maximum moistness.

Natural peanut butter is the kind made with just peanuts. It’s better for us and won’t add additional sugar to these cookies.

Yield: 13 Cookies

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Soft and chewy dairy-free chocolate cookies filled with nothing but delicious, natural peanut butter!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup extra light olive oil
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2-4 Tbsp white granulated sugar for rolling (optional)

Filling

1/3 cup natural peanut butter, salted or unsalted, refrigerated

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar, oil, egg + egg yolk, and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until totally combined. Add the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. The dough may seem dry at first, but it will come together to a sticky dough. Cover and refrigerate dough for 3 hours.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet - or large plate - with parchment paper. Scoop out 1 tsp size balls of peanut butter (your natural PB must be refrigerated for this to work). This will be messy, but do your best to get 13 "balls" of PB. Freeze the PB balls while the dough is refrigerating.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a room temperature baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1 1/2 heaping Tbsps of dough. I like to do 6 at at time, placing the leftover dough back in the refrigerator. Flatten each dough ball into a disc shape - if your dough is very sticky at this point, I recommend putting the discs in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place a PB ball in the middle of each dough disc and then pull the edges up and around the PB balls, rolling neat dough balls as you go along. Finally, roll each dough ball in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheet, slightly flattening each dough ball and re-shaping into neat circles as necessary.
Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet before gently moving to a cooling rack. Continue until all cookies are baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. For maximum goodness, I recommend reheating leftover cookies right before eating!

Notes

Eggs can be brought to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes

Any kind of vegetable oil will work in this recipe, though I do recommend something with a mild taste, like avocado oil or extra light olive oil.

Dark Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups

April 25, 2019 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and eggs!) ~~have to be~~ were one of my all-time favorite candies before I began my dairy-free journey. Now I’m talking low-key obsessed. When I lived in San Francisco I would stop by the store on my walk home and buy two King-Size packs. And eat them all (would not recommend). So I love chocolate peanut butter cups!

When Bon Appetit came out with a Gourmet Makes episode about Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I was S-O-L-D. I had to try this better, more Reese’s-like version of peanut butter cups! I took Claire’s recipe from the video and made it with dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut sugar. The results were stellar. Soft, delicious peanut butter cups that I could store at room temperature without worrying about the peanut butter being a gooey mess.

Since these Peanut Butter Cups are created by a professional pastry chef, they’re a little different (and more time consuming) than the ‘ole melt-pour-freeze method we all know and love. For these cups, you will boil the coconut sugar with a bit of water and then slowly beat that into the peanut butter. This creates a firm and pliable peanut butter “dough” that you’ll be able to cut out and press into your melted chocolate pools. You’ll top those with more chocolate and voila! Peanut Butter Cups!

The recipe below makes quite a few candies, so feel free to halve it. And if you prefer regular size cups vs the minis then you can make that happen, too. Just trim your regular muffin liners down and be sure your peanut butter circles are slightly smaller than the liners (you’ll need a bigger circle cutter than what I used for the minis).

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Natural unsalted peanut butter is made solely from peanuts and doesn’t include any added sugars, salts, or oils.

Dark Chocolate is the easiest (and most affordable) chocolate to find without dairy. I recommend the Pound Plus bars from Trader Joe’s if you have one near you!

Coconut Sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar. It has no coconut flavor and makes for a great better-for-you alternative to white, granulated sugar.

Yield: ~30 Mini Cups

Dark Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups

These Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are ultra rich and creamy! A better-for-you version of a favorite childhood candy that no one can pass up!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted, natural creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 Tbsp water
12oz dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

In a medium or large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt until just combined; set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the coconut sugar and water to a boil and cook until mixture reaches 248°F (firm-ball stage). Remove from heat and slowly pour/beat into the peanut butter mixture.
Scrape the mixture out onto a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool slightly. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and roll the mixture into a slab 1/4" thick. Allow to cool completely.
Using a small cookie cutter (or other round object - I used a 1" piping tip) cut circles out of the peanut butter slab. The size of your circle cutter depends on the size of your muffin or candy liners. Keep circles on the parchment paper and freeze.
Line a mini muffin pan with muffin liners. If you don't have a mini muffin pan, you should still be able to fill mini muffin liners without one.
Melt your chocolate, along with 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, using the double boiler method or a microwave, being careful not to burn the chocolate.
Remove peanut butter cut outs from the freezer and double them up (stack 2 together). Spoon enough chocolate into each liner to cover the bottom. Add 2 stacked peanut butter cut outs to each, pressing down slightly. Add enough chocolate over each one until the peanut butter is totally covered.
Allow your peanut butter cups to set at room temperature. I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature to keep the peanut butter from drying out.

Notes

For the double boiler method: in a medium saucepan bring 1" of water to simmer. Add your chopped chocolate and 1/2 tsp of coconut oil to a heatproof bowl - one that's big enough to sit on top of your saucepan without touching the water. Place bowl on saucepan and stir often until chocolate is melted.

Recipe loosely adapted from Bon Appetit

Peanut Butter Blossoms with Chocolate Ganache (DF)

December 4, 2018 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

Traditional Peanut Butter Blossoms are those little peanut butter cookies topped with milk chocolate Hershey’s Kisses that people seem to just love around the holiday season. They’re familiar, they’re topped with chocolate, and they’re a favorite at cookie exchange parties. I set out to create a dairy-free version, and after a bit of back and forth as to wether I should buy a kiss candy mold, temper chocolate, and make my own kisses, I decided to do what I felt my followers are more likely to realistically do: make a simple, two-ingredient chocolate ganache to pipe into the little “thumbprints” in the cookies.

These cookies are a bit crispy on the outside with a chewy, peanut butter-y middle. You get to control how much chocolate ganache you add, so go wild! Or not. It’s really up to you. You want to create little “thumbprints” for the melted chocolate by using something around your kitchen – small spoon, end of a marker, etc – to gently press into the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Once the cookies cool, you’ll have a nice little spot, as shallow or deep as you like, for your chocolate.

The peanut butter dough comes together so easily – all in one bowl! You can use a hand mixer to beat everything together, roll your dough balls in granulated sugar for a little extra sparkle, and then bake them for less than 5 minutes! This no-chill dough is one of my favorite because it’s just so easy and quick. And then once your cookies are cool, you can whip up a simple chocolate ganache – only two ingredients! Let that cool for 15 minutes and then pipe or spoon (I recommend piping, even with just a plastic baggie) the thickened ganache into your cookie “thumbprints”.

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite, go-to sweetener. It’s low GI, unrefined, and doesn’t taste like coconut. It makes for a great alternative to regular, granulated sugar.

Natural peanut butter is the kind made with just peanuts (and maybe a little salt). It has no added oils or sugars and works wonderfully in this recipe!

Semisweet chocolate makes up the bulk of the sweet chocolate ganache. I prefer semisweet to dark chocolate for this recipe, because it best mimics a traditional candy Kiss (while remaining dairy-free). I used a 54% chocolate bar (Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bar).

Coconut cream thickens the chocolate ganache. You won’t taste the coconut in the end product, and it makes for a great alternative to traditional milk cream.

Yield: 20 Cookies

Peanut Butter Blossoms with Chocolate Ganache

A soft peanut butter thumbprint cookie topped with an easy semisweet chocolate ganache. A favorite holiday cookie made dairy-free (and even better)!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

6 Tbsp vegan butter (stick form), softened
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup + 6 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp white granulated sugar for rolling (optional)

Chocolate Ganache

4oz dairy-free semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup coconut cream

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter and coconut sugar. Beat in the peanut butter. Then the egg + vanilla. Beat in the salt and baking soda. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and beat until totally combined.
Scoop dough balls, eight at a time, 1.5 Tbsp in size. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar, place on baking sheet, and slightly flatten with your fingers. Bake at 375°F for 4-5 minutes.
Immediately press small wells ("thumbprints") into each cookie. You can use the back of a small measuring spoon, the tip of a marker, or whatever else you have. Feel free to make the wells as small or big as you'd like - the more you press, the more the cookies will crack at the edges. And the bigger the wells, the more ganache each cookie will have.
Move cookies to a cooling rack and bake the rest of the dough, making sure your baking sheet is cooled to room temperature before adding new dough balls. Allow all cookies to cool completely.
Once your cookies are cool, you can make your ganache. Add the chopped chocolate and coconut cream to a medium, heat-proof bowl. Place your bowl over a pot of about 1" of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir chocolate frequently until totally melted. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Allow ganache to cool for 15 minutes, stirring it here and there.
After 15 minutes, your ganache should be cool to the touch and thick enough to stick to a spoon without dripping (since the ganache will continue to thicken and set the longer it cools, you don't want to leave it be for too long before piping into your cookie thumbprints). Add your ganache to a piping bag or small plastic bag (fitted with a piping tip if you have one) and pipe ganache into each cookie well. Top with sprinkles, nuts, etc, or leave as-is.
Store leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

In place of coconut cream, you can use canned coconut milk. Place your can in the refrigerator (if it's warm in your home) and scoop the thick cream off of the top.

Peanut Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

August 17, 2018 by Rachael Ng 5 Comments

These soft-baked Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are loaded with chocolate chips and just the right amount of deliciously nutty peanut butter! Say “Goodbye!” to peanut butter cookies that leave your mouth dry, because these irresistibly moist cookie bars will keep you coming back for more!

Peanut Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I think we can all agree that peanut butter and chocolate are one of the world’s best dessert combinations. I know I personally can’t resist a good peanut butter cookie, especially when there are chocolate chips involved! These cookie bars are quick to put together, and even easier than a traditional peanut butter cookie – no scooping or rolling!

The best part? These bars won’t leave your mouth begging for a glass of milk. They’re chewy, soft, and moist. And the extra chocolate chips and sprinkling of flakey sea salt compliment the nutty, sweet spelt flour and peanut butter.

What is spelt flour?

Spelt flour is an ancient grain related to wheat (kinda cool, right?). It’s easier to digest than traditional wheat flour and has a nutty, sweet flavor. It creates a light, soft texture in baked goods, so I paired it with the standard unbleached all-purpose flour in these cookie bars. I love the soft texture of these cookie bars, and if you’re a peanut butter + chocolate lover like me, then I know you will love these!

Some of the ingredients + possible substitutes for these cookie bars:

Peanut butter is a crucial ingredient here (duh!). I like to use the kind made of only peanuts. You can also use a salted peanut butter. I haven’t tried this recipe with the kind of peanut butters that contain added oils and sugars.
Brown sugar adds lots of a moisture thanks to the molasses in it. I used light brown sugar for my bars, but you can also use dark brown sugar.
Coconut sugar is my favorite low GI sweetener! It’s better for you than cane sugar, and it tastes nothing like coconut. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use any kind of granulated cane sugar in its place (but your cookie bars may taste extra sweet).
Egg + egg yolk add chewiness to these cookie bars! I haven’t tested out any egg replacements for this recipe, so I can only recommend using eggs (sorry, vegan friends).
All-purpose flour is the standard baking flour at your grocery store. I use it along with spelt flour in this recipe.
Spelt flour is an ancient grain with a nutty, sweet flavor. You can use AP flour in its place, but I recommend branching out and picking up some spelt flour!
Corn starch also adds chewiness to these cookie bars. You can use arrowroot starch in its place if you’re looking for something corn-free.

Yield: 8 Big Bars

Peanut Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Soft-baked Peanut Butter Cookie Bars loaded with chocolate chips and nutty, sweet spelt flour! These irresistibly moist cookie bars are naturally dairy-free and totally delicious!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 44 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (made with just peanuts)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Flakey sea salt to sprinkle (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325°F and spray an 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray. Line the dish with parchment paper, folding the excess over two sides of the dish. Trim the paper so you have about 1/4" folded over the sides - this allows you to pull the bars out later before slicing.
In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugars, egg, egg yolk, oil, and vanilla until everything is well incorporated; set aside.
In another medium bow, whisk together the flours, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet and use a large spoon or spatula to gently mix everything together.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, reserving the rest to top the bars.
Press the dough into your prepared baking dish, creating an even layer. Press the remaining chocolate chips into the dough.
Bake the cookie bars at 325°F for 12-14 minutes. Allow bars to cool completely before removing from the baking dish to slice - use the parchment paper "handles" to life the entire dessert up and out of the baking dish and onto a cutting board. Slice into 8 rectangles, 9 squares, or 16 squares. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt before serving!
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

You can bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes
For smaller portions, slice into 16 squares

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 421Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 4gSugar: 33gProtein: 9g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

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peanut butter

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Peanut Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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