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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Healthier Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies (+ Video)

    Healthier Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies (+ Video)

    Published on May 2, 2018 · Last updated on Aug 24, 2021 ·

    286 shares
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    Healthy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies -Pin

    Super easy and delicious peanut butter and chocolate cookies, made with just a few basic ingredients. They are refined sugar- free thanks to coconut sugar and naturally gluten-free, too.

    Healthier Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies with a dish of smooth peanut butter in the background

    Why are these peanut butter and chocolate chips cookies healthier?

    First, because of the coconut sugar! Instead of plain white sugar, or brown sugar, this cookie recipe uses coconut sugar.

    Why is coconut sugar a better alternative for baking?

    In a nutshell, because coconut sugar has a much lower glycemic index than white sugar – meaning that it won’t make your blood sugar spike like normal sugar does and because it’s also a bit more nutritious.

    Where white sugar basically provides empty calories, coconut sugar contains a small number of minerals like zinc, iron, calcium, and potassium.

    If you'd like to learn more about coconut sugar (what it is exactly, how to use it, where to buy it), check out this article of mine. It's one of my favorite sweeteners!

    Use all-natural peanut butter!

    I also stayed away from "classic" peanut butter and used a natural peanut butter (which is what I always buy and eat!) - all natural means it has no added oil or sugar.

    Thanks to the peanut butter, there's no need to add any kind of oil to these peanut butter chocolate cookies. And since it's unsweetened, we can control the amount of sugar we put in.

    If you want to stay away from refined sugar entirely, then you can skip the chocolate chips and either use chopped unsweetened dark chocolate or cocoa nibs.

    I personally feel perfectly fine using chocolate chips because these peanut butter chocolate chips cookies are a treat anyway and not meant to be eaten every day.

    So I don't feel the need to make these 100% refined sugar-free. But if for whatever reason you need to make these squeaky clean, just know that you can!

    These peanut butter chocolate cookies are also perfect if you're gluten sensitive or celiac because the recipe doesn't call for any kind of flour, which makes them naturally gluten-free. ????

    overhead shot of Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies on a baking sheet

    Why are these peanut butter and chocolate cookies darker than usual? 

    You'll have to blame the coconut sugar for that. Although it's a great natural sweetener (see above), it has a deep brown color that will color and darken your baked goods a bit.

    Not to worry though, 'cause they'll still look delicious (in my humble opinion anyway! ????) and taste ridiculously good.

    Also, you might have noticed that the peanut butter chocolate cookies in the video are darker than the ones in the photos.

    It's not because I used a bit too much of Photoshop, but because I used two different brands of coconut sugar for these two batches, and some brands are darker than others.

    Again, not a problem at all.

    a hand holding a piece of Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie

    A few notes on these peanut butter and chocolate cookies:

    • If you do not let the batter sit in the fridge for 30 minutes as written in the recipe – in case you're very not patient, like me – they will spread too much while baking, be flat and most likely overcooked (you can trust me, I tried). You'd be disappointed, so do let them sit ????
    • You can either flatten them a bit with your hands as I did in the video or with a fork as I did for the photos. If you do flatten them with a fork for the traditional criss-cross pattern, I'd recommend to re-shape them a bit with your fingers to make them perfectly round again (but it's only for aesthetics - it won't change the texture or baking)
    • They might look slightly under-baked when you take them out of the oven but as long as they are golden on the edges, and slightly set they'll be perfect.
    • They will be too fragile to pick up right after they come out of the oven. It's normal. Again my friend, patience. Do let them cool peacefully.

    Enjoy!

    overhead shot of a stack of Healthier Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies on a cookie sheet

    If you tried these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

    overhead shot of Healthier Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies on a baking sheet
    5 from 1 vote
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    Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

    Super easy peanut butter and chocolate cookies, made with just a few basic ingredients. They are free of refined sugar thanks to coconut sugar and naturally gluten free, too.

    Course Snack, Treat
    Cuisine American
    Keyword chocolate cookies, peanut butter, snack
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Chilling time 30 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 16 cookies
    Calories 169 kcal
    Author Marie

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 cup peanut butter natural (no sugar or oil added), crunchy or smooth
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
    • ¾ cup dark chocolate chips finely chopped – or mini chocolate chips, or dark chocolate bar chopped finely - use cacao nibs to make completely refined sugar free
    • flaky sea salt to top, optional

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350F / 175C degrees.

    2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt. Then, stir in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Fold in dark chocolate chips, then chill for 30 minutes.
    3. Add cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 tablespoons each, leaving 2 inches apart. Flatten very slightly with the palm of your hands or with a fork (the cookies will spread while baking). 

    4. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until just begins to set & bottom is golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes as they set up.

    Recipe Video

    Recipe Notes

    • If you do not let the batter sit in the fridge for 30 minutes as written in the recipe – in case you're very not patient, like me – they will spread too much while baking, be flat and most likely overcooked (you can trust me, I tried). You'd be disappointed, so do let them sit ????
    • You can either flatten them a bit with your hands like I did in the video, or with a fork like I did for the photos. If you do flatten them with a fork for the traditional criss cross pattern, I'd recommend to re-shape them a bit with your fingers to make them perfectly round again (but it's only for aesthetics - it won't change the texture or baking)
    • They might look slightly under-baked when you take them out of the oven but as long as they are golden on the edges, and slightly set they'll be perfect.
    • They will be too fragile to pick up right after they come out of the oven. It's normal. Again my friend, patience. Do let them cool peacefully.
    •  
    Nutrition Facts
    Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
    Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
    Calories 169 Calories from Fat 99
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 11g17%
    Saturated Fat 4g25%
    Cholesterol 10mg3%
    Sodium 242mg11%
    Potassium 161mg5%
    Carbohydrates 14g5%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 9g10%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 15IU0%
    Calcium 34mg3%
    Iron 0.5mg3%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jill

      May 03, 2018 at 1:42 pm

      Does this mean I get to eat more of these delicious looking cookies? 😉 I can't resist chocolate and peanut butter! I've not tried coconut sugar - I need to!

      • Marie

        May 03, 2018 at 5:42 pm

        You got that right 😉 Coconut sugar is my favorite! It tastes really good and it's super versatile

    2. camila

      May 03, 2018 at 1:54 pm

      slightly underbaked is the way to go when it comes to removing cookies from the oven!! these look specially delicious!

      • Marie

        May 03, 2018 at 5:53 pm

        Thanks so much Camila!

    3. Demeter

      May 03, 2018 at 2:11 pm

      I love this healther twist! It means I can have more, right?!? haha! They look fantastic!!

      • Marie

        May 03, 2018 at 5:42 pm

        For sure! Grab a few, no one's looking 😉

    4. Kate | The Veg Space

      May 03, 2018 at 3:11 pm

      I LOVE reading the words chocolate + peanut butter + healthy all in the same sentence, brilliant!! These look stunning, and beautiful photos too. Pinning for later!

      • Marie

        May 03, 2018 at 5:41 pm

        Haha thanks so much Kate! <3

    5. Julia

      May 03, 2018 at 3:58 pm

      Healthier cookies? I am definitely in! 🙂 Love all those tips.

      • Marie

        May 03, 2018 at 5:46 pm

        Thank you Julia!

    6. Courtney

      May 03, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Peanut butter and chocolate is a favourite flavour combination in our house. Love how these cookies are refined sugar free as well, thank you for sharing, they look delicious!

      • Marie

        May 03, 2018 at 5:40 pm

        Such a delicious combo, right?! Can't get enough of it!

    7. Isadora Guidoni

      June 04, 2018 at 7:24 pm

      I'm always up for chocolate cookies, healthy or not x) but these really caught my eye, thanks for sharing!

    8. Ann Waters

      May 15, 2019 at 2:34 am

      I am fixing to make my second batch of these cookies. I made them about a week ago and they were delicious but I can’t eat just one LOL I wanted to ask you a question about coconut flour. I bought some thinking that I needed it for this recipe but I remember now that I did not but what can you use that for?

      Thanks,

      Ann

      • Marie

        May 08, 2020 at 5:24 am

        Hi Ann! I have plenty of recipes here on the blog using coconut flour! Check them out here.

    9. Tania Woolford

      June 27, 2019 at 9:35 am

      Looking forward to trying these, any ideas if they freeze well? Thanks

      • Marie

        January 29, 2020 at 7:21 pm

        They do! Allow them to cool completely, then place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for an hour or so. When hardened, place them in a freezer bag. You can microwave them for 30 seconds to defrost.

    10. Marie

      May 04, 2020 at 6:02 pm

      Congratulations on coming up with basically the best peanut butter & chocolate cookie recipe ever 😁! Honestly these are just PERFECT. We’ve already made several batches and they always turn out scrumptious. We’re addicted! We’ve been reducing the coconut sugar amount to 1/2 a cup and it hasn’t affected the flavor. Thank you so much for this recipe ❤️

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