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{Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free} Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

written by Ashley Fehr

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4 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 24

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Published on December 15, 2014 / Last updated on April 11, 2022

So I have this problem.

I find it kind of impossible to turn down great opportunities, even if I absolutely should. You know, because I’m having (had?) a baby.

gluten free dairy free chocolate cookies on white plate in front of christmas tins

Obviously, since I’m participating (yay!) in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap for 2014 and all the recipes will be posted December 15, and I’m due with my second baby December 14th or 16th, I’m writing this in advance.

You can understand that, right?

I wanted nothing left up to chance. I mean, we’re talking about cookies.

So I realized near the end of November that I hadn’t received the names of the people I would be sending my cookies. I had kind of just assumed that things didn’t work out and I wouldn’t be participating.

And I saw blogger friends on Instagram receiving boxes of cookies, and I thought to myself, “I should probably double check just to make sure…”

So I did. And sure enough the lovely ladies coordinating had sent an email November 12 that went straight to my spam folder.

It was crunch time. The cookies had to be shipped out December 3, and I was to be making gluten-free, dairy-free, pecan/walnut/hazelnut/almond-free cookies.

chocolate peanut butter cookies on white plate with two cookies broken in half

Now, I think being able to make great-tasting food that is allergy friendly is a really important skill, even for people like myself with no food allergies. And I think this was a really great time to go about testing out some allergy friendly cookie recipes.

But my first batch of cookies was a big flop.

And not like a typical flop where we eat it anyways and they are actually totally fine. They went in the garbage.

So my 8.5 month pregnant self started to feel a little emotional.

And the next day, I tried again.

I found this recipe from Averie Cooks, and it looked similar to a gluten-free cookie recipe I’d made from the back of the peanut butter jar. I wasn’t sure if peanut butter was in fact dairy free, but I did a little research and checked the label, and it seemed to be safe.

And they were totally awesome.

My husband helped me taste test, because I surely didn’t want to be sending out anything as awful as my first batch of cookies, and after my previous fail I could be pretty sure he’d tell me honestly.

I tried baking them 2 ways: straight from the bowl, unrefrigerated, and refrigerated for 1 hour.

chocolate peanut butter cookies two ways on white plate

I guess I get a little rebellious when it comes to waiting for cookies.

Without refrigeration, I found the cookies spread a little more, but not like crazy. They were slightly thinner and crispier on the outside, but still fudgy and soft on the inside.

The ones I refrigerated on the pan prior to baking stayed a little thicker during bake time. (You can see the difference in the cookies in the photo above)

I also found baking the cookies exactly 7 minutes was perfect, but my cookies were much smaller than Averie’s, because I got about 24-26 out of each batch. If you make them larger, you might want to bake the full 8-9 minutes.

Anyways, I hope, Lisa, Heather and Meg, that they were just as good when they reached you as they were when they left!

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{Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free} Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

written by Ashley Fehr

4 from 5 votes
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are gluten free, dairy free, and made with just a few ingredients!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 24
Calories 108cal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter I used Kraft Light
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together peanut butter and brown sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth and combined.
  • Add the cocoa and baking soda and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.
  • *The dough should come together easily. There may be some crumbly pieces in the bowl, but you should be able to squeeze them and roll them into a ball. If you can’t, add a little extra peanut butter, 1 tbsp at a time.
  • Scoop out 1 tbsp of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on a large plate and flatten slightly with a fork. The dough won’t spread much once it’s refrigerated, and you don’t want the cookies to be puffy and domed. You also don’t want to flatten too much and have very thin cookies.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or spray well with cooking spray. Place cookies on prepared sheets a couple of inches apart (I baked 12 to a pan).
  • Bake 7-9 minutes, until edges are set and tops nearly set. Overbaking will result in drier cookies, and cookies will continue to set up as they cool. I found 7 minutes for a 1 tbsp cookie to be just perfect.
  • Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to finish cooling. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

*You can bake the cookies right away, but they will be slightly thinner and chewier. For thicker, softer cookies, you’ll need to refrigerate.
*Note: original recipe used 2 tbsp cookie scoop and baked 8-10 minutes, making 13 cookies.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 108cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Berta says

    I made these as a gift for a friend whose diet is both gluten and dairy free. They were easy to make and turned out very delicious! She loved them! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  2. Kate says

    While these cookies are great in theory, I found this actual recipe to be, in practice, lacking. I’m an experienced baker (worked in a bakery for over 7 yrs) and tried both the refrigerated and unrefrigerated version. Both are extremely crumbly and could barely be moved off of the cooling rack into a container for storing. I tested batches at 7 minutes, 8 minutes and 9 minutes of bake time – all still crumbly and not at all able to stand up to normal cookie plating/transportation. The flavor profile is there, but I would suggest maybe another egg or couple of table spoons of vegetable oil or coconut oil and compacting the balls as much as possible for a better experience. The ‘chew’ and mouth feel of the cookie is super light and almost chalky if made as the recipe states. A pet peeve – the prep time of this recipe should not be 10 minutes because of the HOUR of refrigeration time. It is a bit misleading.

    Reply

  3. Emily Leishman says

    They were very tasty and perfect to make for a friend that was gluten and dairy free. You just can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter!

    Reply

  7. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says

    These cookies look amazing! Love that they are gluten free and so glad you found a recipe that worked well in the end. Chocolate and peanut butter are the best and I would have loved to receive these! The ladies who got them are so lucky 🙂 Good luck mama, sending lots of positive thoughts your way 🙂

    Reply

  8. Isadora @ she likes food says

    I’m so excited for you, Ashley!! I didn’t realize that it was any day now! Or maybe she has already come?! I’m also so excited for these gluten free chocolate peanut butter cookies!! I want to eat them all and I want to eat them right now 🙂

    Reply

  10. Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says

    I think it’s amazing that you’re still keeping up with everything on the blog with another child, nine months pregnant, and right before Christmas! And that first line made me laugh! These cookies look amazing. I tried making gluten free peanut butter cookies once, and while they tasted good, they spread into one giant cookie sheet sized cookie. Very disappointing! These look much better, can’t wait to try them! Pinned!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      Thanks Stacey! I am SUCH a newbie when it comes to allergy-friendly cooking and baking, but I think it’s good for me to try some new things everything once in a while. Luckily, we really enjoyed them!

      Reply

  11. Shinee says

    These cookies sound amazing, Ashley! You got a challenging task in this cookie swap, didn’t ya? 🙂
    I hope all is going well with the baby. Hope the little bundle of joy will arrive soon, if he/she hasn’t already.

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      Thanks Shinee! It was a good challenge, just not something I’m very familiar with! Thankfully allergy-friendly recipes are getting more abundant and so there were more to try 🙂

      Reply

  12. Annie @Maebells says

    Your first line “have (had?) a baby” cracked me up! I can’t imagine waiting on a baby AND doing everything it takes to run a blog AND take care of the child you already have! I think it is hard to take care of my dogs and blog hahaha! 🙂 I love these cookies! I make a flourless peanut butter cookie that is really similar but I usually don’t chill the dough first, I am impatient too! But I might try that next time! These look amazing! Perfectly soft and fudgy!

    Reply

  16. Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says

    I had so much fun participating in this year’s cookie swap! Though I adored all the cookies I received, I would’ve been very happy to try these out as well. 😀 they look lovely, Ashley!

    P.S. Sending positive vibes your way for the delivery!!!

    Reply

  17. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

    Chocolate and peanut butter is definitely the best combination ever, Ashley! These cookies look absolutely amazing! I would’ve loved to get these in the cookie swap. Such a great treat, especially with a big ole glass of milk!

    Reply

  19. Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl says

    Wow – these look fabulous! I always love the classic combo of chocolate + peanut butter! They belong together! That was so thoughtful and considerate of you to make them allergy-free in case of food sensitivities and allergies! What a great idea!

    You could be in labor as I write this! Whenever your little one decides to arrive, GOOD LUCK and hope all goes well!!!

    Reply

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