Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthy, easy recipe for the ultimate melt-in-the-mouth peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, low in sugar. Crispy using crunchy peanut butter, they have a subtle saltiness that makes them irresistible.
Ingredients
- 125 g (4.5oz/ ½ cup) butter, unsalted softened*
- 50 g (2oz/ ¼ cup) sugar
- 25 g (1oz/scant 2 tbsp) light brown sugar cane or coconut flower sugar**
- 1 egg organic
- 100 g (3.5oz/ ½ cup) crunchy peanut butter see NOTES
- good pinch salt (fleur de sel) Maldon or Celtic salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 110 g (4oz/ 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- 100 g (3.5oz/ ⅔ cup) dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/360°F/Gas 4 and line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone mat.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter* and sugars** with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until the sugar has disappeared and the mix is pale and creamy (or mix with an electric mixer). Gradually add in the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. (The dough can be frozen at this point if you don't use all of it.)
- Spoon out small portions of the mixture onto each baking sheet, leaving a good gap in between each as they spread out. If you like cookies slightly crispy on the outside, then flatten them slightly with a fork. Otherwise leave them as little mounds to make them a little softer. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
- To cool, transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
Notes
* Soften the butter slightly to initially cream with the sugar. This makes the cookies' texture lighter rather than with melted butter. If you do melt the butter, then chill the dough before baking, otherwise with this recipe it's not necessary.
** Light brown cane sugar or coconut flower sugar adds that extra crunch to the texture. Otherwise use 75g/3oz of one kind only.
The uncooked dough is ideal for freezing for up to a month.
Store in a cookie jar or airtight tin box for up to 2 days (if you can!) We prefer enjoying them on the day of baking and cooking the dough only as necessary. So keep some dough (up to 2 days) in the fridge and bake when ready.
Choose a healthy peanut butter: Opt for a brand with minimal ingredients, avoiding added sugars and oils. Popular choices include Crazy Richard's in the US or natural brands like Whole Earth in France. For the healthiest option, seek out peanut butter purée or make your own by mixing unsalted, grilled peanuts. They have enough natural oils without adding any.
278 calories for a serving of 2 cookies each.
Measures: Please note that all my recipes are best made using digital kitchen scales in precise metric grams. Both ounces (and cups) are given as an approximate guide.