PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES: Vegan, easy-peasy, wheat-free opt, no eggs or dairy

Who would have thought vegan peanut butter cookies could be so fabulous?

Rich and crumbly Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, plain & with Chocolate 

These gorgeously rich, melt-in-the-mouth peanut butter cookies are - unbelievably - vegan.  No eggs, no dairy (though dairy milk can replace plant milk).  It also has a free of common wheat option.  

Very close to a one-bowl wonder, the peanut butter cookies take only minutes to prep.  Leftovers freeze like a dream. 

It's versatile, too.  Replace soft brown sugar with white, replace 1/5 of the sugar with ground almonds to cut sweetness; replace oat flour with self-raising brown; use dairy instead of plant milk.  The essential yumminess of the cookies are not affected. 

The p.b. cookies came from the vegan blog Blissful Basil and were the best of several considered.    

67 - unwisely, from a health point of view  - invested in a rather large tub of Manilife* Peanut Butter, a Taste Award winner.  Trust 67 - this is the Rolls Royce of peanut butters and it's almost a shame to turn it into biscuits.  

But 67 feared potential health damage (Manilife peanut butter is addictive!) and decided mates at the Conservative party, preparing for local elections, was a worthy cause. 

If the budget doesn't run to Manilife, worry not; any peanut butter will do for this lovely recipe.  

Cost: depends on the peanut butter; most will be wallet-friendly -- Manilife will be outrageously expensive

Makes: 20'ish

Ingreds:

240g/8.4oz peanut butter (or 50% peanut butter and 50% almond butter) 

144g/5.07oz soft brown sugar (or white or a mix of the two)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (don't stint on this)

65g/2.3oz oat flour (or 50/50 oat and wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water or almond milk 

Method: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C/350 Fahrenheit
2. In a large mixing bowl blend peanut butter and sugar with electric beaters one minute; add vanilla; beat 30 seconds
3. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients; slowly add to mixing bowl, beating until crumbly
4. Add liquid, beat without overmixing until incorporated    
5. Roll dough into golf-ball-sized balls about 1.5- to 2 teaspoons per cookie; squash them down a little, like frisbees (67 used a hinged ice cream scoop sized 40, which were slightly bigger than needed but still...)
6. Arrange as many as you like on a baking tray lined with parchment or a silicone mat with a bit of space in between 
7. Use a fork to flatten the balls further, creating a criss-cross pattern on top
8. Bake 8-10 mins or until turning golden (keep an eye out; they burn quickly at the edges!) 
9. Cool completely on the pan before moving or serving
10. Store in an air-tight container
11. Freezing leftover dough: Form dough balls, place close together on a tray, freeze 3-4 hours; take off tray & store in a zipper bag; reach in for however many are required whenever need or desired.  Planning is required; defrost completely before baking.

thanks to Blissful Basil

Comments:

'I save a cookie to eat while typing. Really crumbly and melt in the mouth. I ate one - and then had 2 more. The peanut flavour is strong and perfect. I love peanuts. One of the best cookies I have ever tasted. Far too good for sharing.' Political Agent

Tips:

• make your own oat flour by whizzing oatmeal in a blender
• 67 was out of almond milk and substituted dairy milk; it was fine

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