Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies (Gluten-Free)

These Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies are the best combination of fudge brownie cookie and peanut butter cookies. They are chocolatey and rich, easy to make and naturally vegan and easily gluten-free.

I have been experimenting a lot with cookies lately, and brownie-style cookies are one of my favourites. Also known as brookies, these cookies are rich and fudgy like brownies but in cookie form. They combine the best of brownies, cookies and now peanut butter, too.

What are these cookies like?

These cookies are really special, they are:

• Crispy and chewy at the edges
• Tender and fudgy in the middle
• Filled with chocolate and swirls of peanut butter
• Easy to make in a few steps
• Naturally vegan and easily gluten-free
• Easily nut-free
• A great cookie for everyone to enjoy

If you already love these brownie cookies, skip ahead to the recipe card below, or let’s first discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

These brownie cookies are made with easy to find ingredients, although perhaps with a few surprises making them a bit more wholesome, too.

• Dark chocolate: dark chocolate is best rather than a dairy-free milk chocolate in terms of colour, flavour and richness and any chocolate is fine. You can use unsweetened or chocolate chips, for example. I used the salty HU chocolate (AMY saves you 20% off the UK website or NOURISHINGAMY for 20% off the USA site).
• Olive oil: rather than sunflower oil, this is richer and gives the cookies more flavour. It really is delicious. I do not recommend swapping this for coconut oil or butter, but you can use sunflower oil if you do not have olive oil.
• Applesauce: or apple puree, this is the unsweetened apple puree and not the applesauce you’d serve with savoury meals. You can make your own or buy unsweetened applesauce/puree in shops.
• Peanut butter: the first dose of peanut butter in these cookies. Runny, smooth peanut butter is better. If you prefer other nut or seed butters, you can use those here like cashew or almond butter or tahini. The flavour will change though and they’ll no longer be Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies.
• Sugar: I use both caster sugar and light brown sugar for the best taste and texture for these cookies. the little bit of light brown sugar adds a lot of the richness and the white sugar is fine enough to make a smooth batter. If you don’t have both sugars, you can use one or the other, but they are best when made as in the recipe.
• Flour: this recipe calls for plain or gluten-free flour. This keeps the cookies light, fudgy and chewy in the middle. If using gluten-free flour, use a GF baking blend with xanthan gum that you usually use for baking.
• Cocoa powder: this adds the rich texture and flavour for these chocolate brownie cookies.
• Baking powder: for a little rise and texture.
• Salt: for flavour.
• Chocolate chips: or you can use chopped chocolate for folding into the cookie dough.

How do I make these Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies?

These are easy to make in a few steps and you just need two bowls:

• Melt the chocolate and oil together: till just melted.
• Whisk together the other wet ingredients: till smooth.
• Stir in the chocolate mix: till combined.
• Sift in the dry ingredients: to a thick batter (it is thick and that’s fine!)
• Fold in the chocolate chips: to combine.
• Divide the dough and roll into balls: flattening the cookies onto the baking trays.
• Top with more peanut butter: swirled on top.
• Bake till crispy at the edges and tender in the middle: they may seem undercooked in the middle but that’s perfect.
• Cool for 20 minutes: as they’ll firm up before enjoying.

Are these cookies gluten-free?

Yes, make sure you use your preferred gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum.

Can I make these peanut and/or nut-free?

Yes, although the flavour will change for these cookies. To make them nut-free, swap the peanut butter for a seed butter like sunflower seed butter or tahini. To make them peanut-free, swap the nut butter for cashew or almond butter.

I love these brownie-style cookies, what others can I bake?

I hope you are going to love these Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies and for more cookies and brownies, how about my:

• Dark Chocolate Vegan Brownie Cookies
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies
• Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
• Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookie Caramel Bars
• Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make these cookies, I’d love to see so please tag me in them – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With PB brookie love x