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Vegan Peanut Butter Kisses

Name: Vegan Peanut Butter Kisses
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 31 Cookies
Ingredients: 3/4 C (114g) High Quality Vegan Dark Chocolate 70%-72% (*see note), (chopped fine); 1/2 C (120g) Full Fat Coconut Milk, (from a can); 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 1/4 C (200g) All Purpose Flour, (I use Bob's Red Mill); 1 tsp Baking Soda; 3/4 tsp Sea Salt; 1/2 C (114g) Coconut Oil, (unrefined, virgin, melted at room temperature); 3/4 C (210g) Natural Peanut Butter, (crunchy or smooth); 1/4 C (54g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar, (packed); 1/3 C (70g) Cane Sugar, (+ more for rolling the cookies in); 1/4 C (84g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce; 3 Tbs Water; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

By Traci 33 Comments

A tender and moist peanut butter cookie with an irresistible dark chocolate ganache center. Vegan Peanut Butter Kisses are easy to make, and fun to share! Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you for supporting brands that help support Vanilla And Bean. All opinions are my own.

The wreath is up, holiday music is on Pandora and the lights are hung (please don’t let me hear Mr. Grinch one. more. time!!). Planning for a holiday get-together is in the works, and I’ve baked all the cookies I’ll bake until…. February. Okay, maybe this weekend (eek!).

Years ago, Rob and I started gifting experiences to each other and mostly to others, rather than tangible gifts. We do still give gifts on occasion like cozy socks or if there’s a specific need. We’re practical like that. And I also love to give homemade gifts, mostly cookies. But by and large, it’s an experience that we prefer to give.

The gift of travel, spa gifts, a symphony experience, a hot air balloon ride, a fun dining experience, movie passes or a winery trip are just a few examples of past gifts we’ve given (and received!). Planning a trip together is an adventure in itself! ;)

Friends and family tell me they love receiving homemade food gifts. My Grandmère spoiled all of us grandkids with her homemade fudge, jams and Texas trash! I’m certain she’s influenced my Christmas-giving agenda.

Or I shop local. At the holiday market this past weekend I found a few pieces of new pottery, a braided bunch of garlic and essential oils for aromatherapy to give. One of the farms was there too, so I scored a nice haul of turnips, cabbage, pink cauliflower (yes, pink!) and eggs. A few personal gifts!

We’ve found giving this way not only reduces holiday stress, but also eliminates waiting in long lines, waste, and clutter. It’s also a push-back of sorts from the national consumerism holiday appetite. So we focus efforts on ways to still give with limited stuff. I tend to remember a fun and enriching experience more-so than the latest gadget. And the memories with family and friends last far longer than anything I can put my hands on.

Save cookies! Cookies draw my memory from way back to just last month. I’ve been thinking about this recipe, since I devoured a giant peanut butter cookie from Whole Foods bakery last month. It was a moment of OMG how could I forget! My sheer love of peanut butter cookies. Soft, tender and classic… but you’d never know these peanut butter cookies are vegan.

It had been too long! I felt as though I found a long lost friend. Holy Cow!

As I worked through testing this recipe and others that are plant-based, like this Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Cake, I’ve realized there are a few ingredients that mask the flavor of coconut better than chocolate and nuts. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of coconut, but there are times when you want other flavors to shine, like in this recipe. I wanted the peanut butter and chocolate to be bold but still have the the ability to use plant-based ingredients.

This vegan peanut butter cookie does it.

After Rob devoured three, I told him they were vegan. He looked at me with a gleam in his eye… and I knew he was thinking and wanted to tell me, These aren’t regular. But he resisted because he loved them so much. I was feeling pretty good about this, so I made two more batches to share.

I filled the center with a three-ingredient full-fat coconut milk dark chocolate ganache. It’s so simple to make. Place finely chopped chocolate into a bowl. Warm the coconut milk to just under a simmer, then pour it over the chocolate. Wait for two minutes, and stir. Cover the creamy ganache and toss it in the fridge while mixing and shaping the cookies.

By the time the cookies come out of the oven and have a few minutes to cool, the ganache has thickened and is ready to pipe onto the cookies.

There’s a bit left over too, for a little baker’s treat at the end.

Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post. I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic All Purpose Flour in many of my baking recipes. It’s of the highest quality, unbleached and unenriched, making my cookies tender and delicious every time. It’s an excellent choice for your baking needs. You can find Bob’s Red Mill at their website. And, for daily baking inspiration check out their Instagram and Facebook feeds!

These Vegan Peanut Butter Kisses are tender, moist, melt-in-your-mouth dreamy. Just scroll down to the last image….

OMG.

A tender and moist peanut butter cookie with an irresistible chocolate ganache center. Vegan Peanut Butter Kisses are easy to make, and fun to share! Vegan, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Recipe.

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5 from 1 vote