Can you make a vegan peanut butter cookie without any nuts? I blind tested this recipe on a group of kids with no dietary restrictions who were unaware that the “peanut-butter” cookies that they were consuming were not only peanut and tree nut free but also gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, corn-free, nightshade-free (potato-free) and citrus free.
This recipe is adapted from an old favorite in Betty Crocker’s The Cooky Book.
Ingredients
1 cup Spectrum Organic Butter Flavor Shortening
1 cup sunflower seed butter (If using Sunbutter which is kosher use the natural and not the creamy)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer
2 cups Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Equipment
1 electric mixer (not absolutely necessary, but a whole lot easier)
Second bowl large enough to hold the dry ingredients
Measuring cups and spoons
1 large bowl
1 shiny aluminum cookie sheet
1 fork preferably with 4 tines
1 stiff spatula for removing cookies
1 cooling rack
Instructions
Measure out white sugar, brown sugar, shortening and sunbutter in that order and put them in the bowl of the mixer. You can do it in any order, but this way reduces the need to clean out the 1 cup measure between ingredients.
Mix the sugars, sunflower seed butter, and shortening until combined
Add water and incorporate
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, egg replacer, baking soda, baking powder and salt) in another bowl.
Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the bowl
Mix until evenly combined
Preheat oven to 375 F
Roll dough into one inch balls and place 12 evenly spaced on an ungreased cookie sheet
Flatten the balls with a fork in a cross hatch pattern
Bake in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies should be set but not yet browned on top.
Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and finish cooling on a rack
Makes six dozen cookies
Note that the dough can be refrigerated or frozen, but it will get very hard and dry feeling and it needs to be brought back to room temperature before baking.
