Does anyone else just all of a sudden get in the mood for baking sometimes?
The measuring and mixing, pouring and stirring, baking and cooling. The smells of something delicious coming together and the anticipation of taste testing. It’s therapeutic to me.
Last week as I was jotting down a bunch of things to nab at the food store and planning out what healthy snacks I’d make this week, I got bitten by the baking bug. And I didn’t feel like just following a recipe, I was in the mood for experimenting and getting creative.
Today’s recipe is a result of that baking bug. These cookies center around a few of my favorite things: the combination of chocolate + peanut butter & cinnamon.
Cinnamon is without a doubt my favorite spice. I’m constantly sprinkling some on my fruit, in my smoothies, and on my toast. It gives meals a bit of something extra, au naturel.
I also love pairing cinnamon with peanut buttery goodness. Cinnamon sprinkled on top of sliced banana, topped with peanut butter. Oats with baked apple chunks, peanut butter & cinnamon.
Sweetened with maple syrup, these cookies bring my food & spice favorites together for a healthy snack or dessert. They include vegan baking favorites – Earth Balance and a flaxseed egg – so as long as you use dark chocolate peanut butter cups that contain no milk fat, these cookies are dairy-free. They’re cinnamon-y and the texture remind me of mini cakes, making them a snack that I’ve been munching on often!
Bake them with love this Valentine’s Day week for your sweetie, or make em for yourself any day of the year as a healthy dessert!
Healthy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate peanut butter cups, chopped
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 TSP cinnamon
- 2 TBSP vegan butter such as Earth Balance, melted
- 2 TBSP almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 flax egg: 1 TBSP ground flaxseed + 3 TBSP water
- 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
- 1/2 TSP salt
- 1/2 TSP baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
- Combine the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, vanilla, maple syrup, melted butter and almond milk with an electric mixer on low. Add in the flax egg and mix again briefly.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones, and add in the chopped peanut butter cups. Mix together by hand just until combined.
- Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet to form 18 cookies.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to slightly cool before enjoying. Store in a sealed plastic bag.
Nutrition
Tell me.. Do you celebrate & exchange gifts for V-Day with your significant other? What’s your favorite spice?
My hubby & I keep it pretty simple for the holiday. Having a nice dinner together & surprising him with cookies in a jar covered in hearts is the kind of V-Day that we tend to favor in my house!
I’d say the baking bug bit you pretty good with these! They look so thick and chewy, just how I like my cookies. 🙂
Also, can we talk about your photography? These pictures are looking mighty pretty, girly!
Oh how I love you for saying that, Sarah! I got a new camera for Christmas & am working on learning how to use it 🙂
Baking is totally therapeutic! Unless it involves decorating a cake. That is stressful… and it’s what I did this weekend. LOL!
Pass me a cookie, please!
Ah yes, you are totally right! That falls under the category of serious baking, and can be stressful. Haha. Or, if you’re baking/cooking for a ton of people and are running out of time… that can also be stressful. But it’s mostly therapeutic!
Always love a new vegan cookie recipe to add to my arsenal! But where do you get your dairy-free chocolate peanut butter cups?! I need these in my life.
Thanks for stopping by, Rachel! There are a few great dairy-free chocolate PB cups I know of. The most popular brand is Justin’s – so good! Their PB cups don’t contain any dairy, but they have ‘may contain milk’ on their nutrition labels due to the possibility of cross contamination via shared machinery used. So, they’re dairy free for anyone without a deathly serious milk allergy! 🙂
Ah yes, Justin’s! Thanks for the reminder about those! They are so good 🙂
Can we just stop for a moment and talk about how awesome it is that you use whole wheat flour in these cookies? I love whole wheat flour, and I totally need to use it more often when it comes to baking sweet treats. These cookies are calling my name today! Oh, and I absolutely, 100% feel ya on the therapeutic side of baking. For me, it’s baking bread…but all things baking still count. The exact measuring is fun, and then of course eating what you made it even more fun. Love these cookies, Nicole! Happy Valentine’s Day, my Cali/NJ friend!
Thanks David! I like using whole wheat most of the time for more wholesome baking. And oh how I adore baking bread too! Although I don’t do that enough.
Dark Chocolate. Cinnamon. Peanut Butter.
This sounds like an extremely naughty threesome if you ask me!
A threesome that I partake in often! 😉
When you’re bitten by the baking bug, you just have to bake! I’m glad you did because these cookies look delicious! I love making healthy cookie recipes for a more guilt-free treat and PB&C is one of my favorites!
YESSS such a great combo right! Thanks Marcie!