Our First Vegan Cookies

 Riley and I aren't vegan but we love vegan baking. This was our first attempt at baking vegan cookies and I think it turned out quite well. You can easily substitute non-vegan ingredients, too. Oh, and our cookies were not so pillow-y... we kind of liked the idea of a more two dimensional cookie with the peanut butter more evenly dispersed throughout the chocolate cookie.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows
Adapted from The Post Punk Kitchen
makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Chocolate dough:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup agave (or, as we used, honey since we aren't vegan)
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons black unsweetened cocoa or more dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
3/4 cup natural salted peanut butter, crunchy or creamy style
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

2.Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa if using, baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.

3.Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry (as different natural peanut butters have different moisture content), stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.

4.Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bakings sheet with parchment paper.

5.Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining doughs. If desired gently flatten cookies a little, but this is not necessary.

6.Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container.

7.If desired warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.