Soft peanut butter oatmeal cookies made with lots of chocolate, no dairy butter, and they’re easily gluten-free.
Folks, I’m excited. Partly because I’m on a bit of a sugar high after eating a bunch of cookies (not to mention all that cookie dough).
Also, we’re just hours away from the beginning of the 2016 Republican Convention, which takes place between July 18 and 21. Will Donald Trump be crowned the official GOP nominee, or will he be stopped by a last-ditch effort by Republicans who can’t stomach the thought of a President Trump?
Either way, it should be interesting to watch. Particularly as some people have been predicting that the Convention will be three days of angry fights and all sorts of pandemonium.
This time around, the GOP Convention will in Cleveland, Ohio. So, I figured I’d need something Ohio-ish (a technical term) to munch on while waiting to see what – if any – craziness unfolds. (Yes, I am someone who finds politics far too exciting).
Ohio’s state tree is the buckeye, which is also a type of candy made from a peanut butter ball (similar to the filling of a peanut butter cup) dipped in chocolate. Buckeye brownies are also a thing – a very delicious thing, I might add.
Since I had a hankering for some peanut butter cookies, I figured I’d combine buckeyes and cookies into one tasty treat: buckeye cookies! They may not look quite like buckeyes (given the candy is spherical), but they’re soft on the inside, a little crispy on the outside, and majorly addictive.
These aren’t just cookies – each cookie is actually two cookies in one. The cookies are made by rolling out chocolate peanut butter cookie dough, adding spoonfuls of peanut butter cookie dough, and baking the two-tiered cookies until they’re just done.
Like most soft cookies, these will appear very underdone and delicate when they come out of the oven. But don’t worry because the edges will firm up as they cool. In fact, these cookies defy general baking logic and actually taste better once they’ve cooled down. The edges are crispier and the insides are chewier once they’ve had some time to sit and relax.
Once cool, it’s time to drizzle some chocolate over those peanut buttery snacks. To be honest, this is mostly for aesthetic reasons – although the extra chocolate flavor certainly doesn’t hurt.
When it comes to storing cookies, metal containers (or, failing that, glass containers) are definitely the way to go. For reasons that are beyond me, storing cookies in plastic containers causes that crispy exterior to turn soft. But the crispy outsides remain intact if you store them in metal containers. It doesn’t make any sense to me, but I’m not about to start arguing with cookies.
Alternatively, you can freeze these snacks. Which is good news for people like me, whose self-control flies out the window when cookies are around. Freeze the cookies in plastic containers. Then, when a cookie craving strikes, heat a cookie (or several cookies) in the oven at 340°F (170°C) for about 5 – 7 minutes, or until just defrosted. Let them cool, and presto: you have freshly baked cookies.
Oh, and in case you were wondering: Yes. I have totally been eating these cookies for breakfast.
- Chocolate Dough
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (260g) crunchy peanut butter
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons (45mL) canola oil
- ⅓ cup (80mL) maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons (10mL) vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (65g) oat flour
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons (20g) cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (50g) peanut butter chips
Peanut Butter Dough- ⅓ cup (90g) crunchy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons (25g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon (15mL) canola oil
- ¼ cup (60mL) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (35g) oat flour
- ¼ cup (25g) rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Topping- ¼ cup (40g) chopped chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two or three baking sheets with non-stick paper.
- Chocolate Dough: In large bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Add the peanut butter, brown sugar and canola oil, and whisk until well combined. Mix in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Add the oat flour, rolled oats, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with a spoon until combined. Stir in the peanut butter chips.
- Peanut Butter Dough: In another bowl, whisk the peanut butter, brown sugar and canola oil with a fork. Mix in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Add the oat flour, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Mix with a spoon until combined.
- Roll the chocolate dough into generous walnut-sized balls (about 2 – 3 tablespoons of dough per ball), drop them onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten into discs. The dough will be quite sticky.
- Place spoonfuls of the peanut butter dough on top of the chocolate discs. The peanut butter dough will be fairly wet and sticky.
- Bake for 9 – 12 minutes. The cookies will be very soft and look underdone.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating with chocolate.
- Topping: Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on a low wattage for short intervals of 20 – 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until the chocolate has melted. Use a fork or piping bag to drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.
- Store the cookies in an airtight metal or glass container.
You can make your own oat flour by grinding some rolled or quick-cooking oats in a coffee grinder (or a food processor or blender). You'll need just under 1 cup of oats to yield 1 cup of oat flour. Grind the oats first, and then measure the flour.
Gluten Free
If you need these to be gluten-free, make sure you're using certified gluten-free oat flour and rolled oats. Also note that some GF eaters cannot tolerate oats.