a twist on your classic peanut butter cookies, these ones also contain cacao, while being refined sugar free!
It’s not every day I share a recipe that is grain free, refined sugar free but not SCD legal on this website. As you may know, I do follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for the most part. However, after being strict SCD for a good four years, which means that I did not touch cacao (or potatoes!), I have ventured off and allowed myself the freedom to try both of those things. I honestly don’t use cacao in my baking very often, but it is nice every once and awhile to have something sort of chocolatey – I’m not saying cacao is a (milk) chocolate replacement, especially if you’re used to eating the average sugar-sweetened chocolate, but if you haven’t had chocolate of any sort in years and you don’t eat white sugar, than cacao can definitely hit the spot and satisfy more of a dark-chocolate-like craving.
For those of us who are strict SCD, I’ve also experimented (rather successfully if I do say so myself) with re-creating that chocolate flavour *without* the use of cacao or chocolate – a feat to be sure – but cocoa butter, which is SCD legal, is helpful in that regard. So if you want some fake-chocolate recipes, check out my no-chocolate cookies with vanilla icing or my pecan pumpkin “brownies.”
If you want some real cacao recipes – well I honestly don’t have that many! But I do have these dark chocolate and cranberry cookies (a very grown-up cookie if I do say so myself), as well as these chunky rocky road cookies (so good!) and now, another cookie that may also appeal to a wider age range: peanut butter cacao cookies. The classic peanut butter cookie, but injected with a bit of cacao, and still sweet enough thanks to the honey.
If you’re not strict SCD, feel free to experiment with these bad boys! They’re so yummy, be it fresh or frozen – I have a habit of eating my grain free cookies frozen out of the freezer, I don’t know why, and maybe it’s just me but I find them so satisfying that way. Also I put them there to “last longer” (but ultimately I still eat them all in four days??? Yeah.
They’re made with almond flour, peanut butter (opt for crunchy or smooth), and a few heaping spoons of cacao. Alongside a handful of other ingredients, they come together extremely quickly and you only need one bowl (!), my favourite type of recipe.
Find the full recipe and instructions below. If you try making these peanut butter cacao cookies, I’d love to find out how it went! You can tag me in your photos on IG or leave me a comment below.
A few more recipes if you’re looking for some more amazing cookie ideas:
- SOFT & CHEWY N’OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
- CHERRY PIE COOKIES
- “SUGAR PIE” COOKIES
- PECAN MONSTER COOKIES
- ALMOND BUTTER & GRAPE JELLY THUMBPRINT COOKIES
peanut butter cacao cookies: ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp cacao powder (I use Organic Traditions cacao powder)
- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
peanut butter cacao cookies: how to
- in a large bowl, mix together your almond flour, cacao powder, salt and baking soda, before adding in your peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract and combine.
- finally add in the egg and mix until well combined.
- i recommend freezing the dough for a couple of hours or overnight so it’s easier to manipulate. once’s it frozen, use a tablespoon, divide into cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- flatten each cookie with a fork, creating imprints diagonally both ways – you may want to wet the fork slightly if you find it’s sticking to the cookie.
- bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350 for 12 minutes. these cookies are good fresh or frozen, they freeze very well!
peanut butter cacao cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp cacao powder I use Organic Traditions cacao powder
- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
Instructions
- in a large bowl, mix together your almond flour, cacao powder, salt and baking soda, before adding in your peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract and combine.
- finally add in the egg and mix until well combined.
- i recommend freezing the dough for a couple of hours or overnight so it's easier to manipulate. once's it frozen, use a tablespoon, divide into cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- flatten each cookie with a fork, creating imprints diagonally both ways – you may want to wet the fork slightly if you find it's sticking to the cookie.
- bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350 for 12 minutes. these cookies are good fresh or frozen, they freeze very well!