Vegan, GF Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are such a treat for me!

I usually don’t eat peanut butter. It’s actually been years since I’ve eaten peanut butter. But I can remember peanut butter being a staple in my diet when I was younger. Now that i’m older, and have been immersed in the nutrition world, it’s sort of been beaten into me that peanut butter is no good. One of those foods you shouldn’t eat, and that isn’t as healthy as we once thought it was. There is a lot of conflicting research out there on whether or not peanuts and peanut butter are actually good for you. I recently read an article by Dr. Axe which helped clarify this issue a little bit better. It actually made me feel a lot better.

Peanut butter is neither good nor bad for you.

It isn’t as black and white as “peanuts are horrible and you should never ever eat them!” Yes, peanuts can be harmful to your health if consumed in mass quantities, and if the rest if your diet is filled with junk food. But if consumed within reason, they are fine. And delicious. We can’t forget delicious.

Some of the biggest issues with peanuts is that they are very high in Omega 6 Fatty Acids, which we have an over-abundance of in the western diet, and they often contain mold and cause allergies. So if you are consuming a lot of peanuts, all the time, these things would absolutely be an issue. I would actually recommend that you don’t eat peanut butter every single day. There are tons of other nut and seed butter alternatives like almond or sunflower butter that are just as delicious. But to have a couple of super delicious, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies every now and then is likely harmless to your health if you are an otherwise healthy person.

But this whole controversy around peanut butter, and whether it is or isn’t good for you has me questioning my stance on nutrition.

I often feel I am caught in between in this world of nutrition and health.

There are those who advocate for completely eliminating any, and everything that could potentially cause inflammation in your body, and there are those who say “everything in moderation.”

I don’t quite know where I fit.

My nutrition teacher always says, “there are foods that build health, and there are foods that build disease and there really isn’t much grey area.”

And this is true. She isn’t wrong, and I totally see where she’s coming from. Most foods typically do fall into that either or category from a purely nutritional perspective. Where I struggle is (as a gemini) seeing both sides of the coin. With the understanding that we can still absolutely enjoy certain foods that we know to be “unhealthy” just with a mindful awareness. With the understanding of what we’re eating. For example I know that when I eat a cookie, it isn’t super healthy for me. I have that awareness. Typically, I do what I can to make it as nutritious as a cookie can be – vegan, gluten free, add some nuts and seeds. But I mean a cookie is a cookie – it is never going to be kale.

When we powerfully take ownership of our food choices, we are free

I also know the lack of freedom that exists when we give ourselves such rigid definitions of what we can and can’t eat. When we don’t question the “why” behind our food choices. When the “why” behind our food choices is rooted in fear – of being fat, of being deemed unhealthy – rather than from a place of power.

So what do you do?

I don’t have the answer. I mean, I think I have the answer for me right now, but the answer for you will probably be quite different. You can start by navigating your why. Why do you eat the way you eat? Begin to own your fears, your desires, and understand why you choose the foods you choose. Notice if you have a fear-based relationship to your food, and if you do, examine it. It isn’t bad or wrong if you do, in fact many people do. But when you notice, and bring your awareness to it, you have the power and choice to shift it if that’s what serves you.

I choose to be vegan from a place of power. It doesn’t occur for me like it’s a restriction or like I am giving anything up. It’s just a place I come from. And inside of that place, all my food choices are made. My struggle now comes from a place of wondering if I am making “the healthiest” choice possible. I amafraid that if I eat something that isn’t 100% “clean” I am doing something wrong. I am not the perfect picture of what it means to be healthy.

So I have a new strategy

I made the damn peanut butter cookies. They were delicious. I ate them, and I feel fine. Will I eat them every single day? Hell no. I am not the type to eat cookies every single day anyways. But My new approach is to learn to listen to my body. Make the cookie. Eat the cookie. Notice how the cookie makes me feel. Allow myself the opportunity to eat these in moderation, without guilt, when I feel like it.

Simple.

So. Care to mindfully eat some delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookies? I have just the recipe 😉

Print Recipe

Vegan, GF Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15-20 minutes

Servings

cookies

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour/starch can sub tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients

• 1 chia egg (see notes for chia egg instructions
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey (I don't like mine too sweet, so I typically add a little extra coconut oil and omit this ingredient)
• 3 tbsp peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 15-20 minutes Servings cookies Ingredients Dry Ingredients 3/4 cup brown rice flour 3/4 cup chickpea flour 1/2 cup arrowroot flour/starch can sub tapioca starch 1/2 cup coconut sugar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup chocolate chips Wet Ingredients 1 chia egg (see notes for chia egg instructions 1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey (I don't like mine too sweet, so I typically add a little extra coconut oil and omit this ingredient) 3 tbsp peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet ingredients in another bowl. Allow about 5 minutes for your chia egg to set.
3. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, place 1-2 tbsp of cookie dough per cookie, spacing them 1-1.5 inches apart.
4. OPTIONAL: If you want to fill the cookies with peanut butter (which is super delicious) make your cookie's into balls, and press into the middle with your thumb. Fill this space with a dollop of peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice). Leave approximately tbsp of cookie dough for the end, roll these into little balls and flatten out to cover the tops of the cookies so no peanut butter is leaking. Note that this will add approximately 5 minutes to your bake time, as the cookies will be thicker and require more time for heating.
5. Place cookies in the oven, and set timer for 15 minutes. Check your cookies, and if they are browning around the outside they should be done! If they are still extremely soft, and not browning, leave them in for another 5 or so minutes.
6. Let cool, and enjoy with a glass of almond milk!

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