This recipe takes the flavors of your childhood PB&J sandwich and transforms them into a healthy, vegan cookie kids and adults will love. The creamy natural peanut butter adds a savory richness, but with much less fat and sugar than your average cookie. Plus, the 5-minute homemade jam is thickened with chia seeds, adding even more protein and fiber to this dessert. If you are working around a peanut allergy, this recipe also makes it easy to swap in the nut butter of your choice.

Active time: 45 minutes Total time: 2 hours

Vegan PB&J Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (246g) natural creamy peanut or almond butter
• 1/2 cup (114g) granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons (90ml) unsweetened almond or oat milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (127g) regular or gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 pint (180g) raspberries
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey or light agave syrup

Optional Garnishes

• 1/2 cup (75g) finely chopped salted peanuts or almonds

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter with the sugar until smooth. Stir in the almond milk and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir until combined. If the dough is too stiff, you can use your hands to make sure the flour is fully saturated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the raspberries over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up the berries with the back of a spoon, until the fruit begins to bubble and break down, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chia seeds, honey and a pinch of kosher salt. Remove the jam from the heat. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until the jam has thickened. You should have about 3/4 cup.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion the dough into 24 1-tablespoon balls. Roll the dough balls in the crushed peanuts, if using. Set on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Using a 1/2 teaspoon or the end of a wooden spoon, press an indent into each ball.

Bake the cookies for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are set and beginning to brown; rotate the baking sheets halfway through. Transfer the baking sheets to a cooling rack. Using the 1/2 teaspoon or the end of a wooden spoon again, press an indent into each cookie then spoon a mounded 1/2 teaspoon of the jam into each well. Save any remaining jam for another use. Let cool completely before serving.

The cookies can be baked up to one day in advance and stored in an airtight container in a single layer. If you are short on time or don’t have fresh or frozen berries on hand, you can also swap in 3/4 cup of homemade jam of your choice.

Serves: 12 | Serving Size: 2 cookies

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 222; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 227mg; Carbohydrate: 25g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 13g; Protein: 6g