Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies; thick, soft and chewy cookies made with creamy almond butter and melting morsels of dark chocolate that happen to be completely vegan!
[this recipe was originally posted on 19 April 2020]
The perfection of a chocolate chip cookie is a fine art.
Many different kinds exist, but few get that perfect balance of soft, chewy glory that celebrates the best of the chocolate and the cookie itself. When I first tasted Pret A Manger’s Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies, I knew I’d met one of these perfect examples.
Deeply chocolatey cookie dough with chunky shards of dark chocolate and the sweet-savoury flavour of almond butter. These Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies were good, they were very good. They were vegan too. While Pret isn’t the first place I’d visit for food (#supportlocal), it had quickly become a serious contender in the chocolate chip cookie game.
Sadly many of us are all a bit more confined to our own little spaces at the moment, thanks to a chilly winter in the northern hemisphere, and some lingering restrictions. Some of our favourite foodie haunts are closed, or we are isolating and we have to make do with our own homemade efforts.
On this basis, when Pret decided to share their iconic cruelty-free Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookie recipe on Instagram back in 2020, I knew I had to try it out. The measurements were weird, the method was weird. Let’s be honest though, I’ve never really followed a recipe properly anyway (hence the title of this blog).
So after a few attempts at playing around with this new dough, free of butter and eggs, I came across a lovely concoction. Pretty close in taste and texture to the original, but with an even richer dough. Less sugar, more flavour.
A cookie that provides that ever-so-slight crispness right at the edge. A thick, soft and chewy centre, bold with the flavour of chocolate and that richness of almond butter. The slightest pinch of salt in there offering that addictive sweet-savoury quality that keeps you yearning for another bite. Not too sweet, not too bitter. You won’t miss the butter, you won’t miss the eggs. All you’ll want is more.
These Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies can be made as big or bite-sized as you like, baking time adjusted as necessary, and you can still achieve that perfect texture. The moisture from ingredients like brown sugar and almonds will ensure there’s no unpleasant crunchiness from these little beauties.
It won’t taste just like Pret’s, but they’ll be sure to please every tastebud, whether you’re living plant-based or not.
I first used an Espresso Almond Butter from a local nut butter company near my home town of Aberdeen in Scotland, but any creamy or runny almond butter works in this recipe. If you want to add a rich coffee flavour, feel free to sprinkle in some instant espresso powder or fresh coffee grounds!
These Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies are wonderfully easy to make. No creaming butter and sugar together, adding eggs one at a time and straining your flexor carpi ulnaris. This dough is simply wet-into-dry and mix.
So what are you waiting for?
Thank you as always for stopping by. I hope you are all keeping safe and healthy. Don’t forget if you want some more basic recipes in these times of necessity, check out my Back to Basics series:
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To make these Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies, simply follow the recipe below!
Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
Notes
BE A MAVERICK: why not add some instant espresso powder or fresh coffee grounds to the mixture for an extra bold flavour?
These Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies will keep well in an airtight container or on a covered cake stand for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
- 200g (1 ½ cups) plain flour
- 125g (4 ½ oz) dark chocolate chips or chunks (at least 70% cocoa solids)
- 70g (⅓ oz) caster sugar
- 70g (⅓ oz) soft brown sugar
- 40g (⅓ cup) ground almonds (or chunky chopped almond pieces)
- 20g (2 tbsp) cocoa powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 75g (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed rapeseed oil
- 75g (⅓ cup) almond butter
- 60g (¼ cup) maple syrup or golden syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven – 200 C / 180 C fan / 400 F / gas mark 6.
- Line 2-3 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- Tip all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir together.
- In a separate bowl or jug, stir together the oil, almond butter and syrup until combined and relatively smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient mixture and stir until you have a stiff chocolate cookie dough.
- Form 8-16 balls of cookie dough and space them out (at least 6cm between each) on your prepared trays. Flatten the dough balls slightly with your hand – we do this because they don’t spread much when baking!
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
- Allow to cool slightly on the trays before moving to a wire rack to cool completely or eating while they are still warm and gooey.
- Enjoy!
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The dough was a bit crumbly so i was worried but it turned out delicious. i added some white chocolate and espresso powder:))
Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing!