If, like us, the Great British Bake Off has you inspired to get creative in the kitchen, why not try these vegan, zero waste chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies?
Autumn is here, which means cosy nights in with the television delight that is the Great British Bake Off. If, like us, you find it hard to resist the mouth-watering effects of watching other people make cakes, cookies and pastries, an accompanied home-bake quickly becomes a weekly essential. With recent series having introduced free-from challenges and vegan weeks, plant-based baking has been proven to be both easy and delicious and these peanut butter cookies are no exception. Perfectly paired with a warming cup of tea or fresh out the oven with a generous side of vegan ice cream, these salty-sweet cookies should satisfy any Bake Off induced cravings.
Inspired by last week’s Zero Waste Week campaign, we challenged ourselves to source all the necessary ingredients in bulk. Baking can involve unnecessary plastic packaging and cupboards filled with ingredients only needed for one-off recipes, but buying in bulk can help to avoid much of the potential waste. Our local bulk store, The Source Bulk Foods, had everything from dark chocolate drops to gluten-free flours and bicarbonate soda, providing measuring cups to ensure we filled our paper bags and containers with only what the recipe required.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 9 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup of peanut butter*
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of flour (can be gluten-free if needed)
A pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup of oat milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of dark chocolate drops
*Use tahini for a nut-free alternative
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C / gas mark 4
- Cream together the peanut butter and raw sugar, mixing until well combined
- Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well
- Add the milk bit by bit until a dough-like consistency has been formed. If the mixture becomes too wet, simply add in more flour. Likewise, if it is too dry, add in more milk
- Stir through the chocolate chips until evenly distributed
- Line a tray with baking paper (reusable if working towards zero waste) and evenly spoon out the dough to create nine cookies
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on your desired consistency, leaving to cool and set before removing from the tray
Find your local bulk shop with Melissa Hemsley‘s guide to the UK’s bulk shops.
For more zero-waste baking, try Max La Manna‘s Waste Free Biscuits.
Fancy dessert instead? Indulge with Alexandra Dudley‘s Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse with Amaretto Cherries.