Peanut, banana and choc chip cookies

• Preparation Time 15 Minutes
• Chilling Time at least 2 Hours
• Baking Time 12-15 Minutes

Vegan, vegetarian, egg-free, gluten-free and dairy-

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What is better to have with a cuppa than a gorgeous home-baked cookie, even nicer if they are fresh from the oven. Unlike cakes, cookies are quick to bake and so having three sons they fitted into a hectic lifestyle easier. Many a drama was solved or pain soothed by handing out a cookie. They are all grown up now but they still love something homemade especially anything that contains chocolate or peanut butter.

Times change and more often than not due to health and lifestyle choice my baking is now both gluten-free and vegan, so I wanted to come up with a delightful version using both of these ingredients. Packed full of gorgeous peanut butter flavour and stuffed with chocolate chips with the added extra ingredient, crushed dried banana. Heavenly. They tick all the boxes of what a cookie should be. Crispy on the outside with a lovely chewy centre, sweet and unmistakably moreish, one is never enough.

. The secret that makes these so good I think is that you make the cookie dough in advance. I would leave it to chill for the minimum of 3 hours in the fridge before using although I tend to leave mine overnight. It makes the mixture easier to roll and handle and the cookies have a better texture. This mixture makes a large batch of cookies, around 40-45. They also freeze extremely well.

I have listed the ingredients as both gluten-free and vegan but you can adjust to suit your needs. You may need to add a little bit of soya milk if too dry.

Ingredients

• 150g smooth or crunchy peanut butter ( check the ingredients that it contains no added sugar or palm oil, just nuts)
• 160g butter, I use Vitalite
• 80g light soft brown sugar
• 120g granulated sugar
• 130g buckwheat flour
• 50g gluten-free plain flour
• 1 Flaxseed egg or other egg replacement
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g milk or dark chocolate chips
• 80 g dried banana chips coarsely blitzed

Flax egg = 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds mixed with 3 tbsp of warm water and left to sit for 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175C
2. Mix together in a bowl the flours, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
3. Mix up your flax egg
4. Place the peanut butter, butter and sugars into a separate bowl and beat with an electric mixer at a high-speed until well combined and smooth and then beat in the vanilla extract and flax egg
5. Sieve in the flour mixture and stir in then mix in the chocolate chips and ground banana chips.
6. cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
7. When ready to use line a large baking sheet with non stick baking parchment and set aside.
8. Take teaspoons on the dough and roll into balls and put well spaced on the sheet, using flour to roll in the hands if still slightly sticky

8. Slightly press down on each cookie and place in the oven for between 13- 15 minutes. Keep a watch on them as they can turn from ok to too dark very quickly.

9. Leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack,then repeat the process until the dough has all been used. Make sure you return the mixture to the fridge when the cookies are in the oven each time.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, don’t forget to tag me on twitter as @veganalchemist1 or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I love seeing your versions of the recipes. I would love to hear your comments too. Feedback is so important.

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8. Slightly press down on each cookie and place it in the oven for between 13- 15 minutes. Keep a watch on them as they can turn from ok to too dark very quickly.

9. Leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack, then repeat the process until the dough has all been used. Make sure you return the mixture to the fridge when the cookies are in the oven each time.