These vegan and gluten-free peanut butter kitchen sink cookies are brimming with all sorts of deliciousness. A soft and tender peanut butter cookie base is stuffed with heaps of chocolate chunks, chopped white chocolate, nuts, oats, and chewy dates to create a cookie that offers a little bit of everything (except the kitchen sink, of course)!
Of all the desserts and sweet treats out there, if I had to pick just one genre of deliciousness to commit to for good, it would be cookies. And perhaps cookie dough, too. That's the same category, right?
This probably comes as no surprise given how many cookie recipes and cookie bar recipes exist on this blog. Cake and pie recipes? Few and far between. Cookie recipes? They abound.
These vegan peanut butter kitchen sink cookies are sort of like a mashup of this recipe, this recipe, this recipe, and this recipe, plus creamy chopped white chocolate and chewy dates.
As their name suggests, they basically pack everything but the kitchen sink into one sweet cookie package.
The only difference between these vegan kitchen sink cookies and more traditional variations is the addition of peanut butter in the cookie base and the lack of butterscotch chips.
Trust me, if I could find vegan butterscotch chips that didn't cost an arm and a leg (read: $20/bag) or contain strange, unpronounceable ingredients, they'd have made the cut, too. But until then, chopped Medjool dates will absolutely do the trick.
To make these vegan, gluten-free peanut butter kitchen sink cookies, you'll...
Cream together a bit of peanut butter, coconut sugar, and pure vanilla extract.
Whisk together oat flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and sea salt. Add it to the peanut butter mixture along with a splash of almond milk, and beat until large, moist mounds of dough churn around the bowl.
Then, sprinkle in heaps of dark chocolate chunks, chopped white chocolate, nuts, and chopped dates, and stir or beat again to incorporate.
Once the dough looks like the above, you're ready to start scooping.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a cookie scoop to gather and compress mounds of the sweet dough.
Drop the balls of dough onto the lined pans like so...
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely beginning to turn golden. As you can probably tell from the photos, these cookies don't spread much while baking, so you'll need to rely on time and color to assess doneness.
Let the cookies cool completely on the pan before attempting to move or enjoy. If you fuss with them before they've cooled, they'll break or crumble. Patience is most certainly a virtue here.
Once the cookies have cooled, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
These sweet treats are wonderful at room temperature, but I most adore them chilled.
For this reason, I like to store them in the refrigerator and enjoy them straight away from there. They also keep longer this way (up to two weeks), which is great news considering the size of the batch (i.e., a whopping 30 cookies)!
Of course, if you're feeling mighty generous, you could also share the cookie wealth!
I brought two dozen of these beauties to a Father's Day gathering with my parents (all four of them), my siblings, and their significant others, and all 24 were gobbled up in minutes. My littlest brother, David, kept saying, "Wait, these are vegan??" And he's in college and pretty picky when it comes to food, so keep his praises in mind if you have any loved ones who are extra particular.
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Kitchen Sink Cookies | Vegan, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 1 â…“ cups coconut sugar
- 1 â…“ cups unsweetened natural peanut butter (stirred well before measuring)*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 â…“ cups oat flour
- â…“ cup rolled oats
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk*
- ¾ cup vegan chocolate chunks
- ¾ cup chopped vegan white chocolate**
- ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped*
- ¼ cup pitted and packed Medjool dates, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the coconut sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla on medium-high for 1 minute using a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and sea salt. Place the bowl next to the mixer.
- With the mixer off, add the oat flour mixture. Then, pour the almond milk over the oat mixture and begin beating on low. Increase speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds or until just incorporated. The dough should pull together into large, moist mounds as it moves around the mixing bowl. If the dough is dry and broken into small crumbles, add more almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until it pulls together until large moist mounds within the mixing bowl.
- Stir in the chocolate chunks, white chocolate, nuts, and dates.
- Use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to scoop out 1 ½ tablespoon mounds of dough. Drop onto the lined pans, keeping about 1 ½ inches between rows. You should have about 30 cookies. (Note: Depending on the size of your baking trays you may need to bake in batches. That said, these cookies don't spread much while baking, so it's entirely possible to fit 15 to a pan if your cookie sheets are large enough. Alternatively, you can chill any unbaked dough and enjoy it by the spoonful for a sweet cookie dough treat.)
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just barely turning golden brown (these cookies don't spread much during baking so rely on time and color rather than overall look/shape). If your oven bakes unevenly between racks, you may need to rotate the pans at the halfway point.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan before moving or enjoying. (If you attempt to move them before they're completely cool, they'll crumble or break apart.)
- Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 month. I prefer these cookies chilled, so I store them in the refrigerator.
Lauren says
looks absolutely amazing! beautiful pictures!
Abby @ Heart of a Baker says
I like my cookies to be chock full of stuff so this is RIGHT up my alley! Love those chunks!
Celeste Jackson says
I was one of the fortunate benefactors at the Father's Day celebration that got to taste these and I can attest to how delicious they are. The traditional "kitchen sink" cookie is one of my husbands favorites...especially the one from "Fresh Market" which he found the recipe for online. This version passed his taste test as well and I would prefer he eats this version over the other. Thanks for recreating a favorite in a healthy way!
Danielle says
These look delicious!! For the homemade white chocolate, where do you buy cocoa butter? Online or is there a certain brand that is carried in stores like Natural Grocers or WFM?
Ashley says
Thanks, Danielle! Whole Foods carries cacao butter, but I almost always buy it online because it's much, much more affordable that way. I love Terrasoul Superfoods brand and usually purchase it through Amazon. It comes in large bags (1- and 2-pound), but the great thing about cacao butter is that it has a shelf life of 2+ years. Enjoy!
Amanda says
I saw this on twitter had to come check it out. Looks amazing!
Bethany @ atlhetic avocado says
I think I just found the recipe for the cookie of my dreammmssss! The chunk factor in these babes is insane! I'm droolinggggg
Rose says
It's official: this is my new favourite cookie!! I have made 5 batches in the last month and a half, and to my dismay, after giving them to friends, I've given about 2 batches away. They love them, too! I prefer mine slightly toasted after taking them from the fridge, so they have a nice, crispy crunch on top. They freeze beautifully. Thank you so, so much for this amazing recipe!!
Allison says
I made these cookies for the first time today and I must say that they rank among the best cookies I have ever tasted! My family couldn't stop raving about them. They are definitely going to become a cherished recipe in my baking repertoire. Thanks for another outstanding recipe, Ashley!
Ashley says
What a compliment, Allison! So happy to hear it and thanks for taking time out of your day to come back and share—means so much.
Aleksandra Žarak says
Hi, just made them. These are pure perversion, food porn haha! Thanks for another great recipe, looking forward to going through other delicious stuff on your blog!
Ashley says
SO happy to know you enjoyed them, Aleksandra! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts—means so much!
Jacky says
Hi! Questions:
- Can I flatten these at all before baking, or is it best to keep them in that round scoop shape to keep them from crumbling?
- Can I replace the chopped dates with raisins, or are dates best to help hold the cookies together?
TIA!
Ashley says
Hi, Jacky! Yes, you should be able to flatten them before baking. Totally fine if you prefer a flatter cookie! And yes, you can use raisins instead of dates. Enjoy! :)
Jacky says
Thank you so much!! I'm making them for a friend and I don't want to take chances haha.
Thank you for the awesome recipe! It checks all my boxes: vegan, gluten free, kitchen sink, peanut butter. No small task! :)
Ashley says
I like your choice of boxes, Jacky. :) And glad this recipe checks all of them. Hope you and your friend enjoy the cookies. Happy baking! :)
Jacky says
THESE ARE AMAZING. Everyone loved them, me most of all! I kept eating spoonfuls of the dough while making them, and the baked cookies are out-of-this-world too. I warned my friend how good they were, and when they tried one they said "you weren't kidding!" All cookies I make from now on will be judged in comparison to this one. Thank you so much!!!
Ashley says
What kind and affirming feedback to receive, Jacky! Thank you for taking the time to come back and share. Happy to hear everyone enjoyed. :)