Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

These Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies are a simple gluten-free, vegan version of the popular peanut butter blossoms we all love so much! The almond flour peanut butter cookies are made with only 6 ingredients and then garnished with a dairy-free chocolate candy.

Nothing beats a classic peanut butter blossom cookie, amiright?! I know they are a very popular cookie, probably because they’re so easy to make- and you really can’t beat the peanut butter and chocolate combination 😉. Maybe these are typically made as Christmas cookies around the holidays, but they’re definitely considered an all-year-round cookie in my book.

Speaking of book, these Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies are adapted from the Salted Peanut Butter Cookies from my baking book, The Beginner’s Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Baking and worked perfectly as peanut butter blossom cookies. I love the use of almond flour in the cookies to keep them not only gluten-free, but also grain-free and offer some other healthy benefits.

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Ingredients

Almond flour. The base of these cookies is almond flour. You may use blanched or unblanched almond flour. If you prefer lighter cookies, use blanched almond flour. You will need 2 cups of almond flour.

Baking soda. Baking soda is used to help the cookies rise.

Peanut butter. I suggest using chunky peanut butter in this recipe, but smooth peanut butter will also work. I use natural peanut butter- just peanuts and salt, without palm oil and sugar.

Butter. You will need 1/4 cup of vegan butter. I like Miyoko’s stick butter.

Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract not imitation vanilla.

Agave syrup. These cookies are naturally sweetened with agave syrup. If you wish to use maple syrup instead feel free to make that swap.

Chocolate/ chocolate candy. Read more below on the chocolate candy centers, but you will need dairy-free chocolate candy, peanut butter cups, or just chocolate squares will work. They might not look as “pretty” but they will still taste great.

Allergy Friendly Version

If you can’t have almonds, feel free to swap out the almond flour for sunflower seed flour. You can find it in select stores or on Amazon. You can also make your own sunflower seed flour at home by grounding raw sunflower seeds into a fine flour. I have not tried to make these cookies with sunflower seed flour, however, but it should work.

If you can’t have peanut butter, feel free to use another nut/seed butter.

The Chocolate Candy Centers

I wasn’t able to find dairy-free Hershey’s Kisses at the store, so I decided to make my own at home using this silicone chocolate candy mold. I thought it would be fun to have on hand to make different chocolate candies anyway, and made for a more “traditional” peanut butter blossom cookie.

If you don’t feel like buying a candy mold for this cookie recipe, no worries! I was able to find these Chocolate Smooches (affiliate link) or alternatively you may also use dairy-free mini peanut butter cups, dark chocolate squares, or just melt some chocolate chips and pour that into the centers.

How To Make These Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the almond flour and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a glass bowl or measuring cup, add the peanut butter and vegan butter and melt in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to combine. Add the vanilla and agave syrup. Stir until smooth and creamy and well combined. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the almond flour and stir to create a cookie dough.

Using a small scoop, about 1½-2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie, roll into balls and place them on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

IMMEDIATELY after removing the cookies from the oven, gently move the whole parchment paper of cookies to the other cookie sheet. This is to also help keep the chocolates from melting. Push a chocolate candy into the center of each cookie. The cookies will crack, but don’t push down so much that they completely fall apart. After you press chocolate into the centers of all the cookies, place the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 15 minutes to keep the chocolates from melting. Allow them to cool completely and then enjoy!

How To Keep The Chocolate From Melting

It’s very important to stick the chocolate candy in the middle as soon as the cookies come out of the oven so that when they cool, the chocolate will stick in the middle and not fall out when you’re eating them. However, this can be tricky because the cookies will still be warm and can melt the chocolate (what happened with my first batch of these cookies! 😑) So here are a couple of tips that worked for me to keep the chocolate from melting:

Freeze the chocolate candy the day before. If you’re making your own, simply pour the chocolate in the mold and then freeze it overnight. Pop the candy out of the mold while the cookies are baking and then add them to the centers. I tried to use chocolate candies that I had stored in the fridge overnight and they still melted. No matter what chocolate you use in the middles (unless you’re pouring melted chocolate in the middle), place it in the freezer a day ahead of time.

Transfer the cookies right away to a cool baking sheet. This is rather simple because you lined the baking sheet with parchment paper, so all you have to do is line up the cookie sheets and gently slide the parchment paper with the cookies on it to the cool one. I used cookie sheets that have no lip around the pan for easier transfer.

Place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer for about 20 minutes after you press the chocolate into each cookie (rather quickly). This will also keep the chocolate from melting. After about 20 minutes, you can remove the cookie sheet and allow the cookies to sit at room temperature.

How To Store These Cookies

These cookies are very soft and moist, so expect some breaking when you bite into them. Remember, there’s no eggs to act as a binder! I love that they just melt in your mouth. I like to keep them stored on my counter uncovered for a day or two and then if you still have some left, transfer them to an airtight container for a couple more days.

You may also choose keep them stored in an airtight container in the fridge to make them more firm if desired.

Let me know what you think about these easy, delicious peanut butter cookie recipe down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a five rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover a healthier version of Peanut Butter Blossoms! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make them!

Other Recipes Using Almond Flour

Let me know what you think about these Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies down below in the comments section as well as giving it a five rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover a gluten-free, vegan peanut butter blossom cookie recipe! Be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make them!

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