These no bake peanut butter buckeye cookies, the classic candy turned into a healthy cookie with only 4 wholesome ingredients. This healthy buckeye recipe is ready in 15 minutes. Dairy free, gluten free and no butter, eggs or oil.
These no bake peanut butter buckeye cookies are chewy, easy to make in one bowl and ready in 15 minutes. Made with only 4 main ingredients that are wholesome and probably in your kitchen right now. I pressed this healthy buckeye recipe into cookies but you can roll them into healthy buckeye balls instead.
Like my pumpkin peanut butter cups, these healthy buckeyes are a high protein, energizing snack perfect for all diets, including dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free, flour free, grain free and soy free. And make them nut-free by using sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
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How Do They Taste?
These vegan buckeye cookies have a melt-in-your-mouth texture along with a snappy chocolate shell and salty flavor. They taste strongly of peanut butter and chocolate. You can dim the peanut butter flavor by using cashew butter or even almond butter instead.
Ingredients for Healthy Buckeyes
- Flour. I used a mix of almond flour and oat flour, but all of one or the other is also fine.
- Cocoa. Use unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder.
- Peanut butter. Use a healthy type, runny and with only peanuts in the ingredients, no added sugar or other additives.
- Maple syrup. This liquid sweetener works as the refined-free sweetener and a binder. Any liquid sweetener will work including honey, but note that honey is not vegan.
- Chocolate chips. Melt these to create the chocolate shell base of this cookie. Add a little coconut oil to make the melted chocolate easier to coat.
- Pantry items: Add vanilla, salt, coconut oil for flavoring.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Steps to Make Buckeye Cookies
For more detail, visit the complete and printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Step 1: Mix up the chocolate cookie batter in a bowl.
Step 2: Scoop into balls, line on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Use a 3-tbsp scoop for big cookies or a 1-tbsp scoop for small cookies.
Tip: Depending on how runny your peanut butter brand is, you might need to adjust the texture of the batter by adding either 2 tablespoon of flour if it seems too sticky and wet, or 2 tablespoon of milk if it is too dry and not malleable.
Step 3: Press balls down with a spoon into cookie-like circles. Use a circular cookie cutter or a glass to even circles.
Step 4: Spoon on the peanut butter, leaving at least ½ inch around the edge. Put the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes while you prepare the chocolate topping.
Tip: Microwave the peanut butter to be used as a topping for 20 seconds or in two 10-second intervals to make it liquidy enough to spread.
Step 5: Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, and spoon that layer on top of the chilled peanut butter layer.
Step 6: Add chopped mini peanut butter cups and peanuts for garnish. Enjoy!
Storage
Store vegan buckeye cookies in the refrigerator for one week in a sealed container, lined in one layer on parchment paper. They will dry out over time. Or freeze them for 3 months.
How to Serve at a Party
These buckeye cookies will stay solid on the buffet table at room temperature for several hours although the cookie will dry out after a few hours.
Recipe Tips
- Use a runny, healthy peanut butter such as Whole Food's 365 brand, not a mainstream brand with additives and sugar like Jif.
- Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon for a spicy flavor to your vegan buckeye cookies.
- You can use a chocolate bar, melted, instead of chocolate chips for the melted shell base. Just break up the bar and melt with the coconut oil.
FAQS
Yes it is safe to eat raw almond flour and raw oat flour. It is not safe to eat all purpose flour raw however, but these cookies don't use all purpose flour.
Yes, you can reduce the sugar by using unsalted peanut butter, and replace half the maple syrup with melted coconut oil.
More No Bake Treats
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies (no bake)
Equipment
- baking sheet
- cookie scoop 3-tbsp or 1-tbsp
Ingredients
Chocolate Buckeye Cookies
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup oat flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
PB topping
- ¼ cup peanut butter
Chocolate topping
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
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Instructions
Prep
- Line a pan with parchment paper.1 cup almond flour, ¼ cup oat flour, ½ cup cocoa, ⅓ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt, ¼ cup peanut butter
- Mix all chocolate cookie ingredients in a bowl. Add a few tablespoon more of flour or add a few tablespoon of milk to get the texture so you can roll balls.
- Scoop batter with a 3-tbsp scoop into 7 balls and line them on the baking sheet. Or use a 1-tbsp scoop or 1-tbsp measuring spoon and create 21 mini balls.
- Either way, line the balls on a baking sheet, then press each flat, using a circular cookie cutter or glass to round the edges.
Add the peanut butter topping
- Prepare the peanut butter topping by microwaving the peanut butter for 20 seconds and stir until runny.¼ cup peanut butter
- Add a teaspoon or more of melted PB on top of each cookie and swirl until it coats the top just ½ inch away from the edge.
- Set the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow the peanut butter layer to harden before applying the chocolate layer.
Add the chocolate topping
- To prepare the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate chips by microwaving the chips and coconut oil for 1 minute. Stir until all chips are melted.½ cup chocolate chips, melted, 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- Spoon the melted chocolate into the center of the peanut butter topping on each cookie.
- Add chopped mini peanut butter cups and peanuts.
- Cookies are ready to eat. Store refrigerated.
Dee Dine
These no bake peanut butter buckeye cookies are a healthier twist on the classic candy.