Name: Flourless Peanut Butter Temptations (Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: spray oil (, for greasing the pan); 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds ((see notes)); 3 tablespoons water; 1 cup all-natural organic peanut butter; ¾ cup coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar; 24 mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups ((see notes))

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These Peanut Butter Temptations are about to become one of your new favorite cookie recipes. A tender peanut butter cookie is stuffed with a mini peanut butter cup for maximum peanut butter chocolate flavor. The contrast of textures is hard to resist!

I initially found this recipe on the back of a bag of Reese’s mini peanut butter cups. Over the years, I’ve tweaked it to my family’s tastes, removing the flour and using coconut sugar for a richer, caramel-like flavor.

The resulting peanut butter cookie is naturally gluten-free and egg-free, with more peanut butter flavor. (Since there’s no flour to “mute” the taste!) I can’t wait for you to give them a try.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review

“I have made these at the holidays for at least 5 years and they are always such a hit at parties and we love them. Must make! They are a great replacement for the traditional PB cookie with the hershey kiss on top that I loved before being more health conscious.” – Leslie

plate of peanut butter temptations with one split in half

How to Make Vegan Peanut Butter Temptations

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.

In a large bowl, stir together the ground chia seeds and water to make a “chia egg.” It will gel together and thicken as you measure out the peanut butter.

To the chia egg, add in the peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and sea salt and mix to form a thick batter. Stir in the vinegar last; it reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise.

cookie scoop putting beanut putter dough into a mini muffin tin

Step 2:

Use a tablespoon to drop the batter into each mini muffin well. I like to use a cookie scoop like this so that all of the cookies have the same amount of batter. Bake at 350ºF until the cookies rise and are lightly golden on top, about 10 to 12 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, remove the peanut butter cups from their wrappers. This recipe is time sensitive, so you must be ready to insert the peanut butter cups the moment the cookies come out of the oven.

So don’t get distracted! (I’ve been known to do that.) It’s helpful to buy a tub of peanut butter cups that aren’t fully individually wrapped; I’ve listed my two favorite brands in the recipe notes below.

hand putting peanut butter cups into the dough

Step 3:

As soon as the cookies are done, immediately press a peanut butter cup into the center of each one. The cookies should be soft enough in the center that they are easily pressed into.

Once all of the peanut butter cups have been inserted into the cookies, allow the cookies to cool completely. Once cool, use a knife to remove each cookie, sliding it around the edge to loosen it. They will be fragile if still warm.

Serving Tips

My family prefers these cookies cold, so I place them on a plate and keep them in the fridge to serve. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

(Austin likes them directly from the freezer– but I think the peanut butter cups are too hard that way.) Serving them chilled from the fridge is perfect! But, you can also serve them at room temperature for a softer texture.

peanut butter temptations stacked on plate

Flourless Peanut Butter Temptations (Gluten-Free)

4.91 from 10 votes

This is arguably one of the more decadent treats on my website, and let me tell you, these gluten-free peanut butter temptations are worth making every year. Dark chocolate peanut butter cups are pressed into a rich peanut butter cookie for the perfect blend of creamy, chewy, and rich textures. (My family loves eating these chilled from the fridge!) Bring them to a party and watch them disappear quickly.

prep20 mins cook10 mins total30 mins

Servings:24

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Ingredients

spray oil , for greasing the pan
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds (see notes)
3 tablespoons water
1 cup all-natural organic peanut butter
¾ cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
24 mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups (see notes)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a mini muffin pan with spray oil. In a large bowl, stir together the ground chia seeds and water to make a "chia egg." (Alternatively, you can use ground flax seed instead.) It will gel together and thicken as you measure out the peanut butter. To the chia egg, add in the peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix well to form a thick batter. Stir in the vinegar last, which will react with the baking soda to help the cookies rise.
Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop the batter into each mini muffin well. I like to use a cookie scoop like this so that all of the cookies have the same amount of batter. Bake at 350ºF until the cookies rise and are lightly golden on top, about 10 to 12 minutes.
While the cookies are baking, remove the peanut butter cups from their wrappers. This recipe is time sensitive so it’s imperative that you are ready to insert the peanut butter cups the moment the cookies come out of the oven.
As soon as the cookies are done, immediately press a peanut butter cup into the center of each one. The cookies should be soft enough in the center that they are easily pressed into. Once all of the peanut butter cups have been inserted into the cookies, allow the cookies to cool completely. Once cool, use a knife to remove each cookie, sliding the knife around the edge of each cookie to loosen them up. They will be fragile if they are still warm, so be patient and don't remove them from the pan until they are 100% cool.
Enjoy at room temperature or transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge to serve chilled. (My family likes them cold!)

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 24 cookies. This information is automatically calculated using a generic online database, so it’s just an estimate and not a guarantee.

Peanut Butter Cup Note: My favorite dark chocolate peanut butter cups are from Target’s Favorite Day brand, and my runner-up choice is from Trader Joe’s. If you need a dairy-free or vegan recipe, choose a vegan mini peanut butter cup brand.

Chia Seed Substitute: If you can tolerate eggs, you can replace the chia seed and water with 1 large egg. Or, if you prefer to use flax seeds, replace the chia seeds with equal parts ground flax.

Nutrition

Author: Megan Gilmore

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: peanut butter temptations

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