Date Sweetened Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
These date sweetened brown butter peanut butter cookies are truly a genius flavor combination that you don’t want to miss out on!
Indulge in the perfect combination of sweet and chewy dates, rich brown butter, and nutty peanut butter with this scrumptious wholesome and healthy cookie recipe.
Free of refined sugar and flour, these cookies are a great healthy treat to make.
This peanut butter cookie recipe uses simple yet effective techniques to create chewy, delicious peanut butter cookies that you’ll love.
Elevate your baking game with a healthier twist that doesn’t compromise on flavor.
Learn how to whip up these irresistible treats in no time.
What you’ll love about this date sweetened brown butter peanut butter cookie recipe
Here are some compelling reasons why you’ll love this peanut butter date cookies with brown butter recipe and how it stands out from other recipes:
Chewy texture: The dates in this recipe give the cookies a delightfully chewy texture.
Great flavor: Brown butter and peanut butter are a match made in heaven. The nuttiness from the brown butter compliments and enhances that nuttiness in the peanut butter offering you a truly delicious experience.
Naturally sweetened: We all know the benefits of eating less processed sugar. This peanut butter cookie recipe uses nothing but dates to sweeten them. They are a delicious treat without any processed sugar!
Delicious aroma: Your kitchen will be filled with the tantalizing scent of brown butter, toasty peanut butter, and warm vanilla as these bake in the oven. Definitely a magic combination.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make some straight up good peanut butter cookies:
- Butter – Not just any butter, but nutty and aromatic brown butter. After about 5 minutes on the stove, you’ll turn already delicious butter into super flavor charged brown butter which gives this recipe a layer of flavor that can’t be beat.
- Whole wheat flour – Using whole wheat flour gives these cookies more fiber and a more positive nutritional profile. However, if you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can use all purpose flour instead.
- Medjool dates – Using dates to sweeten the cookie dough helps you
- Salt – Salt is an important element in the recipe. A sprinkling of a flaky, coarse salt at the end of baking adds a lot to these cookies.
- Baking powder and baking soda – Not only do these ingredients help the cookies rise and spread, but they also encourage browning as the cookies bake.
- Peanut butter – An essential ingredient for these peanut butter cookies. Make sure to use un-sweetened natural peanut butter. You can use chunky or creamy, whatever you prefer.
- Egg – Binds the cookies together so they don’t just crumble apart. A binding agent is especially important for peanut butter cookies since the presence or peanut butter in the dough tends to make cookies more crumbly.
- Vanilla – The addition of vanilla enhances the flavor of peanut butter cookies by adding a subtle sweetness and complexity to the overall taste profile. The aromatic qualities of vanilla extract complement the rich nuttiness of the peanut butter and brown butter.
How to make date sweetened peanut butter cookies with brown butter
Just follow these 6 easy steps and you’ll be eating some good date cookies in no time:
- Brown the butter. In a pan over medium heat, gently melt a stick of butter. Continue melting and cooking the butter until all the foam has dissipated, the popping noises have subsided, and the butter is a golden brown color with a delightfully nutty aroma. Pour the browned butter into a heat proof bowl, making sure to get all the brown flecks at the bottom as well. Set aside to cool.
- Process the dates. In a food processor, blend the dates and flour until thoroughly combined. Pulse in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Combine all the ingredients. Whisk the cooled butter, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture from the food processor. Mix until combined.
- Chill the dough and heat the oven. Cover the cookie dough and chill for 15 – 30 minutes. In the meantime, adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the cookies. Make 12 dough balls, flatten them with your palms, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For the signature cross hatch pattern, gently press the dough discs with the tines of a fork. Bake for 13 – 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Tips for the best date sweetened brown butter peanut butter cookies
- Do not burn the butter during the browning process. Keep a watchful eye on the butter as you are browning it. Butter can go from brown to burnt really quickly! As soon as the butter is brown and smells nutty, remove it from the pan and pour it into a heat proof bowl to stop the cooking process.
- Process the dates really well. Process the dates and the flour for at least a minute or longer. You want the dates so finely blended that they’re almost seamlessly incorporated into the flour.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Ensure that your peanut butter and egg are at room temperature to avoid solidifying the browned butter. I store my natural peanut butter in the fridge to avoid oil separation. To warm it up I’ll either remove the jar from fridge about 30 minutes before adding it to the recipe, or warming up the needed amount in the microwave.
- Don’t over bake! Baking the cookies too long will result in dry, crumbly cookies. Start checking doneness at around 8 minutes and remove them from the oven when the center is just set.
- Sprinkle with salt right after baking. The best time to add a sprinkling of flaky salt to a cookie is right after it comes out of the oven.
- Change these babies up. Add some variation to these cookies by mixing in chocolate chips or chocolate chunks or swapping the peanut butter for a different nut butter.
Date Sweetened Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
June 5, 2024Elevate your cookie game with our Date Sweetened Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies. Bake a batch for a delightful treat or snack!
Ingredients
- 6 TBS butter (85 g)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (120 g)
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (144 g) ~10 dates
- ¾ tsp salt kosher
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ⅓ cup unsweetened natural peanut butter (90 g) chunky or smooth
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp flaky salt
Instructions
- Cut the butter into 6 pieces and put it in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, a layer of foam will appear on top and it will make some popping noises as the water in the butter is cooked off. Stir the melted butter often to see what color it is under the foam. After a few minutes, the noise and foam will subside, the melted butter will be a beautiful brown color, and it will have a nutty aroma. Once this happens, pour the butter into a small heat proof bowl to stop the cooking process and allow it to cool.6 TBS butter
- Put the flour and dates into the bowl of a small food processor. Process for at least a minute or longer. Process until the dates and flour resemble wet sand. Pulse in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda.1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup pitted Medjool dates, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla together until thoroughly mixed.⅓ cup unsweetened natural peanut butter, 1 whole egg, 2 tsp vanilla
- Add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. Stir until there is no more dry flour.
- Cover and chill the dough for 15 – 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Place an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 350℉.
- Portion the chilled dough into 12 even balls (~ 43 grams each). Flatten each ball into a disc between your palms, using the warmth of your hands to press the dough together (the dough is slightly crumbly). Place discs 1" apart on a lined cookie sheet.
- Using a fork, carefully make the signature criss cross pattern on the top of each cookie (be aware that if you press the dough too hard with the fork it will stick to the fork. Be very gentle when making the cross hatch pattern or skip it altogether).
- Bake for 13 – 15 minutes, until the center is set. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky salt. Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove and continue cooling on a wire rack.
