Years ago, I had the chance to partner up with my friend Hannah, as she wrote her first cookbook, My Sweet Vegan. She has since written several other vegan cookbooks, including new Real Food, Real Fast. But this lucky peanut butter lentil cookies recipe is a flashback to her original title. She originally created this treat to symbolically bring health and good fortune into the new year.
Hannah says these lentil cookies are, “unassuming from afar, tempting upon closer inspection, and hauntingly delicious at first bite.” They are nutty, soft and chewy, with a crisp exterior, much like traditional peanut butter cookies. But there is something slightly different and special about these protein-rich treats.
Special Diet Notes: Peanut Butter Lentil Cookies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based and vegetarian.
For peanut-free lentil cookies, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter. But be aware that sunflower seed butter can react with baking soda to create a greenish hue. It’s harmless, but can look less appealing.
- ½ cup red lentils, dry
- ½ cup plain dairy-free milk beverage
- ¼ cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Begin by grinding up your dry lentils in a food processor for a good 5 to 10 minutes, until they become a fine powder. This step is crucial, as any larger fragments will change the texture of the finished cookies substantially. If you do not have a food processor handy, then the lentils can be ground in a spice grinder in about two batches.
- While your lentils are churning away, combine the non-dairy milk and mashed potato flakes in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for one minute. Let the potato mixture cool for a minute or two, before tossing it into a stand mixer along with your freshly processed lentil flour. Mix in the peanut butter and sugar. Sprinkle in the cornstarch while keeping your mixer on low, increasing the speed once everything is combined and no longer threatens to send starch flying out. Make sure the dough is thoroughly mixed before introducing the remaining ingredients. Stir until completely smooth.
- Spoon rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave a good amount of room between the cookies to allow for spreading, but they shouldn’t spread too far; about an inch should do the trick. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are no longer shiny on top, but have not yet begun to brown around the edges. To ensure a soft, chewy cookie, remove the cookies from the oven just before they begin to take on color. Allow them to sit on the hot baking sheet for another 5 minutes before pulling the silicone baking mat off onto a cooler surface.
Key Pantry Supplies: Peanut Butter Lentil Cookies
More Unique Lentil Dishes
Marinated Mushroom Bowls (vegan, gluten-free & optionally allergy-friendly)
Apples ‘n Spice Breakfast Lentils (vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly)
Instant Pot Lentils & Rice (vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly)
7 Comments
Your recipe has no mention of potato flour in the ingredients. Did you forget to put it in? How much?
My apologies, we updated the recipe format recently, and it seems an error was made. I’ve fixed it, and it’s mashed potato flakes (the instant ones you can get at most stores).
Wow, talk about a blast from the past! These photos are downright embarrassing now, but the flavors remain true, and I’m happy to see this recipe get some love once again. Speaking of which, thank you so much for the incredibly thoughtful introduction! I feel so lucky to have met you at the very start of this wild ride. 🙂
Of course your photography has improved, but these still look pretty darn appealing. Maybe they’ll get a reshoot in MSV 2? 🙂 I’ve got a few of your classic recipes on here – just breathing new life into them so they don’t get overlooked!!
What could I substitute the: ¼ cup instant mashed potato flakes with? I can’t eat nightshade vegetables, But this recipe sounds yummy.
That’s a tough one. This isn’t my recipe, but that ratio of flakes to milk beverage makes very runny mashed potatoes. So I might just omit the flakes and try increasing the starch, possibly to 1/3 cup. You can heat a little bit of the starch with the milk to thicken it. It’s hard to say without testing it though! Another option that might work is swapping in something else that will thicken the milk beverage a bit, like ground flaxseeds or chia seeds.
Thank you! This was my question, too. I try to avoid nightshades.