Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

To construct this detoxed cookie recipe, I carefully reviewed a few 5-star traditional recipes online for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I used some of my favorite baking blogs like ‘Sally’s Baking Addiction’, ‘Preppy Kitchen’ and ‘Handle the Heat’. Traditionally made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies use flour, sugar, eggs and butter along with commercially available, low quality sweetened peanut butters like Jif and Skippy.

The traditional recipes also call for sugar loaded chocolate chips which we won’t use. Another important note on Jif, Skippy and most other PB varieties; they all include hydrogenated vegetable oils which are UNHEALTHY for a variety of reasons. I’ll go more into the dangers of these types of oils below so please read on.

I use the traditional recipes only to examine the wet to dry ratios and fat to protein ratios and the variations of leavening that professional bakers use for this type of cookie. These ratios are important to ensure the detoxed cookie will turn out dense, soft and chewy with slightly crispy edges, just like a proper cookie. For a simple cookie like this, I could have used a highly rated online traditional recipe and made the 1:1 Swaps for Flour, Sugar, Eggs and Butter, but I thought I could do better than what’s currently out there. And, I hate following recipes, lol:)

I used my intuition on the ratios and my love of bold flavors to modify the recipe slightly by adding more vanilla extract and a touch more salt because the peanut butter and chocolate combination needs a salty sweetness to round out the flavor profile. Most traditional recipes call for white and brown sugar, but brown sugar isn’t needed in the detoxed cookie. If you really want a brown sugar “swap” and aren’t on a strict keto diet or diabetic diet, you can add 1 tablespoon of molasses to the cup of Sugar Swap.

Like olive oil, one of the main fats in peanut butter is oleic acid. When substituted for unhealthy fats in your diet, oleic acid is shown to help maintain good cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. Oleic acid has also been shown to reduce insulin resistance, the common condition that raises blood sugar, causes weight gain and leads to diabetes. Peanuts are also a great source of vitamins and antioxidants like manganese, vitamin E, and B vitamins. One of peanut butter’s most powerful antioxidants is coumaric acid. Research found that its activity is boosted by 22% if you roast peanuts before whipping them into butter.

Commercial peanut butter brands often have added sugars and hydrogenated fats. Make sure you look for all-natural roasted peanut butter without these added ingredients. I always use the Kirkland brand from Costco, it’s organic, creamy and completely unadulterated. Natural peanut butter will also add a more bold peanut flavor to your cookies. Commercial brands that are loaded with unnecessary ingredients don’t carry the same rich flavor.

Unsweetened peanut butter has about 5g net carbs per 2 tablespoons (7 total carbs minus the 2 grams of natural fiber contained in peanuts) which is more than our Butter Swap (and real butter) but each big detoxed cookie only carries 4g net carbs which will keep your body in ketosis. Not to mention, the 8 big grams of fiber in each detoxed cookie will certainly keep your digestion running optimally.

The plant soluble fiber from the psyllium husk and the digestive resistant fiber in the inulin found in the Egg and Sugar Swaps will slow down digestion of this nutrient-dense cookie. This helps provide more blood sugar stability throughout your day which can keep you feeling full and satisfied. This also keeps energy levels constant without the normal sugar crashes one would experience with a traditional, carb-loaded cookie.

The psyllium husk and inulin both feed and increase the number of healthy gut bacteria. Plenty of good flora in your intestines can promote a healthy immune system along with the added digestive benefits we all love with a healthy dose of fiber. Don’t forget the whole psyllium husk binds waste and toxins in your intestines and helps clear them from the body. These detoxified keto peanut butter cookies are not only free from all the unhealthy ingredients found in traditional dessert but they’re actually gently detoxifying to the body…double win!

Feel free to get creative with these cookies. In addition or in replacement of the sugar-free chocolate chips, you can use raw cacao nibs for an extra chocolate crunch. Cacao nibs are simply dried cocoa beans which are dried (not roasted), fermented and cracked to produce nutritious, rich chocolatey bits. They are slightly bitter but when mixed into a sweet cookie dough, it creates a nice flavor balance and I love the crunchy texture they add. Cacao nibs are loaded with nutrients and plant compounds shown to benefit health in many ways. The most important and impressive nutritional highlight of cacao nibs would be the high antioxidant capacity coming from the flavonoids. People who consume diets rich in flavonoids have lower rates of heart disease, certain cancers and mental decline.

If you’re a huge peanut lover, another idea for extra texture would be adding some coarsely chopped peanuts to your cookies or using crunchy instead of creamy peanut butter. This is my husband's favorite style of chocolate PB cookie and always his requested add-in.

My favorite sugar-free chocolate chips are “Lily’s” brand. They are clean, high fiber and contain good quality chocolate. They hold up well in baking and taste just like normal chocolate chips. I usually use the ‘dark chocolate baking chips’ which are a little smaller in size than the normal dark chocolate chips, they contain 55% cacao and are easy to find at most major grocery stores. They are also available on Amazon for all you digital shoppers. Lily’s makes a variety of sugar- free baking chips but they aren’t all dairy-free, so read the label to confirm the type you purchase are dairy-free if you’re sensitive.

I knew commercially available peanut butters (like Jif and Skippy) contain hydrogenated oils, but much to my shock and dismay, some of Lily’s newly released chip flavors contain hydrogenated vegetable oils too. Read labels and DO NOT buy these varieties. Hydrogenated fats are “trans fats” which aren’t good for your health. They increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease HDL (good) cholesterol. The hydrogenation of a vegetable oil is done to turn a naturally liquid oil into a solid oil which helps improve food texture and increases shelf life by preventing the oil from becoming rancid. This process helps food companies by improving their bottom line but it renders the oil unhealthy in the human body. Consuming hydrogenated oils can make you more susceptible to type 2 diabetes, increases inflammation and increases risk for cardiovascular disease. Please stay away from all sources of hydrogenated oils.

I love these cookies made with Whole-Grain and Grain-Free Flour. The Whole-Grain Swap keto peanut butter cookies will have a few extra healthy carbs, but I love the earth flavor these cookies have. The Grain-Free will give you a keto/paleo version and they are slightly more dense and chewy, but equally delicious. Although I didn’t bake them using both flours in equal parts (for this recipe it would be ¾ cup Whole-Grain plus ¾ cup Grain Free Flour to equal the full 1 ½ cups of Flour Swap the recipe calls for), that is usually my favorite taste/texture preference and I bet they would turn out amazing in this cookie.

For most of my patients, I’m a big advocate for balanced macro meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is an easy way to know what type of Flour Swap to choose to create a balanced macro dinner. If your dinner consists of just protein and veggies, I recommend eating Whole-Grain Swap cookies for dessert to serve as your healthy carb for that meal. Conversely, if you already had a healthy carb with dinner (quinoa, sweet potato, beans, etc), I would recommend the Grain-Free Swap cookies for dessert so you don’t overeat carbs at that meal. Easy, right! Balanced macro meals are the best thing you can do to keep your metabolism firing optimally, create blood sugar stability and keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout your day (or night). If you’re a diabetic or need to stay in ketosis, always bake using the Grain-Free Flour Swap.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Store your cookies covered in the fridge for up to 1 week or wrap them tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also prepare the cookie dough and store uncooked dough balls in the freezer and bake them fresh as desired. Simply bring them to room temperature before baking. 

*An important note on carbs:

Net carbohydrates are the sum total of carbohydrates that convert into glucose (therefore raise blood sugar) in the body. Anyone following a keto or diabetic diet should count net carbs NOT total carbs. To determine net carbs, simply subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates on the nutrition label. If you count macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein) you should always count net carbs, not total carbs.