If you are vegan or you have given up eggs for some other reason, baking can become a very frustrating process. A lot of your go-to recipes may stop working for you, and this is often upsetting, especially if you are a keen baker.
Cookies in particular often depend upon egg to bind them, and if you’re wondering about creating a batch of your favorite cookies, you might be trying to work out what you can use to make peanut butter cookies if you don’t put eggs in them.
Can you make peanut butter cookies without eggs? It is perfectly possible to make peanut butter cookies without eggs, but you may find that they are more crumbly than the standard version. Usually, however, the peanut butter will provide the stickiness required to make these cookies work well.
How Do You Make Peanut Butter Cookies Without Eggs?
There are many egg-free recipes for peanut butter cookies available online. It is probably better to use one of these than to try and adapt your usual recipe, because the ratio of dry and wet ingredients will be skewed if you just remove the egg.
Instead, look up a new recipe; there are lots of good ones available. They will overcome the lack of eggs in various ways. Many will simply increase the quantity of peanut butter, which is a sticky, binding ingredient. Others may use milk, but of course, this is not vegan.
In general, you can make vegan peanut butter cookies with just the following ingredients:
- Vegetable margarine
- Brown sugar
- Peanut butter
- Plain flour
If you like, other ingredients can be added to alter the taste and texture, but this is the simplest and most fundamental way to make egg-free peanut butter cookies.
Are Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cookies Better For You?
Unless you have a reason to avoid eggs, there is probably little health benefit to be gained by making your peanut butter cookies egg-free. Eggs are generally quite healthy, although they have sometimes been linked with high cholesterol.
Overall, the biggest reasons for removing eggs from your cookies are likely to be:
- To cater to a vegan diet
- To make the food allergy-free
You should remember that peanuts are one of the commonest allergies, so peanut butter cookies aren’t a good option if you are attempting generally allergy-free food. However, if you are baking for a specific person who is allergic to eggs but not peanuts, they can be a great choice.
Peanut butter cookies with egg in are not bad for you unless you have a reason to avoid eggs, so there’s no need to take the eggs out of your recipe just to improve the healthiness of this snack.
Do You Need Another Binding Ingredient?
Many recipes become excessively crumbly if you remove the egg, because it is what reacts and binds the different ingredients together. You might be wondering whether you need something like aquafaba to help make your cookies stick together.
The answer is no. Peanut butter cookies should stick together just fine if you mix up the ingredients listed above, and they don’t require egg to work. You might find that the texture is a bit different without the egg, but you shouldn’t find that your cookies just turn to crumbs in your hands.
This is great, because it means you do not have to add other ingredients, and you can keep things very simple.
Should You Use Homemade Peanut Butter?
Using homemade peanut butter can be particularly satisfying in this sort of recipe. It is surprisingly easy to make your own peanut butter, and if you really want to go for the “everything from scratch” vibe, this is the best option.
However, you don’t have to make your own peanut butter. It is not a requirement of the recipe, and cookies will often taste just as good with peanut butter that has come from the store. Don’t worry if you just don’t have the time to start blending peanuts.
Will Peanut Butter Cookies Without Egg Look Different?
They probably will look a bit different, yes. Peanut butter cookies that are baked without the egg are often rather flatter than the egg-filled variety. Often, your cookies will come out as flat, round discs, less than a quarter of an inch thick.
This is because having egg in gives the cookies more structure while they are baking. They will not run as far, and therefore they bake into thicker discs, rather than spreading out. You do need to space your eggless peanut butter cookies out further on the baking tray so that they don’t run into each other.
You might also find that reducing the cooking time is necessary, because flatter cookies will bake more quickly. If you over-cook them, they may end up crunchy and hard, rather than soft and chewy. It is a good idea to experiment a bit and see what works best for you, as every oven is different.
This is another good reason to use a given recipe for eggless peanut butter cookies, rather than trying to adapt your own recipe.
What are the Advantages of Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies?
The biggest reason to make peanut butter cookies without eggs is to make them suitable for vegans and allergy-sufferers. This is always a really nice way to include everyone, especially at group get-togethers or work events.
Of course, you do need to check that peanuts are not an issue for your intended recipients, but often, those who suffer from egg allergies have more of an issue finding suitable foods, because eggs are an invisible ingredient in so many things.
Similarly, you will make your cookies suitable for vegans, who often have trouble with baked goods. You will also be doing your bit to help the planet, by reducing the demand for animal products.
Final Thoughts
Peanut butter cookies without eggs are easy to make, and really aren’t any harder than the basic recipe with eggs in. You will find that your cookies spread more in the oven, so you should bake them for a shorter amount of time, but otherwise, you’ve got a great treat that is vegan-friendly and egg-free!