Peanut Butter Spring Chicks - Sugar & Gluten Free

by Crystal Baldwin

Not a fan of those squishy, sugary marshmallow Easter chicks?  Me either! 

That's why I came up with this healthy version of a copycat peanut Butter cookie turned into a super cute Easter chick complete with sugar free white chocolate and a little turmeric for color and anti-inflammatory benefits...what's not to like? 

This project has it all - it's fun, super cute, doesn't have sugar, high in protein and did I mention it tastes so very yummy?   

I grew up on nutter butter cookies and they were one of my favorites!  This cookie recipe is easy to make with just 5 ingredients for the cookies (you can stop there if you would like), and a few extra steps to turn them into adorable Spring Chicks. 

The basics are easy, mix up peanut butter, vanilla, sea salt and maple syrup - I use a sugar-free brand - Lakanto, made from monkfruit and erythritol but you can use regular maple syrup as well.  then you blend in the almond flour and baking powder and you have your cookie base.  Of course if you have a nut allergy you could try coconut flour or regular flour if you would like.  The almond flour & peanut butter keeps the protein higher. 

Next, you roll them into little balls and then flatten them with a spoon (if you are just making peanut butter cookies use a fork for the classic nutter butter look).  Bake them till they are lightly browned, cool and then put the cookies together with a plain peanut butter layer- there it is, a healthier version of that classic cookie! 

Now we move into the fun part- turning them into chicks! To create the coating I used Lilly's brand, sugar-free white chocolate chips and melted them down stirring in some coconut oil to make them more smooth and liquid.  To get the yellow chick color I used some turmeric powder instead of strange or toxic food coloring (it has some anti-inflammatory benefits as well). 

You do two rounds of dipping the cookies in the chocolate, freezing in between dips and decorate your sweet chicks after the second dip. 

To finish up with the decorating I used some left over star sprinkles from my Christmas cookies - I put the orange star on its side for the nose and also used them flat for the feet. 

For the eyes I melted just a bit of dark chocolate and used a toothpick to put the eyes in place.  Of course you could use chocolate sprinkles or other creative goodies to make your chicks face.  I used what I had in the house.  Let your imagination go wild! 

Will this turn out perfect? Probably not, but I guarantee you will have fun getting creative, making a mess and a sweet time licking your fingers as you go!

Peanut Butter Spring Chicks Cookie Recipe

Ingredients 

Cookie

• 2/3 cup blanched, fine almond flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup Lakanto Monfruit sugar- free maple syrup (or use regular maple sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Filling

• 1/4 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon Lakanto Monfruit sugar free maple syrup (or use regular maple sugar) note- this is optional, I think the white chocolate makes them sweet enough and just use plain peanut butter.

Coating & Decorations

• ½ Cups White Chocolate Chips (I used Lilly’s sugar-free)
• 3 Tablespoons- ¼ Cup coconut Oil (or oil of choice) more if needed
• Candy Star Sprinkles (like what you use for sugar cookies) Or any type of sprinkles
•  ½ Tablespoon Chocolate chips & dab of coconut oil to create the eyes (or use sprinkles)

Instructions 

Cookies

• 1.       Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• 2.     Mix together the peanut butter, Lakanto maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
• 3.     Next add the almond flour and baking powder, sprinkle evenly across the top and stir to combine, make sure there are no lumps of flour.  It should be smooth
• 4.     Using a teaspoon, scoop out a small amount and use your hands to roll the dough into ½ – 1-inch balls for smaller chicks or use a tablespoon for larger ones.
• 5.     Set two balls together snuggly touching each other on the baking sheet with a couple inches between each set of cookies leaving room to press them down flatter.
• 6.     Grease a spoon with a little coconut oil and gently press down on each ball in one direction, pressing the centers together so they become one cookie. Then press again 90 degrees in the other direction so flatten the balls so no edges are sticking up.
• 7.      Using the back of the spoon and your fingers, smooth out edges that might have cracked…think of how the cookie will looked when dipped in chocolate- it should be smooth.
• 8.      Bake the cookies for 10-14 minutes, until they're just beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Be careful not to let them burn or over-brown.
• 9.     Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack, and allow the cookies to cool completely, at least 15-25 minutes. If you don’t wait, they could crack.
•        Once totally cooled place the cookie sheet  in the freezer to chill

To Assemble

If you want just single layer cookies, go ahead and follow the directions below, dipping and decorating.  The single layer cookies will taste a bit sweeter without the peanut butter filling and won’t stand up on its own. 

If you want nutter butter copycats - peanut butter cookies stuffed with peanut butter, then follow these directions. Note – the stuffed cookies will stand up because they will be very thick, and they will not taste as sweet-it’s up to you how you would like them.

For Double Filled cookies

·        Find two cookies that are about the same size

·        Smear peanut butter on the bottom cookie and place the other cookie on top, pick it up with both hands and gently squeeze together to avoid cracking. Place them back on the cookie tray

·         Pay attention to which cookie is the most even and smooth- make that your top cookie. Remember sometimes you have to flip it over and use the back side for the most smooth surface.

·         Once assembled, place the filled cookies back in the freezer and freeze till hard

·         Then follow directions below- be sure to coat all sides including edges

    Coating & Decoration

Once the cookies are cooled prepare the decorations (count out your sprinkles for nose and feet) and melt the white chocolate, don’t do this too soon as white chocolate can seize easily (becomes clumpy).

2.     Use a double boiler or create one by putting a shallow stainless-steel pan on top of a pot of water – make sure it fits completely over the top of the pan to avoid any water from getting in your chocolate- water and high heat will make chocolate seize.  

3.    To avoid having lumpy white chocolate be sure your heat is low and stir constantly as the chips melt, you must add some oil to make it smooth. Remove from heat if needed while you stir.

4.     Go ahead and melt your dark chocolate and dab of oil stir to smooth, you will use this with a toothpick to create the chicks’ eyes (or use a chocolate sprinkle of some kind)

5.     Once the white chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly

6.     Bring the cookies out of the freezer, using a fork dip & flip each cookie, coating all sides and let any excess drain off.  Use a cookie cooling rack placed on another cookie sheet and put the dipped cookies on it so the excess chocolate will run through and not pool around your cookie (this changes the shape).

7.     Once all cookies are dipped, place them back in the freezer till they freeze pretty solid

8.     Now it’s time to dip and decorate.  You should have your decorations out and ready to go as the chocolate will harden quickly.

9.     Dip one cookie at a time, drain and place back on the cookie rack -decorate right away before the chocolate hardens.  If it hardens too quickly, don’t panic, simply use a toothpick and add a dab of chocolate to your decoration and place on the chick.

      Place the eyes first, then the nose and then the feet.  Add any other decorations you would like.

       Place back in the freezer when done and let them set up.

       Remove from freezer, bring to room temperature and then store in a sealed container in the fridge

       You can take them out for an hour or so before serving to let them get warm and softer…or add to an Easter Basket and use them as your centerpiece for the table during Easter Dinner or a Spring Celebration.

*Notes- These might not be perfect, but they are a lot of fun to make and taste yummy to eat! If you use the no sugar option, it will taste sweet from the monkfruit & erythritol sweetener but won’t spike your blood sugar. 

Plus, the cookie has no white flour, only almond flour and peanut butter so they are higher in protein.  A good, healthy treat for everyone on Easter Morning!

Feel free to use almond butter or whatever nut butter you prefer.

Download Recipe Here

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