food to glow

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are a cross between a chocolate brownie and a peanut butter cookie. Soft, sweet, and very chocolatey, these are quick to make and sugar-free. Perfect for a low-carb or ketogenic lifestyle, but adaptable for sugar-inclusive diets.

Before I get to the recipe I lay out what are the best sugar substitutes to use in baking, and my opinion on their taste and uses. If you fancy just heading straight to the recipe do scroll on down. Or hit the Jump To Recipe button at the top. And be assured that you DON’T need to use these sugars to make this recipe. I’ve sorted it for both sugar and no-carb sweeteners. Let me know in the comments which way you will be making these delicious, brownie-like cookies!

My journey to pain-free eating

Last week I shared with you my personal dietary discovery: I do better with a lower carbohydrate diet. Quite low. My joints and gut have never been so untroubled as they are without starchy and sugary carbohydrates. But this is personal to me, and not something I would blanket-recommend. Diets are very personal. Going outside of the typical government-touted dietary guidelines should be done with help from a registered dietitian, or other trusted and qualified nutrition and dietetic practitioner.

That being said, you are your best judge of how you feel. Trying out different ways of eating may reveal quite a lot. I am a case in point. For years I have shoved in a prodigious amount of beans and legumes; and lesser amounts of pasta, rice and potatoes. Reader, I suffered. The more I ate the more pain I felt; the warmer my joints; the more troubled my gut.

Most whole food starchy carbohydrates are exceptionally good for the majority of us. They provide a variety of fibre and other nutrients that have a positive impact on health states. But if you can’t digest them you don’t benefit from them. That’s me. Even sprouting the blighters gave no respite. I have learned to just have a taste of hummus, a small slice of bread, a few tablespoons of wholemeal couscous. To be honest, most days I have none of these, relying on a wide variety of vegetables, berries, seeds and nuts for a good amount of fibre. My gut and joints thank me every day that I shrugged off my “exemplary” diet. 🙂 Diet really is very personal.

Cool science stuff

In fact, the first phase report from the PREDICT-1 study found that, even amongst twins, responses to diet can be very different. This Kings College London-Massachusetts General study looked at literally millions of data points. Among other things, the researchers noted “wide variation in individual insulin, blood sugar and blood fat responses to the same meals, even for identical twins. For example, one twin might have healthy responses to eating carbohydrates but not fat, while the other twin is the opposite.” Do go have a read of the paper. It’s pretty fascinating.

Sweet and Low {Carb}

If you are interested in having less sugar in your diet, there are now low-carb, safe options. Gone are the days when sugar substitutes were dodgy at best. And even forget about Splenda and the like. It’s all change.

So, a no or low sugar way of eating doesn’t have to mean just nibbling on berries (these are low in sugar) to satisfy the natural human craving for at least the occasional sweet treat. Nope, we have four sources of quite acceptable low carb sweetness, all having their own properties and plus and minus points. And the minus points are not related to health. These sweeteners, non-nutritive for the most part, are all apparently safe at the modest levels we should have of any sweet thing. The most that might happen if you over-eat a no-sugar dessert or batch of cookies is that you might go to the loo a bit more, or perhaps have some temporary cramping. Consumed as part of a balanced diet you should not experience any issues.

4 Safe Sugar Substitutes

1 & 2. Erythritol and Xylitol – probably my favourite sugar sub, these naturally derived sweeteners are sugar alcohols (polyols). Usually extracted from sugar, they are well studied for safety, and even cited by diabetic associations as useful and safe. Xylitol is less used in home baking since erythritol tends to work and taste better.

Taste and Effects

The chemical structure of sugar alcohols hits the sweet receptors on your tongue, but has little impact on the body beyond taste.

Although this credible sugar sub is indeed sweet, it’s not too sweet. Erythritol is about 70 per cent as sweet as sugar, so you need more to do a swap. Xylitol is about 1:1 in taste with sugar, but has more calories than erythritol (I’m not bothered by calories though).

All sugar alcohols are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream. Whatever we absorb is converted into energy by processes that require little or no insulin. So, no insulin spikes. And low risk of the typical carb cravings we can get after ingestion of sugary treats. That’s good news for those of us who can’t resist eating a whole bag of sweeties rather than being happy with a portioned amount. Also, polyols may help with IBS symptoms, although for some it may make them worse. I’ve found them to be okay for me in modest amounts.

They also add bulk and texture – crucial for most sweeter baking projects. One downside is that both erythritol and xylitol have a noticeable cooling sensation, which some people find annoying. Xylitol more so: it’s mainly used in toothpaste and gum. Not only does it amplify minty toothpastes, both alcohol sugars neutralise harmful mouth bacteria. You will likely find erythritol blended with the next sweetener on the list.

How is it in baking? Sugar helps with structure, browning and moisture. Sugar alcohol blends are the closest to sugar in application, but is not perfect. Experiment with it to see for yourself. And use my recipes as they are published so you get an idea of how the baked result should look. Be sure to try this one, my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies!

I use NKD Living, Sukrin, Truvia, Natvia and Swerve. Swerve does a lovely brown sugar substitute (not currently on Amazon UK), although Sukrin Gold is pretty good, too. Overall, Swerve has the best taste, but is more expensive.

***Xylitol and Dogs – Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, causing seizures, liver failure and even death. This can be even with quite small amounts. Do not keep any xylitol-containing foods or gum anywhere near where dogs can reach. Probably best not using it at all if you have a curious or greedy dog. Cats seem to not have the same drastic reaction. Read more here.***

3. Stevia – more well-known than erythritol and xylitol, this sweetener is very, very sweet. About 250 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar), it is an extract from the stevia rebaudiana (“candy leaf”) plant, rather than the plant itself. As for applications, it’s not great for baking unless combined with other sugar subs, or cut with actual sucrose. Various brands have differing formulas, not all of which are low-carb or diabetic-friendly. So do read labels before buying. I find it’s best on its own in drinks and non-baked sweets, like power balls – just the tiniest dab. Get organic if you can. You can find it in powders and drops. It will taste very bitter if you have too much. Always start with the tiniest amount and cautiously add more to taste.

I use Sweetleaf powder and drops. I try and get organic when available.

4. Monk fruit – less popular but still useful, this is derived from an actual fruit – luo han guo. Used for centuries to treat various illnesses, including diabetes, this south east Asian gourd fruit is a bit different to the others here. The sweetness is an extract from one of the antioxidants in the fruit. I doubt that any antioxidant properties remain though. Monk fruit extract is 200 times as sweet as sucrose, and is heat stable, so it’s suitable for cooking and baking, although its really best in liquids. It is almost always in combination with other sweeteners.

I sometimes use Lakanto brand, which is a proprietary blend of monk fruit and erythritol. It’s pretty nice stuff!

UPDATE: another great sugar sub to try is allulose. It is a “rare” sugar, found in very small amounts in some fruits. Because of its rarity, it is also quite pricey. But it is fabulous in sweet dessert toppings like caramel as it doesn’t crystallise when it cools.

This is just a quick run through. Find out more by reading these links:

Baking and cooking with sugar substitutes – covers all of the above (diabetesselfmanagement.com)

Sugar alcohols and stevia (both on diabetes.co.uk)

Why is everyone going mad for monk fruit? (healthline.com)

The ultimate guide to low-carb sweeteners (ditchthecarbs.com)

Bottom line: erythritol and blends based on it (check labels) are best for baking and have the most sugar-like taste. I use it almost exclusively.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – what you need

Now that you have waded through all of the above, let’s get down to business and make a batch of these absolutely more-ish chocolate peanut butter cookies! Grab a baking tray, a bowl and all of the ingredients so you can start doing your own taste test! I’ve included product links below the list. Buying from my Amazon UK affiliate links cost you nothing extra but does help defray the cost of running Food To Glow. Ad-free! Thanks so much for your purchases. 🙂

• Erythritol granular sweetener – as a blend or as is (I use Natvia, Truvia, NKD Living and Swerve – not at once!)
• Erythritol brown sugar substitute – as above but brown! There is a taste difference, but feel free to use all of the plain erythritol. It can get pricey buying all of these things at once.
• No sugar added chocolate or 90% dark chocolate – I use Plamil no-sugar catering chocolate (with xylitol). Lily’s in the US is supposed to be amazing. This brand uses erythritol.
• Drippy peanut butter – I use Pip & Nut brand. It is fabulous stuff. If you can’t get drippy stuff, use tahini instead.
• Almond flour – I try and purchase Kirkland brand (from Costco and Amazon) as it is the finest I’ve tried. But I also rate Sukrin brand (they make erythritol sweeteners too) and NKD Living, but they aren’t quite as fine. If you can only get ground almonds, do pulse it a few times in a blender to break it down further.
• Cocoa powder
• An egg
• Plant or dairy milk
• Baking powder
• Salted peanuts for the top
  

  don’t you just want to reach in and grab one?

AMAZON UK PRODUCT LIST

A variety of sugar subs are listed so you can see different price points. I also include “my” almond flour, cocoa and chocolate.

Sukrin Gold All Natural Stevia Sweetener Brown Sugar Alternative 500 g

Swerve Sweetener, Granular, 12 Ounce

NKD Living Erythritol and Stevia – Natural Sugar Alternative – 1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Replacement – 750g

Powdered Erythritol by NKD Living – Zero Calorie Icing Sugar 1kg (2.2 lb) (I actually used it for this recipe as it was what I had nearby (see image). I use this for icings and when the granularity might affect the texture)

XYLITOL 1 Kg Natural Sugar Alternative, Non-GMO Certified

Sukrin Sweetener Variety Pack – Gold, Sukrin:1, Icing – this might be a good starter pack

Truvia Sweetener 270 g (Pack of 2) – but it is probably cheaper at the supermarket

Natvia 100 % Natural Sweetener Canister 300g (Pack of 4) – as a bulk purchase it seems cheaper than the supermarket

Kirkland Signature Almond Flour Blanched California Superfine, 3 Pound (Pack of 1) – this is the best brand, imo

Almond Flour by NKD Living (500g) Finely Ground Almonds from Spain

Callebaut cocoa powder – 1kg bag – not organic, but is the best stuff I have used

Plamil No Added Sugar Chocolate 1000g – this is good stuff and what I use all the time for work and home. It is vegan, too.

Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 90% Cacao Chocolate Bar Each 100 g (Pack of 5) – I sometimes use this instead of the Plamil. I nibble it too!

**If you are looking for some other lower sugar (but not necessarily low carb) cookie recipes, try one of these:

Espresso Peanut Butter and Oat Cookies

Spanish Cocoa and Olive Oil Cookies

Cardamom and Quinoa Crunch Cookies

I hope that you found this little sugar substitute primer useful. I promise to write a research-filled post on the ins and outs of both low carbohydrate and ketogenic diets very soon. In the meantime, enjoy making and eating these low-carb, keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. Even if you make them with real sugar they will still have less impact on blood glucose than standard cookies. Let me know in the comments and over on Instagram (tagging @food_to_glow) if you make them, would you?