These Protein-Packed Maple Peanut Butter Cookies Are the Ideal Post-Workout Snack

The perfect combination of sweet, salty, and nutty, peanut butter has something that gets all the tastebuds excited. Seriously, who hasn't enjoyed a spoonful straight from the jar? While the spread tastes great in everything from a classic PB&J, on oatmeal, in smoothies, and, of course, paired with chocolate, the latest episode of Alt-Baking Bootcamp is showing how to use it to make something else delicious: peanut butter sandwich cookies.

"The great thing about this recipe is that it is dairy-free and gluten-free, so if you have any intolerances, this is the recipe for you," says nutrition coach, baker, and fitness instructor Sashah Handal in the video. The recipe calls for both creamy peanut butter and crunchy peanut butter. (Seriously, this is what PB dreams are made of.) The creamy peanut butter is used to make the cookies and the crunchy peanut butter is used to make the sandwich cookie filling.

Here's what else you need to make the cookies: maple syrup, vanilla extract, millet flour, baking powder, and sea salt. When mixing the ingredients together in a large bowl, Handal recommends adding the millet flour a little bit at a time. This will make it easier to whisk the ingredients together so the mixture gets as creamy as possible. "As soon as the flour gets absorbed, it will form this dough that basically sticks to itself," Handal says. When the dough is formed, roll it into a ball and put it in the fridge to set (keeping it in the bowl) for 30 minutes.

In the video, Handal shows how to use the dough to make little peanut shapes (cute, right?) before putting them in the oven to bake. Once they're ready, she shows how to use a mixture of crunchy peanut butter, coconut sugar, and tapioca starch to make the filling. Spread the filling between two cookies and your PB dream dessert is ready to enjoy.

Besides tasting great, these cookies are full of protein and healthy fats thanks to all that peanut butter. That means that they definitely can work as a post-workout snack. (And to think you were going to have a drugstore granola bar!) The millet flour also gives these cookies more fiber than they would have if white flour was used. It's also what keeps this recipe gluten-free.

"The cookie itself is really crumbly and melts in your mouth and the peanut butter filling is just so ooey-gooey," Handal says after savoring a bite. Ready to make a batch for yourself? Watch the video below to see how to make them and get the recipe below.

Peanut butter sandwich cookies recipe

Ingredients
For the cookies:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup millet flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

For the filling:
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using an electric mixer, cream together the wet ingredients. Next, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine until the dough holds together. Scoop and round into one-inch balls. On a baking sheet, press two balls together so there is a slight overlap forming a peanut shape. Use a fork to create a crosshatch score on all of the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove and allow to cool on a cookie rack.

2. For the filling, mix together all ingredients in a small bowl and dollop generously onto one cookie and sandwich a second cookie on top. Devour!

Get more healthy dessert recipes in Well+Good's Cook With Us Facebook group.