So with the big holiday coming up quickly I decided to do some holiday baking. Like baking my gifts this year. Where I work now, people aren’t all that friendly or talkative – shall I say cliquish? – which just means I don’t have to actually buy gifts for people this year. So baking for the blog and being able to give those gifts away at work to those few I know will appreciate it? Awesome. So I hope you get to enjoy some vegan and gluten-free Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies.

I love this time of year, and not just because I get to go home for the holiday. There is nothing better than getting to see family, except maybe doing our annual gingerbread house decorating. We make a sugary mess, but everyone has tons of fun and everyone gets involved – a rarity. I also love being able to make my gifts for people – whether it’s a handmade knitted or crocheted stocking cap or baked goods, it doesn’t matter. I love making gifts, and this year is no different. I will be baking and posting a lot of different goodies this month, so get ready.These cookies though? Oh gosh – talk about having all your favorite things wrapped up in a gorgeous mess! There is nothing sugar-free or Elimination Diet about these cookies, but that’s okay. Try one to make sure they are good then pop then in the freezer so you don’t chow through them all. Yes, talking from a little bit of experience here.

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So these cookies are a two or three step process so be ready for it. It’s not labor intensive just a few steps. Start by making your flax egg with hot water then microwaving for 25 seconds, then set aside to cool. Process your oats into flour, then your pretzels into pieces and dump both in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, flax-egg, and baking soda to the bowl and mix. Add the peanut butter and milk and mix again. Put in fridge to harden up then take out and roll into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten with a fork in a crisscross pattern. Bake at 350 for 14 minutes then take out and let cool completely, then place in the freezer to harden. Once the cookies are very cold, melt chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. Place cookie in chocolate then use a spoon to gently drip and smooth chocolate over cookie. Wipe off excess then place back on parchment paper. Finish the cookies – or all that you can, I got 20 cookies done – then place pans back in the freezer to harden the chocolate. These are soft and wonderful peanut butter cookies, so they may break on you. No biggie – broken pieces love being dipped in chocolate too!

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Chocolate Covered PB Pretzel Cookies, 29 cookies

2 Tbsp Ground Flax
6 Tbsp Hot Water
1/2 C Oats, ground into flour
2 Handfuls Snyder’s Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks
2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 C Wholesome Sweeteners Coconut Palm Sugar
1 1/2 C Earth Balance Chunky Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk
1 Pkg Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks
1/2 C Raw Peanuts, chopped

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1. Dump flax and water into a small container and mix. Microwave for 25 seconds then mix again and set aside to thicken and cool down.
2. Grind oats into flour in a small food processor, then dump in a mixing bowl.
3. Process pretzels into small bits in the food processor and dump in the mixing bowl.
4. Add the sugar, baking soda, and flax mixture to the bowl and mix well.
5. Add peanut butter and milk and mix well.
6. Place bowl in fridge for 15 minutes.
7. Set oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Portion out cookies with a small spoon and roll into balls and place on baking sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork in a crisscross pattern.
9. Bake for 14 minutes. Take out and let cool then place in freezer to freeze slightly.
10. Chop peanuts into small bits. Dump chocolate into a small microwave safe bowl.
11. Melt chocolate in 30 seconds intervals, stirring between each interval, until completely melted.
12. Use a spoon to lay a cookie in the chocolate, then use the spoon to spread chocolate over the cookie. Take out of chocolate and wipe off excess with your finger or a knife then lay cookie back on parchment paper. Continue until chocolate is gone – you may need to remelt chocolate.
13. Place cookies back in the freezer so cookies and chocolate can harden.
14. Enjoy!