Soy butter cookies

The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ufvcascade.ca.

Peanut butter cookies will forever be a nostalgic favourite treat for me. Unfortunately, around the age of seven I developed a mild peanut sensitivity which, while not life-threatening, did mean that I completely cut peanut products out of my life. 

Something I had been wondering for years was if I could just replace the peanut butter with some other similar substance. There is a wide assortment of replacements for peanut butter, including other nut butters, such as almond, sunflower, pea, and soy butter. I decided to use my favourite alternative: soy butter. While not quite what I remembered, this recipe yielded an adaptable smooth dough and cookies that crumble wonderfully.  

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup soybutter, room temperature

Method

1. Combine the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and soy butter in a large bowl until they are smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time.
2. In seperate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together, then combine with the butter mixture, adding the dry ingredients to the wet. 
3. In bowl, refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. 
4. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten each of the balls with a fork to create a decorative criss-cross pattern.
5. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown.

Soy butter and jam cookie variant:

1. Follow all steps until flattening the dough. 
2. Instead of using a fork, use thumb or back of a spoon to indent the dough and fill with fruit jam. 
3. Bake at 375 F for 15-17 minutes. 

Optional chocolate dip

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave at 10-second intervals until smooth. 
2. Dip half of a cooled cookie in chocolate. 
3. Place on parchment lined baking pan and let dry. 

Image: Nicholas Ashenhurst-Toews

Nicholas Ashenhurst-Toews

Other articles

• MoNOgamy
• Abbotsford bus schedule changes
• The history of the science behind dreams
• Where the only winners are war movies