Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Healthified Peanut Butter Cookies







I think about food pretty much all day long. During work, on my lunch (of course), after my lunch (duh), driving home....all the time.


I have several notebooks lying around where I write all my recipes and make notes to myself. I have hundreds of pages bookmarked on my browser.


Yet there are moments when I am at a loss. What do I do next?! So much food to make and eat and healthify! It can be really overwhelming!


When I posed the question on my Facebook page a lovely friend suggested simple Peanut Butter cookies! An idea I had thought of earlier and forgot! Turns out I already wrote the recipe so I tweaked it a bit and went for it!

















And oh they looked so lovely. But...they tasted....not. Just...not. I mean they were not terrible -- and I would guess most of my dismay can be chalked up to a bad day and overly critical personality. But they were not what I wanted.


If you know me at all I can be very meticulous. The devil is in the details, right? I could not sleep until I got an authentic peanut butter cookie.



AND HERE IT IS!


















Soft and chewy in the middle with a nice crisp outer layer. Oh gosh these are good. And filling! But so so good! And of course you can omit the chocolate chips to get an honest to goodness classic cookie.



I know most of my recipes are usually refined sugar free but in this recipe I did add in some coconut/cane sugar mixture. It really made a huge difference so if you can -- or if you have granulated stevia -- that would be good, too!




By the time I finished these cookies I was pooched. And a bit skeptical. But I was also out of chocolate and peanut butter...and flour so it was my Hail Mary to the cookie endzone.















I promise you these cookies are absolutely WONDERFUL! They are sturdy and hold up well if you want to pack them for a snack and warm and gooey right out of the oven.


It's always good to have a healthified version of a classic, right?


RIGHT! So let's get to the recipe.








Healthified Peanut Butter Cookies 

Yields 25 - 30 Cookies

Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Vegan Option


Ingredients:


  • 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (I use this one
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup natural peanut butter
  • 2 eggs, flax eggs or egg replacer 
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 
  • 1/2 cup liquid sweetener of choice
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar or natural cane sugar (or a mixture of both)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks/pieces 
  • Optional: Extra coconut sugar/cane sugar for dusting 

Directions:



  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper
  2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients (including chocolate chunks) and sift together
  3. Add all wet ingredients, one by one to your bowl
  4. Once mixture is combine scoop out balls of dough that are around 1-2 tablespoons in size and roll into a ball
  5. Once your tray is full you may sprinkle on your sugar and create a criss-cross pattern onto your dough balls with a fork 
  6. Bake each batch for 10-12 minutes until the colour becomes more pale and the edges brown ever so slightly




Peanut butter lovers unite! These make the entire house smell like a big peanut butter cup! Ahhhhh!


You can omit the chocolate chips if you'd like...but aren't they adorable? And necessary?














You can sprinkle a TINY amount of coarse sugar on top before baking like I did -- you can omit the chocolate -- you can do whatever you liiiiike (T.I style)!




You can pile 'em high:













You can get high and pile them!


WAIT NO! Don't do that. Just make these cookies and drink them with a big cold glass of almond milk. Or coconut milk? Or milk milk? Or....just eat the cookies, ok!?


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I do love that little cross-cross! You can't make peanut butter cookies without them, right?!


These cookies are amazing. Dense and peanut buttery and sweet (but not overly so). They have all the makings of a peanut butter cookie! They may crack a little around the edges but I love them all the same!


What's your favourite kind of cookie? Classic? Something crazy? Do share!



Happy Peanut Buttering!


XO 

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