Life without peanut butter (or any nut butter, for that matter) would be incredibly dull + boring, don’t ya think? There once was a girl (not naming names) that was seriously addicted to a certain peanut butter recipe (that was conveniently written) on the back of a certain peanut butter jar. By the way, sorry if that reads like a riddle. Any guesses?!
The predictable addiction dates back to my college days (AKA: stuff my face with carbs + sugar days). During my last year of school, I lived and worked in the same building as a girl named Kelly. Said girl was super witty, friendly, and used to bake; peanut butter cookies of all things. I thought the sugar, peanut butter and egg recipe from the peanut butter jar was sheer genius. Until my pants started getting tight. REALLY tight. That’s when it stopped being funny (or genius).
Looking back- people were quick to say: “Oh, it’s all that peanut butter because it’s high in fat”. But it wasn’t the peanut butter- it’s the hoards of white, refined sugar the jar recipe called for. So hello, healthy peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies! I decided to make you using unrefined, raw coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is processed differently by our body because it’s lower in the glycemic index and doesn’t send blood sugar levels spiking. I added a pasture-raised egg, a pinch of baking powder, a pinch of sea salt, vanilla & folded in some dark, dairy-free chocolate chips. And just like that, am in TOTAL cookie heaven. And my pant size is not in jeopardy.
I feel the need to say that even with healthy treats, we must enjoy them mindfully and in moderation. Just because they’re made with healthier, unprocessed ingredients doesn’t mean we can polish the batch in one sitting every time. I believe in balance. I believe in REAL food. And I love how every single ingredient in these cookies comes together to form a dairy, gluten & refined-sugar free treat.
Guys, this is SUCH an easy, fool-proof recipe. I made these cookies on snapchat the other day with my sweet Gracie as my helper. If I wasn’t snapping away (or making sure Gracie girl does not swipe all my chocolate chips) it would probably only take 5 mins from one-bowl mixing & into the oven. So here they are! Enjoy them. Eat up. Perfect introductory bake for toddlers. Or hey, for adults that are new to the kitchen. This is a great place to start in the realm of flourless baking + gluten free living.
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-natural, organic peanut butter (you may sub with almond or cashew butter)
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips ( I used Enjoy Life, dairy-free)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract ( I love Madagascar vanilla!)
- 3/4 cup of organic coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a bowl: mix the peanut butter, coconut sugar, the egg & vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer for best results.
- Add the baking soda & sea salt and give it a good, final stir.
- Fold in the chocolate chips
- Form into dough balls and flatten them with clean hands (or a fork) to shape them. If you flatten them with a fork it leaves that nice linear stamp that says “homemade”.
- Bake for 8-12 mins, all ovens vary. Mine only needed 8 mins. Cool on a wire rack before eating so they can firm up a bit. Enjoy with a glass of cold almond milk!
These are SO cute! I can’t wait to make them for my Dad. Peanut butter cookies are his fave. What a great recipe adaptation! Thank you so much Aleyda 🙂