Peanut Butter Cookies

Oh no faithful reader, you did not read this incorrectly.  I made cookies.  The holiday season is quickly approaching, and it is not the holidays without baking cookies.  I have always loved peanut butter and I began to think that maybe I could figure out a way to make a peanut butter cookie that would fit into my post operative world.  I didn't have to search far, and I found a recipe from a surprising person: Paula Deen.  If you know anything about Aunt Paula, you know that the woman is not the healthiest chef and that the woman never met a dish that didn't need more butter.  But lo and behold here was her recipe for magical peanut butter cookies.   You only need 4 ingredients: Peanut Butter, Splenda* (or whatever sugar substitute or sugar you like), an egg and some vanilla extract.  I added chocolate chips because I was afraid that the Splenda would make the cookies taste funny for people who are not living in this crazy post op world.  

As you can see from the picture, this produces a really crumbly cookie.  I think this is due to the fact that there is no flour or binding agent aside from the egg.  They taste pretty good though.  For a "diet" cookie they are flippin' amazing.  I guinea pigged them on a few unsuspecting people and got favorable reactions prior to telling them that they were "healthy" cookies.  If you are not used to the taste of artificial sweeteners you will definitely get a slight aftertaste due to the Splenda, but aside from that I don't think that they taste like diet food.

Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:

1 cup Peanut Butter (you can use smooth or crunchy, but seriously why would you want crunchy?)

1 cup plus 1/3 of Splenda

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Chips (optional, I used Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips)

Mix your peanut butter and splenda until thoroughly combined.  I used a fork to do this, and I will warn you that when you are choosing a bowl you want to choose a large one because otherwise you will get splenda everywhere.

Mix in your egg and vanilla to the peanut butter Splenda mixture.

Roll into balls about the size of a walnut and place on a greased (I use Pam) cookie sheet.  Dip your fork into the extra Splenda and then push it into the cookie to make the signature cross.  Top with chocolate chips to your taste level.  

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.  They were fantastic just out of the oven, but they fall apart a little more at this point.  Be warned, these cookies will not stay whole at any temperature.  I will experiment in the future with adding some whole wheat flour and maybe some oats to help stabilize the cookie.  

I was pretty happy with how these turn out.  It was great to be able to share them with people as well.  

*I am not trying to hawk Splenda on ya'll but it is what I use and one of the only sweeteners that you can bake with just like sugar.

Happy Snacking!