Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Cookies


Do you ever have those days where you just need a cookie? Like it's air, or sanity, or potential all wrapped up in an ever-so-slightly crispy exterior? 

But you just can't be bothered to cream butter?

Sometimes I suffer from that tragic combination of desire + apathy. Sometimes there's even a dash of edginess thrown in for good measure. And this is a great recipe for those times. Why? Because it's fast, it's simple, and you can basically mix/melt all the ingredients in a Pyrex measuring cup.

Also because these peanut butter cookies suit vanilla ice cream something magical. So I really hope you have vanilla ice cream at home, because otherwise you're liable to end up in apathetic desirous tears begging your husband to drive down to the shops to get some. {And I'll tell you something - it doesn't work nearly so well when you're not pregnant.}
Sigh,
Amanda xx

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Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Cookies
makes ~20 cookies so small you can eat 4 of them at a time and not feel guilty

The time
5-10 min prep + 5-8 min baking + 10 min cooling

The ingredients
3/4 cup chunky natural peanut butter
1 large organic egg
1/2 cup rolled oats
a pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or cinnamon or desiccated coconut (optional)

*Try to use organic when you can

The process
1. Preheat the oven to 160C (325F). Line a tray or pizza stone with baking paper.

2. Measure the peanut butter and sugar into a Pyrex jug, and microwave for 10-20 seconds until soft and stirrable. Add the egg, oats and optional extras and mix to combine.

3. Use your hands to form the dough into Tbs-sized balls and place them a few centimeters apart on the baking sheet. Use a fork to smoosh them slightly {and to give them their characteristic peanut butter-cookie markings}.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, checking them regularly! Remove when they're browned nicely on the surface and when they don't sink in when you gently press on the middle. Leave them on the sheet until they cool, because they'll solidify as they do so. Then remove and store in an airtight container, or in a large bowl with numerous scoops of ice cream. Enjoy!

The cost
I always try to buy 'natural' peanut butter - and prefer organic - because it doesn't tend to have the extra sugar or salt or weird stuff in it. If you're lucky, your local natural food store might even have freshly ground peanut butter. Yum. Each organic batch costs me around $3 - most of which comes from the peanut butter. {Which if you want to buy organic and inexpensive, I recommend Macro brand at Woolies.}

Comments

  1. Yes, there are times when you just need a cookie! I'm off all sugar (and a bunch of other things) for the time being, but I'm definitely pinning this recipe for a few months down the line. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  2. Yum. i love peanut butter. we also buy the plain unadulterated stuff. but i LOVE salt...so i add my own salt to my peanut butter toast...i am sure it is still much healthier than buying the sweet and salty version...

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  3. @sar : accidentallentil.blogspot.com Of course it is! {at least I hope so ...} Note the big salt flakes on the cookie photo? Great minds love salt. :)

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  4. I am a Pb lover. I agree, this goes really well with vanilla ice cream. Heading to complete my ingredients list. Gonna try this. I am sure this will be a fave.
    Anyhoo, we have just recently launched a food photo submission site, http://www.yumgoggle.com/gallery/ that allows you to showcase all your great work and share it with all of our visitors. Your phenomenal photos have caught our attention. We’d be proud to have your work as part of our growing collection to continue to have a larger reach and further inspire all fellow food lovers out there! (sorry for the blatant shameless plug)!

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  5. Desire + Apathy - What a great way to describe how I feel every night when it's dinnertime ;)
    The cookies sound delicious!
    For anyone in the U.S., Smucker's makes a really good organic peanut butter.

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  6. Man, I don't know--I kind of need a cookie most days! :) These sound great--I love the oats with peanut butter!

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  7. Ready in 20 minutes? This is my kind of cookie. Although let's be honest. I wouldn't wait the entire 10 minutes of "cooling time".

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  8. @Erika Yep. Which is why I start preparing dinner at 5pm ... just before Apathy really gets going ... :)

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  9. @Eileen Tell me about it! We're cookie ADDICTS around here. But at least when you make them yourselves it's guilt-free. Right?

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  10. @Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} Ha! At least you're honest! Personally I tend to sneak so much of the dough that I can't fathom the cookies themselves till AT LEAST 10 minutes after they come out of the oven ...

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Thanks for commenting! Amandaxx