October 13, 2006

yum yum — peanut butter


peanut butter cookie stack, originally uploaded by shaunaforce.

Look at those cookies. Aren’t they gorgeous? Can you believe they are gluten-free?

So many people settle for lousy food with no real taste, because they believe that is all they will find when they have to eat gluten-free. I’m here to tell you — silly. These peanut butter cookies are some of the best I have ever eaten. In fact, I cannot have them around the house too much, or else I will nibble on one after the other while I am typing away. However, for special days….

I made up this recipe, about a month ago, after catching the last half of a sentence of a woman on the street. As I walked past her on the sidewalk in Madison Park, I heard her say, “…don’t need flour to make peanut butter cookies…” She walked into a store with her friend, and I didn’t hear the rest.

It doesn’t take much more than that for my mind to start racing.

In the middle of the afternoon, when the sentences stopped singing and my mind felt clogged, I walked into the kitchen and pulled out a jar of peanut butter from the refrigerator. The Chef was at his restaurant. No one else was in the house. If this small experimental batch turned out to be a disaster, who would know?

They were anything but a disaster.

The next night, Molly and Brandon came over for dinner. In fact, it was the night we ate pork chops with plum sauce. I had a few peanut butter cookies left over, sitting on the metal kitchen shelves. Want to try one, I asked?

Last week, Molly emailed me and asked, “Hey, can I get your flourless peanut butter cookie recipe one of these days? I keep craving them…”

Of course, my dear. Here you are.

However, if you want a real treat, you should eat dessert at the Chef’s restaurant. He loves these peanut butter cookies so much that he started making them himself. He serves a little stack of them with chocolate mousse and a bittersweet chocolate sauce, as a parfait in a martini glass. Now that is decadence.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

One cup creamy peanut butter
One cup white sugar
One teaspoon baking powder
One egg

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cream the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl. (As much as I love my KitchenAid, I have found that this is a hand-stirring job). Beat in the baking powder. Add the egg. Mix until it is all well combined.

The dough will be sticky, so be prepared to get your hands messy. Roll some dough into a ball. (How big? That depends on you. I have found, however, that the smaller these cookies are, the better they hold together. Eat two instead of one!) Roll the ball into white sugar. Line a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper, with sugary balls of dough.

Bake in the oven for about ten minutes. You will know the cookies are done when they feel coherent, but still a little soft. Take the tray out of the oven and let the cookies rest for at least five minutes. Afterwards, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. After ten minutes or so, they will have hardened and be glistening with sugar.

Eat them.

Makes ten to twelve cookies.

{ 135 comments… read them below or add one }

Kimberly October 13, 2006 at 10:51 pm

These look so yummy. And it appears that they have the traditional fork-tine decoration, yes?

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Molly October 14, 2006 at 12:04 am

Yaaaaay! Holy cow, girl, you can hardly imagine how much I’ve been wanting one of these. Thank you! xoxo

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ukpromgirl November 20, 2012 at 11:54 pm

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… that’s the only word to describe these cookies!

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Anonymous October 14, 2006 at 1:46 am

Those are freakin’ SPECTACULAR. I just might make them this weekend.

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rachel October 14, 2006 at 2:12 am

I love these cookies and have been making them for several years.

You know what makes them even better? gf/dairy-free chocolate chips! about 1/2 cup works perfectly. mmmm….

I keep having people send me your link since we’re a bunch of gluten-free girls living here. I just keep forgetting to click on the link. glad I came over!

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Pille October 14, 2006 at 3:21 pm

Shauna, your cookies look lovely, and The Chef’s way of serving them sounds tempting!
I make very similar peanut butter cookies, just without baking powder. I love these – even though I don’t like peanut butter as such (must be an aquired taste:)

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Rachel October 14, 2006 at 5:41 pm

umm, I am imagining these with fancy style butters, cashew, hazelnut or even chocolate hazelnut. oh pistascho. need to get in the kitchen.

-Rachel

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LB October 14, 2006 at 5:44 pm

Are you using “natural” peanut butter in this recipe? Or the, uh, fake stuff?

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Anonymous October 14, 2006 at 10:31 pm

That dessert at the chefs restuarant sounds to die for… I am so bummed… cause I almost went there for dinner last week before I left town– I am going to have to make sure to come back to Seattle to try it!!!

This recipe is really great for my friends over in small european villages with no access to rice flour and such!! I will have to try it soon!!

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tarynkay October 15, 2006 at 7:08 pm

you can totally do these with any kind of nut butter. i do cashew butter with chocolate chips and a little vanilla for really low effort chocolate chip cookies. also, almond butter. then you make a little divet in the cookie with your thumb and fill with cherry jam right after you pull them out of the oven.

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Ada Mangoes September 23, 2012 at 7:29 am

Your almond butter variation sounds amazing!

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Anonymous October 16, 2006 at 3:30 am

These cookies are incredible!!!
I made them for a bunch of new friends who are completely unaware of gluten issues and they all gobbled them up in minutes.
Thanks for the great recipe and all of the lovely posts.
J

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Kelly October 16, 2006 at 3:38 am

What a cowinkidink! I’ve been making that recipe the last few months! I can’t get enough of them! I decided to try and make it healthy with honey instead of sugar and it totally works. AND, I just made them today for a party with chocolate chips and took photos for our blog…so you’ll see my version soon. :)

Tarynkay-you are so right! I made them with tahini for fun, it needs a bit more tweaking, but it was interesting.

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Laura October 17, 2006 at 4:12 am

I saw this post and had to go make a batch before I could take the time to leave a comment! These are so peanut-buttery and delicious–I think I’ll try 1/2 brown sugar next time. but now I need to go eat several cookies with some jam. Mmmmmmm…

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Anonymous October 17, 2006 at 1:59 pm

Add another egg (or two if they’re small) and a mashed banana (very ripe) and use 1/2 cup of honey instead of sugar. Bake half an hour in a greased 9 inch baking dish at 350 & you’ve got yourself some very tasty brownies. I generally add cinnamon and cardamom, but others like cocoa and/or vanilla. (If your peanut butter is unsalted, add 1/4 tsp of salt.)

It never occurred to me to delete an egg and make cookies. Will try that very soon.

—Lisa

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Principessa October 19, 2006 at 5:26 pm

Ha! My mom has been making this recipe ever since I can remember…silly me, I didn’t even think of this in my newly gluten-free world. Thanks for reminding me that this is a sweet treat that I can have :)

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a. October 23, 2006 at 6:19 pm

these are so awesome, I made them last night, they are quick, easy, and might just be better than the ones with flour. thanks for posting this!

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Mike Eberhart October 24, 2006 at 7:51 pm

Those do look just like the real thing. I have seen a very similar receipe even in my non-GF days, and as I recall, it made for pretty good PB Cookies. And, PB Cookies are always a good treat!

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Anonymous November 1, 2006 at 2:38 pm

2 quick baking questions: You say to cream the PB and the sugar in a bowl. Do you use all the sugar to do this? I ask because later you say to roll the ball into white sugar – is this more white sugar? Also, do you mix and beat all these ingredients by hand or just cream the PB and sugar by hand?

Thanks!
~M

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Anonymous January 4, 2007 at 5:23 pm

Try using Splenda instead of sugar for more calorie cutting. You won’t taste the difference. Yummy!

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Maegan February 15, 2007 at 6:46 pm

I hope you won’t consider it an insult when I say these taste like the inside of Reese’s Pieces:). I don’t have celiac but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to making PB cookies the gluten way ever again. Three cheers (at least)!

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Kelsey February 20, 2007 at 3:57 am

I did some math… which is scary… and calculated that if you make the cookies small (my batch made 25 cookies) their only 115 cal per cookie! Not bad!

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Tami May 1, 2007 at 1:07 am

I just found out last week that I had celiac. I just made these cookies and they are exactly what I have been looking for for years!! Regular peanut butter cookies have never been peanut buttery enough. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!! I can’t wait for my husband to get home so he can try a cookie. .

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Tami May 1, 2007 at 1:11 am

I just found out that I have celiac last week. I just made these cookies and they are exactly what I been looking for for a looong time. Peanut Butter cookies with flour have never tasted peanut buttery enough. These do! I love to cook and am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!! I can’t wait for my husband to come home so he can try a cookie. I am having to fight my 20 year old son to keep out of them:) Thank you for sharing this recipe!!

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Kristen May 13, 2007 at 11:14 pm

Thanks for this awesome recipe–I had to stop myself from eating the entire batch in one sitting! :)

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dc365 July 22, 2007 at 9:58 pm

Oooh yes. I just had a double blind taste test — David Lebovitz’ PB cookies (with gluten), versus these ones. Yours won! (But David’s are good too, of course!).

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Anonymous October 25, 2007 at 5:40 pm

Yesterday, we recieved a box of Halloween cookies and instead of denying myself treats, I made these cookies and they hit the spot!

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Anonymous October 27, 2007 at 1:47 am

Just wanted to let you know that you didn’t mention pressing the cookies with a fork before you bake them. My sister sent me an email with the recipe copied from here, and never having made peanut butter cookies before, my first pan came out as little lumps. They smell good though…

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Shawnte December 9, 2007 at 6:30 am

I am SO HAPPY that a friend forwarded your blog to me.

I went gluten-free two weeks ago (would have been nice to know about this whole gluten intolerance bizness 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with IBS and told to “reduce stress” to reduce symptoms, which never worked) – and this was my first baked treat. THANK YOU. I was a bit worried that I was condemned to a holiday season spent coveting those yummy cookies w/ the chocolate kiss in the middle, but I’ll just make my own version!

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Anonymous December 12, 2007 at 9:24 pm

I sometimes make these with honey instead of sugar–just use 3/4 cup to 1 cup of honey instead of the sugar. Even with the extra liquid the cookies come out fine.

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BealcA's Pad January 23, 2008 at 9:36 pm

Neat, I made some like that and put chocolate chips in them, and gave some to one of the guys from my church that is gluten intolerant and boy he had to try them before he left. I make bread for him and I, so it makes it nice when he buys the flours and stuff for me to make them. I gave him your site too, and hope that he has checked it out.
BealcA’s Pad

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Tish February 7, 2008 at 1:13 pm

I’ve been gluten free for a little over a month, but I’m also sugar free, dairy free and egg free. I made these cookies with splenda and I love them! The only thing, is I wouldn’t roll them in Splenda the next time, I would just sprinkle some on top. I was looking for something sweet, and I’ve finally found it. They are so easy, and I bet they would be awesome with some sugar free/gluten free chocolate chips! Thanks for the recipe.

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Nick February 10, 2008 at 12:51 am

I just made these for the second time. I keep meaning to add chocolate chunks or kisses on top but I get too excited to make them that I forget.

I just posted about them with only slight changes. I had a great idea for modifications using my recipe for cinnamon currant or dark chocolate flavored peanut butter on my site, but have yet to test it.

You can see the original post here: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies but I’ll let you know when I use one of those flavored peanut butters (they’re gluten-free as well!).

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Kristen April 12, 2008 at 4:46 am

Being a college student, it’s always great to find quick and easy gluten-free recipes like these! I made them with raw sugar instead of granulated white sugar—gives them a bit of a crunchy texture. Yum! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!

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Anonymous May 6, 2008 at 9:49 pm

Thanks so much for this recipe! I used a cookie press-as I often do for GF cookies and it worked out fabulous!

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Katie June 13, 2008 at 6:27 am

oh. my. god. I just made these with half peanut butter and white sugar, and half pecan butter and brown sugar …

SPECTACULAR! Thank you so much!

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neasa11 June 13, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Although I’m not a coeliac I have Crohn’s disease which is triggered by gluten, dairy and potatoes! So finding recipies is fairly daunting!So thanks so much for these . I cant wait to try all the other recipies :)

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miriam July 20, 2008 at 9:48 pm

i’d love to try them—do you think i can substitute agave nectar for the sugar? should i use less egg to compensate for the agave liquid?

thanks

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Noviamor August 2, 2012 at 11:43 pm

Look delicious! Great peanut butter.

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Anonymous October 14, 2008 at 5:52 am

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… that’s the only word to describe these cookies!

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Donna November 4, 2008 at 7:09 pm

I know this is an old post, but just found you recently. BFF is gluten-free and am always trying new recipes for her. I make a version of this with powdered sugar instead of granulated and it works wonderfully. Have to hide them from the crumb-grabbers though.

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BG November 16, 2008 at 1:49 pm

I like to place the dollops on a cookie sheet, and place it in the freezer. After 5-10 minutes, the dollops roll beautifully into balls, before I press them with a fork, and place them in the oven.

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Colleen November 24, 2008 at 2:07 pm

I made these last night and they were fantastic, none left this morning!

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kayselr December 8, 2008 at 8:37 pm

Cookies you eat with a spoon??Help! I tried this recipe twice in the last 2 weeks and the cookies turned to dust each time.(dont worry i didn’t throw them away..it still tasted good!)The only thing about the recipe i changed was that I used Splenda instead of sugar and a “Natural” PB instead of the regular kind. Im doubting it…but could either of these have made the cookies not “stick” together? Is there a certain brand of PB i should use? Thanks !!!

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Melissa December 22, 2008 at 7:36 pm

These work great for thumbprint cookies! I doubled the recipe and still had to make another double recipe!

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Crozier's Crazy Chronicals December 24, 2008 at 6:26 am

I just made these to share w/a friend who has a gluten-free diet. They are delicious. I used a melon ball scooper to dish them up and they turned out awesome and all the exact size and shape. Thanks for the great recipe.

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Sheree January 11, 2009 at 3:08 am

Thank you so much! My son and I are going GF, he’s 5 and pb cookies are his (and my) favorite thing on earth! I used organic natural peanut butter and did have a bit of trouble with them being more crumbly than I like, but they were yummy!

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Anonymous February 18, 2009 at 12:23 pm

yummy! I made these quite small and ended up with about 2 dozen. Quick and easy to make with my little helper. The added choc chips were a hit. thanks so much :)

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nestof3 March 6, 2009 at 2:07 am

Thank you so much for the fabulous recipe. My mom, who has Celiac Disease, was so excited today when I made them for her. She always made the best peanut butter cookies, and now, she can still have them! Mine made 24 cookies, and my Kitchen Aid worked perfectly as did not using parchment paper.

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Anonymous August 4, 2009 at 12:51 am

WOW! I just found this recipe and made a double batch to freeze. They are wonderful! My husband can't quit eating them. Good thing I got some in the freezer before he tried them. I also added a 1/2 tsp of vanilla.

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Bean August 11, 2009 at 11:30 pm

I've been making these regularly since you first posted the recipe years ago! They're really good with a little over half a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in them, too. mmmmmm!

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Anonymous September 14, 2009 at 11:26 am

Wow! just made these (2nd batch is still in the oven) and i am now going to live on these 'till I die…

I'm 16 and went gluten free 6 months ago. I really wanted a cookie and well now I have one :-) ! I'm reading your book right now and it's making everything easier!
Keep up the good work!!!

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Ameelia Ghareeb September 19, 2009 at 11:42 pm

I just made these with hazelnut butter, stuck two together and made sandwich cookies with Nutella filling. Awesome! Make cookies small: the hazelut spreads out like lacies.

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Anonymous September 27, 2009 at 11:15 pm

These cookies taste WAY better than a normal everyday peanut butter!! I made these for someone else that can't have dairy or gluten and they were amazing! I think I am going to make these from now on!! THANKS!

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rita October 25, 2009 at 3:31 am

oh, YES! amazing…
eating one right now.
can't wait to try the variations, too! thank you.

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Anonymous October 29, 2009 at 1:41 pm

I got around the sticky dough problem by refrigerating the dough for an hour or two.

These are darn good cookies.

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Barbara November 18, 2009 at 10:30 pm

I went to make these but had no eggs so I used crunchy peanut butter, a small container of applesauce and fructose sugar, blended and added to brown rice flour, a bit of potato flour and a bit of tapioca flour with baking powder and salt sprinkled in. I tried some as balls (got brown on top but good texture) and flattened the rest with my fingers (seemed a little tough). Then I saw, and remembered, the fork technique! Will try next time. May add some cinnamon, too.

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Anonymous December 18, 2009 at 5:11 pm

I LOVE this recipe. I like to add milk chocolate chips and some honey. Everyone who tries them loves them and cant believe they are gluten free! Thank you so much for these. <3 Stephanie

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Anonymous December 22, 2009 at 11:33 pm

These cookies are wonderful A+

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Marcy December 23, 2009 at 4:51 pm

Would anyone know if it would be possible to add nuts? My family loooves nuts in everything, so just wondering if anyone knew if it would still work?

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zane zany April 18, 2011 at 4:39 pm

Ive made these w/ no baking powder, and added all kinds of things, whatever I have
Nuts, coconut, even oatmeal.

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CrissyE December 24, 2009 at 3:25 am

I've been making these cookies for years and everyone loves them! My kids like to make them into Reindeer cookies for Christmas by pinching the middle of the flattened cookie to form a reindeer shaped head, adding small Glutino pretzel twists on top for antlers and Sunspire Sun Drops (candy coated chocolates with no artificial colors since my daughter has a horrible reaction to red dye)for the eyes & nose.

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KK December 25, 2009 at 5:42 am

My boyfriend and friend were teasing me about not baking cookies over the holidays – really, I think they were just hoping I'd make some. It's Christmas Eve and all the stores were closed. I needed to find an easy recipe and found yours. I didn't have an egg so I substituted egg replacer and the cookies turned out amazing! And my loved ones were surprised by what I could turn out in 15 minutes! Thank you for your help.

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Anonymous January 13, 2010 at 3:46 am

I have been baking cookies all week, and my older brother is allergic to Gleuten and Soy. All of the cookies I was making had flour, so i just whipped up a batch of these babies and MMMM our house smells delicious! They came out beautifully! Such a simple recipe. We used all natural soy free peanut butter as well, and the texture seems really good. Not too dry like most wheat free cookies. Thank you SO very much. I will be looking through more of your posts for some other ideas for my brother. Thank you again!! Peace and Love

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Jaemie Gyurik January 14, 2010 at 1:51 am

I have made these several times now, and I have found that using half white sugar and half brown sugar works best (for me). This change gives a chewier texture that I like. I also add about a half teaspoon of GF vanilla extract.

The other thing I have noticed when making these flourless cookies is that you need to be a little cautious when choosing your peanut butter. Some of the store brand varieties have too much added sugar and/or are too "oily" even when mixed.

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Katie January 26, 2010 at 5:09 am

Thanks for helping me rediscover this recipe! I used to make them in my pre-gluten free days, but had forgotten about them. They are delicious! I gave some to my dad, who is does not eat g-free, and he said they were the best he'd ever eaten!

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Anonymous February 8, 2010 at 1:59 pm

Seriously. I made FOUR batches of these this weekend. EVERYONE loved them (GF or not). Amazing…thank you sooooo much for sharing!

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k February 15, 2010 at 2:45 am

i love these cookies already, but i just tried them with homemade peanut butter (http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2009/12/recipe_9.php) and they are fantastic! i used quite a bit less sugar, since the pb recipe has a fair bit, and i added chocolate chips. made for a more chewy cookie, really delicious.

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Anonymous February 17, 2010 at 7:58 pm

These cookies are so good. My mom was so excited to eat a peanut butter cookie after being on a gluten free diet for 25 years!

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Gina February 28, 2010 at 11:51 pm

Just made a variation using homemade hazelnut butter and powdered honey (subbed for the white sugar, which I don't eat). A splash of vanilla extract and we were off to the races!

Can't wait to make 'em with peanut butter (though I'll have an even harder time not eating the whole batch 'cause I loooooves me some peanut butter)

Thanks for the great recipe!

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cottage feel March 13, 2010 at 4:50 am

i tried the peanut butter cookies but, i did something wrong because they crumbled on me, i followed except i didn't roll the balls into the sugar before baking. does anyone out know what i did wrong, oh and the cookies didn't spread flat on the cookie sheet they stayed in a ball. the taste was there and delicious but, they all crumbled when i picked them up. please help sandra

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Lex January 25, 2012 at 6:53 am

If the cookies crumbled, a few different things could have happened.

Not enough peanut butter.
Too much sugar.
or
The egg was too small. If you used a medium sized egg, I don’t think it’s big enough.

Also, you have to use baking powder. There isn’t any acid in the recipe to interact with baking soda.

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Gina March 13, 2010 at 7:06 am

I've made 3 batches of these cookies since finding your recipe recently. We've made hazelnut, peanut butter and pepper hazelnut. All have been incredibly well-received.

Well, tonight my husband was begging me to make another batch of pepper hazelnut, and as I was feeling like a bit of a mad scientist (my discovery of gluten-free cooking has been SO MUCH FUN!) so I took this basic recipe and RAN with it, experimenting with a bunch of wacky ingredients. The results are absolutely amazing, so I thought I'd share the recipe!

1 cup freshly ground hazelnuts
1 cup powdered honey
1 T molasses
1/2 t freshly grated ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1 t pure vanilla extract
zest of one orange
pinch of kosher salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
1 1/2 T baking soda
1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 c almond meal
1 T rice flour
1 t coconut oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare cookie sheet: line with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.

In food processor (or by hand), mix all ingredients, adding into processor in order listed above. Dough will be extremely sticky. Measure out by heaping teaspoon, rolling into balls (I suggest wetting your hands slightly to keep the dough from sticking). Dip a fork into water and flatten the balls gently, creating a criss-cross pattern on top. Bake for 8 ½ minutes (my oven runs hot) for amazingly chewy cookies, slightly longer for crunchier cookies. Enjoy!

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Ellie White-Stevens March 24, 2010 at 1:24 am

I've made a VERY similar recipe. No baking powder, just 2 cups peanut butter, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs. I usually add mini chocolate chips, about a cup. No need to roll in sugar, grease the pan or use parchment paper. Make like drop cookies. Dough cooks at 350. Is still shiny when done at 9 or so minutes. I love the protein content for my little boys.

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Elissa April 27, 2010 at 8:30 pm

I made these cookies last week with Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams GF peanut butter….they were fantastic! Thanks for all your yummy recipes! I am going to try this with their cinnamon raisin swirl next, can't wait!
Elissa

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Anonymous April 29, 2010 at 6:41 pm

just made these. OH SO GOOD! i used less sugar, like 3/4 cup and still yummy!

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Stacy May 1, 2010 at 5:39 pm

I am new at this gluten free stuff. I was so happy to see I could make some yummy cookies without having to buy a million kinds of new flour! And these cookies were yummy!!!!!!!

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Leah May 7, 2010 at 1:49 am

I am still without a lot of GF staples, so when I saw this recipe I ran straight to my kitch. So delicious! I have felt deprived and a little down from going without. This recipe was just what I needed.

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rcam July 6, 2010 at 1:58 am

I'm also new to the gluten free world (due to health reasons) and have been missing pb cookies for over two months. As soon as I saw this recipe I started making some. I have some in the oven as I'm typing :)

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Laura July 10, 2010 at 8:57 pm

A friend mentioned making chocolate chip peanut butter cookies and I got a hankering! Googled GF PB cookies and your site came up. THANK GOODNESS! These are so delicious! I made 1.5x the recipe, veganized it (flax instead of egg), and added chocolate chunks. Can't wait to take them to my sister's birthday party tonight!

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Katherine July 21, 2010 at 12:21 pm

These are so so so good…thank you, Shauna! I 'used to' hate creamy peanut butter. Now I know it's good for and in something!

I can't have sugar, so I substituted 12 Medjool dates (for 1 c. sugar), pitted and chopped them, then mixed everything in a food processor. I used Kroger's brand natural peanut butter which seemed oilier than Smucker's (what I usually have on hand). I didn't have any trouble with crumbly cookies.

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Nicole August 4, 2010 at 5:17 pm

I can't thank you enough for this recipe. I'm pretty new to the world of gluten-free eating and have a serious milk allergy that I also recently discovered. Needless to say, it is pretty bewildering figuring out what to eat at first. Initially I was just so thankful not to be sick all of the time, but now I've started to miss some of those old treats. I thought my days of baking were over. Thanks for these delicious cookies! They are so yummy, and I plan to share them with the rest of my gluten-eating family.

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Rachel K. August 8, 2010 at 11:27 pm

I started going gluten free today and was disappointed that we don't have gluten free flour yet, then I found this recipe. These are wonderful! I found the recipe a couple of hours ago and as soon as I found it I went in the kitchen and made them. Although I did add a small pinch of salt to mine.

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Celina August 14, 2010 at 2:23 am

I made these cookies for a bunch of gluten free friends, the biggest hit ever! Only problem in the next couple of days i used a months store of our peanut butter. But it was worth it as i delivered them to my drooling friends!

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Elisabeth September 21, 2010 at 7:21 am

Hello from the UK – a good 4 years after your post! I'm thinking about going gluten free for a month to see if it helps with various health and energy issues, but was feeling pretty depressed last night when I thought about a world with no pizza, bread, or my usual baked goods – I'm an avid home baker. I then wondered if peanut butter would be allowed, so I googled it – and your post came up.

Just baked these this morning in a sudden rush of energy before work, and they are delicious. I made a half batch as I was low on pb – I didn't have quite half a cup, so I whizzed some pecans into an almost butter. I used one small egg, but the batter was a little runny (as I guessed) so I stirred in a bit of gluten free cornmeal until it thickened up. They baked up beautifully.

This recipe was a great start and I'll definitely be ordering your cookbook. Thanks for making gluten free not such a gloomy prospect…

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wilderlamb November 22, 2010 at 4:50 pm

I just started gluten free a month ago and found your blog. Love it! This was the first recipe I have tried from you and it is so incredibly good! Thanks for all your hard work and information!

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Allison November 23, 2010 at 9:48 pm

I have been making these for over 15 years, after I first found the recipe on the back of the C&H sugar bag. http://www.chsugar.com/recipes/recipedisplay.asp?RecipeId=Pe482003104144

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Beth Larson December 3, 2010 at 5:45 am

I am living in a shelter and made a few batches of these for everyone. They loved them! Had to pass the easy recipe on to several moms!

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Leah December 11, 2010 at 8:41 pm

My first gluten free recipe. I used organic sugar which isn't as fine as granulated sugar so I am thinking they didn't turn out exactly right. They seem a bit gritty. The taste is great though!

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Lex January 25, 2012 at 6:59 am

Yeah, you should be using granulated sugar for this recipe.

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jane December 24, 2010 at 6:29 pm

these cookies are awesome! i like to make treats for all my gluten-free friends, and they all LOVE this recipe, so thank you!

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TammyStr8 January 3, 2011 at 2:24 am

My two sons are fatally allergic to peanuts, thus making peanutbutter cookies out of the question. However,I have found an awesome substitute-Sunbutter! It is a creamy sweet butter made from sunflower seeds in a peanut-free facility. It even has less fat than peanutbutter! It works well with this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
TammyStr8

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Ginifer February 5, 2011 at 6:39 pm

I am so happy I found your blog! I am going gluten free for the next 6 months (and if I see improvement then forever) I love to bake and experiment in the kitchen and thought those days would be over but your blog and recipes are my silver lining! Thank you!

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Joanne February 6, 2011 at 12:30 pm

I have been gluten free for about a year and half now. Your Blog was one of the first I was introduced to and I have to say, you are an amazing woman and a big help. These cookie’s were the first thing I tried and the whole patch went before they got cold!!!!
Everyone ask me for the recipe after just one bite and I tell them there is only 4 ingredients. Looking forward to trying different things with this, like the hazelnut and chocolate chips. This is the first time I every commented on anything. Thank you so much!!!
Joanne

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Lissy February 14, 2011 at 3:14 am

Hi Shauna!
Such a wonderful recipe they are delicious!! I was a bit skeptic at first because it was totally flour-less and now I think screw flour! YUUM!

Ever since I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac all I do is crave sweets and now I have gained a lot of weight my BMI is not healthy. I was wondering if you have experienced the same and if you have any advice on what to do… I’ve asked a dietitian and nutritionist and they are not much help :(

Thanks for the lovely recipe! Your a Gem <3

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Jill October 4, 2011 at 6:04 pm

Wondering if you have ever thought about food allergy testing?? Best thing I have ever done. It is a simple blood test, but “regular” doctors do not know about them. I went to a Naturopathic Doctor- licensed, he is the best thing that has happened to my family. For me and other family members, the weight came off naturally.

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Jacque February 18, 2011 at 7:25 pm

These were so delicious! I was very impressed. Super simple and quick to make. Thanks so much for sharing. :)

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mandakini March 22, 2011 at 2:17 am

How amazing are these cookies!! And insanely easy! I rolled them in a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon that I had left over from baking cinnamon rolls yesterday! Also used crunchy peanut butter. YUM!

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Sami April 1, 2011 at 1:24 am

Hi Lissy, I have read in a book by Patrick Holford (nutritionist), that a lack of zinc can bring on abnormal cravings for carbohydrates and sweets. I used to crave sweets all the time (would eat 3 or 4 packs biscuits a week) and since going gluten free and taking a lot of supplements as required by the nutritionist I have lost weight and hardly ever feel the need for biscuits.

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Olivia April 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm

I ‘ m gluten free and there the best peanut butter cookies I ever tasted. Thank you for putting this on the web.

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Emily April 10, 2011 at 4:07 pm

These cookies are perfect! I thought I would try the recipe substituting honey for sugar, as was suggested above, but as I suspected, they turned out completely different in taste and consistency. Why mess with a good thing?

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Lois Parker May 28, 2011 at 3:26 am

I got an urgent plea from my sister (i fancy some peanut biscuits badly – dreaming about them) this morning for gf peanut butter cookies without any complicated flour sent her the link and tested them myself. Excellent, especially spread with melted dark chocolate to cut the sweetness.

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Scarlett May 29, 2011 at 3:33 pm

A tasty suggestion – add a generous amount of cinnamon to the sugar before rolling the balls of dough in it. It makes for a delicious variation on the traditional cookie. And even better, I was surprised, was this recipe made with almond butter! I brought equal numbers of peanut butter and almond butter cookies to a party and the almond butter ones disappeared at record-breaking speed. Even amongst the peanut butter lovers!

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Jaime June 3, 2011 at 11:00 am

Wow! These are amazing. My kids loved them so much I had to triple the batch! Thanks so much, finding good gfcf desserts is a real chore!

Love them!

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Jenny June 15, 2011 at 8:59 am

I made these last night and melted chocolate chips on top, like your almond butter cookies, IN love! This was my 1st gluten-free baked good! Thanks so much for all your hard work and inspiration. I love baking and I’m so glad to have this inspiration to keep doing it – Gluten Free! :) PS My family gobbled them up and then asked for more this morning. Happy faces!

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Jovie June 23, 2011 at 10:16 am

*drools* thanks for the recipe, love your blog!!!

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eko July 14, 2011 at 7:03 pm

Yummo, was delighted to find and make these. In the great land of wild Alaska w/no flour but lots of pb! Added vanilla and chilled the dough. Had lots of help making and eating with my 3 yo son.

Seriously considering the GF lifestyle…will check out more of your site soon.

God’s peace-eko

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Bethany July 20, 2011 at 11:56 am

I am so trying this! I just went grain-free and was itching for some cookies… this ought to do the trick!

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Michelle Black White August 8, 2011 at 4:12 pm

I haven’t had peanut butter cookies since my mom made them when I was a little girl. Since I have been gluten-free, I hadn’t even considered the possibility of having one that would due justice to my memories.

They taste just like I imagined … and they are gluten-free. Now, I just have to find a good hiding place for them so my three sons (and husband) don’t finish them off in one sitting! Thank you for bringing back a great (and delicious) memory.

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Baker's Dozen September 8, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Just made your recipe, with a bit of a twist. I found Nestle Peanut Butter & Chocolate morsels in the cabinet, and I am using splenda and a hint of cocoa-powder. Kelsey, if you are concerned about calories, this recipe should cut them in half again, so you dont have to down-size your cookies : ) They turned out fantastic, and since PB & choc is one of the greatest combos known to man, I thought I would share.

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minkymu September 18, 2011 at 5:41 pm

I found that adding an extra egg and 3/4 cup of brown rice flower makes a more nutritous cookies (if that matters much), and seems to resemble the traditional peanut butter cookie a bit better. Cheers.

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J. Darling September 30, 2011 at 1:14 am

Have you seen the chocolate, chocolate chip versions of your recipe? Saw one here http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/08/flourless-chocolate-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
then made my own version based off of your recipe as a start, because I like the baking powder…to a double batch of your cookies I added 1 cup of cocoa powder, 1 egg and enough oil (1 tbl at a time) so that the batter was moist enough to stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips. Make sure they cool on the cookie sheet so they do not fall apart, otherwise they turn to crumbs.

Left out one cookie for each person and froze the rest for lunches and to grab when kids (both have allergies and bring their own treats) have activities to attent…

If making them for people allergic to nuts, skip the sun-nut butter (they smell burnt when they are cooking) and opt for soy-nut butter…

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Julie Pate September 30, 2011 at 8:23 am

Why did my cookies turn out flat?

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Karen Ward-Cox October 23, 2011 at 10:18 am

I just made these for my son’s friend, who has to eat GF. They were a hit with all the kids who were playing together today. I’ll definatey be making these again.

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Ellen November 23, 2011 at 1:17 pm

Still a favorite.
I shall bring an American classic to my German colleagues tomorrow, on Thanksgivin’!
Thanks!!

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Sara December 7, 2011 at 5:36 am

These pb cookies are to die for! We eat gluten but my father-in-law was recently diagnosed celiac. So I look for good recipes and try to always have gluten free options on hand in the house. I made these for him for his Birthday and it was all my husband and I could do to not eat every cookie! We loved them and more importantly my father-in-law loved them. Thank you for the wonderful recipe and I will be trying many more I’m sure!

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Vickie December 30, 2011 at 8:51 am

I made these with the chocolate kisses for Christmas and they were a big hit! I times the recipie by 4 and it made about 72 cookies. They did not last long and everyone asked for the recipie. I will definately be making these on a regular basis!

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Lex January 25, 2012 at 7:04 am

I baked these for the first time, and I had a little trouble telling when they were done, so I thought this may help.

When the first cookie cracks, pay attention. If you start to see small bubbles in the others and lips starting to form around the edges, they are probably done. Not all of my cookies cracked. Also, make sure that your cookie tray is on the top rack because some of mine burnt on the bottom in the first batch.

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Diane Williamson February 8, 2012 at 1:11 pm

I just made these cookies again. They are SO chewy and SO easy to make! My daughter and I love to make them.

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Mish February 23, 2012 at 1:47 pm

Just made these with my son and they are AMAZING! I did 1/3c each of brown sugar and regular sugar plus added a splash of vanilla as per others suggestions. I used natural peanut butter, since we have a truckload of it right now :) I also I made them super tiny and got 32 cookies, what a treat! No problems with texture… LOVE!

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Pat @ Elegantly, Gluten-Free March 16, 2012 at 7:57 pm

No doubt about it — these are amazingly delicious, whether or not you’re eating gluten-free!

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Spring-A-Ling March 20, 2012 at 1:55 am

I love your recipes!
I make a double batch of these delicious cookies with a little vanilla and a mix of nut butter (peanut, almond, and/or cashew).
Then to 1/2 the batch, I add cocoa powder, espresso, and a little Nutella. Yum! I call them Gluten Free Nutty-A-Gogo Cookies!

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shauna March 20, 2012 at 11:59 am

yum!

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Lauren August 14, 2012 at 10:31 am

My husband just discovered last weekend that he’s gluten, dairy, and egg intolerant, so he’s been pretty bummed about his food choices. When I found these, I pretty much jumped up and down on the spot. I subbed a 1tbsp flax, 3tbsp water mixture for the egg, rolled them small so I got two dozen, and baked them for eight minutes – and they’re AMAZING! I can’t wait for him to try them when he gets home. Hopefully he’ll feel a little more optimistic.

Thanks for the excellent recipe!

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Whitney August 17, 2012 at 7:58 pm

I wish I’d never found this recipe! I’ve been making these cookies about once a week (sometimes more) for the last couple months. Sometimes I don’t coat them with sugar–and I think I like them better that way. Last night I found I only had about 3/4 cup of peanut butter, so I used Nutella for the rest, and the cookies still turned out great.

Seriously, I have a love-hate relationship with these cookies!

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Angie Jones August 19, 2012 at 10:44 am

This is a fantastic recipe. Made these delicious cookies this afternoon with my niece and nephew and they loved them. Thankyou!

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Susan September 7, 2012 at 2:17 pm

The cookies look yummy! I hadn’t thought of using M&M’s with peanut butter cookies. What a great idea.

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veltg September 14, 2012 at 8:02 pm

Thanks for the excellent recipe!

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Re September 27, 2012 at 9:00 pm

I’ve given up refined sugar… Wish you would feature recipes made with natural unrefined sugars – honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar …

I just made these and used 1/2 c honey instead of the white poison

And I added gluten free quick oats too bc the batter was pretty loose!

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Michelle Slaughter September 29, 2012 at 4:04 pm

Can you substitute other nut butters for the peanut butter?

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Kristi October 14, 2012 at 6:09 pm

Thank you for this recipe. These are amazing.

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Amanda November 4, 2012 at 5:14 pm

I just made these and they are wonderful! Although, I think I made mine a little smaller than I should have, I ended up with 40 cookies. They are perfect though! So soft and moist. I ran out of natural peanut butter and had to use Jiffy, but they were still amazing. I cannot wait to try them with natural peanut butter!

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Lauren Coate November 18, 2012 at 7:53 pm

Has anyone tried making these with egg replacer??

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Mardi Hill November 28, 2012 at 9:17 pm

Very delicious! I doubled the recipe and because I didn’t have any chocolate chips, I put in 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa. It gives them a nice undertone of chocolate flavor and I didn’t need to add any extra sugar. I also try to stay away from the refined sugar and will try other sweeteners too.

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Ruth Carman December 7, 2012 at 10:52 pm

Wow, these are so filling! I used a melon baller for size control and it made more than 20 cookies. I replaced half the white sugar with brown, then I rolled them in demerara sugar. I used up the remains of three different kinds of peanut butter. My house is less than 40% humidity today and the batter was so dry it wouldn’t hold together at all. I added a tablespoon of water and it was fine. I love cookies and I’ve had no wheat since July. The only cookies I’ve had since then were commercially made. Every one of those tasted so bad I didn’t want a second cookie. These are far better than any of those!!! I ate THREE…and I am so full.

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