One of the people Jeff shares the Weekly Wednesday Treat Day goodies with happens to have gluten issues, so she hasn't been able to indulge in most of the treats we've done. She was able to snack on those
Caramel Corn Clusters, but not much else. Jeff reminded me of that and this week I thought it would be good to do a treat she could eat without worry, which ended up being these salty/sweet
Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies. I did, however, just find out tonight that she has apparently been back to eating foods with gluten and is doing well! Either way, you won't miss the gluten in these cookies!
One of the best traits about this cookie is that you don't need anything fancy to prepare the dough - a bowl and a sturdy wooden spoon does the trick. The next best part? It uses pantry staples (well, we keep them handy) - creamy peanut butter, sugar, a couple eggs, baking soda, salt, chocolate and peanuts. Yes, you read that right - there is no added butter or oil! I did toss in a splash of vanilla as it tends to round out the flavor in cookies and suggest you do the same, but they wouldn't be ruined if you didn't have it.
You can use completely granulated sugar if you like, but I swapped out a portion for brown sugar to add a bit of complexity from the dark molasses. The dough is fairly stiff, especially once the ample amount of chocolate and peanuts go in - since there is no flour involved, you don't have to worry about over-mixing to work them all in. Being so stiff, I baked a couple test cookies to see how they do before I started loading up the sheets. I found the cookies didn't spread much at all - we flattened them for a more traditional cookie round, but you could leave the dough as a ball if a puffier mound is desired.
Being slightly crumbly in texture, the cookies have an interesting tenderness to them that oozes into more of an addictive chew the more you eat. The peanut flavor is abundant, coming from not only all of the peanut butter in the dough, but the crunchy addition of the salted nuts jammed in. I loved the bite from the bittersweet chocolate nuggets, but semi-sweet may be more appropriate if you'd be serving these to kids.
One of the best traits about this cookie is that you don't need anything fancy to prepare the dough - a bowl and a sturdy wooden spoon does the trick. The next best part? It uses pantry staples (well, we keep them handy) - creamy peanut butter, sugar, a couple eggs, baking soda, salt, chocolate and peanuts. Yes, you read that right - there is no added butter or oil! I did toss in a splash of vanilla as it tends to round out the flavor in cookies and suggest you do the same, but they wouldn't be ruined if you didn't have it.
You can use completely granulated sugar if you like, but I swapped out a portion for brown sugar to add a bit of complexity from the dark molasses. The dough is fairly stiff, especially once the ample amount of chocolate and peanuts go in - since there is no flour involved, you don't have to worry about over-mixing to work them all in. Being so stiff, I baked a couple test cookies to see how they do before I started loading up the sheets. I found the cookies didn't spread much at all - we flattened them for a more traditional cookie round, but you could leave the dough as a ball if a puffier mound is desired.
Being slightly crumbly in texture, the cookies have an interesting tenderness to them that oozes into more of an addictive chew the more you eat. The peanut flavor is abundant, coming from not only all of the peanut butter in the dough, but the crunchy addition of the salted nuts jammed in. I loved the bite from the bittersweet chocolate nuggets, but semi-sweet may be more appropriate if you'd be serving these to kids.
Are these cookies crispy or cakey?
ReplyDeletethey look so good, but I really want crispy cookies. thanks Joe.
Rita
Those look delicious! I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, but I'm sure the actual peanuts send this cookie over the top. I've never thought about that before, but the texture of those cookies must be killer! Definitely on my must-try list!
ReplyDeleteWow, these look fantastic! Our housemate just started eating gluten-free, and isn't too happy about it. I'm guessing these will cheer her up! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRita - They are definitely not cake, but I wouldn't call them crispy hard either - chewy and a touch crumbly. You could try baking them a minute or two longer though for extra crunch.
ReplyDeleteCaroline - One of my favorite combinations too!
Megan - I hope your friend enjoys them!