A gluten-free, dairy-free cookie that is actually good! Peanut Butter Cookies.

Peanut butter cookies are often overshadowed by the oh-so-popular chocolate chip cookies. I don't know why I never think about making them. Every time I make or eat a peanut butter cookie I think,  "I need to make these more often." I love salty sweets, and these are a perfect example. As much as I love chocolate and peanut butter together, I think that these are best without chocolate chips. The chocolate can be overpowering, and in these cookies you really want to taste the peanut buttery-ness.

I definitely eat butter and use it to make a lot of baked goods, but this recipe doesn't contain any. Because the peanut butter is so fatty, it adds the richness and flavor that you need. These cookies also don't contain flour, which doesn't really matter to me one way or another, but they have such an interesting texture without the flour. You would not believe that peanut butter, eggs, sugar, and baking soda could produce a cookie! The texture is slightly crumbly and they go perfectly with a cup of coffee. I ate one of these every morning with my coffee for a week after I made them. I had to limit myself to one a day.

The original recipes for these type of cookie contain 1 cup of sugar, but I thought brown sugar would be better because it has more flavor and would keep the cookies from becoming too crispy. I also decreased it to 2/3 cup because I don't like things too sweet and the peanut butter has a little natural sweetness on its own.

These are probably the easiest cookies in the world to make. You just need a bowl and a spoon. Stir everything together in no particular order, form the dough into balls, and flatten with a fork. That's it! I think the hardest part of this recipe is cleaning the peanut butter out of the measuring cup.

Flourless Butterless Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 12 cookies.

1 cup natural peanut butter*

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir all ingredients together in medium bowl.  Using moistened hands, form generous 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie into ball (I used a 1 oz cookie scoop). Arrange on 2 ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten with a fork to make the cross-hatched pattern on top.

Bake cookies until puffed, golden on bottom and still soft to touch in center, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely.

*If your peanut butter is unsalted, add 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Pumpkin Pie without Evaporated Milk

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The weather is changing and the smell of fall is in the air. My husband, the non-cooked-fruit guy, actually loves pumpkin pie and has been talking about it for the last couple weeks. Go figure. I think he likes the smooth texture. For his last day of work before he moves on to a new and better position (yay!), I decided to make him a pumpkin pie. I happened to have a can of pumpkin from last winter, but I couldn't find any evaporated milk. We had leftover heavy cream from some other dish we made, so I thought that would work perfectly! The reason evaporated milk was used in the original recipe is because it's shelf stable and can last for months or years even in the cupboard. The flavor is a little sweeter than milk since some of the water is evaporated, so I figured heavy cream would be a perfect substitute since it's a little sweeter and a lot richer than milk. I think I added about 500 calories to the pie by making this substitution, but that only amounts to a little bit in each slice (unless your "slice" is 1/4 the pie, which my hubby and I could easily devour).

Since I had a large can of Libby's pumpkin but only wanted to make one pie, I halved the recipe from the back of the can. My brain isn't working like it used to before the baby was born, and I forgot to add half the amount of salt. Well, that turned out to be the secret to a delicious pie! I am always a fan of adding more salt than recipes call for, because I think it brings out all the flavors, but I never thought of adding more salt to the Holy Grail of pumpkin pies. I had always thought the original Libby's pumpkin pie recipe was delicious, even after trying various recipes and even roasting a sugar pumpkin to begin with. I guess even classics can get better!

This will be my new recipe for pumpkin pie. I can't wait to make another one!

Better-than-Libby's Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or milk or a combination of the two (I used 1 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk) OR 1-12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell (I used Barefoot Contessa's Perfect Pie Crust recipe)

Whipped cream (optional)

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in milk and/or cream. Pour into pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425°F. oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Fresh herb potato salad

 

What to do with the rest of the basil plant from Trader Joe's (we've had a lot of pesto already this summer) and dill that grows like a weed in my parents' garden? A light potato salad that's perfect with a roast chicken or steak and not too difficult to make on a weeknight.

Potato salad doesn't have to be full of mayonnaise, mushy, and boring. Lately I've been making potato salads that are full of herbs and Dijon mustard. Delicious, refreshing, and good for you!

This one came from Barefoot Contessa (I know, I'm a little obsessed), with some very slight changes. Instead of mayonnaise, the dressing is an olive oil-based vinaigrette. It is so flavorful and everyone who tries it is so surprised at how good it is! I think it looks a lot more elegant than a traditional mayo potato salad too.


Picking some dill with my little guy



 There's definitely still a time and a place for the mayo, hard-boiled egg, potato salad, but this is a nice change and a great way to use up leftover herbs!

The key to cooking the potatoes is to boil them whole until they're cooked through (try to find red potatoes that are similar in size), then drain them, put them back in the colander and cover with a kitchen towel to let them steam a little more. They don't end up watery, and are perfectly cooked!

Parsley, dill, and basil

Fresh Herb Potato Salad (slightly adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Yield: 4-5 servings
2 pound small red boiling potatoes

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoons chicken stock

3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 tablespoons good olive oil

1/4 cup minced scallions (white and green parts)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves



Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut into bite sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding.

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Taste before serving to check for seasonings. Serve warm or at room temperature.