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.