These lower sugar, lower carb peanut butter cookies are just the right thing to “cheat” with on your New Year’s Resolution.
Okay, if you’re like most of us, you’re feeling the effects of the holidays. When I visit home, all my regular diet routines are off. Totally. Except for remaining gluten free (or I feel like I’m going to die), I eat pretty much everything in sight. To make matters worse. When we went “home” we discovered Chili and Olive, an amazing gluten free bakery in Ottawa, Canada. They had eclairs. And Napoleons. And those little flaky pastry twist things with chocolate in them. And lasagna. I ate everything. And then I took even more home.
But, when I got home, I decided that I was going to straighten up and fly right. (Even though I’m still dreaming about those Napoleons. No joke.) But it’s funny. When you’re regularly eating a certain way (I’m mostly “clean eating” or “paleo” or “low carb,” whatever, just meat and vegetables and sometimes cheese and fruit) it’s no big deal. It’s just the way you eat. When you go back to eating that way after 10 days of over indulgence, it seems like a very big deal. Like you’re living in a cave in the desert eating only gruel and water. So, a few days into my regular way of eating, I needed cookies. Like, now.
These cookies have a couple of benefits. They’re only 4 carbs and 45 calories per cookie. And the recipe is small, so you have to actually stop eating at some point. So, I only actually ate ⅓ of a jar of peanut butter. And after eating ⅓ of a jar of peanut butter, you’re good. Like, you just have to look at that jar to realize that you’ve consumed all the peanut butter humanly possible to consume, no need to crave anything anymore.
So, really, I am good now. My regular diet is tasty and satisfying, no need to binge eat anything anymore (until I get back to Canada and those Napoleons). If you’re still in the need to eat everything stage of New Year’s, this recipe is for you. If you’d like something similar, but can’t do peanuts, try my Sunbutter Cookies by clicking here.
(A quick note about gluten free safety. Use an uncontaminated jar of peanut butter. These cookies won’t be gluten free if you use the same jar that everyone is using for their toast, there will be teeny tiny gluten crumbs in your cookies. Even the smallest amount of gluten can cause a painful reaction and life threatening intestinal damage to someone with celiac disease.)
Gluten Free Lower Carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ tablespoons Cocoa Powder
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients with electric mixer.
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Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
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Flatten cookies slightly.
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Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes, until the tops look dry and the bottom edges start to brown.
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Let cool for at least half an hour before eating. (really important!!! or else the cookies fall apart)
