biscotti, revisited

A simplified version of a previously posted recipe for biscotti, inspired by the new Nespresso machine and the need for little snackies to enjoy alongside a double shot on the porch.

Biscotti:

1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
3 eggs
2 c. GF flour

1 c. almond flour

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Mix the eggs, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir in the flours. 

You can use the dough as-is, or add some mix ins. I divided the dough and added the following:

1. slivered almonds and sprinkled with turbinado sugar
2. dried cranberries and chopped pecans

3. chocolate chips

4. ginger, cardamon, and cinnamon

Shape into oval patties. They do not spread or rise so take that into consideration when shaping. I made mini biscotti here. 

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Take them out and, using your sharpest knife, cut the patties into slices at an angle. 

Bake for another 20 minutes.

As they cool they will get a little crunchy. 

P.S. They freeze very well.

the best and easiest peanut butter cookies

I've made a lot of peanut butter cookies. Of all the recipes I've tried, this is the best. And easiest. No flour & naturally dairy free. 

Peanut butter cookies

1 c. peanut butter*

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 egg (or, 1 T. flax seed meal + 3 T. hot water)

1/4 t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. cinnamon (optional)

chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat the peanut butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and beat until a dough forms. The dough may be slightly crumbly. Form into balls, place on a greased cookie sheet, and flatten with a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will be really soft but firm up after they cool.

The dough freezes well. I freeze it on wax paper in the flattened balls and take out a few at a time.

*If you spray the measuring cup with cooking spray, the peanut butter will come out easier.

rugelach

One day I was in Whole Foods.
Hungry.
You all know where this is headed. 

I picked up a treat in the frozen section, and I chose these delightful little cookie things... Katz cinnamon rugelach. They were barely thawed while I sampled one during my drive home. Oh, they're good! The box was swiftly polished off, and now, several months later, those crisp little cinnamony swirly cookies have been on my mind. 

I could have driven to the store and bought some, but to be honest they were a little too sweet for me. Plus I didn't want to put on pants. So I made some.

Rugelach

Crust:

1/2 stick of dairy free butter, room temperature

1/4 container of dairy free cream cheese (I like Kite Hill), room temperature

1/2 c. flour blend

Filling:
2 T. brown sugar

1 T. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

Use a hand mixer to combine the ingredients for the crust. Let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Tape a piece of wax paper to the counter top. Dust it with gf flour and roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle. Spray a fine layer of cooking spray onto the dough and top with the filling. Roll the dough into a tight roll and cut into small slices. 
Place each slice onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bottoms start to brown.

Ginger cookies

It's Christmas Eve and I'm out of cookies!

That's okay. I made some more. Ginger cookies this time. No molasses, here. Just a bright, spicy ginger flavor.

I had made the dough and was rolling it up into balls when I noticed the egg still sitting on the counter. I had forgotten to add it in! They were a smidge dry, but
they are still delicious. I would probably make them without an egg again, maybe decreasing the flour to 3/4 c.

Ginger cookies

2 T. shortening
2 T. Vegan I can't believe it's not butter
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
fresh grated ginger, I didn't measure
1 egg
1 c. GF flour mix
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. baking soda
1/8 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

For the outside of the cookies, mix in a small bowl:
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. ground ginger
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a hand mixer, mix the shortening, "butter," fresh grated ginger, and sugar. Beat in the egg.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Dump the dry ingredients into the sugar/butter/ginger mixture, and mix well.

Form balls of dough and flatten them down a little bit. Dip each side into the sugar/ginger/cinnamon mixture, and place them on a greased baking sheet. These cookies do not spread at all. They will pretty much come out exactly how they were placed on the sheet.

Bake them for 12-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown and the tops are set.

Makes 8 cookies.

Peanut butter cookies

For some reason this year I've been really into making cookies. Peanut butter cookies are my favorite.

I like this recipe for a peanut butter cookie, because it doesn't use any butter or shortening, instead using all peanut butter for a stronger flavor. Plus it's naturally dairy-free.

Peanut butter cookies:
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg (or, 1 T flax seed meal + 3 T hot water)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c. GF flour mix
1/2 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt

With a hand mixer, beat together the peanut butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. The dough will be oily. Form into small balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil, for easy cleanup. Press a fork into the dough at 90 degree angles. (This is required).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies have started to brown. Top with chocolate, if desired. (I did half and half, but this is recommended)

Makes 1.5 dozen smallish cookies that freeze well.

chocolate chip cookies, dairy free

I found out late tonight that my day tomorrow will be more mellow than expected. So, at 10pm, it's okay to make cookies, right?

Right.

I haven't baked lately, especially not since I've decided to avoid dairy, so I've been experimenting. So far, so good. My waistline may not eventually agree but hey, it's the holiday season so cookies at 10pm are ok, right?

Right.

*sips wine*

I like that these are not overly sweet, so that you can actually taste the chocolate, salt, and vanilla. These are a little crispy, a little soft, and way too good.

GF Dairy free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 T. shortening
2 T. Vegan I can't believe it's not butter*
1 egg
1/4 t. vanilla
3/4 c. GF flour mix
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. baking soda
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using a hand mixer, mix the shortening, "butter," and sugar.
Add the egg and vanilla, and mix it well.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add them to the wet ingredients and mix them together, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Place balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with greased foil.

Bake them for 8-10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown and the tops are set.

Makes about 12-16 smallish cookies that freeze well, if they last that long.

*Currently experimenting with this. So far, it's a decent substitute for butter, both as a spread and in baking.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

These crisp little cookies are a mix of tart and sweet, and are delightful.

Great with coffee or tea or just by themselves, they also make a darling small gift. I think the shape makes them seem more special than regular round cookies.

This recipe makes about 10 biscotti, depending on how you slice them. I always eat the shorter end pieces as "quality control," so realistically this makes about 8 cookies.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

2 T. butter*
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. GF flour mix
1/2 c. almond flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. grown cinnamon
1/4 c. chopped fresh cranberries
2 T. slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar. It can be difficult to cream small amounts of butter and sugar. I use a hand mixer and a deep bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until everything is nicely mixed.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well with the hand mixer.

Stir in the cranberries and almonds.

The dough will be wet. Scrape/pour it on a greased cookie sheet (lined with foil to assist with cleanup). Shape the dough into a big oval. If it is sticky, it's helpful to wet the spatula with hot water and use it for spreading.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Let the biscotti cool for 10 minutes.

After cooling for 10 minutes, carefully cut the giant cookie into inch-thick strips at an angle and spread them out on the cookie sheet. Return the pan to the oven to bake for another 20 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool. They should be firm and crispy.

If they're still a little soft and cookie-like, you can enjoy them just the way they are, or stick them back into the oven.

The end pieces are usually fine, but the larger middle pieces might not be crispy enough. Flip them on their sides so the bottoms don't burn, and return them to the oven for another 10 minutes.

*Trying to avoid dairy, instead of butter I used the vegan "I can't believe it's not butter" and it worked well.

Peanut butter (pumpkin choco chip) cookies

The pumpkin mania continues!

Why add pumpkin to a perfectly good cookie recipe? Because 'tis the season.
I have to say, I'm a peanut butter cookie nut and somewhat of a purist, but I'm really digging the addition of pumpkin to these cookies.

Heating the pumpkin puree to lower the moisture content makes these cookies work as cookies; they're soft but don't have a cakey consistency. The bottoms and tops crisp up like cookies should, and they hold their shape. The chocolate just adds joy to an already delightful cookie.

Peanut butter (pumpkin choco-chip) cookies

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar, loosely packed
1 egg
1/4 c. pumpkin puree, heated 1 min in the microwave and cooled
1/4 c. GF Flour mix
1/4 c. almond flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice*
1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat: Oven to 350 degrees.
Mix: Peanut butter and brown sugar.
Mix in: Egg and pumpkin.
Mix in: The rest of the ingredients.

Form little cookie dough balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Smash slightly with a fork.The dough will be really soft and a little oily at this point because it's mostly peanut butter, but don't despair!
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a cooking rack and try not to eat a million of them!

*[Pumpkin pie spice:]
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t.ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves

Gingerbread houses

Decorating gingerbread houses has become somewhat of a yearly tradition between a few of my friends.

That's all fine and dandy, until you realize that they do not make gluten free gingerbread house kits. (To my knowledge...). Which means the options include not participating, sucking it up and building a gluteny house, getting creative with rice krispie treats, or making your own from scratch.

Guess which one I did this year? You betcha. From scratch. I've done it before and it's not hard, it just takes a bit extra time.

Here is the template I came up with:

[To print, Right-click and Save the image. It should print in normal dimensions once you open it up]

Here is the recipe I used. It's really good because the cookies don't puff up or spread, plus they still taste good.

Gingerbread Cookie House
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. lightly packed brown sugar
3 T. molasses (that's all that was left in the jar!)
1 egg
2 1/4 cups GF Flour Blend
1/2 T. ginger and cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg and cloves

Preheat the oven to 350.
Beat the butter & sugar until it looks incorporated. Beat in the egg and molasses.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix in slowly. Once it's all mixed up, get in there with your hands and form it into a ball. Place the bowl in the freezer while you clean up and prepare the space for rolling out the dough.

I prefer to tape waxed paper to the countertop, and dust with flour. A flour sifter provides a perfect thin distribution of flour for rolling stuff out.

Roll the dough out to desired thickness. Place the template on the dough and cut out 2 of each shape. If desired, cut a door and windows.

Place on a greased (taking no chances here) cookie sheet and bake until they are sturdy. This depends on thickness, but they will be browned on the edges. You don't want a soft cookie, but check them to make sure they don't burn! (That can happen when you're singing along to Anne Murray's Christmas album and not paying attention) Carefully remove them from the sheet to a cooling rack.

This recipe makes enough for 2 smallish houses.

Assemble with royal icing (I like Alton Brown's. Instead of 3oz I use 3 egg whites)
Decorate to your heart's content with GF candies:

Vanilla Pudding "Firework" Cookies

It's the 4th of July. My entire internet is exploding with red, white, and blue.

And so are these cookies!

I was originally inspired by this pin for cookies made with vanilla pudding mix. Interesting concept!
So I tried it, converted it to be gluten free + a couple of other tweaks, and added a ton of red & blue sprinkles to the batter-- plus I sprinkled some on top. 

It makes a very soft, sticky batter. I initially tried to roll these out and bake them in star cutouts, but that was not happening; even after sitting in the freezer. These cookies are just meant to be cookie-shaped.

They taste like a vanilla sugar cookie- thanks to the extra vanilla and pudding mix. I also caught this recipe that uses just peanut butter, an egg, and vanilla pudding mix. Let's try ALL the pudding mix cookie recipes!

But we'll start with this one:

Vanilla Pudding Firework Cookies

1 1/2 cup GF flour mix
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding (confirm that it's GF!)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and vanilla pudding mix in a separate bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir in sprinkles! 

Place on a cookie sheet in rounded balls; will spread a little. Sprinkle with more... sprinkles.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

 

Bring as many as you can to a party because otherwise you'll eat them all.

Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles

These cookies were born out of necessity. Because I wanted cookies and I ran out of butter.

RAN OUT OF BUTTER?? Yes, I ran out of butter. But I still wanted cookies. Now, the fatty in me would normally just reach for the Crisco and move on with making the cookies. But the other fatty in me happened to catch the cream cheese sitting on the fridge shelf, just next to the empty butter space.

Ding! A light went off. My mom makes a pastry crust that calls for a mixture of cream cheese and butter. What if I substituted cream cheese for the butter? The other fatty in me agreed; it just might work!

So I looked up my sugar cookie recipe and straight up substituted the cream cheese for the butter. Flour went flying, cream cheese got... creamed. Little creamy dumplings were coated in cinnamon sugar. It was beautiful.

They come out of the oven with a crackly cinnamon/sugar coating, but the insides are soft and rich and, well, a little bit creamy. Not like any other cookie I've had before.

Hubs had a couple before asking what I did different. It's a subtle difference from a normal snickerdoodle, but it's there. Dare I say they're a little more elegant-- as elegant as a humble snickerdoodle can be. These would be great for a baby/bridal shower. Or, a random Saturday when the fatties inside of you clamor for cookies.

Gluten Free Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles

2 c. GF flour mix
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

For the outside:
2 T. sugar
1/2 T. cinnamon.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the cream cheese & sugar with a hand mixer until it is well-mixed and starts to get a little fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until you get a cookie dough.

Scoop out little balls of dough and roll them around in a small bowl with the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat the outside.

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes. They won't spread much, so flatten to the desired thickness before baking.

Makes close to 2 dozen small cookies.

Peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips

It has been too damn long since I've made cookies. Sure, I've had cookies [I mean, come on], but store bought are just never the same.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips- you just can't beat a classic.

3/4 c. peanut butter (this time we had crunchy)
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c. GF Flour mix (1/3 c. each brown rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, pinch of xanthan gum)
1/4t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
enough chocolate chips to make your heart sing

Cream the peanut butter & sugar, add the eggs and beat in. Stir in the flour, leaveners, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop onto cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar. The world won't cringe if you don't use that raw, chunky stuff. Regular old sugar is fine.

:: Now. A bit about fork marks. I'm a peanut butter cookie traditionalist. If there are no fork marks, I immediately consider the cookie sub-par. However, fork marks and chocolate chips don't mesh. So it's forgivable, just this time.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until the bottoms start to brown around the edges and the centers are set. Let cool before enjoying.

Pillsbury GF Cookie Dough

I'm going to keep this quick & sweet; much like this cookie dough (harr harr).

Pillsbury makes a gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough that's already made & ready to plop on a cookie sheet & throw in the oven.

It's really freaking good. So easy. Turns out delicious-- especially when you're my sister and you roll the dough in pecan pieces first.

This would be great especially during the holidays. Although, I like to prepare big batches of dough and store in the freezer already rolled into balls, sometimes real life just isn't that prepared. Great for a quick pinch when you don't have the time or energy to make cookie dough from scratch.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Scones

A quick peek around the internet will tell you that everyone's got their own scone recipe. From the traditional, to the bizarre, and everything in-between. Some use cold butter, some use soft butter, some use cream. Some use milk, some use eggs, some don't use any of that stuff.

This is my version.

I love the combination of cinnamon and chocolate, in the right ratio so that you can taste both. They end up kinda tasting like a biscuit-y cookie. Perfect with coffee or tea.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Scones

2/3 c. brown rice flour
2/3 c. sorghum flour
2/3 c. tapioca starch
pinch xanthan gum
pinch salt
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla

1 c. mini chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks

To sprinkle on top:
1 T. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix the egg, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Mix the dry ingredients together, then stir into the wet ingredients. It may take a little stirring, but they will eventually all mix together. It will form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Mix in the chocolate.

On a greased cookie sheet, plop the dough in a mound and form a flattened circle- not too flat, about a half inch or so.

Sprinkle on the cinnamon/sugar/salt mixture, and bake for about 20 minutes.

The center will be set and form a nice crust on top.

After removing from the oven, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter.

Please, learn from my mistakes and let them cool before enjoying. :o)

Nutella Swirl Cookies

Nutella is everywhere. It seems as if everyone loves it. I've had more than a few pieces of gluten free toast spread with a generous dollup of Nutella. I've seen cupcakes, cookies, cheesecake, Nutella mole, you name it.

Today felt like a Nutella cookie kind of day. I give you...

Nutella Swirl Cookies

1 c. gluten free flour (1/3 c. each sorghum & brown rice flour, potato starch, pinch xanthan gum)
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 t. vanilla
1/3 c. Nutella

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and butter until well-mixed and a little fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Once everything is mixed, smooth out the cookie dough inside the mixing bowl. Spray the measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the Nutella, then drizzle it over the top of the dough. Using the spoon, swirl it into the dough, being careful not to over-mix.

It helps to refrigerate the dough before baking, as they spread a little. 

Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the middles look set. Let them cool a few minutes before removing them from the pan.

Nom your face off.

Pumpkin, chocolate chip, oatmeal... cookies

I had leftover pumpkin after making some muffins, so these cookies were born. I was actually laying in bed this morning thinking of what kind of cookie to make. Once I had it all figured out in my head, I had motivation to get up.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 large egg
1/4 t. vanilla
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cups gluten free oats
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1/8 t. xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

cinnamon & sugar (1/2 c. sugar + 1 T. cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat shortening and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to wet mixture, mixing well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and sprinkle with cinnamon/ sugar mixture. They won't spread. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack.

These cookies bake up not too sweet, with a hint of every flavor.

Makes appx 18 cookies

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate cookies

picture from the Ocean Spray website

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate cookies. You really can't go wrong with that.

I've been a Craisins fan for years. [PLEASE bring back the chocolate covered Craisins!]

And over the years, I've read the back of the bag, and this recipe. And for years, I've wanted to make them. Today, I did. And they are delicious.

I halved and made a few changes to the original recipe, which I'll include here.

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 large egg
1/4 t. vanilla
3/4 cups gluten free oats
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1/8 t. xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 c. Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
3/4 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat shortening and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

P. S. If you use butter instead of shortening, they'll spread a little more. 

GF Bisquick SnickerDOODLES

Old box of gluten free bisquick in the pantry. Decided that today was the day it was going to be used up.

After a quick google search, I suddenly HAD to have snickerdoodles.

photo snagged here

Oh yes.

I halved the recipe, used less sugar, added some vanilla, and used brown sugar for the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

GF Bisquick Snickerdoodles

3/4 c. GF bisquick
1/4 c. rice flour ( I ran out of Bisquick)
1 egg
2 T each softened butter & shortening
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:
3 T. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon


Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and bisquick and mix up into a dough. Roll the dough into balls and coat in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. (I used my Xpress Redi Set Go again, baking them in the mini muffin insert for 5 minutes. That thing is AMAZING in this summer heat)

Made about 12 little cookies.

They come out like a cross between a muffin, coffee cake, and a cookie; definitely a cake-like cookie rather than a crispy cokie. I can't wait to eat them with coffee during my break tomorrow.

Breakfast Cookies, again

I decided to revise this breakfast cookie recipe to make it tastier, improve the texture, and give it a little more staying power. The previous version just didn't have enough calories to keep me going in the morning.

Breakfast Cookies

2 T. oil (I use light olive oil)
2 T. maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
pinch of xanthan gum
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
1 c. GF oats
1/4 c. flaxseed meal
2 T. soy flour
1/4 c. chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and shape into densely packed cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 350. (Alternatively, press into an 8x8 pan and make them as bars.) They will not spread, so flatten them to your liking before baking.

Let them cool on the pan or they might fall apart. Once they cool they'll be set.

Drizzle with icing:

1/8 t. vanilla
1/4 c. powdered sugar
dash of salt
1/2 t. water

Makes about 6 chewy cookies/ bars. Very similar to Quaker's Oatmeal To Go (Which are NOT Gluten Free).

Happy portable breakfasting!

Pamela's Peanut Butter Cookies

picture links to product info

This box of cookies came in a gluten free gift basket of goodies I got for Christmas. This is the first time I've tried Pamela's cookies. I usually make my own because they're so simple, but sometimes it is nice to have cookies without any waiting or dishes.

I was excited because peanut butter cookies are my favorite.
So how did I like them? To be honest, I didn't. Not at all.

I didn't like them for two main reasons.

1. They were chewy, but a little -too-chewy. The texture wasn't pleasing; something was a little off, like I was chewing on candy or something other than a cookie.

2. They didn't taste enough like peanut butter. It was more like a hint of peanut butter. I like my peanut butter cookies to have that rich peanut butter taste.

So, the extra-chewy texture combined with the so-so peanut butter flavor didn't really rock my socks. It may be that I'm just a picky peanut butter cookie person, but I wouldn't spend my money on them.

Does anyone disagree, or have any other Pamela's cookie products they recommend?