little vegan peanut butter cookies

I can't get enough of peanut butter cookies. That's why this makes a small batch- about a dozen small cookies or 6 regular-sized cookies. I wanted a way to make a small batch of cookies so I didn't have to worry about my lack of self-control. :o) The problem was, there was no way to really use half of an egg.

Enter the flaxseed meal solution! It also conveniently makes them vegan. I love that these don't spread out a lot and they can be made both soft and crunchy depending on how long you bake them. Fabulous.

Little Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c. flour mix
1/8 t. xanthan gum
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 c. peanut butter
2 T. shortening
1/2 T. flaxseed meal
1 T. boiling water
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt

Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cream the shortening, peanut butter and sugars until it's smooth and fluffy. Add the flax/water. Mix the dry ingredients together, than mix that into everything else. Form balls with the dough and do the fork thing.

Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes, let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes, and pop these cute little cookies into your mouth. Mmm.

crunchy oatmeal cookies

I've been working on this recipe for a while now. I made some, didn't quite like them and changed the recipe, but I couldn't quite get it right. Something was off. I eventually got tired of working on it and stopped thinking about it.

I was doing some research at work today about heart disease and came across some articles about how good flax is for you. Immediately I remembered its nutty-ish smell and thought it would be good in these cookies. So I came home, did some more research, and discovered that in a lot of vegan recipes, 1 T. flaxseed meal plus 2 T. warm water is a substitute for an egg.

So... my friend had a bad day and I thought cookies might cheer her up. She was a fan of the original recipe even though it totally flopped the first time, and since I was thinking about it anyway I decided to give it another go. I substituted the egg, and altered a couple of other things I didn't like last time.

And... I like them. So here ya go.

Crunchy Oatmeal Cookies

3 T. butter, soft

2 T. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. warm water

1/2 T. flaxseed meal

1/2 c. flour mix

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. vanilla

1/4 c. + 2 T oats (make sure they're GF!)

What you gotta do:

Cream the butter & sugar. Add the vanilla, water, flaxseed meal & mix.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add to the mixture. Place spoonfuls on a well-greased cookie sheet (they like to stick). I make mine small because they get a little crispier and you can eat more :o). They do spread, so place some room between them. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for a minute before you try to take them off. It makes a small batch but it's easily doubled.

They're nice and crispy. I originally intended to ice these but I like them better on their own. My mom tasted them and said, "Ooh you have to make these for Christmas." haha!