Let me start by telling you how amazing these cookies are….or at least why! 1) Taste- There aren’t a lot of ingredients in these cookies, so the peanut butter flavor really shines! 2) Texture- They are soft, so many peanut butter cookies that I have tried before are crisp and lack the soft texture I crave! 3) Ease- There are only 5 ingredients in this recipe! 4) There is no butter or flour in this recipe- not only does this make them gluten free, but it is the perfect cookie when you don’t have all the typical cookie ingredients on your shelves (that is how I discovered them)!

So obviously, I could praise these cookies all day long, but as mentioned above, I actually stumbled across this type of peanut butter cookie one day when I was craving cookies and didn’t have very many ingredients. Boy, I’m glad I did!

Since there is not a lot of ingredients to add into this recipe, mixing doesn’t take long. Begin by missing together the brown sugar and peanut butter. You will need to mix until they are well combined, usually this is once you can no longer see the brown sugar crystals.

Next add in the egg, vanilla and baking soda. The egg will make your batter appear runny at first, but after putting some elbow grease into mixing, you will notice that it becomes thicker.

That is all it takes to get these cookies ready to drop. If you like uniform cookies, you could roll your cookies into balls before placing them on your cookie sheet. I like a few imperfections in my cookies, so I prefer to drop them by heaping spoonfuls.

You can then use a fork to add the criss-cross on top of the cookies. This was the perfect job for my eager two-year-old that was anxious to help out Mommy. You can also add some powdered sugar at this time if you would like.

You may notice that I use silicone baking mats. I love silicone baking mats! Not only do my cookies slide right off, but the mats also help to distribute the heat evenly to help ensure that the cookies are baked evenly.

These cookies bake to perfection for about 8-9 minutes. I like to leave them on the baking mat for about 10 minutes after pulling them out of the oven to allow them to set.

I knew these cookies were a winner as soon as my Husband tried one, and immediately noticed an improvement from my previous Peanut Butter  cookies recipes. Please make these cookies and let me know what you think!

Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t baking soda
• Powdered Sugar (0ptional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix peanut butter and brown sugar together until the crystals from the brown sugar are no longer noticeable. Add egg, vanilla, and baking soda. It will be thick, stir until it is smooth and no longer runny.
3. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet (or roll into balls). Add criss-cross pattern using a fork. If you would like, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake for 8-9 mins.