I have a cookie baking reputation that I have gained over the years. And so the pressure is on to make sure that every cookie I turn out, is worthy. I remember bringing a platter of chocolate chip cookies to a large skating event and having a man come up to me and say, “I have heard all about your cookies and can’t wait to try them!” I was utterly embarrassed because that was the day the dough seemed dry and crumbly. I had committed to bringing cookies and though they were okay, they weren’t fantastic…
Everyone finds themselves in a situation where you have to whip something up last minute when guests are coming over unexpectedly or someone needs a last minute dessert. You can find variations of flour-less peanut butter cookies on the labels of peanut butter jars. But I was making this 3-ingredient cookie years before people saw it everywhere.
THREE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup peanut butter – smooth or crunchy-it’s your preference
1 cup brown sugar (white sugar is also fine)
1 large egg
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix these 3 ingredients together and let them stand for about 5 minutes. If the texture is smooth, but not wet, you’re good to go. I find that if the peanut butter is oily, then it’s good to add another 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
I use a large cookie scoop and place the cookies on a cookie sheet. If you have parchment paper, use that. If you generally use cooking spray when you bake, spray lightly. I did not grease the cookie sheet below, but merely placed the cookies on top. once cooled, they were easy to remove without issue.
Criss-cross the top of each cookie with a fork, not pressing too hard and lightly sprinkle with some coarse sugar.
Bake about 12-15 minutes, but keep your eye on the cookies. You still want the middle to be soft and chewy. So once the outer rim looks like it is browning and the middle is still soft, you’re good to go. When you pull them out, they will look a bit puffy, but will collapse within minutes of pulling them out. That’s completely normal.
Now for the fun part! If you do not like anything boring (although the 3 ingredient cookie is delicious!) rummage through your cupboards and see what you can find. Mix the first 3-ingredients as indicated above, Then add handfuls of whatever you wish. There is no wrong combination. If you add too much, the cookie will be dry as the additions will soak up the moisture. So keep it simple. A handful of chocolate chips with 1 tbsp of nuts or pretzels. And so on.
Chocolate chips? Peanuts? Crumble some salty regular chips or chunks of a store-bought cookies like Oreos in. I’ve added chocolate chips and salty pretzel bits to the cookie below. Biting into the cookie, you’ll get a sweet and salty combo which is divine!
These cookies keep well too! Heading on a trip? Put them in an airtight container and they will tide you over because of the protein in the peanut butter. Take them camping or to the cottage and put a gooey roasted marshmallow in between two cookies for a take on traditional s’mores!
Lolita Bakes! 