A Match Made in (Nut) Heaven

The first gift Adam ever gave me was jar of peanut butter.

When we first started dating in college, I returned to my dorm room one afternoon to find a gift bag hung over the knob. Inside, I found a jar of peanut butter, a bag of chocolate chips, and a post-it note wishing me a good weekend.

A man who gives me nut butter to show that he cares? True love, I tell you.

Needless to say, someone with a nut allergy would not fare well in our house. My nut addiction extends far beyond the obvious peanut butter + chocolate obsession, and infiltrates most dishes we eat. Pasta dishes, salads, desserts, even bean burgers--they're all friends of the nut.

When it comes to desserts, I'd argue that quintessential nutty treat is the classic peanut butter cookie. Who doesn't love this sweet n' salty bite-sized treat, complete with its own signature--a stylish fork imprint?

While I love my classic PB cookies as much as the next girl (bring on the butter!), tonight we're going to explore the wonderful world of lower-fat, almost-vegan peanut butter cookies.

No worries--these cookies do not take on the cake-like texture that often characterizes lower-fat cookies (because let's be honest: there's nothing more disappointing than a dry, high-rise, cake-like cookie). They're chewy and ridiculously delicious, similar to their full-fat counterparts.

I discovered this recipe a couple years ago at the amazing Cookie Madness website. It makes an appearance in our house quite regularly, and happily satisfies my after-dinner-sweets-n-peanut-butter craving.

Eat up! And remember--if a guy ever gives you a jar of peanut butter as a gift, snatch him up and marry him. It'll be the best decision you ever made :)

(Almost) Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

(Recipe adapted from Anna at Cookie Madness)

These cookies are a tad on the crumbly side, likely due to the lack of egg. I've never experimented with the recipe to see how this could be reduced (I love the taste and texture so much, the crumbly factor doesn't bother me a bit!). Either way, they completely satisfy the sweet n' salty peanut butter cookie crave :)

*The "almost" vegan tag is because I used yogurt. The original recipe calls for applesauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup, plus 2 TBSP unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 TBSP vegetable oil
• 3 TBSP fat free vanilla yogurt
• 2 TBSP honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with cooking spray.

2) Combine brown sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, honey, vanilla, and peanut butter in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and stir until fully combined.

3) Drop dough by large spoon-fuls onto baking sheet (makes about 12 large cookies). Use a fork to make awesome peanut butter cookie signature on top, if desired (I forgot this time).

4) Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. No worries about under-baking--they're vegan!