In all the time I have been living on this Earth, I don’t think I have ever met a single person that has uttered the words, “No thank you, I don’t like cookies.” Not one. Have you? Combine that with the fact that I don’t think I have met an individual on God’s green Earth to ever say, “Noooo. I’m not a big fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.” Never. I mean, who can turn down one of those perfectly-crafted PB+C numbers (slightly chilled, of course)? No one!
So, hear me out for a second. If you’re a person who follows a Gluten-Free Diet and you have folks in your life that are not gluten-free—folks who may not fully appreciate (or even overtly disdain) your flourless lifestyle—if there is one culinary vehicle to get them to give a second glance at appreciating gluten-free living…This. Is. That. Vehicle. Zoom! Zoom!
Now, in full disclosure, I am not gluten-free. However, I went out with a girl recently who is and so it got me thinking about how to make the recipes I create gluten-free…and to make them taste as amazing as their gluten-full counterpart. I started experimenting with these cookies and I think we’ve got something really good here, whether you’re gluten-free or not.
Surprisingly, these cookies came straight out of my Mom and Dad’s Cookbook….which means, they were thought up well before people even knew what gluten is. My folks called them Flourless Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I tweaked them a bit, using smooth natural peanut butter instead of chunky, chocolate chunks instead of chips…and my favorite addition, dipping the dough in mini-chocolate chips before baking. Don’t worry, Mom approves!
So what is gluten? The Celiac Disease Foundation defines gluten as the “general name for the proteins found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected.”
As you can imagine, eating gluten-free is not always the easiest thing to do…especially for an Italian like me who would put pasta on his pasta if he could. The good news is that the options these days for gluten-free alternatives are more plentiful than ever. Some of the major players like pizza, pasta and even bread have some really good quality, great tasting gluten-free alternatives. And with cookies like these, you can top off an amazing gluten-free meal with these rustic deglutenized home-baked cookies. And that’s something everybody can agree on. Enjoy!
Feel free to share your tips for gluten-free living in the comments below…and be sure to let us know how the gluten lovers in your life enjoyed these Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
SO WHAT YOU'RE GONNA NEED IS:
- 1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Chocolate Chunks
- 1/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
YOU'LL ALSO NEED:
Instructions
- Combine Egg, Vanilla Extract, Baking Powder, packed Brown Sugar and Peanut Butter.
- Thoroughly mix by hand or with a Hand Mixer.
- Fold in Chocolate Chunks
- Pinch 2 inch hunk of cookie dough and dip into mini chocolate chips.
- Place cookie dough (mini chocolate chip side uon baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Looks UH-mazing. Thanks for all the great recipes, Fucci!