Grain-free, gluten-free, peanut-butter cookies

Gluten-free and grain-free, and yummy!

I've been making these cookies for years now since I found out how easy they were. Recently, a friend told me her son is supposed to be completely grain free. Yowza! That sounds so difficult. At 5 years old, how do you tell him he can't have a cookie anymore? So I remembered how easy these peanut-butter cookies were and promptly whipped up a batch. I added chocolate chips (Enjoy Life, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free chips) to 1/2 the batch, just for fun.

Add a few chips on top for fun

These are creamy, nutty and crumble just the right amount, just like a cookie. They are also amazingly easy and quick to make. You probably have everything already. That's what I love about them, if all else fails...make some cookies in a jif (oops, peanut butter pun unintended!) This recipe is all over the web in a few different varieties. Some have more eggs, some have less sugar. It's really up to your particular taste. Make them according to the directions the first time, then tweak them any way you like. I prefer to add a little crunchy peanut butter to get peanuts in there, some people prefer to make it all creamy. Your call...

Peanut-butter cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (try to use the most natural kind as possible)
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar (plus about 3 TBS)
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix all ingredients except for the 3 Tbs reserved sugar. If you want chocolate chips in the cookies, add about 1/4 cup now.

3. Roll cookie mixture into small balls, using a little less than a tablespoon each time. Make sure they are all consistent in size to be sure they cook evenly.

4. Roll each cookie in the reserved sugar and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Using a fork, press down on each cookie to make the traditional hash marks.

5. If you're using just a few chocolate chips, press them into the top now.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack.

These are crunchy and oh so yummy. They are also great to bring to a party or cookie exchange, just remember to make sure the little ones don't have peanut allergies, of course.

Enjoy!