Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Peanut Butter Cookies are always a favorite with kids as well as parents. A nice way to get some protein into your body, as long as you watch the sugar content, these are one of the preferred treats to full-blown desserts. The recipe that is described below is a gluten-free version, so it uses real peanut butter instead of the flour, and we add an extra egg and an extra teaspoon of baking soda to make them rise and retain the texture of a traditional cookie. It tastes very much like eating a Reese Peanut Butter Cup, when you layer it with a thick Ganache frosting. And as peanut butter has enough fat for the recipe, there is no need to add any extra butter or oil. Deck it up for a nice festive look, or keep it simple for an everyday treat. Recipe courtesy of Woman’s Day magazine. Photo by Ian Bagwell.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Glutenfree)
Yields about 48 cookies

Ingredients
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup coarsely chopped cocktail peanuts

Ganache
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
chopped peanuts

Method
Heat oven to 350ºF. Beat peanut butter, sugar, eggs and baking soda in large bowl with electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth and blended. Stir in chopped peanuts.

Drop level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart, flat side down, onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and slightly golden. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Ganache: Microwave cream in glass bowl on high 1 minute or until it just begins to simmer. Add chocolate chips; let stand 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth; spread over half of cookie top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. If ganache begins to firm up, microwave a few seconds at a time until easy to spread. Allow the cookies and icing to set at room temperature.

Store in air-tight containers to preserve these cookies for 4-5 days. Check out the site for more delicious Cookie Recipes.

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Big Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Glutenfree (Flourless) Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies