Are you ready to start baking for the holidays?  I tried two new cookie recipes yesterday to take to our annual holiday cookie swap and both are winners.  We started our swap way back when the kids were in pre-school and through the years we have managed to keep the tradition alive.  Our early gatherings were during the day with kids and babies in tow but have now morphed into a mom’s happy hour. We eat, drink, catch up on what we are doing as well as the kids and of course trade cookies.  Amazing how quickly 17 years have flown by.

The first thing you should know is that both recipes are STUPID EASY.  My favorite cooking category.  If you are looking for cookies that are delicious and will illicit oohs and aahs, look no further. Oh, did I mention they are both GLUTEN FREE?  BAM! The trifecta.  I did not choose them because of that, they just happen to be gluten free. Here is the first one, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies.

To go along with these crazy good cookies here is a Peanuts favorite The Charlie Brown Christmas Song sung by Mariah Carey.

As the song is playing, pullout the peanut butter (smooth or chunky), brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, vanilla and 1 egg.  That’s all you need for this recipe!  I found multiple versions of this recipe online and adapted the one from Our Best Bites.  These cookies are soft, chewy and scream peanut butter flavor.  You can add chocolate to take it to another level, its entirely up to you.  Enjoy!

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter smooth or chunky
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I use 1/2 cup white sugar & 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• Sugar for rolling
• Chocolate chunks I use the chunks from TJs, you can use chips if you like
• optional: heaping 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips I recommend dark or semi-sweet

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine peanut butter and sugars and until smooth (1-2 minutes on medium speed).
• Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix for about a minute.
• If adding chocolate, fold into dough now. Chocolate is optional, really.
• Using a tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop and shape dough into balls, roll in sugar.
• Place balls on parchment lined cookie sheet, approximately 11/2 inches apart.
• Using a fork, flatten with a criss cross pattern, or simply flatten with the bottom of a glass.
• Press one chocolate chunk or chip into the center of cookie after flattening the dough.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes, don’t overbake!
• Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies. Recipe can be doubled easily.