We’re getting quite specific and trendy here with this week’s edition of Making Groceries. Any regular reader knows, I have nothing against wheat. I adore it; I bake with it; I eat it; I love it.
I always will.
This week’s inspiration was not specifically for people with Celiac Disease, although I hope this recipe finds its way into those hands. I was actually trying to create a very simple cookie. I read that ground nuts can be considered a flour of sorts, so I figured peanut butter made of only nuts should work just dandy. I also needed a new peanut butter cookie recipe, because my Mimi’s recipe (written for my dad with ingredients like oleo) needed a few tweaks.
Voila: today’s fabulously simple and perfectly delicious recipe.
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 c peanut butter (please make your own)
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
2. Scoop 1-inch balls. Place them on a parchment-line baking sheet. Press down genly with your palm to flatten into a disc. Use a fork to press into the dough, giving the cookie it’s classic cross-hatch design. Cookies will not rise, so make sure they look cute. Sprinkle with a bit extra sugar.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Edges should be slightly browned and firm. Allow cookie to rest for one minute on baking sheet, then place them on a cooling rack. Makes 16 cookies. Enjoy!
The Bottom Line
Buzz words cost big bucks. The price of any grocery item advertised as gluten -freeis jacked up. If you need to avoid wheat products, you’ll probably save money and save your body from over-processed foods by simply embracing foods which are naturally gluten-free rather than those fashioned to be so. You know, like rice. I urge you to look to global cultures, particularly Asian cuisines for delicious, whole and natural foods.
As far as cost is concerned, these cookies ran me $1.89 to make. I don’t have a direct comparison, but most gluten-free cookies cost $5.59 for a small package. That is an insanely expensive price for a single grocery store item. The effort to make these cookies is so minimal, it’s hardly worth making it a project with kids. Plop, crack, stir and they’re done.
That being said, these cookies are yummy. They are simple and honest and feel quite old-fashioned despite their current trendiess. Paring down food to it’s simplest form is a modern act of integrity. We should not eat what we do not need. These yummy cookies aren’t missing a thing.
It’s crazy that we live in a world where cookies need to be classified as honest, but here we are. Please enjoy something so simple it tastes of earth and my grandmother’s old recipe in one bite.
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