Peanut Butter & Joy Cookies

I’ve been having fun getting back into my cooking and baking groove and was excited when West told me about a baking opportunity. Just to clarify, a baking opportunity is when I get to bake something decadent and delicious and send it off with him- this means I get to have fun baking and tasting and he can take all the rest of the goodies to work. Boom.

So I was trying to think of a holiday cookies, all the usuals came to mind, but then I thought, a holiday cookie should just be something you love to make. Something that makes the home smell cozy and think of your friends and family. These cookies remind me of West, and his mom (hello magic mittels)- They remind me of Becky and how she made West these cookies for his birthday. They just bring so much joy.

And like… it’s peanut butter. Yum!

Peanut Butter & Joy Cookies

Gather:

1 cup of your favorite peanut butter (I used Skippy Natural Extra Chunky!)
1/2 cup of Splenda (Don’t worry, it’s still delicious)
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I think almond extract would rock here too!)
a pinch of salt

Extras:
1/2 cup (a generous half cup) of dark chocolate chips (Be creative here, slithered almonds, sunflower seeds, m&m’s)

Topping:
1 Tablespoon of sea salt (to top the cookie off)

Do it:

Preheat oven to 350˚ and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Beat together peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, baking soda, vanilla and pinch of salt

After mixing add your extras

Form the dough into teaspoon sized balls (or whatever size you want) And place at least 1.5 inches apart. Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on each ball of dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops have firmed up. Let them cool on sheet for about 5-8 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to rest.

I ate it straight out of the oven and burned my mouth.

It was worth it.

Serve these babies with a cool glass of milk.

Enjoy