Gluten Free Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip. Utter these two words in a one breath and Lil Sid would gobble whatever you have to offer. He won't even mind the banana that you have sneaked in. Moreover, he'll gladly get on his stepping stool and follow your instruction to the T.

And this is why I am posting a "Cookie" recipe as my "Comeback" post after a hiatus of over two months.

But things weren't  this easy always. The last time he was in the kitchen "helping" me, he broke the salt bowl, spilled oil, poured a cup of sugar in my flour bin and added parsley to my milk pudding!

"Do not enter the kitchen, if you really want to help me!" - is my standard reply, especially if I am planning to bake. 

But the moment I saw this recipe on Inspired Edibles's FB Page, I knew I can let my eager helper help me out this time. This is one of those recipes that simply cannot go wrong. 

There are no flour nor any sugar. Just six ingredients, which needs to be mixed together and then baked. Honestly, I haven't seen a simpler recipe. If you are allergic or do not prefer Peanut Butter, Almond or Walnut Butter can be substituted. The original recipe called for Maple Syrup or Honey. But since Agave Nectar was all I had, I used that. 

This is how the final batter looks like. Before I added the egg, I did a taste check to see if more sweetener was required. The batter was so delicious, that both of ended up eating quite a few spoonfuls.

Sid insisted on dropping the cookies on the sheets, which soon became a messy affair!

Fresh out of the oven. You can see that no two cookie look alike. That's the 'joy' when you bake with your 4 year old!

These cookies can also be called 'Vanishing Cookies', because it almost vanished after it came out of the oven. Though this cookies is devoid of flour, baking powder, butter and sugar, they rise and puff up like any other cookie. These cookies turned out to be moist and dense and chewy almost like a fudge. We got 14 cookies out of the batter. But our cookies were not uniform; some pretty big and some were tiny. And we had eaten some of the batter too. This recipe should yield somewhere between 18-20 cookies.

Recipe Snapshot: Gluten Free Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie Adapted from:  Inspired Edibles - Flourless Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free, Dairy Free) Yields: 18-20 cookies Serves: 9 - 10 serving (1 serving = 2 cookies) What I used: Creamy Peanut Butter - 1 cup (I used Jiff Creamy. Almond or Walnut butter can also be used) Banana – 1, super ripe Agave Nectar – ¼ cup (Honey or pure Maple Syrup can also be used) Vanilla Extract – 1 tbsp Egg -1, at room temperature Chocolate Chips – ½ cup (I used Semi- Sweet. Dark Chocolate Chips or Milk Chocolate Chips can be used too) What I did: 1. Preheat the oven at 325 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment papers. 2. In a big bowl add the peanut butter, banana, agave nectar and vanilla extract. With a hand blender mix till well combined and smooth. Food processor or stand mixer can also be used. Taste the batter and check for sweetness. Add more Agave if needed. (The batter at this stage is a great sandwich spread or a dip for crackers!) 3. Add egg and mix to combine. 4. Add in chocolate chips by fold in gently in the batter. 5. Place the batter in fridge for about 20-30 minutes to allow it to firm slightly. 6. Drop the cookies onto the prepared sheet by a small ice cream scoop or rounded tablespoons allowing ample room between the cookie to spread and rise. 7. Bake the cookie in the preheated oven for 15-20 mins. They will be little under done in the center, but will finish cooking as they rest. 8. Cool the cookies completely on a cooling rack before munching away. Note: Use a super ripe banana. A firm banana will change the texture of the cookie. Ground flax seed mixed with water, can be used instead of egg.

Diabetic Platter: Though this a low-carb recipe, this is definitely not a low-calorie cookie. But though Peanut butter is high in calories, it is also delivers appetite-satisfying protein and heart healthy monounsaturated (healthy) fat. If you are a diabetic, portion control is a recommended.

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