Peanut Butter Cookies

On Friday, I received the appointment letter for my colostomy and realised that I'd be spending Stir-up Sunday under sedation, so I thought I should probably start baking the Christmas a bit early this year.  It is in the oven now.  Actually, the second one is in the oven, the first one is wrapped and in the cupboard happily soaking up its first feeding of Whisky. (Yes, Whisky!  I have also switched the glace cherries for stem ginger for a bit of change this year.)  Since the Husband is allergic to nuts, the cake is nut free -  I have even found a recipe for nut free marzipan that I shall be trying out!

On the subject of Christmas, I have teamed up with a bunch of great gluten free bloggers to bring you some brilliant recipes and reviews from the 12th December until Christmas Eve!  Just because you can't have gluten, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy mince pies, cookies, canapes, trifle, and lots of other goodies at this (most wonderful) time of year,  Tune in on Monday 12th December, and every day after until Christmas Eve, for some truly fabulous ideas to help your Christmas be jolly and bright.  (And probably a ton more Christmas puns, I can't help it, I'm sorry!)

Back in the present.  Crohn's Disease is continuing to surprise me with new and mysterious ways to b*gger up my week.  Some horribly strong antibiotics are the order of the day (3 times a day for 7 days, to be precise), so I need something to lift my spirits.

My photo appearing as the first of Your Katie-Boo Bakes n' Makes over at A Girls Guide to Gluten Free Baking certainly cheered me up!  Almost as much as her snickerdoodles recipe.

Inspired by that, I made these little peanut-buttery wonders.  (The husband is in the USA this week so I'm eating all the things he doesn't; macaroni cheese, cauliflower, and peanut butter!)  They are a kind of snickerdoodle/cookie cross, seriously quick easy to make and really very tasty, too!

Peanut Butter Cookies


200g unsweetened smooth peanut butter
50ml rapeseeed oil (light olive oil or sunflower oil would work too)
250g caster sugar
2 eggs
225g plain flour mix (I used Doves Farm Rice Flour)
1tsp baking powder
24 small pieces of chocolate (try caramel nibbles, chocolate chips, or just a chocolate bar broken up)

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
• Combine the peanut butter, oil, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
• Beat in the eggs until well mixed
• Stir the flour and baking powder together and add to the rest of the mix.  Combine well.  (I suggest using an electric mixer with a dough hook, it's hard work by hand!)
• The mixture will look a bit like crumbs, but when you squash it together in your hands it will come together.
• Take a chunk of the mixture and press into a walnut sized ball.  Push a piece of chocolate into the middle of the ball and seal the mixture over the chocolate.  Flatten the ball and place on a baking sheet.  You will make about 24 cookies from this mix.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.  Allow the cookies to harden for about 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.