Grain-free Sugar-free Peanut Butter Cookies

What else is there to do do on a rainy day besides bake a bunch of cookies? No, don't answer that. I probably could have come up with something more productive, but that jar of peanut butter has been sitting in the fridge for months and I decided to use it up.

And I didn't make just one batch of cookies, I made TWO! True story!

When I told my husband I was planning to make peanut butter cookies, he said, "Oh great! I could eat a whole bunch of those!" I have never been particularly good at sharing. And when it comes to homemade cookies, I am downright greedy. I pondered the situation, then decided to make us each a batch.

For my hubby, I used honey to sweeten the dough. I also used white flour to add more carbs as he is looking for a carbolicious treat before bedtime to help him sleep. (Adding some carbs before bed has been working great for him!) Lastly, I tossed in a bunch of peanut butter and milk chocolate chips. His cookies are way more naughty than mine. This is not a problem for me. I am eating almost no added sugar these days, and I want to keep it that way!

For my own cookies, I used zero added sweetener. No sugar, no honey, no sugar substitute. I threw in every healthy super food I could find: maca, chia seeds, coconut flour, and dark chocolate chips. My cookie dough ended up being very dry, so I added a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of water to the dough. The end product is also somewhat dry and crumbly, but that's fine by me. I want my cookies to be a treat, but not so sweet as to be addictive.

If you're looking for a peanut butter cookie that is super nutritious and low in sugar, this fits the bill. If you are on a strict Keto diet, you might want to skip the potato starch and the chocolate chips. Or use a sugar-free type of chocolate chip and substitute cocoa powder for the potato starch.

Ingredients:

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 TB potato starch
1 TB chia seeds
2 TB maca (from Trader Joe's)
1 TB coconut flour
1 TB coconut oil
1 TB water (optional)
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the ingredients together in the order listed, adding one at a time and mixing thoroughly. If the dough seems too dry, add the water. Shape spoonfuls of the dough into round balls, flatten, and place about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool before trying to move them. Store in sealed container. Makes about 1 dozen.