grain free peanut butter cookies

Somewhere along the way this week was National Peanut Butter Day!  Chocolate and peanut butter has to be one of my favorite flavor combinations, but I was actually late to the peanut butter craze.  Although I didn't grow up in Ireland, my culture was very influenced by that heritage and I don't remember peanut butter being a big thing over there way back when.  The U.S. was where I came across those peanut butter cups that we all know and love and there is no turning back after trying one of those.

This week's recipe combines my goal of a lighter recipe that also hits the mark for a sweet tooth craving.  One of the key ingredients keeping this recipe lighter is PB2.  PB2 has become a staple in my pantry for baking, oatmeal, and smoothies.  I've even added it to plain Greek yogurt to add some flavor and then top with a crumbled chocolate protein bar or bananas.  It gives you all the peanut butter flavor with reduced calories and fat.

As you can see from my photos, we decided to take the cookies a step further by making little ice cream sandwiches with our Halo Top Peanut Butter Cup ice cream.  If you haven't tried Halo Top yet, I highly recommend that you get in your car right now and go to the store to get some.  Obviously, making ice cream sandwiches with the cookies is not mandatory, but I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to give it a try...at least once.

Grain Free Peanut Butter Cookies
makes 16 cookies

Dry Ingredients
-1/2 cup PB2
-1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients & Sweetener
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 TBS + 1 tsp Truvia

Topping: 1/4 cup melted chocolate chips to drizzle

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients/sweetener in another.  Add the wet to the dry, mix, and let sit for approximately 5 minutes to thicken.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop 16 cookies onto a pre-greased or parchment paper lined baking tray.  Bake for approximately 14 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.  Optional: Melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips and drizzle over the cooled cookies.  Allow to set.

For the ice cream sandwich option, take the Halo Top ice cream out of the freezer 5-10 minutes ahead of time and allow to soften on the counter (read the information on the back of the container as there is more about allowing this ice cream to soften posted there).  Once the ice cream is soft enough to scoop and spread, spoon a small cookie scooper portion onto a cookie and then top with another cookie.  This is best done right before serving.  Keep in mind that if you do decide to freeze the ice cream sandwiches for later or don't finish all of them that you will need to take them out ahead of time and allow to soften before enjoying as there are no artificial or chemical softeners in the cookies or the ice cream.

Have a wonderful week!