It has always been my philosophy that taste trumps everything when it comes to what I cook. Having said that, I’m occasionally limited by what people can eat, and I’m guessing you have friends with everything from pesky food sensitivities to life-threatening allergies. Yikes! Imagine my surprise the first time I received an invitation to dinner along with a query about my food allergies. Very considerate, but whoa, when did that happen?
Why are food allergies on the rise? That’s another post, but I do want to make the point that you can stray from the narrow range of things that people eat in this country without sacrificing flavor. And that brings me to the inspiration for this post. A few weeks ago, my colleague, Arlene, brought a batch of flour-free peanut-chocolate cookies to work, perfectly shaped, golden orbs studded with chips and of course, peanuts. Flourless? How could that be?
If you read my previous post, you know I’m not a fan of peanut butter, but somehow, when you combine it with sugar and chocolate an irresistible transformation occurs. Reece’s Cups? Count me in! Back to the cookies. I freely admit to interrogating Arlene about the ingredients. Sure, they have one egg which binds the dough, but no flour? Still the skeptic, I made a batch for my knitting group, and here’s the cool part: I don’t even like to bake (too tedious) but the dough came together beautifully, not at all sticky as I had anticipated and, as advertised, they puffed in exactly 14 minutes. Still not convinced? I whipped up another batch for an employee function, and try as I may to sneak out with a few for my colleagues back at the office, they disappeared off the plate as I walked out the door.
Nothing makes me happier than discovering (thanks Arlene!) a recipe I can always count on and make in short order after work; the bonus is, my friends on gluten-free diets can eat them too. And if they weren’t so good, I’d have taken a picture before polishing off the last batch. Say what you want about Martha Stewart, but she nailed it with her recipe for flourless peanut-chocolate cookies. Namaste!
I will certainly try these cookies. I have been trying to go “gluten free” or as Colby calls it “glutton free” to see if it helps my seasonal allergies which are actually round the year in Seattle. Thanks, Susan!
Hi Sue,
I hope you enjoy the cookies! I look forward to your review.
Susan–I love peanut butter so decided to try this today. I used what was available in the house, so used walnuts instead of peanuts, and since I didn’t have chocolate chips here, i chopped up a dark chocolate espresso bar I did have. Also eliminated the salt because the p. butter was already pretty salty. I think I just one-upped Martha! They taste fabulous. See you in two weeks.
Nan
Two points for Nan and one for Martha! Cooking from your cupboard is the way to go, and how you make recipes your own.. I’m thinking of trying almond butter. See you soon!
I doubled the recipe, substituted chunky peanut butter for the creamy, left out the additional peanuts and ended up adding an extra egg (the dough was a little dry for forming the balls) and they turned out delish. The folks in my office are loving them today. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Your co-workers might just ask you to make them again. Nice to know our wheat-free friends can enjoy them too!
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