Just when it seems like life couldn’t possibly get any more hectic, there’s bound to be something extra to squeeze into that already overbooked schedule. At least that’s been my experience lately, splitting my time between recipe development, restaurant work, a photography internship, and of course, the blog. Free time is but a fantasy, and I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling like there simply aren’t enough hours in a day to accomplish everything on that mile long “to-do” list. Thank goodness my time is occupied by things I love doing, and at the end of the day, there are still plenty of sweets and good eats in general left over to enjoy. For the average 9 to 5 worker bee though, it’s no surprise that baking and cooking may fall by the wayside, not willing to spare those precious extra moments in the kitchen. And it’s really a shame, too, because many baked goods can be as quick and easy to make as another business appointment.

Peanut butter cookies are hardly innovative, but for those stressed out and simply craving a small morsel of comfort, these fit the bill perfectly. Calling for only three ordinary ingredients, I’m willing to bet that you already have everything you need for these babies on hand right now. As an added bonus, they’re naturally gluten-free, so they should appeal to a very wide crowd.

The potential variations are endless as well, so take this opportunity to exercise your creativity! Substitute any sort of nut butter (almond, hazelnut, cashew…) or add in a pinch of your favorite spice mixture (chai, five spice, apple pie…). Try using brown sugar instead of white, and go crazy with any sort of add-ins you fancy (chocolate chips, chopped nuts, coconut…). Make this recipe your own and dress it up or down as you please. Most importantly though, just make it!

1-2-3 Peanut Butter Cookies

2 Cups Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Whole Flax Seeds*

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Grind the flax seeds in a spice or coffee grinder until they turn into a fine powder.   Transfer the powder into a large bowl, add in the peanut butter and sugar, and mix well.  Go ahead and mix like crazy, because there’s no gluten involved!  Just make sure they mixture is completely smooth and homogeneous.

Scoop out about 2 teaspoon of batter per cookie, and space them approximately 1 inch apart on your prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 8 – 12 minutes, until very lightly browned around the edges.  Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.  Take a moment and enjoy (they’re fabulous warm, too!)

Makes 32 – 40 little cookies

*Using flaxseeds results in a somewhat crumbly cookie- Substituting an equal amount of chia seeds tends to hold the cookies together a bit better.  Both will work though!

Printable Recipe