WEEKEND TREAT : OATMEAL COCONUT PB COOKIES

Happy Friday! 

If you're looking for a little treat to splurge on this weekend, I suggest whipping up a batch of these oatmeal coconut peanut butter cookies.  They are pretty delicious! 

I'm giving you the "real" ingredients but I'm also all about substitutes to make sweets a little "healthier".  You could definitely use substitutions to make them vegan and/or gluten free and they would be just as good!  I usually do GF (your local health food store will have all the substitutes you need; flour, oats, etc).

Here is what you need: 

1 cup butter, softened 

i cup packed light brown sugar 

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups of oats 

1 cup coconut flakes 

1 cup peanut butter (I used half a cup of peanut butter and half a cup of peanut butter chips because I was curious and also afraid that peanut butter would take over... but it didn't. So you could definitely add a little extra or use both to your liking!)

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until smooth.  Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda, salt; stir into the creamed mixture until blended.  Mix in the oats, coconut, and peanut butter.  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes (I did 14 minutes because they were still gooey, just keep an eye on them).  Let them cool for about 5 minutes before transferring from the baking sheet to a wire rack or parchment paper to cool completely.  

Then style them and take some photos for your blog - kidding... that's the part that took the longest. ha.  However, I love experimenting with lighting and food photography so that's how the post came about after all.   I think I will work on more treat posts in the future.  Hope you enjoy! xox 

*adapted basic oatmeal cookie recipe from allrecipes.com

GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Hopefully you're in the mood for something sweet this week!  These gluten free cookies turned out surprisingly gooey and delicious. 

Here's what you need: 

1 cup unsalted butter (I used earth balance)

1 cup peanut butter (add a 1/2 cup more for thicker cookies)

1 cup white sugar 

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs (egg beaters if you prefer) 

2 1/2 cups flour (Gluten free flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla 

*I added a cup of toffee chips but anything like chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips would be delicious!

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

-Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars together than beat in eggs and vanilla

-In separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir into batter.  Put in the refrigerator for one hour (I'm impatient too but I promise you want to refrigerate, it makes the cookies come out much thicker / softer).

-Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheet. Flatten each with a fork (you can even make a criss cross pattern like traditional pb cookies).  Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.  Do not over bake.

Maybe you want to serve them right when they come out and top with (coconut milk) ice cream? Yes. Yes you do.

Enjoy! xx