So, I figured I couldn’t go wrong by baking him a batch of peanut butter cookies for Valentine’s Day. In this version, nut butter is the main ingredient, rather than being second to flour and refined sugar, as is the case in many recipes. In fact, these cookies contain no flour or refined sugar because they are sweetened with date sugar.
Get the recipe: Flourless Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies
I’ve been playing around with date sugar a lot lately and I’m really enjoying the results. Made simply from dried and ground dates, it provides a comprehensive way to sweeten foods. It’s not sugar-free—the inherent sugar in dates is what makes it sweet—but it also contains the fruit’s fiber and antioxidants, and it has a gentler impact on blood sugar than refined sugar.
Date sugar is a lot like brown sugar, but because it doesn’t melt like sugar, you can’t just swap it one for one. While it doesn’t work in every recipe, it’s ideal in these cookies, providing not only sweetness but also a subtle date flavor that pairs wonderfully with the peanut butter and chocolate.
To make the cookies, simply beat the peanut butter with the softened butter, egg and vanilla extract, then add the date sugar mixed with baking soda. Then incorporate the chocolate and pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Giving each mound of dough the classic crosshatch pattern with the tines of a fork gives the cookies visual appeal and also flattens them, since they don’t spread much when baking. Once the cookies come out of the oven, it’s best to wait until they’re completely cooled before eating them to make sure they firm up, but I won’t pretend I can resist gobbling down a soft, warm one.
These cookies are richly peanut buttery with a pleasant crumbly texture, luscious with melted chocolate and very subtly sweet with a lovely hint of date flavor – ideal for a peanut butter evening dessert.
Get the recipe: Flourless Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies
