Healthier Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

{post-edit 3/4/13: Sincerest apologies to anyone who tried this in the past two days and ended up with gooey cookies (I'm looking at you, Justin!). I have now re-tested the recipe and adjusted the amounts accordingly. It's perfect now, I promise!}

Now that I'm on this 'healthy cookie' kick, I've been experimenting in the kitchen. I came up with this recipe today and thought it was worthy of sharing.

These cookies are a little higher in calories, fat and sugar than the ones posted below, but that is only because of the addition of peanut butter. You could make them quite a bit healthier by using almond butter. So I know they're still cookies, and are a treat, but if compared to a traditional peanut butter cookie, which is full of butter, sugar, and refined flour, this is leaps and bounds healthier. These are whole grain, have no refined sugar and no butter, and the only sweeteners are banana and honey. So it's kind of like eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich, but with less bread...? Just make them, they're guilt-free cookies!

Healthier Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

1 1/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
1 1/2 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350, and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper, my favorite). Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Mash up bananas with a fork and stir them until smooth with few lumps. Stir in peanut butter, honey and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Stir in dry ingredients. Batter should be moist and sticky (this is more of a batter than a hard dough), but not runny. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, flatten out slightly with your fingers. Bake for 11-12 minutes.

I like to sprinkle with a little kosher salt as soon as they come out of the oven. These are delicious served warm, but after a few hours the flavors meld together and they're still really tasty! They should keep just fine in the fridge for a few days.

makes 20 cookies

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

I tried to go on a "no sugar" diet for the month of November.

It didn't last very long.

I just really believe in enjoying food and tasting delicious things. And I think I should be allowed to have a brownie if I want. As long as I can stop at just one (or two? Let's be honest. Two).

So these are not the best treat to make for the kids at church when you're trying to refrain from eating more than just one... because they are incredible and it's pretty much impossible to stop tasting them. They are exactly as delicious as they look and sound. Make them, but make sure you have enough people to share them with. :)

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

3/4 C sweetened condensed milk, divided (fat-free is fine)
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 C non-fat milk
1 box devil’s food cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 C)
1/2 C peanut butter morsels



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, cake mix, and egg white. Mixture will be very thick. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Use either floured hands, or spray your hands with cooking spray in order to press it down without having it stick to your fingers. The layer will be thin. Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in PB morsels. No one will tell if you stir in some extras. Spread marshmallow layer over brownie layer in pan. Carefully drop remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes, but many readers have noted that 20 minutes was perfect, and I usually only bake for about 20-25). Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe from Our Best Bites, originally from Cooking Light Magazine (imagine that!).

Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Levain Bakery is a tiny cookie shop on the Upper West Side here in New York. They are famous for having the best chocolate chip cookies in NYC. Their cookies are gigantic and packed with chocolate chips and nuts, and they're served warm, soft and chewy. Levain also has a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. It is divine. Here is my copycat... also divine.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup good cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 to 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
2 cups peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, cream butter and sugar for a couple minutes until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Stir well with wooden spoon to mix.

Divide into 12 equal portions, about 4 oz each. These are GIANT cookies. Bake 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey you like the middles, taking care not to overbake. I made smaller, more regular sized cookies, and baked for 8-10 minutes instead.

Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Recipe adapted from a recipe found here.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup of butter (1 stick), softened
¼ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of white sugar
½ cup of peanut butter (I used creamy)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 ¼ cup of flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup of walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large mixer, cream butter, peanut putter, sugars and vanilla. Add the egg and mix until light & fluffy. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt - mix thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stirring continuously. Add chocolate chips and combine. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough on the baking sheet and press the center of the cookie with a fork. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.

Peanut Butter Bars

This quick treat can be whipped up in under 30 minutes. Thanks Danielle for the recipe!

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup more creamy PB
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugars, egg and butter. Mix in peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking soda till mixed in. Stir in oats. Press into cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes. Melt chocolate chips on low setting in microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring often. (Chocolate is temperamental, so heat slow and low.) When bars come out of oven, let cool for a few minutes, then spread 1/2 cup creamy PB all over, it will melt. Then on top spread the melted chocolate. So easy, quick and very yummy! I made this on a whim last night at 10:45, Klane and I were craving it and it didn’t disappoint!