The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Welcome, friends, to the first weekly installment of FGG’s Foodie Fridays! I’m Michelle, and I promise this space will not… I repeat… will not be about low-fat/low-cal tips and tricks. You can get those almost anywhere you can point a web browser. Sure, we’ll exercise reason where it make sense, we’re all responsible adults, right? But the core principal behind Foodie Fridays is mindful decadence. That means if you’re going to have the calories… make it count. Indulge. Savor. Enjoy.

Speaking of enjoyment, is there anything better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? These flourless cookies are so easy to pull together, there’s no need to wait for butter to soften (because they don’t contain any) or drama when you discover you’re out of flour (none of that here, either). And: you can even make them a little more healthy by using natural peanut butter and unprocessed cane sugar. But don’t feel obligated to – they’re great either way.

These rich little beauties pack enough of a punch that it only takes one – okay, maybe two – to satisfy my sweet tooth craving. Pair them with a glass of cold milk and I’m in heaven. They keep nicely covered in an airtight container at room temperature, and are perfect for snacking throughout the weekend and on into the workweek (if they last that long).

Go ahead… bake yourself a batch and enjoy.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup peanut butter (regular or natural / creamy or chunky)
¾ cup granulated sugar (regular or cane)
1 large egg
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of two 12-by-18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat.

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon-sized scoop (or 2 small spoons), measure out the dough in tablespoon-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake until lightly golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on the pans on wire racks. Remove and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to week.

Yield: approx. 24 cookies

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