{Delicious & Soft} PB Cookies

I was talking to somebody the other day and when I mentioned that we were really trying to eat healthy around here they said, "Oh man, that would be so hard! I like yummy food too much to eat healthy."

No, no, no! 

HEALTHY food = Delicious food. 

My body loves me a lot more because it isn't having to process random chemicals (ie: processed garbage). The food I put into my body, my body actually knows what to do with it. We've got a great thing going on together. Plus, I love cooking the healthy food. It's actually FUN. (That was a real shocking realization for myself...) I never thought cooking could be fun. But, alas, I like cooking. It's fun. And bonus: it actually tastes good. No, delicious! 

Because I don't have the talent of being able to conjure up my own recipes, I am constantly reading blogs/websites with 'clean eating' recipes. It's fun to try new things and see what I like in our creations and what I don't. My favorite 'clean' thing to cook with? 

Coconut oil. 

I love it. It has SO many health benefits, it smells yummy & in recipes, it's just plain yummy. 

Today, I made the world's greatest Peanut Butter cookies (with coconut oil). True Story. 

I thought my mom's recipe (which was my Grandma Young's recipe) was pretty darn-tootin' good but, these are hands down, the best PB cookies I have ever had. They don't have any white sugar and only one cup of white flour. Some people might say, "Hey, that's not clean eating and it still has sugar so, it's not healthy." ... I say: I think that one cookie is just the treat I needed today. (I may have eaten a few more then that though...)

Okay...cookie time: 

The recipe told me I needed to use my stand mixer, but since my stand mixer is sitting in Utah, I just used a hand mixer and they turned out just dandy. 

Combine peanut butter, coconut oil, egg sugar and beat of medium-high until light and fluffy. 

(Note: the coconut oil needs to be soft. Not solidified, and not completely melted. Somewhere in the middle.)

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla. Mix it in. 

Add 1 cup of flour, corn starch, baking soda, and (optional) salt. *I didn't add the salt to my cookies.*

Pretend this picture is totally focused and not all fuzzy. Whoops. 

Then, mix in the dry ingredients. Your dough needs to be a little loose and greasy. If it's sloppy and doesn't stick together when you pinch it, you need to add another 1/4 cup of flour. 

Should look like this:

Now, grab your cookie scoop (or a big tablespoon) ... I never knew how wonderful a cookie scoop could be until my Mother in Law got me one for my bridal shower. It's probably one of my top-5 favorite kitchen gadgets. Definitely a must have in every kitchen. 

Plop the dough on a parchment lined pan. And then stick 'em in the fridge to chill. Make sure they are shaped the way you want them to be though because if you try to shape them after they have cooled, they will just crumble. Let them chill for at least 2 hours; or up to 5 days. (who has that much time to wait for cookies!?) 

After they have chilled for a good 2+ hours, pull them out, preheat your oven to 350 and let the cookies sit out and warm up a little bit. 

Now bake these lovelies. 

Bake them for 7-9 minutes. My first batch was in for 7 minutes and my second batch was in for probably 10 minutes, because I forgot about them. They both turned out yummy. If it doesn't seem like they are "hard" enough, they will firm up as they cool. Then they will still be soft and a little gooey. {yummmmm}

Now ... ENJOY! 

Seriously. I just want to eat all of these cookies. The whole batch! It's bad. They make my tummy happy!

Alright. Recipe time. The original recipe I used, came from HERE. 

Hers is cute and can easily be printed. Go print it from her ... seriously. Mine is just going to be messy and confusing but, here it is anyway:

Soft PB Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened (not melted)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 to 1-1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional & to taste)

Directions

In your bowl, combine peanut butter, coconut oil, egg, sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. 

Scrape down the sides of your bowl, add the vanilla and mix it all in. 

Add 1 cup of flour, corn starch, baking soda, and optional salt. Mix until it's combined. This where you want your dough to be loose and oily. If you pinch it, it should stick together and stick to itself, but not your hands. If it is too wet, add the additional 1/4 cup of flour. 

Using a cookie scoop, form mounds of dough. Place dough on pan/plate/whatever and shape or flatten them to how you will want them when they bake. Cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 2 hours. (but also up to 5 days)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper. Or spray with cooking spray. Place dough on cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the tops have just set. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before pulling them off the pan. They will firm up as they cool. 

And enjoy. :)