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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies: One of the Easiest Recipes of All Time

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Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Before I had to give up gluten/wheat (health reasons), I baked cookies almost weekly. That’s what we Cookie Monsters do. Once I had to swear off all of the traditional cookie ingredients, I pretty much had to swear off making cookies weekly (gluten-free flour and other ingredients are much higher).

I did not, however, at any time swear off being a Cookie Monster – so I have certain favorite recipes I use again and again. The Peanut Butter Cookies recipe below is a favorite – of mine as well as everyone else that gets within reach of these delicious cookies.

While their flavor is the best thing about them, their few (cheap) ingredients and level of insane easiness to make run a close second and third.

You’re going to love these cookies for all of these reasons. You’ll want to keep this cookie recipe handy for Christmas, birthdays, game days, and any day that calls for a yummy peanut butter cookie.


Gluten Free Cranberry Pecan Cookies

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Gluten-Free White Chocolate and Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free White Chocolate Chip and Pecans Cookies
Before getting to the two gluten free cookie recipes, I just want to express my yuuuge gratitude to food companies who keep churning out exceptional gluten free products. Krusteaz, Udi’s, Glutino, Pamela’s CedarLane, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Amy’s… the list goes on and deliciously on. I am so very thankful for them – and I plan to keep letting them know – all over social media, through e-mail, here on the food blog… anywhere and everywhere I have an opportunity to sincerely thank them, I’m going to take it. I’d love to see everyone in the gluten free (for health reasons, especially) community do so. We don’t hesitate to point out when a company or restaurant drops the ball – we should be even faster with gratitude.

Seems fair, right?

Okay… off the soap box! One of the companies I am most thankful for is Krusteaz. Their products are first rate – as in perfect every single time – and they are SO affordable. Let’s face it, not all gluten free products can be called “reasonably priced” let alone “So affordable,” but Krusteaz (and Pillsbury, for that matter) are as fair as it gets.

I just made a couple of batches of cookies using Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I tweaked their wonderful Choclate Chunk Cookies recipe (below).  In place of the 1-1/2 chocolate chips or chunks, I made the following cookies with the following SIMPLE alterations. The first (with dried cranberries) was made for my youngest daughter who cannot eat chocolate (poor baby!). She loves cranberries like crazy, so I thought this would be ideal.

  • Cranberry Pecan Gluten Free Cookies – (pictured below) instead of the 1-1/2 chocolate chips or chunks, I added 3/4 dried cranberries and 3/4 coarsely-chopped pecans.
  • White Chocolate Chip Pecan Gluten Free Cookies – (pictured at the top) again, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup coarsely-chopped pecans (yes.. as a matter of fact, I am obsessed with pecans)

Below is Krusteaz’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe (it’s perfection, by the way). It’s the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever find – you don’t even need a mixer. Tweak as I did (above) or go with the orgiinal (below). Either way, you’re going to be blown away.

Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 ¼ cups Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips or chunks
2 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together flour with remaining dry ingredients. Add eggs, butter and vanilla and blend until dough forms, kneading by hand if necessary. Scoop rounded 2 tablespoon portions of dough and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly.

Bake 10-11 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. – Recipe from Krusteaz

Gluten-Free Cranberry and Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free Cranberry and Pecans Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract

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Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are America’s favorite cookies to bake,  share, and (especially!) eat.  I’ve always loved making each batch a little different from the previous batch, just to keep things deliciously interesting.

Adding various nuts and/or peanut butter chips or white chocolate morsels is a easy way to experiment with different flavors. Another easy and flavorful to switch things up is to use different vanilla extracts.  The sweet, creamy flavor of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract adds a whole new dimension to chocolate chip cookies and it’ll blow you away.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

1-1/2 c. butter, softened
1-1/4 c. white sugar
1-1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1-12 oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips. (2 c.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, soda, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop with a #40 scoop (looks like a metal mini ice cream scoop) or a rounded measuring tablespoonful about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased insulated baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly: remove from baking sheet. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen crackly, chewy-crispy bakery-style cookies. They are wonderful!

A few tips you might want to try to put your own spin on these wonderful cookies:

  • Switch the chips: Instead of using 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips, try using white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or a combination of all three. Using coarsely chopped baking chocolate instead of chips will add a gourmet feel to the recipe.
  • Make it nutty: Try adding 1 cup of coarsely chopped nuts to the batter. Pecans or walnuts are a classic addition, while macadamia nuts or pistachios add a bit of a nontraditional flair.
  • Salt the tops: Baked goods aren’t just about the sugar; salt amplifies the flavors in even the sweetest recipes. Sprinkle the tops of your cookies with coarse sea salt just before baking to bring out the flavors of the brown sugar and chocolate in this recipe. Try using a smoked sea salt for an extra-special touch.
  • Build a sandwich: Pair this recipe with your favorite ice cream flavor for the perfect ice cream sandwich, or spread them with buttercream frosting for a cookie sandwich treat. Use a peanut butter frosting for that classic chocolate and peanut butter combination that everyone loves.

Recipe and Photo Credit: Nielsen-Massey Vanillas and Renee Hartzler.

Pecan Sandies: Perfect Little Cookies (They Are Sooo Not Just for Christmas!)

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Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies

Have you ever bit into something you’ve made for a holiday and asked yourself (with a glorious mouth full of food), “Why don’t I make this more often?!”  Happens to me all the time.  Well, it USED to happen. Not long ago, I figured it all out: Life’s too short and food’s too lovely to chain favorite recipes to any given day.

Pecan Sandies are a delicious example. These quick, simple, inexpensive to make little delicacies are too perfect to only make Christmas appearances.  You’ll find these beauties (which happen to be one of my favorite cookies) in our kitchen year round. I’ve tried quite a few different recipes for them, but the one below is the best of the best.

Pecan Sandies

1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup powdered sugar

  1. Beat the butter (or margarine) with a mixer until softened.
  2. Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
  3. Add water and vanilla; beat well.
  4. Stir in flour and nuts.
  5. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
  7. Pour powdered sugar into a plastic bag. When the cookies have cooled, gently shake a few at a time in the powdered sugar.

Yield: About 45 buttery, sweet, delicious little cookies that I could eat by the handful.