Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp ground oats (measure after grinding)*

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.

Scoop dough (approx. 1 1/2 tbsp per cookie) onto ungreased baking sheet and use a flat surface, like the bottom of a glass, to flatten cookie. Using the tines of a fork, lightly press a crisscross pattern into the top if you prefer.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies have browned and cookies have set some. They will continue to harden as they cool. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on baking sheet, and then transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Notes

I added about 1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats to a food processor and processed until the oats were in very small, almost powdery flakes. From there I measured out the oats (you may have a small little bit left over).

These cookies are not the most sturdy as they're tender and melt-in-your-mouth-ish. Broken pieces are just as delicious as fully intact cookies. 😉

*Oats are naturally gluten free, however certain brands may have cross contamination with foods containing gluten in their production facilities. If gluten is a concern, make sure to use a certified gluten free brand of oats (though I'm sure if you're in this group you know that!) 🙂 Choose your oats, vanilla extract, etc. in accordance with your preferences!