Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

I wanted to make something to eat for snack this afternoon that would be quick and easy and would use up the very ripe banana I had sitting on the counter. Somehow I stumbled upon the following recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, and it fit the bill. I am so glad I tried this recipe because these might be my new favorite cookie. I like our usual peanut butter cookies, but sometimes they're a bit too peanut-buttery for me. In contrast, these chocolate chip cookies have a lighter flavor and feel to them. They are still flourless and still call for a cup of peanut butter, but using less sugar and adding a mashed banana completely changes the taste and texture of the cookie. Instead of being crunchy, they are perfectly chewy. They remind me of Pepperidge Farm soft-baked cookies, except even better because they're fresh. Perhaps you can tell that I'm a big fan of chewy cookies. The only thing I would change to the original recipe is to add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The other variation that I would like to try is to use almond butter instead of peanut butter, so Naomi could eat them as well.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
makes about 18-20 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe medium-size banana (about 1/2 cup mashed banana)
  
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn.
• 1 cup Natural Jif creamy peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter)
  
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips. The two kinds I have found that do not contain milkfat are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mash the banana until there are no lumps. Add the egg and whisk. Add the sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract, and peanut butter. Stir until well combined. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Place teaspoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches between each spoonful of dough. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue to cool.