New Year, new projects: BCE (best cookies ever)

The French have a severe distaste for peanut butter, and that's putting it mildly. Peanut butter is to Americans what nutella is a to the French. Yet, I have grown to dislike nutella and peanut butter over the years, probably more to do with memories of back packing through Europe with a pb jar in my bag (the ingenious idea of my then boyfriend) than my own frenchization. This has not, however, prevented me from indoctrinating my children into loving peanut butter...

So when I saw a recipe for flourless peanut butter cookies in the December issue of Real Simple, I figured I'd try the cookies since the recipe was, well, real simple. But I wasn't going to like them. But you know what? They may actually be the best cookies I've ever made. No, seriously. The best...And I've made lots of cookies, especially recently as we've been avoiding gluten in the house.

And while I'm at it, I'm currently working on a new project which has gone from an embryo but less than a baby (not pregnant, just trying to find a metaphor).  Keep your eyes peeled for more on my new project in the new year.

So without further ado, here is my adaptation of the scrumptious, delicious, and highly caloric, sugar-reduced, lazy girl version of the cookie dedicated to Travelling Amber who could use a little scrumptious right now.

2 cups creamy preferably unsweetened peanut butter (can be purchased at organic stores or supermarkets next to the nutella)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix together pb, sugars, eggs, baking soda, salt and eggs until smooth. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips. Using a soup spoon, place round blobs of dough on a cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake on 350° F (150°C) for 10 minutes. Cookies will puff up a lot, but will deflate as they cool. Let them cool on the sheet for a couple minutes before removing them or they will break and you will have to eat tons of them. Makes about 3 dozen.

Variations : you can make these cookies without the oats and chips. You can also substitute dried cranberries for the chips.

Enjoy!