Simple Recipe :: Emergency Cookies

I call these peanut butter cookies "Emergency Cookies" because I can make them when I reeeaaallly need something sweet, but realize that I'm out of essential baking ingredients like flour or vanilla.  These cookies only have four ingredients - FOUR!  It's amazing that you can make something so good with so few ingredients.  Oh, and they're gluten free and vegan, too!

I made up this recipe myself, so I hope you like it.

You will need:

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce

Preheat your oven to 350F (177C).  Cream together the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl (I just stir it quickly with a wooden spoon, but you can use a mixer if you prefer).  Add the baking soda and applesauce, then mix until everything is combined.  The dough will be very sticky, that's ok!

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  The cookies will spread as they bake, so leave an inch or two between each ball of dough.  

Bake for 10 minutes.  The cookies will be soft when you take them out of the oven, but they will set up nicely when cool.  Let them cool completely on the parchment paper before you try to handle them.

This recipe makes about 18 cookies and here is my tip for eating just a few and not pigging out on the whole batch (because they are pretty good and you might lose control): 

Keep just a few cookies on your plate and freeze the rest to eat later.

I put most of my batch in the freezer and they are quick to thaw when you need them... because you never know when you might need an emergency cookie : )