Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

This cookie is a twist on my standard peanut butter cookie recipe. Interestingly, peanut butter has many health benefits. It is a very good source of antioxidants. The mono-saturated fat in peanut butter includes oleic acid, the kind found in olive oil, that has been found to be Mediterranean diet heart healthy . Peanuts are also a source of resveratrol. Resveratrol is the beneficial substance found in red wine. In the nurses’ health study, which involved 86,000 women, it was found that there was a correlation between nut consumption and a reduced risk of cardio-vascular disease. Many of the nutrients found in peanuts have anti-cancer properties. Studies have shown peanuts to reduce the risk of colon cancer, gall stones, weight gain and Alzheimer’s. Peanut butter is an excellent source of biotin, which is good for better blood sugar balance, lowering cholesterol and healthy hair and nails.

When you are selecting ingredients, small differences add up to healthy choices. Selecting cane sugar over sugar beet sugar eliminates specific farming chemicals. Using peanut butter with out added sugar and that has not been hydrogenated is another bonus. I always try to use unbleached flour, as bleached flour can negatively impact our gut microbiome, which is where most of our immune system is. If you can find organic unbleached flour, then you will also eliminate glyphosate, which is known to impact our gut microbiome negatively. The other benefit of home baking is that the end product contains health fats and basic foods and eliminates all food preservatives and artificial ingredients.

Cocoa powder is a good source of magnesium and an excellent source of anti-oxidants. Cocoa it is known to reduce blood pressure and to be heart healthy. Researchers at Harvard Medical School, the Brigham and the Women’s Hospital in Boston found that regular consumption of a standardized cocoa beverage improved blood vessel function, especially with the aged. You might want to add a cup of cocoa with your chocolate peanut butter cookies. For some of us, you can never have too much chocolate. Just remember, dark chocolate, without the excessive sugar, is the best choice over milk chocolate for health reasons. Enjoy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter, crunchy

or smooth

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups of flour, unbleached

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars together. Cream the in peanut butter and then the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Roll into balls larger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball. Press the cookie ball with a fork in two directions to slightly flatten. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Follow the recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies and add 1/2 cup chocolate chips.