Flourless Triple Nut Butter Cookies

I have become the kind of person who has three different nut butters in her house at one time. I'm not sure how this happened, but because it did, we now have these cookies. A version of this—called something like flourless peanut butter cookies—has been kicking around the Interwebs for a few years, and I even remember making them when I worked at Sugar, in Phillipsburg, very briefly, years ago. The basic recipe is a cup of peanut butter, a cup of sugar, one egg, and some combination of baking soda, vanilla (optional) and salt. Some also have oats. Some also add chocolate chips. I first made them a week ago with equal parts cashew butter and oats, and although they were delicious, they were too dense and dry, despite the addition of a few splashes of milk at the end. Cashew butter is less oily than almond and peanut butter. I decided to approach them this time with a combination of nut butters, thinking the different textures and moisture levels would work better. And they did.

Nut butter cookies. Three nut butters, to be precise.

Oh, one caveat to share. It's important to note that I used all natural, organic versions of these butters, which don't contain sugar. If you aren't using the same, you should expect a slightly different texture. You might also consider cutting back on the sugar, unless you want them super sweet. You can negotiate that with your tastebuds. Peanut butter tends to be an all-encompassing taste, taking up your entire mouth when you eat it; I like how the nuances of each nut complement each other here.

Flourless Triple Nut Butter Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup organic all natural cashew butter

• 1/4 cup organic all natural peanut butter

• 1/4 cup organic all natural almond butter

• 1 large egg

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment or use Silpat, or grease them with butter.

2. Combine the egg and the sugars in the stand of a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed just to bring everything together, about a minute.

3. Add the nut butters, and mix again until they're all incorporated. Then add the baking soda, salt, and vanilla, mixing briefly to combine. Add the oats and mix just until they're evenly distributed.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Lightly press the back of a fork onto the tops of the cookies, so they look like every peanut butter cookie you ate as a kid. Bake for about 9 minutes, rotating the trays about halfway through. You want them lightly browned around the edges and no darker than that. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheets for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

close up nut butter

I imagine this would double easily, without much trouble, but I have become a fan of recipes that yield 2-3 dozen. It's just enough for a couple nights of dessert for the boys, or for snacking randomly without becoming too much of a sabotage. These come together in a flash, and you certainly don't need to haul out the stand mixer if you don't want to or don't have one; these mix together easily with a wooden spoon.

If you cannot eat gluten, you likely buy oats that are gluten-free. Oats themselves do not contain gluten but they're often subject to cross-contamination dangers in places where gluten is present. Bob's Red Mill makes some.