Flourless Fluffer Nutter Cookies

Remember Fluffer Nutters?  Peanut butter and a thick slathering of Marshmallow Fluff brought together in one amazing sandwich?  They are a part of my childhood, and every once in a while, when I have a peanut butter sandwich, I reminisce about them.  So when I recently confirmed that Marshmallow Fluff is, in fact, gluten-free,  I was maybe a little too happy.  In fact, I promptly opened the jar I had just bought and ate a spoonful right out of the jar.  Yeah.  I do that sometimes.  (But don't worry, I don't double-dip, for those of you who eat my baked goods!)

Later that week, I was making a batch of peanut butter cookies for my cousin's birthday party and suddenly remembered that jar of Marshmallow Fluff.  Inspired, I took it off the shelf and decided to find a way to insert it into the recipe.

It worked!  They were delicious. Out of curiosity, and to test how well another favorite sandwich of mine would translate into cookies, I also made a few with strawberry jam instead of Fluff, and those were a success as well. (Directions for those are at the end of the recipe.)

The bottom line is, these peanut butter cookies are fantastic.  They have no flour, making them naturally gluten-free, and unmitigated peanut butter-y flavor.  The only problem is that they disappear quickly, so be sure to make enough!

 
Flourless Fluffer Nutter Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's Creamy PB)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
3-4 tbsp. Marshmallow Fluff

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line two cookie baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the peanut butter and sugar until well mixed.  Add the vanilla and baking soda and mix.  Add the egg and mix very well until it is evenly distributed.

Using a teaspoon measure, scoop out the dough and roll into a ball with your hands.  Line up the balls of dough about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Before putting in the oven, use a fork to crack each ball in half.  Place about 1/8th of a teaspoon (I'm just guessing since I didn't measure, but just a very tiny dollop) of Marshmallow Fluff into the center of each ball and then re-form the ball around it, rolling them in your hands.  Place the balls back on the cookie sheet and, using a fork, smash down each ball gently, creating creases on the top of each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes or just until set.  Remove from oven and let sit on hot cookie sheets for another 3 - 5 minutes until slightly cooled, then remove to wire rack to continue cooling.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

**For peanut butter and jelly cookies:  Instead of placing marshmallow creme inside the cookie dough balls, use your thumb to press each ball of dough flat and then scoop about 1/2 - 1 tsp. strawberry jam into each cookie after baking.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Do you love peanut butter?  I mean, do you love peanut butter?  Because I love peanut butter.  It's one of my favorite foods ever, and I will eat almost anything that contains it (whether it's a dessert or not).  So for me and these cookies, being gluten-free simply eliminated one more barrier between me and one of my favorite foods.  That pesky flour is gone, and what is left is just the delicious intensity of the peanut butter.  You will not be able to eat just one of these!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but you could use crunchy)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Cream the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add the baking powder, and mix well.  Then beat in the egg.

Mix very well.

If you have the time, stick the dough in the fridge or the freezer for at least a few hours.  When you are ready, take small pieces of the dough - about one tablespoon - and roll it into a ball.  Smaller works better with these, and they will look so much prettier if you keep them this size.  If desired, roll the balls in a little white sugar before baking.  Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with parchment paper. 

Bake for about 7 - 10 minutes, just until the tops are firm, and then remove from the oven.  Let sit on the baking sheet for about another 3 - 5  minutes until they are firm enough not to fall apart when you remove them.  Using a spatula, remove them to a cooling rack or plate. 

A fun variation would be to use your thumb to create a tiny well in the ball of cookie dough before baking, and then fill it with strawberry jam (or the jam of your choice) to make a peanut butter and jelly cookie.

Chicken and Spinach in a Creamy Peanut Sauce

The other night, as I was walking through the foggy drizzle of Mbabane on Monday's pedestrian "rush hour," my mind was on what to cook for dinner when I got home. I had some chicken in the fridge, but a simple stir fry with veggies wasn't sounding all that appetizing to me for some reason. I ran through my mental inventory of the ingredients I had in my kitchen, and remembered a small container of finely ground peanut powder I'd bought in town the other day for 4 emalangeni (about $.50). And then I remembered the can of coconut milk I'd found at the local grocery. And the bag of little green chilies. The wheels began to turn. This is what I came up with - a deliciously creamy and subtle dish that ended up being quite simple to put together. The first thing I did was put my brown rice on to boil and by the time the rice was done, so was my main dish. The heat from the chilies is balanced with the subtle taste of peanuts, and the spinach and chicken complement each other beautifully. Even my co-worker, who said she is not a fan of peanuts and made a face when I told her what I was eating, looked up in surprise when she took a bite and said, "But Siphiwe....this is really, really nice!"

Chicken and Spinach in a Creamy Peanut Sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil
3 green onions, chopped
3 green chilies, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic
1 ½ pounds chicken, cut into strips
3 cups spinach, chopped finely
½ tsp. salt (more to taste)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
4 – 6 heaping tablespoons finely ground peanuts (substitute more peanut butter if you don't have ground peanuts)
1 – 2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 6-oz. can coconut milk

Place the olive oil, green onions, chilies, and garlic in a pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the strips of chicken and mix well, and reduce heat to medium, cooking until all pieces have been browned. Add the cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, and salt to taste and stir. Next, add the finely ground peanuts and peanut butter (if you don't have the ground peanut powder, just use all peanut butter) and stir well. Put the finely chopped spinach in the pot and stir to mix. Cook over low-medium heat until all of the spinach has been wilted. Then, add the coconut milk and stir to mix well. If you like a lot of sauce, you can either add a larger can of coconut milk (the 15-oz. size) or you can add a second can of water to the mixture to let it simmer in. Let simmer until the chicken is all the way cooked, adding a little hot water as necessary to maintain the sauce. When the sauce is the desired thickness, remove from heat and serve immediately over rice or with flatbread (gluten-free, of course).