Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (NO OIL, NO BUTTER & 118 Calories)

I know, I know it's been a while since my last post - sorry about that!  Hope y'all had a great long weekend.  Friday I hung out at home with my husband, and Saturday we headed over to my mom's home and met up with the family. She made a LOT of good food for all of us to enjoy - some of my favorite Indian dishes were on the menu.  Sunday and Monday I just lazed around and ran some errands with my hubby. 

So last night my husband asked me to bake him some cookies, unfortunately I was a bit lazy so I baked them this morning instead.  His only request was that I don't add any nuts... I guess... I complied and as per his request added chocolate chips.  I found a great recipe on Handle the Heat that did not use any oil or butter.  Most of the fat in this recipe is coming from the peanut butter which is good fat.  I think we have a winner!  I took this recipe one step further by using Agave Nectar instead of brown sugar resulting in a much healthier cookie.    

TELL ME: If you make these cookies, please leave your feedback on how they turned out, what changes did you make, if any.

NUTRITION: Peanut Butter is high in fat and should be eaten in moderation, however it is a good source of Fiber, Protein, Folic Acid, and Vitamin E.  Agave is a low-glycemic sweetener which does not cause a sudden rise or fall in blood sugar.  In addition, it is sweeter than regular sugar so you need less of it.  Oats help reduce cholesterol and are a good source of Protein and Fiber.  Whole Wheat Flour adds Protein and Fiber to these cookies.  Lastly, Semisweet Chocolate Chips add some Antioxidants to these muffins. 

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• I halved the recipe.
• Most peanut butter brands are sweetened, however I used Whole Foods Organic Peanut Butter - no salt & unsweetened.
• Instead of brown sugar, I used Agave.  Since Agave is sweeter you need less of it.  
• I omitted the cinnamon all together. 
• I added ½ a teaspoon of vanilla.
• I added ¼ teaspoon of salt.

FURTHER MODIFICATIONS:
- skip the chocolate chips and add walnuts.
- skip the chocolate chips and add peanut butter morsels.
- skip the chocolate chips and add butterscotch morsels.
- skip the chocolate chips and add white chocolate morsels.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 14 cookies)

• Calories: 118 cals
• Fat: 6.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
• Carbs: 13 g
• Protein: 2.8 g
• Fiber: 1 g

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (LITE) (adapted from Handle the Heat)
~ yields 14 cookies @ 350 degrees using a cookie baking tray

INGREDIENTS (halved the recipe):

• Whole Foods Organic Creamy Peanut Butter (no salt, no sugar) - ½ cup
• Wholesome Sweetners Organic Raw Blue Agave - 5.5 tbsp
• Egg - 1 large
• Vanilla Extract - ½ tsp
• Whole Wheat Flour - ¼ cup
• Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats - ¼ cup
• Baking Soda - ½ tsp
• Salt - ¼ tsp
• Semisweet Chocolate Chip Morsels - ¼ cup

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  
2. Grease a baking tray with cooking spray or canola oil.

3. In a large bowl, add peanut butter and agave nectar.

4. Blend for a couple minutes until well combined.

5. Add an egg and vanilla extract.

6. Beat well until well combined - a couple minutes.

7. Add whole wheat flour.  Combine until well incorporated - DO NOT OVERMIX.

8. Add oats, baking soda, and salt.  Combine until well incorporated - DO NOT OVERMIX.

9. Add chocolate chips. 

10. Combine, do not overmix.

11. Take a mini-scoop and drop balls of evenly sized dough on the baking tray.

12. Place in the oven for 10 to 13 minutes or until the top is golden.  

13. This is what you should have.  The inside of the cookie will be soft and the outside will be slightly crisp.

OVERALL RATING: 3 / 5 
These cookies are pretty good for a healthy cookie, but I gotta be honest here, I missed the fat.  The peanut butter alone wasn't enough for me - I needed a touch of oil or a little butter in these cookies.  The texture was slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside - the texture may have been soft on the inside & outside due to the added agave nectar.  These cookies almost tasted cake-like.  The sweetness was just right for me, but I could see how someone else may need them to be slightly sweeter.  In addition, there was absolutely no grease left behind on my finger.  For a cookie that has absolutely no oil and no butter, this is definitely a good healthy cookie without an ounce of guilt.  Next time though I will bake these with brown sugar instead of agave to see the difference in taste.  In addition, I'll swap the chocolate chips out for some walnuts or even peanut butter morsels for that added peanut butter flavor!  

TELL ME: If you make these cookies, please leave your feedback on how they turned out, what changes did you make, if any.