The weather was beautiful here in the tri-state region, well, until Saturday night, then it got really cold.
My friend, Marian, was in town so we headed to Tao for dinner. It was awesome! If you’re ever visiting NYC, you must go to Tao. It is one of the best Asian restaurants I have ever been to with excellent service, gorgeous decor, and the most delicious food. We each enjoyed the most delicious Soy Glazed Ginger Salmon EVER!!! (updated Tao review can be found here)
Nothing like unwinding with a drink on a Friday night at the end of a work week. After dinner we stayed up late gossiping and laughing so hard that we woke my husband up. Oops!
Saturday, my husband and I headed to Central Jersey to celebrate my sister-in-law and niece’s birthday at an Indo-Chinese restaurant – Szechuan Garden, Parlin, NJ. Incase you don’t know, Indo-Chinese food is a cross between Indian and Asian flavors, so if you love Asian cuisine, you will absolutely love Indo-Chinese food. The best dishes were the Gobi Manchurian, Vegetable Manchurian, and Ginger Chicken. I know they all kinda look the same.
And then this happened! My husband actually cooked on Sunday. It was Chicken Curry with who knows what spices – pretty good I must say, only if he cooked more often. 🙂
This weekend I baked some healthy peanut butter cookies for the gang to enjoy. I could tell some family members weren’t as enthusiastic, while others were.
Sometimes eating dessert is about catering to that sweet tooth and having one that tastes good rather than amazing with a ton of fat. There has to be a balance and as much as I love unhealthy desserts, I also welcome the relatively healthier ones. 
So here to share with you is a recipe I found on Oh She Glows. These cookies taste best when eaten warm while the center is still gooey and peanut buttery – yum! (p.s. – my hands are dry!)
NUTRITION: Peanut Butter is an excellent source of Protein, however since it is high in fat (good fats), it must be eaten in moderation. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is a good source of Protein and Fiber. Maple Syrup is an excellent source of Manganese and a good source of Zinc. Almond Milk is Vegan, contains no cholesterol, and is loaded with vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants with high levels of Vitamin E.
MODIFICATIONS I MADE:
- Since my peanut butter contained no sugar, I added an additional 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
- I added 3 tbsp of Canola Oil for extra moistness. Next time I’ll try baking these with just 2 tbsp.
APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 30 cookies)
-
Calories: 126 cals
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbs: 15 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
~ fat and calories were not reduced in this recipe, this recipe is already pretty healthy.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 2 cups
- Baking Soda – 1 tsp
- Salt – 3/4 tsp
- Whole Foods 365 Organic Creamy Peanut Butter (no salt, no sugar) – 1 cup
- Pure Maple Syrup 100% – 1 cup
- Almond Milk – 1/4 cup
- Vanilla Extract – 1 1/2 tsp
- Canola Oil – 3 tbsp
- extra salt – as garnish
2. In a mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients – peanut butter, maple syrup, almond milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches – whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, and salt. 
5. Combine well. This is what you should have.
6. Using a tablespoon, place the batter in your hand and shape the dough into balls. Place the cookie dough on parchment paper. Should make 30 cookies – I had to use a separate baking sheet to make the remaining batch.
7. Using a fork, gently press down on each cookie.
8. Into the oven for 11 minutes. 
9. This is what you should have. 
10. Top each cookie with a little salt which gives each cookie that sweet/salty flavor.
11. Enjoy while warm. Once the cookies cooled, I microwaved one for 15 seconds so the center is moist and gooey.
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
You're killing me right now, no joke. Peanut butter is undoubtedly my greatest weakness — these sound phenom.
xo Josie
http://www.winksmilestyle.com
I must be one of the few Indians who hate Indo-Chinese food! It’s so common here and that unnecessary addition of cilantro to Chinese food kills it for me! These cookies look insane- I think you are aware of my peanut butter obsession :)!
Looks like you had a wonderful dining experience this weekend! The drinks do look refreshing.
Even though we eat out, it sure is nice to get back to creating in the kitchen. These cookies do look tasty..I am sure they were based on your description-yum! Happy Monday.
I make a similar no bake version and it does the trick for me – my peanut butter cookie craving is sweet/salty related for sure!
Oh man! This post is making me hungry! I love Indo-Chinese food (that's not too greasy) and PB is just one of those things that I HAVE to eat at least once every day! These cookies look delicious! I wonder what would happen if I dunked half of one in melted chocolate! 🙂
While I make a lot of butter and egg-laden treats, I do make vegan cookies once in a while and also enjoy them. My go-to are oatmeal-banana-peanut butter vegan cookies!
So many great foods! Yummy. I'm glad you posted the vegan cookies…I have a vegan friend who'd love these.
@Khushboo – I don't like the idea of cilantro on Indo-Chinese food.. no. Yeah, I could imagine why you don't like it since it is so common. I'm not too fond of Chinese food, it's super common here. 🙂
@Parita – that is a great idea, I didn't think of it. Oh, maybe next time. 🙂 I know, I love Indo-Chinese food too, they seriously need more restaurants in the US.
Thanks everyone, these cookies turned out well.. not as indulgent, but tasty! 🙂
you know the way to my heart: peanut butter!
I love Tao. I LOVE it! I almost want to take a trip to Vegas so I can eat there again (it's the closest location to us). If you haven't tried their sea bass you must – it melts in your mouth. And these cookies must do the same! They look delicious.
Oh my gosh they look delish. Perfect for a sweet tooth.
I can just imagine how awesome they'd taste warm with a scoop of icecream 😀
@Ameena – I love Tao, too! It's too bad I didn't go to Tao when in Vegas, but definitely next time. I'm sure Vegas' version is even better than NYC. I haven't tried sea bass, as long as it's not too "fishy" I will order it. Thanks!!!
@Mollie, @Alexa, @BeetleBuggy – yes these cookies are yummy and perfect for a sweet tooth. Thanks guys! Hope you try them out.
Delicious, love these cookies.
These cookies look great and I love that they are low in calories! Yum!! 🙂
I've totally pinned these cookies. Like WHOA.
I'm having troubles with my gallbladder and I am really limited in what I can eat. I'm sort of turning into a vegetarian because I can't eat meat. These look so super deeelish.
Thanks guys!! @Kimberly – you're so sweet, thanks! My sis-in-law has gallbladder problems too, so you probably can't eat anything too heavy/creamy/fatty, right?
These sound simply amazing! I definitely need to try these out. xo
These sounds great. I really like the way this website looks to different peoples needs and caters for them all. These look very intriguing i have never in my life tried this.
@The Head Caterer – that's so sweet of you to say and I'm glad you noticed. This website caters to all different needs and what I seem to think is pretty "user-friendly" in terms of navigating. Thank you!