Stupid Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stupid easy cookies?

They're a thing.

One bowl. Dump everything in and stir. Bake. Done.

Chewy peanut butter and oat cookies with dark chocolate and sea salt. What else do you need?

[side note--Don't you think Adam has a potential career as a hand model? Look at those nail beds!]

I love this little cookie dough dispenser. It helps me make uniform cookies and controls my impulse to make ridiculously large ones.

The first time my sister and I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch, we very carefully rolled the dough into large balls and placed them on the cookie sheet. Then my mom walked in and said, "Whoa, those are some big cookies!" Soooo we redid them. Lesson learned. [i.e. the smaller the cookies the more you can eat.]

I'm in exam-studying mode, which usually means whining/miserable/I'm not cooking or cleaning anything mode. If I can make time for these cookies, you can too.

[Seriously, look at those hands!]

I love this recipe because it's so versatile. This first time I made it, I only used 1/4 cup of oats. They just melded right in with the peanut butter. Adam didn't even believe that I put oats in that batch! The second time, I used 1/2 cup oats. They were more noticeable and created a chewier/denser cookie, which I enjoyed. Adam didn't seem to mind those either though…

I've also tried both semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips. Both are good. Sea salt sprinkled on at the end is a must.

Also, when the cookies are hot out of the oven, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into them, just for good measure.

These cookies are a little sweet, a little salty, a little soft, a little crumbly, imperfectly formed but also really, inherently good. 

Kind of like us. 

Exam season for me in the past has been a time of major self-doubt, comparison, and dejection. 

I'm trying to keep those feelings in check by remembering, especially today, how very blessed I am. 

Wishing you a peaceful Easter, friends.

Stupid Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
(optional) rolled oats--for chewier cookies, use 1/4 cup, for crunchier cookies, use up to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
sea salt

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray

In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, sugars, vanilla extract, egg, and oats. (I like to use a fork to mix everything together) Add chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto cookie sheet, then use a fork to press down each cookie. (Press down once in once direction, and once in the opposite direction)

Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. (8 minutes for softer cookies, 10 minutes for crispier cookies)

Don't tell me you don't want one.