# Do I dare try this disastrous-sounding recipe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524 "2012-11-01T04:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/1 "2012-11-01T04:16:14Z")
Somewhere I found this easy and potentially delicious cookie recipe (I love peanut butter). But the absence of flour, not to mention the ginormous size of each heap, makes me think I’ll end up with an oven full of inedible molten mess. Has anyone ever made a recipe like this before? I can’t believe they didn’t leave out an ingredient. (That still doesn’t explain the 1/4 cup blobs, though.) INGREDIENTS 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 egg 2 heaping Tbsp ground flaxseed INSTRUCTIONS Mix in a big bowl. Make 1/4-cup heaps on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. * * * I’m tempted to try it just for laughs, but I hate to waste food. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/2 "2012-11-01T04:21:04Z")
My partner has made the flourless cookies before. They’re good, but really crumbly. They have a tendency to disintegrate into peanut butter dust if you hold them too tightly, or hit them against anything (like in a baggie to bring to work for lunch). ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/3 "2012-11-01T04:51:36Z")
I made these very cookies tonight, minus the flaxseed. Just peanut butter, sugar, an egg, and baking soda. They were great. This is really how those kind of peanut butter cookies (the criss-cross kind) are made. ETA: Brown sugar is better. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/4 "2012-11-01T05:03:44Z")
I make those without the flaxseed. They’re the best peanut butter cookies ever. Don’t overbake. Take them out when they look not quite done and leave them on the pan for a couple of minutes. And now I really want some. ETA: I make mine much smaller than that. 1 1/2 or 2 T. dough per cookie. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/5 "2012-11-01T05:07:25Z")
I’ve made them with: 1 cup Peanut Butter 1 cup Sugar 1 Egg They worked and they were very very yummy. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/6 "2012-11-01T05:10:45Z")
YES!! Can I get one? ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/7 "2012-11-01T05:28:17Z")
I make those sometimes for my gluten-free niece (minus the flaxseed) though I do not make them each 1/4 cup…that part is silly. And they are really good, though not as good as the classic criss-cross peanut butter cookies made with flour. I sometimes make them even when my niece isn’t around! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/8 "2012-11-01T08:33:12Z")
Gross. Just skip the egg, flax and soda, then boil the mixture to softball, and call it fudge. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/9 "2012-11-01T13:20:36Z")
Made these often, without flaxseed, they take very little time or effort in proportion to their awesome yumminess! You can have amazing cookies (maybe with chocolate chips added) in 15 minutes, if you’re quick. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/10 "2012-11-01T14:38:58Z")
Do not fear the flaxseed! I throw it into nearly everything I bake. Keeps the family running smooth. :eek: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/11 "2012-11-01T15:46:48Z")
the flaxseed should be ground. whole seed passes right through. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/12 "2012-11-01T20:52:32Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > the flaxseed should be ground. whole seed passes right through. That’s what I use. Though whole flaxseed _can_ be chewed. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/13 "2012-11-01T21:23:11Z")
I just checked the pantry & fridge. I don’t have brown sugar, but I do have [jaggery](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggery) which, to me tastes like light brown sugar with a hint of butter. I have only 1/2 cup of PB, so, I’ll have to make a half-batch. Give the PB time to come to room temperature (I keep it in the fridge to keep the oil from separating out) and I’ll make some and let y’all know how they came out. Anyone in the San Antonio (Texas) area who wants to drop by for a sample, just gimme a hollar via PM. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/14 "2012-11-01T21:25:41Z")
It sounds like a recipe for the HUGE cookies I fondly remember from my middle school cafeteria. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/15 "2012-11-01T22:31:28Z")
Now I want peanut butter cookies and I’m going to make those super simple pb, sugar and egg ones from the recipe on the jar. Plus chocolate chips. Darn you dopers… ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/16 "2012-11-01T22:56:07Z")
Okay, I just turned the cookie sheet around so they’ll brown evenly. I don’t know what the cookies will taste once they’re done, but the raw batter is _scrumptious_! ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/17 "2012-11-01T22:57:16Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Now I want peanut butter cookies and I’m going to make those super simple pb, sugar and egg ones from the recipe on the jar. Plus chocolate chips. > > Darn you dopers… & **Toucanna** , I also used half and half PB & chocolate/hazelnut spread (Nutella) one time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/18 "2012-11-01T23:31:14Z")
Well, they look like cookies at any rate. Time for a taste… Good gracious, oh my ever-lovin’ sweet lord ha’ mercy! These are go-o-o-o-od! 😃 😃 😃 😃 Nom nom nom! Actually, I’m going to let them sit overnight\*, because I seem to remember that the flavor is supposed to improve (or “bloom”) overnight. Changes I made to the recipe: I substituted jaggery for the brown sugar. (Note to self: crumble the jaggery before adding [to] other ingredients.) I used 1/8 cup of batter instead of the 1/4. This recipe made 10 cookies, with a little dough left over. I mashed the dough balls down with a fork. (Note to self: don’t mash them so firmly next time.) These cookies spread as they bake, so I’m glad I used the 1/8 cup measure. Notes: I put foil on the cookie sheet, which turned out to be a good idea. Let the cookies “rest” for about 10 minutes before peeling them off the cookie sheet. FWIW, the PB I used was simply ground peanuts with no salt, sugar or other fats added. Whoever made the comment about fudge is on to something. When warm, these cookies have a definite fudge-like texture. @ **CairoCarol** : Thanks ever so much for the recipe! Definitely a keeper! \*I promise to leave the remaining 8 cookies until tomorrow. Hey! One was the test cookie and the other broke as I peeled it off the sheet. You know the rule is that ya gotta eat the broken ones first. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/19 "2012-11-01T23:41:38Z")
Missed the edit window… A clarification: I made only half the recipe, as I had only a little more than 1/2 a cup of peanut butter on hand. So, half the recipe, doled out in 1/8-cup scoops of batter resulted in 10 cookies, with a little batter left over, which I portioned out among the 10 cookies. Amended statement: I promise to leave the remaining 7 cookies alone. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524/20 "2012-11-01T23:43:29Z")
What would happen if you used flour instead of ground flaxseed? How do you measure out a cup of peanut butter without making a mess? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-dare-try-this-disastrous-sounding-recipe/639524.md?page=2)