Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies

I joined the Home Bakers Challenge a month ago and have tried to keep up with the enthusiasm and expertise since. Owing to a lack of sweet tooth at home I have to usually think through any sweet preparation which includes my favorite pastime, baking. I made this with the fond hope of taking it along on the weekend getaway that we had planned but they turned out crumbly enough to not withstand travel in a box. Nevertheless, they came out tasting awesome and they store well in the fridge for upto a week. The recipe also presented me with an opportunity to use my new electric beater which I thought was an super must have a month and a half ago and hadn't baked anything since. My dotzy had a fun time running away every time I switched it on in the mixing bowl and things spattered out till I got a hang of it!

I made the peanut butter at home and in the process discovered what I have missed all these days. Its extremely easy to make and all it requires are peanuts and an electric food processor or mixer.

I made the cookies with whole wheat pastry flour and the next time I make it I will definitely add another 1/4 cup more of the flour so that it holds the consistency without becoming overtly crumbly. The other thing that I will do differently is increasing the refrigeration time of the dough. I kept it in the fridge for an hour before popping it into the oven but I think I would easily increase it by another hour or two so the butter doesn't start melting the minute I start patting out the cookies on the sheet before popping it into the oven. It was a pretty hot day to boot.
These cookies are currently my daily dose of "that sweet something".

Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies

Source : Simply Recipes
Servings: 10 2-inch cookies
Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Oil
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

1. Mix together the dry ingredients 
2. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and keep aside.
3. After the butter becomes soft to the touch on the counter top, beat it for a couple of minutes and then add the sugar and continue to beat for another two minutes. I used the electric beater to mix the dough but can be easily done by hand.
4. Mix in the oil and the peanut butter.
5. Add in the dry ingredient mix and mix till combined to form dough
6. Wrap the dough in cling wrap or put it in a covered bowl and refridgerate for an hour or more.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 F 
8. Pinch off 1 inch dough balls and flatten slightly on the cookie sheet using the prongs of a fork
9. Place cookies atleast 2 inches apart (yes they spread a lot) and bake at 375 F for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool on the sheet for a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
11. Spreading a newspaper below the wire rack catches all the falling crumbs while cooling making cleaning easier.