CRUNCHY RAINBOW PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

From the kitchen of Heather Daniels

Rainbow Peanut Butter Cookies

If you’re like me, and are human, occasionally you enjoy a treat. Especially during the Holiday Season. 

These are especially healthy with all those delicious oats and natural peanut butter… then it goes down from there as you add the sugar, butter and chocolate. But come on, we all need to live a little! What’s the point of life if we can’t be happy too? Cookies make me happy. For a few minutes… and then I feel sick. Then I eat some more and drink some milk and that helps.

I love peanut butter. It’s one of those things that are ingrained in me, as though it’s in my genes. But, if you’re one of the unfortunate few that need an epipen after eating peanuts, you could always substitute the peanut butter with almond butter. I needed a peanut butter cookie recipe that also had chocolate chips. And since I’m also a huge fan of oatmeal, it also had to include those to help me feel like it was a healthier option for me and the kiddos.

I found a few recipes online, but none that included all of this goodness, so I came up with this recipe. It was an instant hit. While you’re eating them, add some to a plate to deliver to friends. If you don’t have any friends, you may need to make more cookies to share.

I hope you enjoy it!

- Heather

CRUNCHY RAINBOW PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES                 

Ingredients

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rolled oatmeal

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup rainbow candy-coated mini chocolate chips

Multi-colored sprinkles (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the

peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Through a sifter over the bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt then sift into bowl; stir just until moistened. Mix in the oatmeal, chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles until evenly distributed. Add by heaping teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheets. (If you want to add a little extra pizzazz add some candy sprinkles to the tops of each cookie.)

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy with a large glass of milk to dip the cookies!

Prep:  15 minutes (unless you’re like me and let kiddos help… then it may take a little longer)

Cook time:  About 10 to 12 minutes

Makes about 40 cookies (or 35 if you sneak some samples before they’re baked), 106 calories each (they are cookies; live a little!)