Look, I live on .13 of an acre in the oft-frigid land of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to produce everything I eat on this little plot. But part of my homesteading philosophy is this: buy the foodstuff I don’t cultivate here in it’s most natural state and make something of it at home.

The perfect-in-its-simplicity example? Peanuts and peanut butter.

Sure, you can buy peanut butter in the store. You can find jelly-flavored, low-fat, natural, organic, high-fructose corn syrup laden versions in the vast land of the peanut butter aisle. But why is peanut butter so complicated?

Today, dear friends, I argue that it shouldn’t be.

Especially when you have a high-powered blender that can blitz nuts to butter in seconds.

Peanut butter should consist of two ingredients: peanuts and salt. I make mine in my trusty Vitamix (yes, it’s an investment, but well worth it) but if you don’t own one, just use your food processor.

Put peanuts in. Turn machine on. Watch nuts turn to desired-degree-of-chunky butter. Feel liberated from buying one more product. And make these cookies.

You can watch the magic that is these cookies on Twin Cities Live.

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Whole Grain Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made a slightly different version of these cookies for my high school girlfriends and since we consistently display adolescent behavior when we are together, we giggled and named them “Trolls.” This recipe contains no white flour, so maybe they should be called “Grainy Trolls?” Just a thought.

Use This:

3/4 C. Whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 C. Oat flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 C. chunky natural (preferably homemade) peanut butter at room temperature

3/4 C. sugar

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

1 large egg at room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips (half milk, half semi-sweet chocolate)

Do this:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  In a stand mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter together until they are fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add egg, milk and vanilla and mix well.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Stir in the chips. Form balls with the dough put on ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes. They will look under-baked, but don’t let them fool you! They’re done.

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