Adapted from Anne Byrn's The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free
Peanut butter cookies are such a favorite, and just because you are following a gluten-free diet it doesn’t mean you should forgo them. Bake up this recipe and you’ll find that this American cookie classic is now okay for you to eat and share with anyone who is gluten-free or just loves peanut butter cookies.
Ingredients:
1 package (15 ounces) yellow gluten-free cake mix*
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside 2 ungreased baking sheets.
Place the cake mix, peanut butter, butter, egg, milk, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients just come together and the cookie dough is smooth, 45 seconds. The dough will be stiff. Place the sugar in a shallow bowl. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball of dough in the sugar and arrange 12 balls on each baking sheet 2 to 3 inches apart. If desired, press down on the balls of dough twice with a fork to make the classic cross-hatch pattern.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake the cookies until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a metal spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely, 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Notes:
Keep it Fresh: Store the cookies in a cookie jar or tin at room temperature for up to a week.
Freeze the cookies, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a re-sealable plastic bag, for one month. Let the cookies thaw on the kitchen counter overnight before serving.
Dairy-Free Version: Substitute vegetable shortening for butter in this recipe. Use 4 tablespoons of plain, unsweetened almond milk instead of cow's milk. Vegetable shortening and Crisco butter-flavored vegetable shortening sticks tend to have less water than butter, so you may need to add a little extra liquid to the cookie dough when making it dairy-free.
*Miss Roben’s, 1-2-3 Gluten-Free Cake Mix, Hodgson Mill,, and King Arthur Gluten-Free are several available kosher gluten-free cake mixes.