Sick of chocolate, try our Easter Style Peanut Butter Cookies.  Although at first glance this recipe appears as though it doesn’t have enough ingredients to make biscuits from…it does! Delicious, and too easy to make, shape them up with your hands or cookie cutters to add a fantastic Easter twist on your soon to be new family favourite cookie!

Nut Meal, in this recipe the ground peanuts in the peanut butter, acts as the ‘flour’. The egg and sugar work together to set the cookies, too much sugar will prevent the eggs setting. Check out your local health food store for ‘house-made’ peanut butter, it’s much cheaper than normal and is pure peanuts – no sugar or additives! Using a store bought extra-crunchy peanut butter will do the trick just as well, but will be slightly sweeter.

Makes about 24

• 1 cup (250g) extra-crunchy peanut butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg (at least 50g)
• Spray oil
• Optional : ½ cup (85g) choc chips, smartie’s, sultanas or chopped toffee bits * (check ingredients carefully before adding if wishing to remain completely free of gluten or dairy)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line baking tray with baking paper (see tip below). In a bowl, stir together the peanut butter, sugar and egg. When mixed well, stir in an optional extra if you’re up for it.

Take a small tablespoon of dough at a time and use another tablespoon and your fingers to shape into egg shapes, directly on to baking paper tray.  Press down slightly with a back of spoon or fingers as they will not spread much in cooking. The dough is VERY sticky – oil your fingers and spoons lightly with spray oil first, enlist other utensils if required. Bake one tray at a time – not just to scrimp on paper, the cookies will be much better – bake until edges just begin to colour, 9 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook! You could easily be deceived by these delicious little treats. Cool for 2 minutes on the tray then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate further with icing if you’re crafty.

Recipe Hints and Tips:

• Get your money’s worth out of the baking paper by having it do double, even triple duties. Use the same piece for each tray you bake!