It’s no secret that I love any excuse to celebrate a holiday…even if that holiday is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day! PB cookies are one of my favorite cheats, but at 300 calories per cookie + over 20 grams of fat, they just aren’t on the meal plan. After some kitchen experiments and many failed attempts, I’ve found my favorite clean(er) peanut butter cookie recipe! Grab the kids and head to the kitchen to celebrate this fun holiday!
What you’ll need:
2 Ripe Bananas – Mashed (make sure they’re super ripe, with lots of browning spots)
1/3 C. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Dash of Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 1/2 C. Quick Oats (I used Old Fashioned Oats this time, and they worked great!)
1/4 C. Dry Unsalted Peanuts
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (if desired…but who wouldn’t?!)
How you’ll do it:
Set oven to 350 degrees. While oven is preheating, mash bananas and mix together all the wet ingredients – PB, applesauce, and vanilla – with the bananas. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture on to parchment lined baking sheet and flatten just a bit with a fork. Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes, pull out, let cool, and enjoy!
Nutritional information per cookie (recipe makes 18 cookies): Calories: 121.1, protein: 4.1 g, carbs: 14.1 g, fiber: 2.1 g, fat: 6.3 g, sodium: 25.8 mg.
Xoxo,
Heidi
32 Responses
What would be a good veggie and carb to add to breakfast with a protein shake?
You can add any non-root/non-starchy veggies and any carb (fruits, whole grains, legumes, etc.), depending on which ones you like!
What is the best protein shake I see Chris drink bode’ but wasn’t sure if there was other recommended kind and if I have it for breakfast is it enough protein and carb or dobi need to add something.
Hi Monica: Chris and Heidi recommend whey-based protein powders with between 15-20 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of carbs per serving. With this protein shake, you’d add a carb and veggies for breakfast or any high-carb meal, or a fat and veggies for any low-carb meal. 🙂
We just started carb cycling this week. Love the show and the program. We did want to know, however, why they recommend fat free ingredients as well as the sugar substitutes. With all of the harmful artificial additives found in those products, why wouldn’t we use all natural low-fat products instead? Is the fat free trade off worth it for the harmful ingredients? This is the same with the sugar substitutes. Our bodies recognize pure sugar but not fructose and dextrose. Thank you for your help.
Hi Liz: Chris and Heidi do recommend all natural products, however, they wanted to offer enough options in their program so that it would be easier for people, who might not be used to eating healthy, to be able to make the transition to healthier eating. I hope that makes sense. All natural is always the best option. As far as sweeteners, Chris and Heidi recommend Stevia and Xylitol. And welcome to carb cycling!
Just made these! OMG! They are So Yummy! Love that just one satisfied my peanut butter/chocolate craving for the day! Thanks for posting this recipe! Love it!
Hi Heidi, these look great, but I’d like your thoughts on why you use/recommend low fat peanut butter rather than pB in its natural form. The fat in peanuts is one of the qualities that make nuts healthy, and when fat is removed from foods, it is most often replaced with sugar/sweeteners. I see low fat ingredients in other recipes too. Is this just for calorie counting? I avoid foods that are processed to be low fat (not that way in their natural form). I do eat 0% fat Greek yogurt unflavored. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thank you.
Chris and Heidi do include healthy fats in their carb cycling program, in fact, every low carb meal has a portion of a healthy fat. Since this is more of a “treat,” it’s best to watch those calories while still getting to eat that treat. Hope that helps!
Would this be a cheat day cookie?
Yes! 🙂
Dear Heidi, I would like to Buy you Books because I need to loose 13 kg ( I got married 14 months ago and I was 57 kg and now I am really Fat)…. for the wedding I did a special diet. It was based on soja only and I lost 7 kg in 30 days, but since I have introduced normal food it was a disaster… Could you suggest me the way to be Healthy and more confident with my body,Please? And could you suggest me the book you wrotten for learning the way to get it and to mantein it?
Sorry, I know you have s/things more important to do but I really need help by understanding the way to Follow for ever. Tnx…. Manu
Hi Manuela: Check out Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program in their book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life.” The book contains their complete nutrition and exercise program, and it’s the same one they use on the show. It will teach you everything you need to know and do to achieve your own transformation! Learn all about it here: https://heidipowell.net/9060/how-to-begin-your-transformation-journey-step-by-step/. And here’s a link to purchase the book: http://amzn.to/1rhkPaQ. You can totally do this!
Hi Heidi,
I am a huge fan of you and chris and I recently just bought your book and read through it in a day! I have lost 45 pds but have plateaued for a yr! I workout 5 days a week and both my nutritionist and trainer say i shouldnt go below my 1700 calorie intake as a 220lb woman… I guess I am confused on how many calories i should consume… Your book says if you have a 3500 defecit from your BMR then you will lose a pd a week… Well 1700 is about 4900 defecit a week a nothing is changing.. And then after reading your book it says calories should fluctuated between 1200-1500… So i am not sure what to do?! I plan on doing the classic carb cycle and so should I just focus on portion size and let calories fall into place? Thanks for your time… Or anybody else that has an answer I would greatly appreciate! Im still motivated and have hope I just wanna figure this out!
Congrats on those 45 pounds gone – that’s awesome! Chris and Heidi do recommend 1200 calories on low carb days and 1500 calories on high carb days, with up to an extra 1000 calories on your reward day. If you follow the portion sizes recommended in the book, you should automatically hit these calorie guidelines. You can do this!