Dancing Cookies Instruction, Orlando

1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour OR

whole wheat flour

(I use King Arthur Flour)

1/2 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup peanut butter

(chunky or creamy)

Ingredient label says: “peanuts”

Or “peanuts & salt”

No other ingredients, please!

In a large bowl:

· Add baking soda and whole wheat flour

· Mix and mash with fork until baking soda cannot be seen.

In 2 cup measuring cup:

· Add EVOO, raw honey & peanut butter

Please note peanut butter ingredients say: Peanuts. I get mine from the Deli at Publix. You can buy jarred peanut butter with the ingredient list of peanuts and salt — that’s it.

· With a spoon mix the ingredients together for about 30 seconds. (Mash the side to break down the peanut butter. This should be creamy.

· Add mixing cup to large bowl with baking soda and whole wheat flour. Please note that whole wheat flour is best if it is stone ground. Whole wheat flour from graham is different and makes a heavier cookie. My opinion.

· Mix into dry mixture with rubber spatula. When too difficult to stir, use your hands. Fun!

· Use hands to form dough into half-golf-ball size balls.

· Place on stainless steel cookie sheet. (no aluminum foil—please)

· Flatten with fork.

· Bake at 350 degrees in pre-heated oven for about 6 minutes Makes 2.5-to-3 dozen.

NOTE: At 6 minutes or so, remove the cookies because they will go up in smoke fast. (That’s the second reason why bakers like to use margarine instead of butter or EVOO. What’s the first reason? It’s cheaper. Do bakers want healthy customers? No, they just want money from their customers.

The cookies will be limp when you first place them on a plate or cooling rack. Just flip them gently on their front so they stay together. (It’s all in the wrist. Ha!) When the second batch is cooked, this first batch will be cool enough to transfer to a glass container for storing in the fridge.

Optional SPLURGE: add chocolate chips—three chips per cookie. I use Ghiradelli chocolate pieces; Ingredient label says: Milk chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla) that’s it. Vanilla flavoring is dangerous—as are all flavorings—natural, artificial or otherwise. The sugar makes these cookies a splurge. Without the chocolate you can have these cookies for breakfast. They are good-for-you cookies.

Dancers’

Peanut Butter Cookies,

KISS style

Diana Jo Rossano, Ph.D.

Social Dance Teacher