So, it’s October. And I’m 6.52 months pregnant. Yes, pregnant, again. Have I mentioned that? I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that – because, hey, I can’t remember anything since the baby ate my brain. Again.
Baby 2.0 is due January 6th – just 13 short weeks from now – and I can hardly believe it. Everything is different with a second pregnancy – no princess tiara, no getting out of household chores, and certainly no “take it easy, mama” from the into-everything-16-month-old. Some things are the same, of course, like curse-inducing heartburn and longing gazes at a certain someone’s ice cold bottle of beer or deep dark glass of red wine. And probably the heavy sighing, although just because the Hubster says I do it doesn’t mean I really do. Right? Right.
Pregnant or not, my sweet tooth is pretty much always raging. Since I’ve been perpetually short on time, not to mention energy, I’ve fallen back on the old childhood standby: the 3 Ingredient Cookie. If you haven’t heard of it, you’ve apparently never been a sweet-starved teenager (or college student!) dying for a fix. I can’t even imagine how many batches of these I’ve made and eaten in my life. But here’s the key – and don’t take this lightly – these are *not* gourmet cookies. These are not the cookies you will bookmark as your favorite ever. No, my friend. These are crisis cookies. And they will never, ever fail you.
Because there are only three ingredients, there isn’t any particular depth of flavor or nuance in these babies. They are sugar, plain and simple. Even if you use superfine baker’s sugar, you’re still going to have a bit of that gritty sugar texture in this cookie. But you won’t care. Because you are jonesing for a cookie. So make them. Do it now. And eat them all.
One year ago on C&T: I was lost in Baby Land.
Two years ago on C&T: Huckleberry Shortbread Bars and Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Three years ago on C&T: Chocolate Rum Cake and Roasted Beet and Chevre Salad
3 Ingredient Cookies
The whole point of this recipe is to be able to whip up cookies fast, even if your pantry is practicially empty – so keep in mind that these are best eaten right after baking, while they are still warm! Eating them hours or days later is a little bit like crunching your way through a sugar bowl. But hey, sometimes I’m desperate enough to do that, too.
The classic version of this recipe uses peanut butter, but you can use practically any nut butter you want – I used sesame tahini in the version pictured directly above and came out with a slightly nutty, not quite savory cookie that I liked a lot. The version pictured at the top was made with Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond Spread (similar to Nutella, but almond rather than hazelnut) and they were amazing straight out of the oven. Cookie Butter (or Speculoos) is another fabulous option, if you are one of those people who can keep from eating the entire jar the moment you buy it.
- 1 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, tahini, nutella, etc.)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
Mix all ingredients well. Scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (for a large cookie, less for smaller), just until edges are set and centers are puffed. Do not overbake. Enjoy immediately.
Chocolate & Toast 