Peanut Butter Lollipop Cookies Recipe

Long-time readers will know that I don’t bake sweets that often (because I have no will power). Given that I have recently polished off Double Chocolate Brownies, a Hershey Pie, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies (the new Betty Crocker mix to be released this summer), you probably won’t be getting any more sweet recipes from me for a while. Luckily for you, Jeanne Basye , the Gluten Free Cookie Lady, agreed to write a guest post featuring one of the cookies from her cookbook, “Gluten Free Cookies”. Please welcome Jean in the comments and check out her cookbook.

Hello from Arizona!

My name is Jeanne Basye, happily called The Gluten Free Cookie Lady. It’s 100 degrees outside today and my grandkids and I are in the kitchen baking gluten free cookies. Care to join us? We are making one of their favorite cookies, Peanut Butter Lollipops. They like these cookies because they are big, their favorite candy bar is hidden inside and they are fun to eat because the cookie is on a stick! Hey, I love them too and my favorite candy bar is Baby Ruth.

If you are like me, making cookies with my grandkids (ages 2 ½ -11 years) are fun and so rewarding. Teaching them how to crack eggs, measure ingredients, mix properly, and make uniform-size dough balls are baking lessons for a lifetime. Fun in the kitchen is our goal as are the kitchen cleanup chores! However, the best lesson cookie baking offers in our home is how to share with others. We make cookies, decorate boxes to hold them and give them away.

As we deliver our cookie boxes, there is always a smile and big thank you on the receiving end. Baking cookies is a lifetime skill that can make so many people happy. Plus we educate people about celiac disease through our cookies. How fun is that!

Are you ready to bake? As I tell the grandkids… first wash your hands. Be sure to read the recipe and set out all the ingredients. Select your favorite snack-size candy bar. Almond Joys, Snickers, Mars, 3 Musketeers, Oh Henry, Payday and Baby Ruths are ready to be prepared in our kitchen.

We are recycling the wooden sticks from the popsicle/ice cream bars we ate yesterday and using them for these cookies. You can also purchase Kraft Caramels and use the wooden sticks in the package. If you don’t have sticks, just wrap the snack-size candy bar (about a 2-inch length) around the dough and bake as directed.

As the anticipation builds in our kitchen waiting for the cookies to bake and cool, each one selects their favorite color ribbon to tie on the cookie sticks. Decorating small plastic bags to wrap the big lollipops is next.

Finally the cookies are ready to taste. We pour a big glass of milk and take a big bite! “Outstanding, says my 5 year old grandson, I love these cookies!”

Instructions

We hope you enjoy Peanut Butter Lollipops as much as we do. Let us know if you like them too.

Peanut Butter Lollipops

(Makes 9-10 (4-inch) cookies on a stick)

• 1 ¼ cups of favorite GF flour blend
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter (I like Jif)
• 10 (.65-oz.) snack-size GF candy bars (each bar measures 2-inches)
• 10 (4 ½ x ¼-inch) wooden ice cream sticks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Gently insert wooden stick ¾ of the way into each candy bar. Place inside freezer until ready to use. (Freezing the candy bar/stick minimizes candy oozing out of the cookie as it bakes.)
3. Sift flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder and salt in bowl; stir. Set aside.
4. Beat  butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl on medium speed until creamy, about 4 minutes. Scrape bowl as needed.   Beat in egg and peanut butter.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.
5. Wrap ¼-1/3 cup dough around each prepared candy bar. Be sure dough covers candy bar completely. Reshape uneven edges of dough with hands for a more uniform appearance. Place 4-inches apart on prepared sheets. Cookies spread! Keep dough refrigerated until ready to bake. (I bake one cookie sheet at a time on the middle rack.)
6. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheet then carefully transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Use a wide spatula to remove cookies from sheet.)
7. Store in airtight container up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Permission granted by: Jeanne Basye, The Gluten Free Cookie Lady

Basye, Jeanne. Gluten Free Cookies. Phoenix, AZ: What No Wheat Enterprises, 2008, page 116. www.glutenfreecookielady.com