PB&J Cookies

I mentioned last week that I gave up sugar for lent. I feel really good about this choice, and as with most times I give up something, I see it as an opportunity to try new things. Up until recently, I've seen fruits as basically equivalent to slimy table sugar (i.e. I've never been a fruit fan.) However, with my new knowledge of antioxidants and micronutrients in fruit, I've started to come around to the idea that fruit may offer things that table sugar does not. I've been intrigued by the raw dessert movement: most of these recipes use dates as a sweetener. I love this idea, but dates are really expensive! $6 for a container that I'm sure I could use up in one recipe. Instead, I challenged myself to make a cookie using only raisins for sweetness. At 1/4 of the cost, raisins fit my budget much better than fancy dates and in this recipe, I think they give a flavorful hint of grape jelly that dates just couldn't emulate. These cookies are gluten free,  (of course sugar free,) and would be out of this world with almond or sunflower butter as well!

PB&J Cookies

1 1/4c raisins, soaked
1c rolled oats
3/4c peanut butter
1/2t baking soda
1T cinnamon

1. Soak raisins in warm water for a few hours, until soft. Be sure to check raisins for stems and other debris.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. In a food processor, process oats to a course flour. Add baking soda & cinnamon and give it another whirl to mix it in.
4. Add raisins and food process until a smooth paste starts to form. Add peanut butter and keep processing until you have a ball of dough.
5. Form dough into balls and press onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 350F. Enjoy!