This afternoon, I took a much needed break from my computer and decided to bake cookies. Problem was, I was out of butter and the nearest store that had good butter, not the local brand that tastes like margarine, was 15 minutes away by bus. But thanks to my new favorite online search tool, I found a peanut butter cookie recipe that required neither butter nor flour.

I followed the recipe exactly except I used chunky peanut butter instead of smooth, and vanilla extract instead of Mexican vanilla. As a result my cookies came out crunchy, whereas the picture on Cookie Madness made them look soft and chewy. But...jackpot...these taste almost exactly like the large peanut butter cookies my father used to make at his Cantonese bakery back in Boston. The ones I would scarf down whenever I stopped by, to "visit." And since he hardly ever baked at home, I didn't really learn any of his trade secrets. (Yes, it's true that Chinese folks tend to prefer crunchier cookies, having grown up outside the cult of Nestle Tollhouse.)

This recipe makes 40 small cookies, but I'm sure they'll all be gone by morning.

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Other cookie recipes:

Green Tea Cookies
Goji Oatmeal-Almond Cookies
Orange Almond Lace Cookies

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Cookie Madness

Makes 40 small cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter (chunky for crunchier cookies, smooth for slightly softer)
1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, egg, baking soda, and vanilla. Add peanut butter and (optional) chopped peanuts, and mix until well incorporated.

Drop tablespoon-size balls onto a greased baking sheet. Press them down with a fork so they bear the universal lines for "peanut butter cookie." Or just press them down with your hands. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes on a rack before indulging. Share with others, or hide from significant other and roommates if you want any left for yourself.