Flourless Peanut Butter Flaxseed Cookies with Barley Flakes {low carb}

Here’s a quick recipe for sweet, golden cookies with all the crunch and flavour of chunky peanut butter plus all the health benefits of flaxseeds (linseeds). Oh, and you only need five ingredients to make them! Six, if you want to sprinkle some lovely barley flakes over the top, but they’re really just there to make the cookies look prettier. The lack of flour ensures that these cookies remain low carb, while the high peanut butter content turns them into an awesome source of protein. And of course, the addition of ground flaxseeds give these an extra fibre boost!

I remember the days when flaxseeds were just starting to emerge as a superfood trend, barely hitting the shelves in supermarkets and being sold at exorbitant prices in health food stores. I suppose the same could be said for natural peanut butter – back then, if you didn’t make your own, you were hard pressed to find a jar that wasn’t loaded with salt, sugar or preservatives at your local grocery store. Today, it’s a different story. Supermarkets everywhere are selling a variety of fabulous superfoods, nutritious mix-ins and healthy nut butters, which is great news for health-conscious bakers who love to incorporate these types of things in their recipes.

For more healthy peanut-related goodies, check out the following recipes:
» Supercharged Maca & Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls {my favourite}
» Flourless Peanut Butter & Cacao Nib Blondies
» Chocolate Studded Peanut & Almond Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Flaxseed Cookies with Barley Flakes
a flourless & fairly low carb recipe; makes approx. 20 cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup natural peanut butter*
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup sweetener of choice**
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rolled barley flakes, for sprinkling (optional)

* Use a peanut butter that is made of 100% peanuts. I used Sanitarium’s Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter. No added sugar, salt or preservatives!
** I used Natvia, 100% natural sweetener (95% fewer calories than sugar). You can use caster sugar instead if you don’t have natural sweeteners on hand.

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, egg, sweetener, flaxseeds and vanilla. Mix thoroughly with a fork until a dough forms.
3. Using a tablespoon, scoop equal amounts of dough, rolling them into balls and flattening each one with the palms of your hands (or you may use a fork to press crisscrosses over the tops). Place unbaked cookies about ½” apart on the prepared baking tray.
4. Sprinkle barley flakes over the tops and bake cookies for approximately 15 minutes, or until firm and golden.
5. Remove from oven and let cookies stand in tray for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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