I am so incredibly grateful for you. When I shared my big life update here a few days ago, I had no idea how you would respond. Part of me worried about being called a hypocrite and seeing you turn away… Yet instead, when I let down my guard and was so raw and real, you embraced me with wide open and outstretched arms.
I’ve been completely blown away by the number of comments, emails, DMs, texts, and even phone calls I’ve received… Especially from people who were brave enough to open up, share their own vulnerable stories, and say, “Me too. I’ve been there too.”
If you were one of those people, I’m truly honored that you’d be so willing to share your own journey and trust me with your story.
And even if you weren’t… Even if you simply read what I wrote without responding…
I’m still just as truly honored that you’d spend that time, that incredibly precious time in your hectic and chaotic life, to read about my big life update. That means so much to me.
My heart feels so, so full right now… and I’m so truly grateful for you. ♡
And now… Back to today’s regularly scheduled recipe!
During the holidays a couple of years ago, my family and I flew to Arizona to visit my grandparents to celebrate both an early Christmas and their wedding anniversary. My mom invited all of our extended family in the area to a low-key pizza party and white elephant gift exchange, so my brother and I met quite a few new relatives that night.
In addition to the massive pizzas to feed the hungry crowd, Mom also bought plenty of fresh fruit, salads, and a few desserts. She ordered a large tres leches sheet cake from the bakery at the local grocery store, and one of the bakers scripted a special “Merry Christmas!” message in bright green frosting across the top.
While at the store and waiting to pick up the cake, the two of us searched for a sweet treat for my brother to enjoy. He’s allergic to eggs, which meant he couldn’t eat a single slice of the cake… But we couldn’t find any decent egg-free desserts in that particular bakery, so we grabbed a pint of raspberry sorbet for him instead. He never turns that down!
By the time we arrived at the airport to fly back home a couple of days later, the rest of us had thoroughly enjoyed — and completely polished off — every last crumb of that tree leches cake… But my brother still hadn’t eaten a single baked treat or pastry. Even though he didn’t seem to mind watching us enjoy the Christmas and anniversary cake, I had a feeling he was craving something baked…
Because as soon as we passed through security, everyone scattered to buy lunch before we boarded the plane, and while my parents returned to the gate with sandwiches, chips, and protein snack boxes, my brother arrived with a small bag clutched in his hand. When he opened it, we all laughed.
He had purchased pretzels, nuts, and a big allergy-friendly cookie! As soon as we found seats on the plane, he tore off the wrapper and took a big bite out of his soft and chewy egg-free cookie. When we asked how it tasted, he responded that it was decent enough — not necessarily the best cookie he had ever eaten — but it definitely satisfied his baked dessert cravings!
When I flew home for my parents’ usual Super Bowl potluck party this year, I spotted the same brand of cookies in one of the convenience and snack shops at the airport, and that particular memory floated through my mind… Which inspired me to bake a batch of egg-free cookies that I knew my brother would love!
So shortly after returning to my own kitchen, I whipped up a dozen of these Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies! They’re incredibly soft and chewy, exactly the way my family loves their cookies, with lots of sweet peanutty flavor and plenty of rich chocolate morsels.
These healthy cookies are also so simple to make; you just need one bowl and a fork! Even better? They have no butter, oil, eggs, dairy, refined flour or sugar… And they’re 114 calories!
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