Self-destruction by peanut butter?

I've become a peanut butter junkie in the past few years.  And like any good junkie, I make excuses for my addiction.

Such as:

It's good protein.

Just one spoonful can't hurt me.

But like the junkies I see on A&E's "Intervention," it rarely stops at "just one" or "just a little."

When I was single, I routinely came home after work and had a spoonful of peanut butter out of the jar while my dinner cooked.  One spoonful would turn into a peanut butter orgy parked in front of the TV watching reruns of "Law and Order" while a plate of chicken and vegetables congealed on the counter, pushed aside.

Thank goodness I met my husband and saved myself from self-destruction by peanut butter, right?

I've been making homemade granola quite a bit lately and noticed a recipe on the back of the canister for oatmeal cookies.  Yum.  Except they had raisins which didn't excite me.

What can make healthy oats naughty?

Peanut butter and two sticks of butter!

With my son down for his nap, I practically ran to the kitchen to start baking.  I mixed the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, coarse salt, baking soda) and then powered-up the mixer to whip together the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Once those where combined and smooth, I added in eggs and vanilla.

Let me tell you, two sticks of butter, sugars and vanilla make quick-cooking oats much more exciting!

I added in the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mixed briefly until just combined.

And then, I couldn't help it.  I took a big spoonful of the dough and devoured it pushing aside thoughts of how salmonella could be lurking in the raw eggs that were in the dough I was shoveling in my mouth.

Now that's living on the edge, people.

The finished product is just as delightful as the raw dough.  The cookies are quite thin but become a little crisp around the edges and mushy in the middle.  I have no idea how they will taste tomorrow but these are a "live in the moment" cookie, I think.  (I will report back how they hold-up on Day 2.)

I fully realize I should be posting about holiday cookies and that will come very soon but today, I just needed my peanut butter fix.

It seems, this junkie's old habits are dying hard. Thank goodness.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Details

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, add butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.  Mix until smooth.

Add eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.

Add dry oat mixture to the butter/egg mixture and mix until just combined.

Using a small cookie dough scoop, place dough on ungreased cookie sheet (I recommend using a silpat mat).

Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living