Healthy Kiss Cookies

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $6/day.

We started off last week with on an ice cream topping jag. This week I start off with a cookie jag. Forgive me, I don't know what my problem is. Oh, wait, yes I do: there are men in my life. Men, in case you haven't noticed either a) have no problems with their weight or b) don't care if they have problems with their weight. Furthermore, most of them are perfectly comfortable with the idea of dying at, say, age 50, which to them is eons away. Even if they're in their late 30's. In a way, it's kind of refreshing, these men with their carpe diem live-for-the-moment sorts of ways. Refreshing and alarming both because, yes, I'd like to keep mine around for a little longer than age 50.

So, even though we splurge on cookies like the ones I made this weekend for Kip. And even though I have absolutely NO problem with splurges like this--truth be told, I find them rather good for the soul. Even so, for our day to day cookie needs, I like to keep it a little healthier (well, you know, most of the time). So, while I don't believe you can rightly call anything with a big Hershey's Kiss on the top a breakfast cookie, it does have half the sugar, half the fat, and whole wheat flour. A very solid lunch box cookie if I do say so myself. Or day camp cookie, which is how this recipe came to be. You can thank the littler man in my life for today's recipe. He had day camp for cub scouts last week. It's the first day camp any of my kids has ever attended. I wanted to send the message that I love him without any embarrassing napkin notes. He being male and all, Hershey's Kisses seemed the obvious choice. One day he'll look back and he'll know. For now, he'll just be the envy of all his friends.

Healthy Kiss Cookies
adapted from Hershey Butter Blossoms
Makes 36-48 (They said 48, but I got considerably less)
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes
Cost: $2.31
(kisses: 1.00, PB: .65, butter: .25, sugars: .06, eggs: .10, whole wheat flour: .25)

Note: Try to find kisses on sale after holidays and then freeze them in a deep dark spot in your freezer where no one will see them or even think about them until you see a recipe like this and remember that you, conveniently, have some inexpensive ones on hand.

30-35 Kisses, unwrapped (about 1/2 bag)
3/4 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 C butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp white sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Add egg. Add milk and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

While they're baking, remove the kisses from their foil. As soon as you pull the cookies out of the oven, press one kiss into each cookie. The edges will crack just slightly and it was all be lovely.

Let cool and serve or send.

PRINTABLE RECIPE