Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (aka Cheapskate Larabars)--Vegan, Raw, Gluten Free, Divine

Told you we were snacky around here lately. I saw these on Pinterest and pinned them only because my son was sitting next to me and insisted (from the picture) that I must. Even though the Katie of Chocolate-Covered Katie was positively gushing about these, I didn't really believe that peanut butter and raisins could come together into something that amazing. Which is why we of little faith must sometimes learn to exercise what bits we have. Because now it's time for me to do a little gushing of my own.

These are way better than good. They are breakfast worthy, but I have to tell you that when I craved them, I craved them as I would a regular cookie--they might as well have been full of granulated sugar and white flour and M & M's for the way I felt about them. In fact, for that reason--because they seemed so tasty and indulgent, I found myself feeling a little guilty eating them at any old hay-hum time of day I wished. And along that line, I should say this: these are very filling and they do have plenty of natural sugars and natural fats, so if you're Atkins/Weight Watchers dieting it up or something, these might not be for you. However, if you're into raw food or gluten free food or vegan food or just really tasty food, then you should definitely give these a whirl.


As for cheaperliness, these share the spirit of a Larabar, but they use the cheapest possible dried fruit and nut source, which I really appreciate about them. These are also the perfect way to salvage that box of raisins you opened five months ago and then lost in your, er, completely orderly pantry, and which has, all those months later,dried out a bit. Not that that ever happens to me.

Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (aka Cheapskate Larabars)
adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie
Makes about 12 (um, a little foggy here on the amount; I must have been snitching too much dough)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.70
peanut butter: .70, raisins: .70, peanuts: .30


Note: These are oily when you form them into balls--at least mine were. I just set them on a paper towel and all was well.

Another note: If you'd like, you can add any variety of dried fruits or nut butters. I did a batch with raisins, coconut, peanut butter, and almonds. It was also delicious, although this original recipe was still may favorite. Nevertheless, feel free to play around with the recipe a bit.

1 1/4-1 1/2 C raisins
3/4 C peanut butter
6 Tbsp peanuts (I used raw, but plain roasted will work too)
3/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt if that's your thing (I skipped it)
chocolate chips, optional (I added them sometimes and didn't other times--both were awesome)

Combine raisins, peanut butter, and peanuts in a food processor. (Note: In an attempt to save on dishes I tried this in my cheap blender. It didn't work; the raisins were just too sticky.) Process until smooth (you'll have a few bits of peanuts, but not big chunks) and coming together like a dough. Add vanilla and salt (if using) and process. (If using chocolate chips, you can add these at the very end and give them a whirl or two, but I like mine chunky so I didn't pulverize them.)

Take out, form into balls. Place balls on waxed paper or paper towels and press into cookie shapes using a fork or spoon.

Then, if necessary, hide some of them from yourself. They freeze well. I could keep mine a couple days at room temperature, but preferred storing them in the fridge or freezer.

PRINTABLE RECIPE