Peanut Butter Bran Cookies

Photo courtesy of my Mac

   Do you want to keep those little critters busy? Well, recently my grandson and I spent the day together. He was my helper baking cookies. I was trying to do a healthy twist on a sweet by using bran cereal. His job was to crush the cereal and he got quite a kick out of it. It's not everyday that you're actually asked to smash something.
  These turned out to be moist cookies, that held together well for dunking in milk. The peanut butter flavor was subtle, but good. I think raisins, nuts or peanut butter chips would blend in nicely.

Peanut Butter Bran Cookies
1-1/2 cups Bran cereal flakes, crushed to 3/4 cup
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs (or egg whites)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
*optional - 1/4 cup raisins or peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Pour bran flakes into medium bowl, and with bottom of measuring cup crush them (or use a Ziploc baggie). Add flour, soda and salt. Mix to combine.

In large mixing bowl, combine butter, peanut butter and sugar. Mix well until creamy and well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix again until fluffy. 

On sprayed cookie sheet, drop dough by heaping tablespoon full a few inches apart. Cookies should be about 1 inch wide. (they will spread and puff up).

Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes before transferring to plate to finish cooling. Makes 2 dozen. Recipe easily doubled.

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