Peanut Butter and DOVE® Cranberry Cookies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LoveDoveFruits #CollectiveBias 

Hi guys!  I've mentioned several times here on the blog that 2015 is going to be our family's year of "Getting After It".  One of the things we're "getting after" is our health.  We're going to the gym several days a week {at least we're trying really, really hard to get there more regularly}, we're adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to our daily meals,  and limiting desserts.  The dessert thing is tough for me because I usually crave a little something sweet in the evening.  I was super excited to discover new DOVE® Fruit when I was shopping at Walmart the other day.  

A little handful of delicious dried cranberries, blueberries, or cherries covered in DOVE® dark chocolate is a perfect indulgence at the end of the day and leaves me satisfied without undoing all the healthy things I've done all day long. 

You are probably wondering why I am talking about healthier eating in a post about cookies, right?  I did say we were limiting dessert, not eliminating it altogether.  Call me crazy, but a life completely devoid of cookies is not a life I want to live! Everything in moderation. I'm learning how to make my family's favorite desserts a little differently so that we don't have to feel so guilty when we decide to reward ourselves with a treat occasionally. Peanut Butter Chocolate chip cookies are a go-to in our house, so I used that idea as an inspiration.  I found a great Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie recipe that had no flour or butter, and very little sugar.  Then I adapted the recipe a little bit by using low-fat peanut butter and adding delicious, sweet DOVE® Fruit Cranberries instead of plain old chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter and  DOVE® Cranberry Cookies

1 C. creamy reduced-fat peanut butter
2 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 C. (heaping) old-fashioned oats
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 C. DOVE® Fruit Cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of a mixer, combine peanut butter, honey and brown sugar. Add egg and mix well.  Add oats, salt, baking soda, and vanilla extract until combined.  Stir in the DOVE® Cranberries.

The mixture will be thick and slightly crumbly -- that's OK.  Take heaping tablespoons of dough and roll them in your hands to compact the dough and form balls.  Gently flatten each ball after placing  it on the cookie sheet.  These cookies do not really expand or puff up as they bake.

Bake 7-9 minutes until light golden brown on top.  Watch them carefully so they don't burn.  I like to use my stoneware baking sheets because you can take the cookies out a little early and they finish cooking as they cool.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the pan.  {If you eat them warm, they'll be a bit crumbly . . . but still delicious!} This recipe makes approx. 1 dozen cookies.

Adapted slightly from Chelsea's Messy Apron.

You would not believe how yummy these cookies are!  They are still considered an indulgence {or a "sometimes food" as we call it}, but it's a better-for-you indulgence.  Guess what!  You won't even miss what's missing -- tons of sugar and fat.  They taste every bit as decadent  as the original version.

Have I convinced you to try DOVE® Fruit for yourself?!  If so, you can download a coupon to save on your DOVE® purchase.  See more great DOVE® Fruit recipe ideas on the DOVE® Fruit social hub. 

I've shared how we are trying to indulge a little smarter as a family.  How does your family indulge? Leave me a comment with your favorite better-for-you treat!

Have a great day!

Amy