Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bites...and Tiny, Thieving Hands

There are times when the world seems to be battling against us, when the weather does not cooperate, when money is exceedingly scarce, when health seems elusive...and when these things happen, when life seems hell-bent on battling us on all fronts, we have no choice but to stand tall and fight back with all we've got.  Frequently, this involves chocolate and, if things are looking particularly grim, there might be peanut butter involved as well.

Such was the case for me this weekend.  Income flitted away too fast, the death cough held on with a vengeance, and the laundry (although now clean) is still in piles in the basket.  So clearly, it was time for bake-therapy.  (Hell yeah!)

In order to ward off the evil spirits that seem to be haunting me, I opted for some heavy-duty Baking Mojo, the trifecta of ingredients:  chocolate, oatmeal, and peanut butter.  I figured if something concocted with these ingredients failed to boost my mood, I was doomed.  Luckily, they saved my day.  Come to think of it, they perked the kiddos right up, too!

Under the guise of hawking them as a "tasty morsel," a "mere treat," I cut them into small bite-sized portions.  However, in reality, I ate four or five each time I was reaching for "just one," so consider yourself warned. 

In the interest of full disclosure, the tiny hands that seem to invade the photos are, in fact, not my hands.  (I actually have rather large hands.)  (They're not my hands either, regardless of what you may have heard about their smallness...)  The two hands shown herein are actually attached to two of my children.  My children have also declared their respective hands to now be "famous" since they are featured in this blog.  If you wish to further their delusion, feel free to tell them how famous they are in the comments section below...they would be delighted to hear from you.  (Oh, please do this.  Her kids are rock stars.  I can attest to this personally, as being one of the privileged few to have met these mysterious hand model/taste testers.)  Actually, I would be delighted as well.  Comments remind me that I am not just talking to myself...although I do a fair amount of that, too. (This comment has been removed by Angela in an effort to restrain herself.)

Peanut Butter Bites

1/2 c. sweet sorghum flour

1/2 c. sweet rice flour

1 c. gluten free oats

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter

1/4 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

35 Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped (please DO unwrap them, however, before you place them on the squares.  Otherwise the tin foil gets in your teeth.)

1.  Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan.

2.  Cream butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla.

3.  Add peanut butter and milk.

4.  Add flours, xanthan gum, baking soda.

5.  Stir in oats.

6.  Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and set in the middle.  
7.  Let cool in pan, and top with evenly spaced Hershey's Kisses while pan is still warm.  
8.  Cut into 35 squares once fully cooled.

 ______________

I do promise to post some healthier options soon, once the healthier fare is a bit more abundant.  In fact, I had intended to post my recipe for gluten-free Strawberry Shortcakes but, honestly, I needed chocolate and peanut butter to get through this past week, and sometimes you just gotta roll with it.