mise en place<\/p><\/div>\n

These cookies take little time from start to finish. Earth Balance, or your favorite allergy-friendly margarine, is creamed together with granulated and light brown sugars. Flax eggs, vanilla, and sunflower butter are added. When the mixture is smooth, gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt are gradually mixed in and a stiff dough is formed.<\/p>\n

That’s all there is to these fabulous cookies!<\/p>\n

What’s with the Criss-Cross?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pillsbury popularized using the fork marks on peanut butter cookies in the 1930s. There was no explanation given in their recipe as to why the fork hash marks, but bakers continue to include them on their cookies to this day.<\/p>\n

Better Baking<\/strong><\/p>\n

When sunflower seed butter is added to the dough it makes it denser, which in turn makes it harder to bake though evenly.<\/p>\n

Putting the criss-cross marks in the dough flattens them for more even baking. What an ingenious idea!<\/p>\n

Peanut Allergies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just as cool, the peanut butter cookie was thought to have been given the fork marks to warn those with a sensitivity or allergy that these cookies contained peanuts.<\/p>\n

We are firm believers that food made free from allergens can taste as good and even better than their counterparts.<\/p>\n

When we do splurge for sugar, this is a favorite!<\/p>\n

love that criss-cross<\/p><\/div>\n

Celebrating foods free!<\/p>\n