This gluten-free sugar-free peanut butter cookie was inspired by the book, Year of No Sugar, which is essentially this woman’s diary of her (and her family’s) year trying to eat no added fructose. Part of the book details her adventures in satisfying her sweet tooth by baking with sugar substitutes that do not have fructose (the bad sugar). After some trial and error (and some research), she determined that brown rice syrup was her best option.

Taking her lead, I decided to do my own experimenting with baking with brown rice syrup. Clearly I have a weakness for baked goods, so if I can find away to reduce or completely eliminate the amount of fructose in those baked goods I’m all for it!

I also wanted to experiment with gluten-free flours as well, and why not mix the two for an even healthier combination, right?!

To make these cookies gluten free, I used a mixture of coconut flour (purchased at Trader Joe’s) and buckwheat flour (found at my local supermarket). To make these sugar-free, I obviously used the brown rice syrup, which I found at Whole Foods (it was in the same aisle as the honey). You could also replace part of the brown rice syrup with a half of a banana if you like that banana taste (I do not).

The resulting cookies are full of peanut butter flavor with a hint of coconut from the flour and oil. They also have a hint of sweetness that is highlighted by the sea salt sprinkled on top of the cookie.

But if we are being totally honest here, these do not compete with normal gluten-full and sugar-full peanut butter cookies. You just can’t get the same taste with the coconut flour and brown rice syrup. I’m sorry, but you can’t. HOWEVER, if you are on a very restricted diet and cannot consume gluten and/or sugar, these cookies are pretty dang good.

How do I know? I made these right before a friend came in town. Over the course of the weekend I saw her sneak a couple cookies from the container, and by the end of the weekend, they were gone.

I mean, if that doesn’t tell you they are good, I don’t know what will.

Have you ever made gluten-free or sugar-free baked goods? What ingredients did you use?c

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