July Fourth seems like an appropriate time to declare my love for what’s become an all-American ingredient, peanut butter. (For those who want to learn more about its coming-of-age story, Smithsonian Magazine provides a nice overview in this recent article.) Include peanut butter in the name of a dish on a dessert menu and it’s probably the one I’ll order. In fact, it showed up in both of my splurges yesterday (Noom diet? What Noom diet?): a decadent slice of Caramelized Peanut Butter Pie with candied fried peanuts (!) at Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit in St. Paul and drizzled into a mini (<–) vanilla ice cream mixer, along with salted caramel, at a nearby Culver’s.

Weekends as of late haven’t be quite so gluttonous due to the aforesaid Noom diet, but we haven’t banished treats from our diet. Instead, I’ve found ways to let us indulge in a fun meal finale without breaking the caloric bank. After all, it’s typically the first three or four bites that give you the hit you need.

This recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from King Arthur Flour has been lounging on my Recipes to Try Pinterest board for ages, and now seemed like a fine time to give them a try. According to KAF, the yield is 18 (150-calorie) cookies, but I made them slightly smaller so they came out to just over 100 calories each. They’re fabulous! The chip-to-dough ratio is perfect, the sweet chocolate nicely complementing the salty peanut butter.

If you’re like me and can’t get enough peanut butter, try some of these other favorite recipes:

Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Peanut Butter Pudding Cake from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Peanut Butter Lover’s Ice Cream from Brown Eyed Baker

Copycat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups from Spend with Pennies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mug Cake from Kirbie’s Cravings

Peanut Butter Granola Bars from the book Ovenly via David Lebovitz