Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

Have your cookie dough and eat it too! Egg-less, edible peanut butter cookie dough that is! These Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites--packed with even more peanut butter Reese's Pieces--are a simple way to add a fun sweet treat this Halloween or any other time of the year when you are craving all things peanut butter!

Halloween is in two weeks. How? No idea. But I want to very briefly touch on one thing because I KNOW there is going to be some messages coming your way around, you know it: Halloween Candy.

One of the biggest fears I used to live with, and so many still do, is having the candy in the house. If it's there, then certainly I won't be able to control myself. I will feel powerless around it. I will end up eating it all. Ughhh. Why do we even celebrate this holiday anyway???--

Ok, let's just stop there. I said that was the OLD me. That is no more.

Why? Unconditional Permission.

That's the answer, folks. Not dumping it in the trash, not opting for dark chocolate covered raisins instead of the Reese Cup that you really really really want, and certainly not working out extra to "make up for" any candy you may consume.

Now, I only have my personal experience to speak from and I am not an expert, BUT I just so happen to know some people who are. And the other night I came across a recent post by Amy from Satisfy Nutrition who was laying down some facts that I found to back this stuff up--

Amy noted, Food habituation studies show that the more unconditional access we give ourselves to food, the more balanced our intake is over time. If that’s not a case for intuitive eating, I don’t know what is.

--Amy H., RDN, LD of Satisfy Nutrition

Sooooo, if your fear is not being able to control yourself, ask yourself if you have given yourself unconditional freedom to eat the candy you want, the candy you crave? Notice if you are holding any sort of guilt over your head or if it feels like you are battling yourself for "making up for" any treats you may eat.

I have never felt more control around food in my LIFE than when I stopped the control game-- the game of diet culture, the game of restriction, the game of calculating every morsel I put into my mouth, the game of disordered eating disguised as "good health," the game of needing to eat to keep my body in a place I wanted it--and allowed myself unconditional freedom to eat whatever I wanted, whatever my body told me it desired.

Did this happen overnight?? Hardly! But the more you put it into practice, the less and less you will feel anxious over little things like having Halloween candy in the house. Give yourself time, celebrate the smallest successes, be patient with yourself. And remember there is really no "perfect" way to eat so give yourself some grace.

Sooooooo without further adieu, we are celebrating today with my very favorite candy: Reese's Pieces! We always have a huge bag of these in the house. ALWAYS. It's a non-negotiable. (In fact, I am munching on some right now!)

It is highly likely that I have eaten more cookie dough than baked cookies in my lifetime (sorry, Mom). I loooove it. But I love it even more when there aren't eggs included in the recipe. So after making these Funfetti Cookie Dough Bites a while back, I knew a peanut butter cookie dough treat was necessary.

And what's better than peanut butter cookie dough? Peanut butter cookie dough with even more peanut butter, of course!

These are a great last minute Halloween party treat that can be whipped up in no time--you know, for those times when the little one tells you 5 minutes before you are heading out that you have to bring a snack to share to the party. Greeeeat. But as for this one, it is great in a not so sarcastic way! No one will care that this was a last minute thing once they take a bite!

I will note, more recently there have been some experts who say not to eat uncooked flour as well as uncooked egg--so just be aware. Eat at your own risk. If you are concerned though, you can spread the flour on a cookie sheet and pop the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350°F and that should do the trick!

Grab some peanut butter, Reese's Pieces, brown sugar, butter and a few other things and you will be eating a big spoonful in no time!

These Halloween Mummy Banana Pops are another fun Halloween treat!

DID YOU MAKE ONE OF MY RECIPES? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! I ALSO LOVE TO SEE YOUR LEMONS + ZEST RECIPES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–TAG ME @LEMONSANDZEST ON INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK!