Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Cookies

While this world may sometimes seem harsh and cold, I am awed by the selflessness with which even pure strangers have been extending love and support amidst this mysterious injury I've been battling. Truly, I am so blessed - not only because my current medical trials, while uncomfortable, could still be so much worse, but also because of the beautiful gratitude with which I am filled for friendship, an outstretched hand, and the simple ability to take a single step.

I do beg your pardon for continually rambling about my hip - I fear one might think that this blog has deteriorated into The Family Almanac of Medical Maladies. Yet I hope you will indulge me once more, for I at last have some joyous news to share! While my physical condition remains unchanged, I was able to return to employment in a new capacity yesterday... I'm sure you can imagine the financial concerns we've been experiencing, given that I've been unable to work for the past week and a half, but on Wednesday afternoon my boss at the hospital called and offered to let me come work a desk job in the operating room administration, scheduling surgeries and so forth, until I am able to return to my regular position as a nurse, running up and down the hallways of the medical-surgical floor. I simply can't even quite put into words how relieved I am to no longer have to spend every waking moment wondering how we are going to be able to pay our bills. We are so fortunate to be graced with this gift... Now, thanks to the kind understanding of the wonderful hospital where I work, I can simply focus on healing.

In the medical department, on Wednesday as well, Zach called from his current clinical rotation in Internal Medicine to tell me that the doctor with whom he's working would like to examine me, free of charge, in the hopes that he can offer some new insight into my case. Such generosity awes me - the kindness of this physician, who I've never met, but who somehow feels my pain and fear and reaches out a caring hand... Truly, God and his angels are wondrous!

Even though my physical future remains uncertain, I still feel like singing with relief and joy... and I feel like baking cookies for everyone!

These particular cookies grew out of Zach's fondness for peanut butter cookies (which of course results in my desire to bake peanut butter cookies for him on a weekly basis, despite his best attempts to moderate my cookie baking over-enthusiasm) and my recent obsession with Greek yogurt. One day, contemplating the excellence of Greek yogurt as a substitute for cream, I began to ponder the tantalizing possibilities for Greek yogurt as an understudy for butter...

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 cup chunky natural peanut butter
2 egg whites, beaten
2/3 cup raw turbinado sugar
3 T vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
~ Gently stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
~ Beat the Greek yogurt and peanut butter together until fluffy.
~ Add the egg whites, and beat until well combined and fluffy once more.
~ Add the turbinado sugar, and beat until creamy.
~ Stir in the almond milk and vanilla extract.
~ Using your hands, roll the dough into balls 1" in diameter, and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
~ Bake for 12 minutes - until the cookies are just set and just barely golden brown around the edges.
~ Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets, or serve them warm!