Pretty Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

We had a cold snap for a few days here, so I had to bake! These cookies are based on Better Homes & Garden’s “Peanut Butter Oatmeal Rounds,” but with quite a few tweaks to make them healthier. You cannot taste the peanut butter in the final product, they just taste like oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients
¼ cup butter or margarine
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
½ cup apple juice
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon wheat germ
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup carob chips or semisweet chocolate chips

Method
Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit, I believe that’s 190 Celsius.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter or margarine and peanut butter till combined. (In the tropics, the butter and peanut butter will soften so much that you can do this by hand with a potato masher, aided by a rubber scraper to clear the masher occasionally.) Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Beat in the eggs and apple juice till combined. If mixing by hand, beat the eggs separately with a whisk first. At this point the mixture will be very wet, but don’t worry; it will stiffen up as you beat or stir in the flour and wheat germ.
Finally, stir in the rolled oats and the carob or chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. You may find it helpful to chill the dough first so that it’s not so sticky. Bake at 375 about 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes 30 to 40 cookies.