When I get really indecisive about what I want out of my cookies, I usually throw everything in wait to see what happens. For today’s recipe, I started out with my usual peanut butter cookie and then put in some oatmeal, semisweet chocolate chips and shredded coconut and then on a whim added a small handful of dried currants.

The peanut butter-oatmeal-chocolate combination was nothing new. However, I’m pleased to report that the shredded coconut added quite a unique texture and contributed a subtle sweetness to the cookie that wasn’t at all overwhelming. Now, had I just left out the currants, these cookies would have been absolutely sublime…

Damned currants. Here I thought they would be a worthy substitute for chopped dried dates, which I routinely add to my peanut butter cookies, but no. Not even close. How is it that such a minuscule thing could add such a distinctive (and distinctively awful) flavor to my cookies? Admittedly, they weren’t that bad, but they certainly weren’t that good either.

I ate them anyway.

Aside from the grab bag of add-ins I suggested, these aren’t your usual peanut butter cookies–the basic recipe is vegan, and it comes from Heidi Swanson at 101Cookbooks. However, these cookies do not call for any strange, exotic health food ingredients–everything you need should either be in your pantry or well within your budget. If you happen to have any dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate on hand, you may want to put some in, just stay away from the currants.

For this recipe, you’ll need 2 cups flour, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup peanut butter (any old brand will do, but this White Chocolate Wonderful flavor from Whole Foods is exquisite, if ridiculously expensive), 1 cup honey, 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil, and 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract. Optional: Chocolate chips and any combination of chopped dried fruits and nuts that suits your palate–excepting currants, of course.

Stir together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the peanut butter, honey, oil and vanilla until they are well-combined and then add this to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms, at which point you can add whatever extras you please.

Bake for 18-22 minutes at 350 degrees. They will darken slightly but they will not brown, so keep your eye on the clock!