Peanut Butter

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Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

February 15, 2013 18 Comments

Every time I visit my parents during the winter months, I can usually expect to see the pantry lined with bright boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. That’s a perk you get from living in a town where girls still come to the door, (like I did,) selling boxes of delicious-ness. I was able to get a couple boxes this from a sweet friend who is willing to ship, but I set my limits at 2 boxes. I had to.

I have a weakness for a bunch of flavors, (except for that new mango one, not a fan,) but there is no doubt as to what my mom has always loved the most. Even as these were baking, I found her with a small glass of milk with a few Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies soaking. (We call them Peanut Butter Sandwiches in Wisconsin, what are they in other places? Do si do-s?)

Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: Peanut Butter

Sweet and Salty Monster Cookies

February 4, 2013 25 Comments

The fact that I’m a huge fan of the sweet & salty combo is no mystery. As I grow as a baker, I’m always looking for ways to sneak salty things into my baked goods. Last week was my second time trying bacon in a dessert, and don’t even get me started on my obsession with salted caramel.

It was only matter of time until I started adding potato chips and pretzels to my treats. Though I loved the compost cookies last year as part of Milk Bar Mondays, there were so many flavors going on (butterscotch, coffee grounds, graham cracker crumbs,) that I could barely taste my salty snacks. I wanted the crunch pretzels and potato chips to be the star of these cookies.

Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Pretzels

Gooey Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

January 25, 2013 16 Comments

*First of all- Today is the day my wedding is featured on Style Me Pretty! Check out our feature here!!!*

So Ok- do you remember the first time you made a recipe from scratch? I definitely can picture that moment when I first made a cake without a mix, not believing that how easy and delicious it was! When it comes to brownies, I never ever fail to be impressed when a recipe tastes better than a box. I’ve always really loved boxed brownies, but the ingredients aren’t my favorite and I obviously love trying to make everything from scratch.

When it comes to these particular brownies, I keep thinking of a friend from grade school whose Mom used to always make peanut butter swirl brownies for class events and bake sales. I remember being obsessed with them and after awhile asked for the recipe to give my Mom hoping she’d make them for us. (Wishfully thinking she wouldn’t health them up with natural flours and sugars.) I remember my friend’s mom saying they were from a box, and at the time I thought that meant boxed brownies were my favorite thing in the world! Now 20 years later, all I can think about are ways to throw all that out and make them from scratch…

Well I’m sure you can guess that I’m pretty happy with the results. I used the darkest Valharona cocoa powder which gave the brownies an amazing rich taste and texture. The peanut butter layer was everything I wanted it to be- tasting just like Reese’s filling and perfectly nutty and sweet.

As delicious as these brownies turned out, I did realize that I’m a horrible “swirler.” I guess I don’t have the delicate hand needed to gently pull the layers together so a lot of my peanut butter filling ended up in the middle. I totally suck right? You know for ending up with a gooey peanut butter layer that oozed out between the layers of fudgy brownie. How could I? Now I just need a bake sale or something to make these for :)

Filed Under: Bars, Brownies, Recipes Tagged With: Chocolate, Peanut Butter

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with Peanut Butter Frosting

January 18, 2013 24 Comments

Like many, I had some pretty horrible/funny jobs when I was a teenager. My first was a cashier at Kopp’s Frozen Custard at 14. The custard was/is amazing, but the bosses were mean and used to charge me from my 4.75 hourly wage if I ever made mistakes ringing people up. Next came stocking the beauty section at a grocery store which wasn’t as bad but boring as can be. The one that stuck was working at the mall down the street at the Gap. I actually loved this job because I got 50% off got to dress all the mannequins in cute outfits.

Anyway- this was when I was 16, and used to eat sugary junk food without consequence, my favorite things to do on my 15 minute break was run to the food court and get one of those frosted cookie cups from Mrs. Field’s. Are you familiar? They also had mini cookies and thick frosted brownies I couldn’t get enough of, but their chocolate chip cookie cups with thick buttercream inside were my favorite.

As I walked home the other day, all I could think about were those cookie cups and I kinda had to have them as soon as humanly possible (that’s what happens when I get a treat on the brain!) So I made my own version of these, using my favorite cookie recipe and a fluffy, creamy peanut butter frosting. I’ve never actually made cookie cups before and the possibilities are endless. Cookie ice cream sundaes anyone? I absolutely loved them and couldn’t help feel transported back to that counter at Mrs. Fields….though I must say I’m really glad I’m not!

Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: Chocolate, Peanut Butter

Peanut-Butter Cup Cookies

December 18, 2012 39 Comments

When it comes to Christmas cookies, often times the classic recipes are my favorites. My Mom’s gingerbread boys are at the top of that list, followed by frosted sugar cookies, and these. Peanut butter blossoms used to be a must-have for my yearly holiday baking, but I was always slightly bothered by the hard-as rock hunk of chocolate in the middle when I really wanted something softer and more well-distributed. That’s why these cookies have quickly become a new favorite. They are soft, cute and oh so easy. (The hardest part is un-wrapping all the peanut butter cups!)

When the lovely folks at PeaPod and Wayfair asked if I’d like to participate in a Holiday Cookie Bake-off I of course couldn’t resist. They sent me some recipes of their own to use as inspiration for my cookie contribution. A chocolate-filled thumbprint cookie immediately reminded me of these favorites, and no cookie bake-off is complete without some peanut butter and chocolate right?

Peanut-Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
30-40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Instructions

Place the un-wrapped peanut butter cups in the freezer to make them easier to handle. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk.
Gradually the flour mixture; mix until just combined. Shape into 30-40 1 inch balls and place each into an un-greased mini muffin pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup into each. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Notes

I suggest chilling them right away, otherwise the chocolate will melt and make stacking difficult.

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/12/18/peanut-butter-cup-cookies/

Recipe adapted from: All Recipes

Filed Under: Cookies, Holidays, Recipes Tagged With: Chocolate, Peanut Butter

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups

November 30, 2012 14 Comments

For me, this time of year means making lots of homemade candy as well as cookies. I shared my family’s traditional toffee recipe in this post, and explained the history behind my relatives sending boxes of candy to my Grandad during the war. I don’t have anyone specific to send these to, but I think I may have started a tradition of my own! Let me assure you, that making peanut butter cups is really so much easier than it may seem. This whole project came together in about an hour and the end result is super satisfying. I mean when you remove your homemade peanut butter cup from the wrapper you just may be filled with all sorts of kitchen pride and be all happy with yourself. (At least I was!)

Like many things, you can totally adapt these to your own liking. I used half milk chocolate and half dark, but the proportions are up to you. Also, the fillings can be a result of your creativity. Peanut butter and caramel went into mine, but nuts, marshmallow, and pretzel bits could all be added to the middle of these. Because I’m obsessed with it, I sprinkled flaky sea salt on some of mine, but of course that too is up to you as well. Holiday Candy time!!

The process of making homemade peanut butter cups is much easier than you may think! First- chop the chocolate coarsely.

Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Make sure the bowl doesn’t actually touch the water.)

Stir until smooth and melted.

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups %The Baker Chick

Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each liner and use the back of the spoon to coat the inside of the liner with chocolate. Repeat a couple times to make sure there is a thick layer of chocolate.

Chill the whole pan for 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens.

Fill each liner with teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Press down a bit to flatten.

Top with a spoonful of caramel.- add a sprinkle of salt if you like.

Top with remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with more sea salt if desired. Make sure the chocolate goes out to the edges. Chill for another 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens again. Store in the fridge until ready to serve!

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 24 cups

Ingredients

16 oz chopped chocolate (I used half dark and half milk, you can use any combination.)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup thick caramel sauce (like dulce de leche.)
flaky sea salt (optional)
Fill each liner with teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Press down a bit to flatten.
Top with a spoonful of caramel.- add a sprinkle of salt if you like.
Top with remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with more sea salt if desir

Instructions

Prepare a mini muffin tin with small cupcake liners. For the peanut butter filling, mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth and combined. Set aside Chop chocolate coarsely.
Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Make sure the bowl doesn't actually touch the water.)
Stir until smooth and melted.
Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each liner and use the back of the spoon to coat the inside of the liner with chocolate. Repeat a couple times to make sure there is a thick layer of chocolate.
Chill the whole pan for 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens.
Fill each liner with teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Press down a bit to flatten.
Top with a spoonful of caramel.- add a sprinkle of salt if you like.
Top with remaining melted chocolate and sprinkle with more sea salt if desired. Make sure the chocolate goes out to the edges. Chill for another 10-15 minutes until chocolate hardens again. Store in the fridge until ready to serve!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/11/30/salted-caramel-peanut-butter-cups/

Filed Under: Candy, Recipes Tagged With: Caramel, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel

(Milk Bar Monday) Peanut Butter Cookies

November 5, 2012 13 Comments

We’re back! Yes- after a few month hiatus, the ladies of Milk Bar Mondays (well some of us,) are here again with another recipe from Christina Tosi’s wonderfully complex cookbook Momofuku Milk Bar. I’m so happy to rekindle my love/hate relationship with these layered recipes and their delicious outcome.

Today we wanted to start on the simple side with the peanut butter cookies. I’ve been dying to make another Milk Bar cookie recipe now that I have my stand mixer and could master the 10 minute creaming process. Well wouldn’t you know that this is the one cookie recipe that doesn’t require it? Ha. Oh well- I enjoyed using my pretty new mixer. I also have been anxious to try making MB cookies using bread flour, a tip that Tosi mentions in the book but I seem to have overlooked. Cassie said it made a huge difference in the texture of the cookies, and since mine were always a tad too thin and crispy, I was anxious to see if I noticed a change.

I have to say that these were my most successful MBM cookies to date. I don’t know if it’s the bread flour or the fact that I weighed my ingredients instead of measuring by volume, but I finally think I made a cookie that is the texture that Tosi intended.

I didn’t expect to find a run of the mill peanut butter cookie in her collection of recipes and I was right. This one involves first making peanut brittle, grinding it down, and mixing it into the batter. The end result is little specs of caramel-like candy bits that speckle the cookie adding a touch of extra flavor. Andy doesn’t eat nuts so I was stuck with the bulk of these for myself, but I don’t mind!

You can find the full recipe on Jaqueline’s site. Also don’t forget to check out the creations of the other MBM girls!

Cassie- Bake Your Day
Erin- Big Fat Baker

Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: Peanut Butter

Soft Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

August 10, 2012 19 Comments

We’re getting awful close to the big day you guys. You know- my wedding- which is 2 weeks from tomorrow!? I am getting so excited and I finally feel like I have everything under control, so I can actually enjoy myself that week! After 4 hours at the bridal salon yesterday, I finally think everything is going to work out. :)

Since I will be away from my NYC kitchen for 3 whole weeks, (one for the wedding and 2 for our honeymoon in Costa Rica,) I am spending as much time as I can these next two weeks baking up a few things to share when I’m gone. Man oh man is it hard to have 2-3 desserts in the house while also trying to stay slim for the wedding. That’s why the teeny size of these cookies is perfect. You can have a whole one without having too much!

When I first saw these adorable peanut butter cookies here, I knew I had to make them. What’s better than a soft, portion appropriate cookie? Well- one that’s full of peanut butter, mini Reeses cups, and chocolate chips. Yeah- that is a lot of deliciousness for a teeny little cookies. The cookie portion of these resembles the taste and texture of peanut butter blossoms- my favorite holiday cookie!

The mix-in possibilities for these are endless, but I went with mini peanut butter cups and mini chocolate chips. I thought this was perfect for these bite sized treats, giving every bite the perfect amount of peanut butter and chocolate. I also think mini M&Ms would be delicious and adorable in these. Any other suggestions? I will be making these again without a doubt.

Soft Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups (OR fun size or regular size peanut butter cups, chopped)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars in a large bowl. When light and fluffy, mix in the peanut butter until well combined, and then the egg and vanilla.
Slowly mix in the salt, baking soda and flour. until just combined. Fold in the peanut butter cups, and chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, portion the dough and roll them into 1 inch balls. (If you don't roll them smooth, the tops with be weird and crinkly.) Bake for 8-9 minutes. Don't overbake. Cookies may not seem done, but they will firm up as they cool!
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/08/10/soft-peanut-butter-cup-cookies/

Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: Chocolate, Peanut Butter

Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Truffles

June 11, 2012 120 Comments

If you know my sweets-style at all by now, you know I have a flair for the sweet/salty combo. In fact, it is probably my all-time favorite blend of flavors and I do whatever I can to add that pinch of sea salt whenever a dessert warrants it (which is almost always.) So, when asked to create a recipe using the raw egg-free cookie dough featured in “The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook,” you can guess where my mind went first. Yes, that’s right, I knew right away that my creation had to include some salted caramel.

If the little pocket of caramel that I carefully “injected” into each truffle isn’t enough salt for you, I also used peanut butter cookie dough and finished the truffles off with some sea salt. The result? A truly decadent sweet and salty bite from beginning to end. And the best part- these are no bake, and they are much easier to assemble than they seem. (People always seem very impressed by homemade truffles, which is great for me because I find they pretty simple!)

This recipe is part of a fun promotion for Lindsay Landis’s new cookbook completely devoted to cookie dough! Yes, the talented blogger behind Love & Olive Oil has created, (and photographed beautifully,) dozens of recipes all using her safe-to-eat cookie dough creation. A few bloggers were asked by Quark Books to create something utilizing the cookie dough as part of the “Cookie Dough-lympics,” (Cute right?) I was excited to participate because A- I love Lindsay’s blog B- I have never tried making raw cookie dough!

Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Truffles

Yield: about 3 dozen

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips*
1/2 cup salted caramel (homemade or store bought)
sea salt and chocolate curls for garnish

Instructions

First make the dough:

In a large bowl beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla. Sift in flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. (My dough was a little too dry so I added another tablespoon of milk, you may not need it though.)
Cover and chill dough for 30 minute or until firm enough to handle.
Meanwhile, fit a pastry bag with an injector tip** and fill bag with the salted caramel.
When chilled, form dough into 1 inch balls and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Carefully push the angled part of the injector tip into each dough-ball and fill it with caramel. You will see the dough swell up a bit as it you fill it.
As you're removing the pastry bag, turn it to an angle so the caramel doesn't spill out too much. Repeat with all the truffles.
Pop tray of caramel-filled truffles into the freezer for at least an hour so the caramel firms up. (If you need to smooth/clean up the tops from caramel drips, now is the time.)
Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and melt according to instructions on the bag. (One minute on high followed by a stir and 15 second additional intervals works best for me.)
Using a spoon or fork, dip truffles into the melted chocolate one and a time, coating evenly. Tap the spoon on the edge of the bowl to shake of excess chocolate. Place truffles back on the baking sheets and sprinkle with sea salt and chocolate curls before the shell hardens.
In an airtight container, the truffles will last in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

*You can also use candy melts if you have them, I prefer the chocolate chips, but the candy melts lend a harder/smoother finish.

**An injector tip is a long pastry tip that allows you to easily fill baked goods and pastries. I got mine in this decorating set, but I'm sure most baking stores sell them. Any other tip with a small, round tip would also probably do the trick!

http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2012/06/11/salted-caramel-cookie-dough-truffles/

Recipe adapted from: The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook by Lindsay Landis