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Stay at Home Cookies

So this is based of a recipe that I pulled out of a magazine years ago and had never gotten around to trying it. As we’re all in lockdown, for the most part, it’s a perfect time to give it a try. This cookie has a lot going on. I did mix it up a little, used creamy peanut butter instead of chunky and added the butterscotch chips. They’re delicious, the butterscotch really comes through and the oats add a nice bite. Be warned, they’re a little crumbly. Enjoy!

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Stay at Home Cookies

Stay at Home Cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp real vanilla extract
  • 3 cups oats
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I use semisweet)
  • 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350º and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In your stand mixer cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time until smooth, you probably need to scrape down the sides at least once. Add in the vanilla. Turn the mixer down to low and gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Add in the oats next and just beat until combined. With a spatula fold in the chocolate and butterscotch chips.

Drop a generous tablespoon of dough onto your cookie sheet, about 2″ apart. Back for 12-15 minutes or until you just start to see the edges turn golden brown.  Allow to cool and then devour.

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Stuffed Devil’s Food Cupcakes

Here’s another cupcake recipe that I’ve adapted. I liked the original but felt the need to bump it up a notch, added some Brown Sugar Bourbon to it. They were a big hit! Enjoy.

 

Stuffed Devil’s Food Cupcakes

Filling:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Brown Sugar Bourbon

Cupcakes:

  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour*
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp real vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup espresso
  • 2 tbsp. Brown Sugar Bourbon

Topping:

  • 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl beat together the peanut butter and unsalted butter until smooth. Turn down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar and BSB. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a medium size tip.

Preheat your oven to 325° and line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. I spray mine with non-stick cooking spray, it helps pealing them off the finished cupcakes.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, and salt. *Cake flour is different from all-purpose flour. It contains less protein and makes for lighter, well cakes. Combine the buttermilk, espresso, and vanilla; I use a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring.

In your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You’ll need to scrap down the sides at least once. Turn down to low and add in the eggs one at a time, beat until combined. Turn up the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy again. Turn back down to low, add in 1/3 of the flour beat until combined. Add in 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture, beat until combined. Repeat until it’s all in there. Divide the batter between the muffin tins, filling them up about 1/2 way. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely.

Take the piping back of filling, shove it in the middle of each cupcake, and squeeze until you just start to see the filling ooze out from around the piping back tip.

Take the heavy cream and nuke it for about 90 seconds or until piping hot. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and let stand for about a minute. Stir until smooth. If it’s still lumpy nuke it for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in-between, until it’s smooth. Let stand for about 10 minutes. It should be thicker but not solid. You can either spoon it over the cupcakes or dip each on into the chocolate. I found spooning to be easier, dipping tended to leave some cake in the mix. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until the ganache is set.

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Red Velvet Peanut Butter Kisses

I can’t remember where I came across the recipe that these cookies are based on but they sure are delicious. I only made a few minor modifications to the original recipe. And they’re perfect for the holidays. I did experiment with the types of kisses I used and baking the cookies with the kisses already on them vs putting them on after they’re done. I found that the milk chocolate kisses worked best vs the dark chocolate ones. They melted better. Also if you bake the cookies with the kisses already on them they don’t melt and the cookies don’t puff up. Enjoy!

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Red Velvet Peanut Butter Kisses

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp red food coloring
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Dutch processed)
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup sanding sugar or sugar sprinkles
  • 1 bag Hershey’s kisses

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375° and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. I use my stand mixer for this with the paddle attachment. Turn to low and add in the egg, milk, vanilla, and food coloring. When it’s combined turn up the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy again.

Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer back down to low and add in the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Take a tablespoon or so of the dough and roll into a ball. Put the sanding sugar into a shallow dish or bowl, dip the tops of the cookie balls into the sugar and then place them on your cookie sheet with the sugar side up. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Once the cookies are done press a kiss into the center of each one while still hot from the oven. The cookie will “crack” around the edges, which is what you want. Allow to cool slightly before chowing down.

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

So this recipe is quite different than the last one I posted. I received this from a friend of a friend and thought I’d give it a try. I modified the original slightly and will probably tweak it a little more. Even though it’s a pie you make it in a spring form cake pan. Which worked really well for building it up but the graham cracker crust stuck to the bottom on me, even though it had a stick of butter in it! I’ll have to work on that part but overall it was delicious. Enjoy!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

  • 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 16 oz cream cheese, at room temp
  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cup powdered sugar, divided
  • 2 tsp real vanilla
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp. Kahlua
  • 3 1.55 oz Hershey chocolate bars

Directions:

Crush the graham crackers in a food processor until pretty fine. Add in the brown sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom, and slightly up the sides, of a 9″ spring form pan.

In a medium bowls beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat until smooth.

In another bowl, I put mine with the beaters in the freezer for 30 mins, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add in the remaining powdered sugar and Kahlua, beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold in 2/3 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Once it’s all incorporated, pour it into the spring form pan.

In a small microwave proof bowl, nuke the chocolate bars for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted and smooth. Pour on top of the peanut butter mixture and smooth out. Pour the remaining whipped cream on top and smooth out. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

To get ideas for cooking, and to post to this blog, I frequently ask people I know what their favorite dessert is. Recently one of those was peanut butter. Since I’ve already made peanut butter cookies I decided to try coming up with something else. Lucky for me I had recently come across a recipe for peanut butter pie. Which was fine but I happen to like chocolate with my peanut butter so I added a layer to the top. It turned out pretty good. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

  • Pastry for a single-crust pie (see previous blog post)
  • 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs, at room temp
  • 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
  • 4 1 1/2 oz Hershey chocolate bars

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350°. On a lightly floured workspace roll out the dough and line a pie pan with it. Chill while making the rest of the pie.

In a large bowl, beat together the corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter and salt until creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 60-70 minutes. It will puff up, that’s fine. It will also fall once you take it out, that’s fine too. You want it to be almost set, so a knife inserted in the middle will come out almost clean.

Allow to cool. Break up the Hershey chocolate bars and microwave in a microwave proof bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Pour over the top of the cooled pie and smooth out. Eat.

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Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Growing up I loved Nutter Butter cookies. So instead of tracking them down and buying a box, I decided to see if I could create my own version. Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (divided, 1 cup & 1/2 cup) at room temp
  • 1 stick unsalted butter plus 2 Tbsp
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (divided in half)
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (divided, 2/3 cup & 1/3 cup)
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar

Directions

Using a mixer, I like my kitchenaid stand mixer, cream 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla.

Whisk the flour, 1/3 cup powdered sugar and salt together. Mix with the butter mixture until the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly. If it’s too dry add another tbsp of room temp butter.

Dump out onto a board and shape it into a rectangular log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 1/4″ slices. Place on the cookie sheet 1/2″ apart, they don’t spread. Bake for 25 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat 1 cup peanut butter and 2 tbsp butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in 2/3 cup powdered sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.

Once the cookies have cooled. Take a teaspoon or so of the peanut butter filling and sandwich it between 2 cookies.

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Peanut Butter Caramel Swirl Brownies

These brownies are an absolute gooey delight! Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Caramel Swirl Brownies

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1/4 Tsp real vanilla extract
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 6 Oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (divide into 2 oz and 4 oz)
  • 1 Tsp espresso powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  •  2 Tsp real vanilla extract
  • 1/4 Tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

In a medium pot combine 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over high heat without stirring until golden brown. Slowly whisk in the cream. BE WARNED! It will bubble up a lot and steam, careful not to burn yourself. Cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, corn syrup, sea salt and 1/4 Tsp vanilla until smooth. Put it in a bowl and let it cool to room temp.

In a double boiler, I just use a glass bowl on top of a medium pot with a couple of inches of simmering water, melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate, 2 oz of bittersweet chocolate and espresso powder. Once it’s all melted and smooth take it off the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl beat the eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 Tsp vanilla and 1/4 Tsp salt until smooth. Add in the chocolate and beat until smooth again. Add the flour in 2 batches, stirring until it’s just combined. Add in the rest of the chocolate, the stuff you didn’t melt.

Line a 9×13″ cake pan with parchment paper and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Spread half of the batter into the pan. Take a tablespoon and drop dollops of the peanut butter in the pan, using 1/2 of the mixture. Add the rest of the batter and dollop the rest of the peanut butter mixture on top. Take a knife and start at one end and go to the other, making an s shape. Then do it the opposite way.

Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees with the rack in the middle position. Bake for 45 minutes. The brownies should pull slightly away from the sides of the pan and the top will be somewhat set. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out gooey but that’s fine. Cool, cut and chow down!