Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies

The other day I needed to bake a chocolate and peanut butter treat for a friend. I whipped up a recipe of my favorite chocolate cookies and topped them with Ina's amazing peanut butter frosting. Then I spread on a little semisweet chocolate that I had melted together with a little butter. The end result was delicious and pretty too, in an imperfect way.

For me half the battle of good cooking is planning ahead. I often double my cookie recipe, scoop it all out with my trusty cookie scoop, and freeze half of the dough in a big baggie. Then I can grab and bake them whenever I need to without even messing up the kitchen (or sneak a bite of cookie dough out of the freezer during the witching hour when I'm trying to make dinner and keep wild babies happy and safe in between driving kids back and forth). There's not any dough in my freezer right now and that situation needs to be addressed.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies
from Anne Strawberry

Yields 3 dozen standard size cookies

2 cups Flour 
1 1/4 cups Cocoa powder (Half regular cocoa powder, half Hershey's Special Dark if available)
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Butter, softened
1 extra large Egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets (Grease or line with silicone baking sheet or parchment paper).

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set dry ingredients aside.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes in the KitchenAid). Add egg and beat well. Add vanilla and mix until well combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Scoop onto the prepared cookie sheet and squish slightly if flatter cookies are desired (I think the cookies look prettier if they are squished about half way down before baking).

Bake for about 8 or 9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with peanut butter frosting and then chocolate. Serve with milk and store in an airtight container.


Peanut Butter Frosting
inspired by the lovely Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa) 

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar (as needed)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (as needed)

Cream the peanut butter and butter in a stand mixer. Mix in half the powdered sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and mix until combined. Add in additional powdered sugar and cream as needed until desired consistency is reached. If it's difficult to spread the frosting on the cookies, thin it with a dash of cream.

Chocolate Topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer Ghirardelli or Guittard- chopped chocolate bars are even better here)

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter

Melt together over a double boiler or in glass bowl in a microwave on low power (I usually use 30% power and stir ever 30 seconds or so). Pull off heat when about 90% melted and stir by hand until totally smooth. Spread a tablespoon or so over the frosting on each cookie. Let set on the counter or place in the fridge for a few minutes until chocolate is set. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

I don't know about your family, but at our house, as soon as we walk in the door from Church the children act like I've never fed them before and start razing the pantry and fridge. To hold off the hunger tide I made this popcorn on Sunday. I saw the recipe from the Lazy Budget Chef earlier in the weekend and thought it would be worth trying. With the starving kids begging for a snack, I didn't follow the recipe but just threw a few things in a sauce pan, lets them melt together, and poured it over a big bowl of plain air popped popcorn. Lazy, quick after-Church cooking- I love when that works out!

I told my tall man that this was 'healthy caramel popcorn' and he laughed (and grabbed a handful on his way out of the kitchen). I know it's not healthy but it does have healthier ingredients. The butter is replaced by coconut oil and the brown sugar by honey. I'll admit I was skeptical. I don't love honey on it's own and was a little nervous that the final product would have a honey taste. The original recipe suggests a peanut butter variation so I went with that, figuring it would camouflage the honey. I am happy to report this tasted like the real deal. It's sweet and a little (not too) sticky, barely salty, crunchy and delicious. My mom makes peanut butter rice krispy treats that are a lot like these (but I'll take popcorn over cereal any day!)

I should also tell you- I really, really hate coconut but there's no nasty sunblock taste here even when you use the oil. Give it a try.

Please forgive the instagram photo. I have a sparkly new camera but my phone is just so easy when I'm in a time crunch!

Peanut Butter Popcorn
from Anne Strawberry
aka 'Healthy Caramel Popcorn'

1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
salt, to taste (I prefer Kosher)
one big bowl of plain popcorn (about 2/3 cup kernels, popped)

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut oil, honey, and peanut butter. Stir and cook until melted and combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Carefully pour the hot topping over the popcorn and stir with a big wooden spoon. Season with salt to taste (go easy- the peanut butter is a little salty) and enjoy!

Note- these measurements are approximates. These ingredients are way too sticky for me to measure regularly, I just eyeballed them! I'm sure butter would be a yummy substitute for the coconut oil, too, if you don't have any.

recipe inspired by Lazy Budget Chef's

TWD's last- Thumprint Cookies (and Christmas)

 

Oh my how the time has flown. This week is the LAST Tuesdays with Dorie recipe and the end of the year! I remember the shock I felt at how heavy the book felt when I first opened it and the end has come. Since I joined TWD I have gained the confidence to try new recipes, make substitutions and adaptations, burned through a million boxes of butter, and made a lot of new friends. I'm so grateful to Laurie and Dorie and all the other helpers along the way for such a wonderful experience (and a million favorite recipes).

 

Dorie chose this weeks recipe. These cookies came together in less than five minutes- butter, peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a little flour. Scoop and roll in egg whites and then chopped nuts (I used cashews since I had those on had), make a little 'thumbprint' and bake. Dorie suggests filling them with jam but I piped in some melted white chocolate. The end product is peanut buttery, crunchy and delicious (albeit rich!) My kids LOVED these and I am glad to have some extra dough in the freezer for another day. See the rest of the bunch here.


I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did. Baby Strawberry and I love her new play kitchen Nana built. It's shiny and red and came complete with her own KitchenAid (what more could a girl ask for?) Well, I do hope Santa drops off Baking with Julia a little late for me. I think my kitchen wouldn't be complete without a Dorie recipe each week- though there are certainly plenty of Baking recipes in permanent rotation around here!

TWD- Classic Brownies

{printable recipe here}

Tuesdays with Dorie is one of my favorite parts of the blogosphere. I anticipate the monthly recipe selection and love pulling out my butter splattered copy of Baking, knowing that whatever I end up making will be delicious, as well as seeing everyone's creative take on these great recipes. I was thrilled to get a chance to host another week and happy to discover that there was still a brownie recipe available to choose. Brownies are one of my favorite treats to bake and eat (you can see lots more here) so I figured the 'Classic Brownies' were a perfect choice.

Since I can't leave well enough alone, I tripled the batch and after mixing it up, divided the batter into four smaller pans. Each recieved a different flavoring- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Swirl, Pecan, White Chocolate, and Oreo (I actually used Vanilla Bean Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's). The four dishes lined up perfectly on my cookie sheet.

After cooling, the brownies popped right out of the pan and my favorite knife made quick work of dividing them up. I plated them up on a huge platter and let people pick their favorites (oreo went fastest). Next time I'll give these the BYU Brownies treatment and put some mint frosting and chocolate ganache on top. I know the last thing these delicious little brownies need is more sugar, butter, and chocolate, but like Ina says, 'How bad can that be?'

 Sometimes it's hard being a food blogger's daughter! Poor baby strawberry was NOT happy to wait for these brownies but even after she downed one she was crying again, this time for more! Thanks for baking along with me (you can see the rest of the brownies here)- I hope you enjoyed this recipe and can't wait to see how everyone made these their own. And for friends close by- I have a nice little pile in the freezer. Stop by anytime (though I think my little man took the last peanut butter swirl!)

PS Did you know you can get $20 worth of groceries at Whole Foods for $10 today only from Living Social? Think of the baked goods you could make... yum!

Classic Brownies
from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, page 88
{printable recipe here}

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (note- I used Semisweet but I think even milk would be good, whatever you have on hand!)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional, but really good)- note- I left this out and doubled the vanilla
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (according to taste- I used the full amount to bring out the chocolate flavor)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans- yum!)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolates and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted - you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

With a whisk, stir in the sugar. Don't be concerned when your smooth mixture turns grainy. One by one, whisk in the eggs. Add the vanilla and give the ingredients a vigorous whisking before gently stirring the espresso, if you are using it, salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped walnuts.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies to room temperature.
When the brownies are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares, each a scant 2 inches on a side.

Serving: Like all great brownies, these are good eaten out of hang without a bit of embellishment or topped off with whipped or ice cream (coffee ice cream is really good with these), offered either way at room temperature or a bit chilled.

Storing recommendations: These are best served within 2 days of baking. If you're going to keep them at room temperature, just cut what you need and keep the remainder wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. To freeze for up to 2 months, wrap the brownies airtight.

TWD- Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

Is there a better combination than chocolate and peanut butter? Just looking at these pictures has me drooling and wishing I had saved more of these cookies for our own cookie jar, although I know giving them away was the wiser choice. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is really late but when I looked through my folder and realized I'd missed posting these in the crazy of summer, I knew it was time!

Dorie describes these as 'thin and plain' but they turned out much different for me- fluffy, flavorful, and almost cute. I used a small-ish metal cookie scoop to portion out the dough nicely and will use and even smaller one next time to make tiny little whoopie pies. I think you could really use any flavor filling to compliment the chocolate (mint, raspberry, orange, caramel?) but the second I tried one out of the oven of these I had Barefoot Contessa's peanut butter frosting on the brain. It was a delicious combo as long as you didn't think too much about how much rich, delicious stuff heads into that icing! Thanks Spike for getting me out of my comfort zone so I could discover another new favorite.

See this weeks real recipe here. I've included my recipe with the changes below as I omitted the spices, fruit, and worked with what I had. I'm sure any way you make them they would come out great (once again, butter, sugar, flour, chocolate, how bad can that be?)

Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's wonderful Baking

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled (or bittersweet was fine for me- work with what you have!)
1 cup sour cream

Getting Ready: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it is creamy and smooth.  Add the sugars and beat for two minutes or so, then add the eggs one by one.  Beat for another minute-the mixture should be smooth and satiny.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate.  With the mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the sour cream alternatively, adding the dry ingredients in 3 batches and the sour cream in 2 (begin and end with the dry team). Do not overmix and be gentle!

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets, making certain to leave at least an inch between the spoonfuls. Note- if this is difficult, try chilling the dough for a few minute in the fridge! Bake for 12-15 minutes- the cookies will puff, spread and round themselves out in baking.  They’re done when they are set on top but still springy to the touch.  Pull the sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest for 1 minute, then, using a wide metal spatula, carefully transfer them to a rack.  Cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storing: Because these are soft, they are best stored loosely stacked in a tin with wax paper between the layers.  They can be kept at room temperature for about 4 days or packed airtight and frozen for about 2 months.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing
adapted from the lovely Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa)

1 cup powdered sugar (I added an additional 1/2 cup for a total 1 1/2)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Spread frosting between cooled cookies and enjoy (guess what- they are even better the next day, yay!)

TWD- Peanut Butter Cookies

If I had to choose my last dessert, it would probably be cheesecake or some pastry cream laced tart. Certainly there would be mounds of strawberries on top. Now a cookie? I don't think so, but I do have an awfully hard time resisting them when they are on my counter (usually briefly in a tupperware, since they never make it to a jar). Really though, I think my tall man might actually choose peanut butter cookies as one of his all time favorites. Don't get me wrong, I think peanut butter cookies are yummy- but usually, they just make me want to wrap them around candy bars or drizzle them with chocolate or embelish them some way. But, since it's my tall man's birthday week and he was pulling weeds all morning I figured I could make the cookies how he liked them. This recipe is a little different than mine but I think the final product tasted almost identical, so I've included our family favorite version. I'd never rolled them in sugar, though, which was fun (especially since it made it so the tines of the fork didn't stick when I squished the cookies- a probably a usually remedy by dipping the fork into some flour every few cookies). Don't forget to scoop them out and bake them on a Silpat for uniform, picture-perfect results.Thanks for a great recipe choice, Jasmine! You made my husband a very happy man!

Are you an easy going peanut butter cookie man like my husband? What would your last dessert be?

Peanut Butter Cookies
by Anne Strawberry

1 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Mix in peanut butter. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Scoop dough out, place on baking sheet, spacing apart generously, and bake from 9-12 minutes until dough has set but before cookies take on too much color. Remove from sheet and allow to cool. Enjoy warm!

Super Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

{printable recipe here}
This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is a simple, rich brownie. I love love love brownies. Of all the desserts I made they are probably my favorite (that and cheesecake) but I couldn't squeeze this recipe in. However, last minute my parents had a Super Bowl party and last minute (as in during the actual game) we decided we needed something sweet so I made my go-to brownies. I swirled in reduced fat cream cheese and broken Dove candies filled with Peanut butter for an extra surprise. They are kind of (I REALLY hate to say it) semi-homemade but when you're in a real hurry and the kids are crying semi is better than not at all. Maybe I'll eat my words on that later and maybe some of you will "unfriend" me or whatever but these brownies were eaten quicker than they were made. Which is saying something.

I like to line my pan with two pieces of aluminum foil- the first "hot dog style" folded to the width of the pan, the second "hamburger style" over the first. Then grease, then pour, then bake, then lift out beautiful brownies. Plus, if you're like me and have your husband take the brownies out, he'll ensure they aren't overly gooey like mine usually are. Ah, perfection is a close as a hastily lined brownie pan. Really, though, don't the scraped out and mangled brownies kind of ruin it for you? Try this next time or just let me know if I'm the only one who cares about such things.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $50 giftcard to the Safeway family of stores here and see the rest of the real "brownies for Julia" at the TWD Blogroll.


Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
from Anne Strawberry

{printable recipe here}

1 package Betty Crocker Deluxe brownie mix (I like the one with the chocolate chunks, not the fudge), prepared as instructed on the box
1 package Neufchatel (reduced fat) Cream Cheese (softened- on the counter or in the microwave on low power for one minute)
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
10 Dove chocolates filled with peanut butter, broken into quarters (or your favorite candy bar, nut, etc)

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare brownies as directed on the box and pour into prepared 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, whip the cream cheese until soft and smooth (about one minute). Add the egg, sugar, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Dollop spoonfuls evenly over the brownies, drop on the candy, and use a butter knife to carefully swirl the pattern by pulling it through the batter until desired look is achieved.

Bake for about 30 minutes until they are done as you like them (gooey for me, just set for my Tall Man).

Candy Bar Peanut Butter Cookies

Whew! Halloween was a ton of fun but I'm glad it's over. I'll admit I'm slightly scared by the overly frightening yard decorations and the pounds of candy all the children around me are ingesting, although I love seeing all the kids in their costumes. My son had a ton of fun trick or treating and even though we only did a little bit, we have a scary amount of candy, especially considering my sleep deprived and slightly hormonal postpartum state! Like a good parent I promptly picked through his bucket after he went to bed Saturday and removed the snickers/musketeers/milky ways (for baking) and the tootsie rolls (for me, ahem). He's only two, he didn't even notice.

I'm sure you have a lot of candy lying around, too, which is why I think you should try these sneaky little peanut butter cookies. I use my favorite dough recipe (from my mom's aunt, it's a good one, too) and after I scoop the dough, I flatten it out and put in a 1 inch piece of candy bar, happily pilfered from my son. Then I wrap the dough back up around it, squish it a little, and bake as usual. The end result is WAY better than a regular peanut butter cookie, which I still make for my non chocolate eating tall man.

If you are feeling particularly indulgent, try chocolate dough (like my Paradise Bakery Black and White Chippers Copy Cat recipe) with mint three musketeers or yorks. Oh man. I could probably live on those alone...

Candy Bar Peanut Butter Cookies
from Anne Strawberry

Note- I like my cookies a little bit flatter, so I squished these before and after baking. If you like them a little puffier, look at this post and all the goo-iness. Yum.

1 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag bite size candy bars (or 4 full size bars) - Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, etc

Preheat oven to 375. Cut candy bars into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Mix in peanut butter. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Scoop dough out, flatten slightly in your palm. Place one piece of candy into the middle and roll in your hand to wrap the chocolate into the middle of the dough. Please on baking sheet, spacing apart generously, and bake from 9-12 minutes until dough has set but before cookies take on too much color. Remove from sheet and allow to cool. Enjoy warm!

TWD- Peanut Butter Topped Devil's Food Cupcakes

Although these cupcakes don't look a thing like the beautiful cake on front of Dorie's wonderful Baking bible, they are indeed based off the Devil's Food White Out Cake. The Cover Cake has finally been chosen, by Stephanie, for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. I was pumped but not sure what to do with such an enormous cake. Our romantic valentine's dinner sadly (and happily) went the way of Pei Wei due to some craziness. Plus, my valentine can't eat chocolate, so I knew this just wouldn't work. So, I opted for cupcakes. They are easy to pawn off and I think people don't feel as guilty eating a little treat. See my cupcakes above, they're not even ashamed to be photographed in their plastic dish ready to head out to the neighbors. That's a cupcake for you. Unpretentious, delicious, and just what the doctor ordered.

I was also without ingredients, time, or any desire to risk a fancy frosting without a candy thermometer, so I decided to make Ina's Peanut Butter Frosting to go on top. While this frosting doesn't look as pretty as my favorite frosting, it's so delicious I had to keep smacking hands with the spatula to keep fingers out of the bowl. It's creamy, sweet, and perfectly compliments the rich chocolate cupcakes. With only a few ingredients, it's simple to make and well worth it, although I'll double it next time to frost so many cupcakes. I opted to freeze half for a later date. We'll see how they come out, but judging from the beautiful color and texture, I think they'll be just as delicious then as they were today.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway below!

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing
adapted from Ina Garten (generously frosts a dozen cupcakes- double for entire cake recipe)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Frost cupcakes and use any left over frosting to make graham cracker sandwiches. Yum!

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Cookies and three winners!

Look at those innocent little cookies, hiding a sweet and salty treat. It all started when my husband reminded me that he had volunteered to bring a treat to work today. Sure, I said. After all, I bake a lot (ahem) and I didn't think it would be a big deal. Well, Tuesday was a crazy day and we ended up with Suns tickets from my dad, last minute. Before we could go, I had to borrow my uncles enormous truck and trailer, drive my kitchen table and chairs from my in laws basement where they've been waiting for us to finally get our house, so the electrician can place the chandelier, unload (thanks to my brother for the help), and try and fail to move the piano we got on Craigslist. We made it to the game in the middle of the first quarter which I considered quite a success. We had sweet seats and I'm so glad we got to go- especially since I just heard that Raja and Diaw were both traded away! Diaw is my best friend Kara's favorite eye candy (he's French, after all) and Raja used to be a model before he joined the NBA. That's all I'll say about that, since my dutiful husband reads my blog. My dad has actually met Raja a few times at work (Raja drives a BMW) and he says he's also quite nice.

Some how, though, the treats were forgotten, and I found myself listening to the whirl of the KitchenAid at 5:45 this morning as I made the requested peanut butter cookies. After I sent my tall man off with some criss-crossed peanut butter cookies, I decided to try wrapping some of the dough around Milky Way bars like Kara's mother in law does. Just scoop out a regular cookies worth of dough, flatten it in your palm, place about 1 inch of candy bar in the center (chop a big one, buy funsize, whatever works for you), and roll it around in your hand. Bake as usual. I don't think you'll be going back to the plain old peanut butter cookie. I know I won't (and I know I'll be looking at the Snickers, Milky Ways, and Three Musketeers differently from now on!)


Congratulations to Chocolate Chic, Megan from My Baking Adventures, and Allergy Mom who had the luck of the random number generator! Email me your address and we'll get your prize right out. Thanks everyone for the entries. I had an awesome time reading the great comments and hope it do it again soon. Now seriously... you probably have some left over candy bars in the pantry from Halloween. Go make these cookies!

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Cookies
by Anne Strawberry

1 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag bite size candy bars (or 4 full size bars) - Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, etc

Preheat oven to 375. Cut candy bars into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Mix in peanut butter. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Scoop dough out, flatten slightly in your palm. Place one piece of candy into the middle and roll in your hand to wrap the chocolate into the middle of the dough. Please on baking sheet, spacing apart generously, and bake from 9-12 minutes until dough has set but before cookies take on too much color. Remove from sheet and allow to cool. Enjoy warm!

Reese's "Jingle Bell Rock"-y Road Pie

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas music is all over the radio! I finally feel ready for the holidays and this month's Pies With That theme- Holiday Songs. I had a ton of fun picking a theme but in all the mayhem I nearly missed making my own pie! It came to me, though, while I was driving one day- those chocolate bells could totally make a "Jingle Bell Rock" pie.

From there, I decided on Reese's chocolate bells and a rendition of my Aunt's wonderful peanut butter pie. For the rocky road portion, I mixed in toasted walnuts, marshmallows, and chopped chocolate (I opened my last bar of Greek chocolate I smuggled in my suitcase!). I also had to fight every urge to drizzle the whole thing with caramel or chocolate. It would have been beautiful but there was already PLENTY going on here without adding any more sugar!

That piece was cut out for the photo and stolen instantly! So much for a solo shot!

I intended to make a regular graham cracker crust but happened to run out of grahams before I got enough, so I threw some pretzels into the food processor to make up the difference. The crust ended up pleasantly salty and complimented the rest of the pie. I did make it in the spring form pan to hold more pie since I had a big crew eating it. Thankfully, this is one rich pie- so one 9 inch spring form covered about 16 people (plus toddlers- we don't usually count them for food but with desserts, they are starting to eat their share!). The end result reminded me a bit of Dorie's Peanut Butter Torte, but I liked it a bit more without the chocolate crust. But honestly... with peanut butter, chocolate, and more, "how bad can that be?!" Don't forget to enter the giveaway here if you haven't yet!

Previous Pie's With That entries:
Nie's Vintage Cherry Apple Pie and Galette
Emma Hearts Knightley Pie

Reese's "Jingle Bell Rock"-y Road Pie
from Anne Strawberry

Pretzel Graham Cracker Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup pretzel crumbs
3/4 stick melted butter
3 Tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 375.

Combine all ingredients with a fork and press into butter, 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

Peanut Butter Rocky Road Filling:
2 packages of Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese), softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted if necessary)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ounces chopped chocolate (not too fine)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1 bag Reese's peanut butter cup Christmas bells

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gently fold in chocolate, walnuts, and marshmallows. Dump into cooled pie crust and smooth.

Using a thin serrated nice, slice the Reese's bells in half and position in a pattern on top of the pie.

Refrigerate until firm (at least 4 hours) and serve. Top with chocolate sauce or caramel (if you can handle it!)

TWD- Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

I knew this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was going to be ridiculously decadent when I first saw the picture. I also knew I couldn't keep this around the house. My husband can't have chocolate and I can't eat an enormous brownie cake alone. I wanted to reduce the recipe make it in my 4 inch spring form pans but they are in storage so I called Kristi and asked if she could take it off my hands.

I ended up making the cake in an 8 inch spring form pan and making a mini cake in a ramekin as well. That way, I reasoned, I could try it before sending it off to someone else (that always makes me nervous!) The cake came together quickly which was a good thing because my son was "helping" me and dumped about 2 tablespoons of salt into the mixer as I finished the batter! So, I threw that out and made it again. Then I made the caramel and in the middle of the process my husband emailed me an awesome house-hunting site- Zillow. Well I got distracted and burned the caramel so I made that again too! The second batch worked out great, but it was a little grainy since I couldn't find a pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan. I read later that if you put a lid on the pan while the ingredients come to a boil the condensation will take care of any stray sugar crystals. Frankly, candy making is not my forte and I clearly didn't pay enough attention during that week of my cooking class in college.

Even though it wasn't perfect, the extra caramel was perfect on a little peach.

So, having made the caramel and cake twice and then snacked on too much caramel, I left the room only to find my tall little guy had reached over the counter onto the cooling rack and stolen my mini cake! He had such a look of smug satisfaction and enjoyed every bite, it was hilarious. He ate that whole thing without a bit of remorse, too.

I topped my remaining cake with the peanuts and caramel and sent it off on my trusty red platter. She said the cake was a little dry but liked the flavor and loved it with ice cream. I wish I could have cut a little piece for myself before it went off! Either way, I had a great time making this cake. There's just something therapeutic about baking. With the craziness of getting ready to go to Greece, I knew I didn't really have time for these little projects but I knew I needed to make the time. And I'm glad I did. Next time I'll likely make one of Dorie's brownie recipes and top it with the caramel and nuts since I prefer brownies to cake, but you can't beat the assembly and presentation of a cake- it's so satisfying! Thanks, Tammy, for the great choice. The recipe can be found on her blog.

TWD- Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

What a fun Tuesdays with Dorie- I love cookies! They are the first things I ever really baked and probably still my favorite (aside from a good french tart!) My husband loves oatmeal cookies and eats peanut butter out of the jar so he was pumped about this recipe until he realized there was chocolate chips included. Since he can't have chocolate, I subbed in Reese's Peanut Butter chips for half of the dough. In the other half, I included mini chocolate chips and mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Wow! They were yummy... and even the non-chocolaty version was tasty. I did omit the spices since I was primarily making these for my mom and she doesn't like them in cookies.

All in all, these had great reviews from all of my tasters and were a fun, simple cookie to make. Another winner by Dorie. What can I say, I love this cook book! Thanks for the great choice Stefany (you can see the recipe on her blog)!

TWD- Peanut Butter Torte

I love peanut butter and I love chocolate, so I knew this was going to be a winner (Ina would say, "How bad can that be?"). I took it to a family lunch on Sunday and everyone loved it. For their sake (since some of them read this blog) I will say up front that while this dish was ridiculously fattening I did do a few things to help lower the calories. First, I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese. I use it for everything and didn't notice any problems.

Second, instead of using an extra 1/2 C. of heavy cream for the ganache, I made "Cashew Cream" from Enlightened Cooking by Camilla Saulsbury. This girl is a genius- I love reading her blog and can't wait to get her new book! Anyways, for the cream... Basically, you blend equal parts cold water and raw, unsalted cashews and you get cream! I couldn't tell the difference in my ganache and felt better about eating it! It was SO good I was dying to lick the bowl. I'll certainly do that next time I need ganache (but keep in mind for my friends with babies that they shouldn't eat nuts until they are two or three... so this is something you might overlook when you let your little on have a snitch of your dessert).

I made my torte in a standard springform pan and made a tartlet on the side so I could test it before taking the big one over, since I'm always a little nervous to take something I've never made before. I LOVED the tartlet and thought it was the perfect ratio of filling to crust, so next time I think I will make a full size tart and a wedge of that will satisfy as well as a piece of the huge pie did, so it will be even healthier (who am I kidding, less bad for you is more truthful!). Be sure to stop by TWD and see how everyones torte turned out and an extra thanks to Elizabeth for choosing this, I loved it!

Peanut Butter Torte
from Baking by Dorie Greenspan (go buy it, seriously!)
1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping) (I left out about 1/2 C. and there was plenty still)
2 t. Sugar
¼ t. Cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ C. Mini chocolate chips
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender (I used about 35-40 oreos)
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I used 7 T. to increase crust)
2 ½ C. Heavy cream (I used 2 C. cream, 1/3 C. Cold water, and 1/3 C. Raw cashews)
1 ¼ C. Powdered sugar
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel)
1 ½ C. Peanut butter
2 T. whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. (I didn't need any butter with all the fat in the crust, mine came right out.)

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside. (I don't do coffee so I omitted the espresso and used just a tiny bit of nutmeg since I don't like it much)

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling. (Mine needed about 20 minutes of baking, 17 for the tartlet)

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the powdered sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan. (see directions below for Cashew Cream)

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cashew Cream (adapted from Enlightened Cooking)
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup cold water
7 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Place the nuts and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides. Blend at least 1-2 minutes longer until the mixture is smooth (mixture will be very thick; add 1-2 additional tablespoons water, if needed, to blend until smooth).

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a metal or glass bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and cool slightly. Stir in cashew cream, vanilla and salt until well-blended. Top torte with your "healthy" ganache, and enjoy!