Another Peanut Butter & Chocolate Recipe...

So yesterday I posted about the most delicious PB & Chocolate cupcakes, and then today when I checked Our Best Bites, they had a PB & Chocolate Bar/Cookie recipe that looks like it might be to die for...  I personally would make it with CREAMY peanut butter, but it looks delicious either way.  YUM!  Now I have 2 desserts I would like to make over the next couple of days.  Sounds like a l-o-n-g run is in my near future if I'm going to keep making & eating desserts like these!

Chocolate-Frosted Peanut Butter Bars

(BY OUR BEST BITES)

Cookie Base
1 cup real butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar

1  1/2 cups peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons table salt

3 cups all purpose flour

3 cups quick oats

Fudge Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a rimmed cookie sheet (standard half-sheet pan) lightly with non-stick spray and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add  peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat between each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and add mixture to dough.  Beat to combine.  Add oats and mix until incorporated.  Press dough into prepared pan into a flat layer.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes.  The center should be puffed and set, but still soft.

While crust is baking, prepare frosting.  Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Add butter (make sure it’s soft!), boiling water, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and glossy.

When cookie crust is done baking, if desired drizzle about 3/4 cups melted (just nuke it in the microwave) peanut butter on top and then spread on frosting.  Let cool (or leave slightly warm) and cut into squares to serve.  If also desired (and what’s not to be desired here?) serve with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.  Moan while eating.

PB and CHOCOLATE!

I can't think of a better combination than Peanut Butter and Chocolate...  It's my FAVE!  I could eat peanut butter and chocolate in ANY combination ANY time of the day.  I am totally in love with these mini-miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Have you tried them?  They are tiny!!  But the chocolate to peanut butter ratio is perfect.  I love anything bite-size!  Especially these:

Well, the other day my friend made me these DELICIOUS peanut butter/chocolate cupcakes! 

They were so yummy.  The peanut butter frosting was not too overwhelming - it was perfect.  And then there was a peanut butter surprise in the middle of the chocolate cupcake.  They were heavenly!  Thanks Amanda!  So, she sent me the recipe & I would like to share it with you.  The recipe came from Annie's Eats.  You won't be disappointed if you are a chocolate peanut butter fan...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3¼ cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

To make the filling, combine the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (at least 24) and set aside on a baking sheet.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Place a ball of the peanut butter filling in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth. Slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth and well blended. Mix in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.


I will be making these cupcakes in the next little while, maybe even today, and when I do I will take some pictures for you.  They are so yummy! 

Delicious Week!

I tried several new recipes this past week and weekend, all of which were from Our Best Bites.  I either got the recipes from their cookbook or from their site...  All the recipes were fairly simple and soooo yummy!

Here are the ones I tried along with a couple of the recipes (all pictures are from their site):
Spicy Honey Chicken

Made this for my family for Sunday dinner.  Grilled it on the BBQ & served it with baked potatoes, fresh fruit, rolls w/jam, and steamed veggies.  It was delicious!  It's in the cookbook, not on their site...  So if you have the cookbook, you gotta try this recipe!  It won't disappoint.

Asian BBQ Chicken

This is such an easy recipe.  I got the chicken marinating in the morning and stuck it in the fridge for the day.  Then we grilled it on the BBQ that evening.  My kids LOVED this chicken.  They would eat it daily!!  It's similar to a teriyaki chicken, but BETTER.  My sister likes to use the leftover chicken to make a pizza with an Alfredo sauce instead of a tomato sauce.  Haven't tried that, but sounds good to me! 

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

This was sooo good & easy as well!  It's a crock pot recipe - my favorite!  The ingredients for this recipe sound kinda interesting, but  trust me, it is really YUMMY!  Try it!  We ate it as suggested on toasted rolls with provolone cheese the first night.  The next day we used the leftover shredded beef on fresh cooked flour tortillas with shredded cheddar cheese...it was amazing!  So good!!

Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Allrecipes

1/2+ tsp. kosher salt
1/2+ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of olive or cooking oil
3 lb. beef roast, trimmed of excess fat
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 16-oz. jar sliced pepperoncinis, undrained
Crusty sandwich rolls (for sandwiches)
Sliced provolone cheese (for sandwiches)

Heat oil in a pot or high-sided skillet over high heat. While the oil is heating, combine the salt and pepper and rub it into the meat. Add more if necessary. When the oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides so the outsides of it is browned and a little crispy. Transfer the roast to a slow cooker and add the minced garlic and the entire jar of pepperoncinis. If possible, cook on high until the liquid comes to a boil and then turn it to low and cook until the roast shreds easily with a fork, for a total cooking time of about 6-8 hours. If not possible, cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beef is fork tender.

For sandwiches, slice the rolls and spread lightly with mayonnaise and then top with the shredded beef. Add a slice of provolone cheese and then place under the broiler for 1-3 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Makes 12 large sandwiches.

Berry Cobbler

I made this for dessert for Father's Day.  It was a little work, and used several bowls (I hate doing dishes!).  Not hard by any means, just took a few minutes.  But soooo worth it!  It was the perfect dessert.  It tasted so good.  I made it with frozen blueberries and blackberries.  I also served it with French vanilla ice cream drizzled with a caramel/butter sauce I made.  It was heavenly.  Everyone loved it.

Berry Cobbler
Recipe by Our Best Bites

3 c. all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into the measuring cup and leveled with a knife
1/4 tsp. table salt
2 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) salted butter
2 eggs
1 c. heavy cream
zest of one lemon or orange (optional)
4 c. berries (I like blueberries and/or blackberries)
1/2 c. brown sugar

Streusel Topping:

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. butter at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and citrus zest. Set aside.

Using a cheese grater, grate 1 cold stick of butter. Lightly toss the butter with flour mixture until it’s mixed evenly and crumbly (don’t over-mix here). Whisk the eggs and then lightly toss them with the flour/butter mixture until evenly absorbed. Add in the cream and mix until combined; the mixture should be quite sticky and a little lumpy (kind of like biscuit dough). Lightly press about 1 1/2 c. of the dough mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and set it aside.

Toss the berries with the brown sugar and spread it over the prepared “crust.” Drop the remaining dough over the berries and set aside.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the struesel topping. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the dough and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the crust is cooked through. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Simply Beautiful!

I have seen several blog posts around with the "rose" frosting technique on cakes & cookies.  The cakes are simple, but so elegant!  I haven't tried to make any frosting roses yet, but I'm thinking I will soon...  Take a look at what's out there: i am baker used the frosting technique on sugar cookies for a bake sell.  I'm thinking these would be perfect for my almost eight year old's baptism refreshment...all with white frosting! 


Little Birdie Secrets made these cookies & a matching cake for a party...

I think they're so pretty...  The tutorials make it look so easy too!  I'm sure it will be a little harder than it looks, but still worth a try, right?!  I'll post picts of my attempts if I ever get around to trying this technique out!  i am baker has a simple tutorial & directions on what tip to use, etc...