Peanut Butter Blossoms

Hello Hello!  Things have not slowed down one bit since I last checked in but I did manage to do a bit of holiday baking this weekend.  I made the classic Peanut Butter Blossoms first.  These are Mr. J's favorite cookies this time of year. 

It was a family affair as Miss O helped unwrap the chocolates.  She also did a very good job of taking the unwrapped chocolate from the finished container.  She just didn't want to give up the chocolate. I cannot say I blame her but it got to the point I wasn't sure we would have enough to finish the cookies.  

I hope to do a bit more baking before Christmas but my list far exceeds the amount of sweets we will be able to consume.  

Peanut Butter Blossoms

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate peanut butter cookie

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Ingredients (36 cookies)

• 36 Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup additional granulated sugar for rolling 

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, if desired; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges.

Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 36 cookies.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches #‎thebookclubcookbookCC

I have chocolate for you all today. Not just chocolate but little sandwiches made of chocolate and peanut butter and graham crackers. It truly is heaven in your mouth. This beauties came about for the June posting of #‎thebookclubcookbookCC and honoring the book Chocolat. I was a fan of the book and the movie before June. It was fun to reread the book. Being a fan of chocolate and France, well it was a good time. 

Not familiar with the #thebookclubcookbookCC?  Well it's a group of 11 bloggers where each month we pick a book, to read or not is up to you, and then make a recipe either from The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp or something inspired by the book. If you are interested in joining see this post from Camilla, our leader or Sarah's invitation for June.

There is a giveaway at the bottom of this post for  two copies of The Book Club Cook Book so keep reading. 

The recipes for this month were hot chocolate and chocolate fondue. Both super tempting. Hot chocolate or chocolat chaude is a prominent feature in the book but given it is June and the temps are creeping up I didn't think it would timely to post a hot chocolate recipe. 

There are many themes to Chocolat intertwined between the characters of a small French town: good vs. evil, love and dogma.
For me their there was a sense of doing good for one's soul, a necessity to such. And like the novel I am a big fan of indulgence through food, mainly chocolate. 

These little sandwiches were pure indulgence.  Chocolate, graham crackers, peanut butter and more chocolate. One little one was enough to transport me to a feeling of calmness after a long hectic day. The ability to stop and forget everything else for just one moment to enjoy this chocolate treat. 

Want to join in the fun? Here's how to participate in The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew #thebookclubcookbookCC:

1. Draw inspiration from the chosen recipe.
2. Blog about it! It doesn't have to be a lengthy post. Just share your dish.
3. Include a linkback to the hosting blog somewhere in your post.
4. Your post must be current to June. Of course,we don't mind if your post is linked to other events. The more, the merrier!
5. Send your entries to Sarah at sstratton0325 (at) yahoo (dot) ca, and please be including:
     ~Your name
     ~Your blog's name and URL
     ~The name of your dish and the permalink to the specific post you'resubmitting
     ~Attach a photo of any size (or just give me permission to"pull" one from your post) 
     ~Indicate #thebookclubcookbookCC, especially if you post to other social media

Deadline for submission is: June 30, 2016
*watch for the roundup to be posted shortly after this deadline! 

Be sure to check out the other bloggers participating as well!

A Day in the Life on the Farm
Adventures in All Things Food
Cheese Curd In Paradise
Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Life on Food
Mostly Food and Crafts
The Pajama Chef
The Spiffy Cookie
Things I Make (for Dinner)
Tortillas and Honey
ZooeySuff

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus chill time

Keywords: no bake chocolate peanut butter

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Ingredients (12 sandwiches)

• 6 graham cracker sheets, broken in half
• 3 cups milk chocolate chips, divided
• 1 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.

Melt 1½ cups of the chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp of butter in a microwave safe bowl or big glass measuring cup. Stirring at every 20 second intervals until fully melted and smooth.

Dip each graham cracker half into the chocolate, tapping or gently scraping off the excess chocolate. The graham cracker should be totally covered.

Set each chocolate covered graham cracker on the cookie sheet and place in the freezer to set up quickly.

While the chocolate covered graham crackers are setting up, make the peanut butter filling by mixing the peanut butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy. Roll into 12 equal dough balls and chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Pull out the chilled chocolate covered graham crackers and peanut butter balls. Gently flatten the peanut butter balls to the size of the graham cracker and place it on the chocolate graham. Gently spread it to the edges so it's evenly distributed. Be careful not to break the graham cracker pieces.

Melt the other 1½ cups of chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp of butter. Stirring until smooth. Gently spoon chocolate over the peanut butter layer and spread around with a spoon covering the top and sides. Put back in the freezer to set up (about 15 - 20 minutes).

If you want to be fancy, pull out and drizzle left over chocolate over the top of each graham cracker.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

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Giveaway

This month Sarah at Thing I Make (for Dinner), this month's host, is giving away two copies of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

TWO of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from June 1st till June 30th at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips

Just like going through vacation withdraw this past week I dealt with a bit of sugar withdraw.  When we were at Disney we were on the meal plan.  The meal plan comes with dessert for lunch and dinner.  A sugar lovers dream.  It was a lot but I quickly got accustomed to sweet treats twice a day.  Sometimes even more because it was hot.  And the best way to deal with the heat is ice cream.  Miss O approved.

We got back and all of a sudden there were limited sweet treat options. After each meal I found myself seeking out any thing that would satisfy my craving.  Finally I broke down and FOUND time to make cookies.  

I opted for peanut butter because... 

I wanted peanut butter cookies. 

Peanut butter and chocolate is the best combination ever.

Peanut butter is protein and thus a step in the right healthy direction transition.

These cookies have no flour and are technically gluten free. My husband's comment is "these are the best gluten free cookies ever."  They are easy to put together but do require a bit a chill time so they don't spread everywhere.  Plan ahead.  They cook really quickly, no more than 10 minutes and remain gooey in the middle. Almost fudge like.  A good thing in my book.

A cookie a day is a motto I think will be helpful after each vacation and heck really just every day :)

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate peanut butter cookie

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Ingredients (16 cookies)

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 oz chocolate chips
• 6 oz peanut butter chips

Instructions

To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Beat on medium-high speed until well-combined.

Add the chocolate and peanut butter chips and beat to just incorporated.

Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form two-tablespoon mounds. If chocolate is falling out of dough since there is an abundance, roll ball between palms to encourage it to stay in the dough. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

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Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Frosting

Oh man! I made it (almost) through the first full week of work. It was exhausting but we survived. 

A few things I have learned...

• Bottles have too many parts and require lots and lots of washing
• Babies are smart enough to know right when you need to leave and then decide to make a big mess
• I am resigned to being at least 10 minutes late from now on (see above)
• Laundry, laundry, laundry
• Take out will happen at least once a week
• Have chocolate and coffee on hand, always

It really isn't that bad but I feel like I am constantly going from 6 am to 8 pm EVERY single day.  I thought I had a busy life before but I was a fool. I think before I had a lot to do but if something didn't get done or I changed my mind it was OK. Totally doable. Now if the baby needs to be changed or we have no bottles, I cannot just say oh well we will get to that later. 

What was a life saver this week were these bars. They have protein (peanut butter), fiber (whole wheat flour and oatmeal), and antioxidants (chocolate) so I am deeming then healthy and a welcomed treat each day.  After Olivia goes to bed I would flop down on the couch and have a bar with a big glass of milk. Most days though I wish I had packed one for the office too. Hello 3pm energy slump!

Even if you don't have a baby. Or don't work. These bars are necessary. Yummy treats to help end your day in a really delicious way. 

Peanut Butter Oat Bars

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate peanut butter bar

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Ingredients (24 bars)

For the Peanut Butter Oat Bars:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup old fashioned oats

For the Chocolate Frosting:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar together until smooth, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the oats.

Spread the batter into prepared pan, gently pressing to the edges with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes or until bars are light golden brown and set around the edges. Cool completely.

As the bars cool prepare the chocolate frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the blade attachment, beat the butter and cocoa together until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once combined pour in the milk and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth.

Frost the cooled bars with chocolate frosting. Cut into squares and serve.

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Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Hello beautiful!  Yes, these bars are full of all sorts of chocolate and peanut butter goodness. Sleep has been lacking and I needed something sweet but also somewhat filling. These bars are delicious but also have oatmeal and peanut butter, just what this new mama needs to get through some of the late night, all night long feedings. 

The recipe comes together super fast and doesn't take long to bake either. I didn't wait for them to cool down before digging right in. 

I originally cut the bars into 16 pieces and then realized that both Mr. J and I were scarfing down two at a time. 

They didn't last long but because they only require pantry staples I will be making them again soon. And then again after that too.  

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Keywords: bake chocolate oatmeal peanut butter

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Ingredients (serves 16)

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a stand mixer beat together the peanut butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt on medium speed until well combined.

Add the egg and vanilla, then mix on medium low, just until incorporated.

Remove from mixer and stir in the chocolate chips and oats by hand.

Press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden and the top is set. The middle may appear slightly underdone but it will continue cooking in the pan. Let cool completely in the pan.

Remove, slice and serve.

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Crispy Almond Butter Bites

Crispy almond butter bites are packed full of good for you grains and protein. Perfect for a back to school or work energy boost. 

Happy Monday!! 

This week is going to be super busy for me. I will be jumping from one place to the next, having all sorts of meetings and hopefully checking a bunch of the to do list.   In order to brace myself for what is to come I thought I would make some little snacks to give me an extra burst of energy. We can all use a some help in that area once in a while right?

These crispy almond butter bites came together so easy. You throw everything in a bowl and mix.  There is a bit of wait time while the mixture chills in the fridge before you make the balls but they were ready in no time. Three cheers for no bake.

 I thought these would be all mine but Mr. J had a few right after they were done and loved them.  He liked the extra crunch of the rice cereal.

I made these to get me through the work week but they would be great for all those kiddos going back to school. 

Crispy Almond Butter Bites

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour chill time

Keywords: snack coconut oatmeal Almond Butter

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Ingredients (Makes 12-15 balls)

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal
• 2/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 cup rice cereal
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Cover and set in the refrigerator for half an hour until chilled.

Remove from the refrigerator and roll into balls about 1" in diameter pressing firmly so the balls form. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. They last for up to 1 week.

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Peanut Butter Mousse Pie #KickOffToSummerWeek2014

Welcome to Day #5 of Kick Off to Summer Week, a multi-blogger event co-host by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and Summer of Summer Scraps. With summer quickly approaching and Memorial Day in a few weeks, we wanted to make sure you had plenty of ideas for your Memorial Day activities. Each day we will be serving up a variety of different appetizers, main dishes, desserts, decor, printables and more all centered around the up-coming Memorial Day. We hope you enjoy all of these wonderful ideas. 

Tune in each day starting with Monday, May 12 and ending on Saturday, May 17. We have great prizes up for grabs throughout the week so you will not want to miss out on any of the days! Follow #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 on Twitter to keep up to date with all of our spectacular ideas and giveaways!

Here are my other posts with giveaways

• Potato Salad and World Market Giveaway
• Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies and Gourmet Garden Giveaway

My favorite thing to do in the kitchen is bake. In the summer though I struggle with my love for baking and it being way too hot for the oven.  Over the years I have found a few sweet creations that require no oven use. It isn't quite the same as baking but a close second.  

One of the best is this no bake peanut butter mousse pie.  The pie starts with a a thick layer of cookie crust, followed by a whipped peanut butter mousse. The whole thing is then drizzled with chocolate. So good!!

Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours refrigeration

Keywords: dessert chocolate peanut butter pie

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 8 ounces chocolate cookies
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. 

Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

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Looking for more ideas? Check out the rest of the Kick Off to Summer Week bloggers below!

Lemon Brookies by From Gate to Plate 
Easy Red Wine Strawberry "Coolers" by Keep it Simple, Sweetie 
Memorial Day: How to Make a Wreath by Lil Huckleberries 
Summer Craft by Summer Scraps
Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks 
Perfect Fresh Lemonade by Forty Eighteen 
Sparkling Cupcakes by Lady Behind the Curtain  
Memorial Flip Book Printable for Kids by My Daylights 
Seaside Pasta Salad by The Freshman Cook 
Crumb Topped Blueberry Pie by It's a Keeper  
Peanut Butter Mousse Pie by Life on Food 
Fiesta Fruit Slush by Little Dairy on the Praire

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies with a Peanut Butter Swirl

Decadent brownies with peanut butter swirled in and topped with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Peanut butter and chocolate is really a match made in heaven.  They were made for each other. Growing up I wasn't able to enjoy this match up very often due to the fact that my mom is allergic to peanuts. It was just too dangerous to have messy kids around peanut butter.

I am clearly making up for time though now that I don't have to worry quite so much. We have all sorts of nuts in the house, about 10 different jars of peanut butter and always a jar full of Reese's Peanut Butter cups.

There were several ideas running through my head about what I should make this month for Roxana's Chocolate Party when she announced the chocolate pairing of peanut butter. I have made cookies and pie with chocolate and peanut butter in the past.

For this recipe I wanted something new and a bit over the top.  Having peanut butter swirl brownies seems to get me closer to what I wanted to create but adding peanut butter cups was what really sealed the deal.

These brownies are over the top and I loved every bite of them. I have also realized that sweet treats make for an amazing thank you. We filled a big hole in our yard this weekend with free fill from down the road. To show our appreciation we gave him the last two brownies. Boy was he a happy fellow.

If you want to join the chocolate fun see the directions below: 
 
1.) Blog about your chocolate treat. Your recipe must include the two ingredients we choose. It can be a simple no bake treat or a sophisticated layer cake, the complexity level of the recipe is totally up to you.
2.) Include a link back to the Chocolate party page.  Optionally, add the Chocolate Party logo in your blog post or on your sidebar.
3.) Your recipe must be published during the current month. Please do not link old recipes, they will be deleted.
4.) Add the linky code at the bottom of your post.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies with a Peanut Butter Swirl

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate peanut butter brownies

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Ingredients (serves 9)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup Cocoa
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 20 REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped and quartered
• 1/2 cup creamy Peanut Butter

Instructions

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 8x8-inch baking pan.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add 2 cups sugar and cocoa; stir to blend. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda; stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in 2/3 cup mini peanut butter cups; spread mixture in prepared pan.

In a microwave safe bowl combine peanut butter and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Place in microwave and cook for about 30 seconds until softened and just starting to liquify. Drop by tablespoons onto chocolate batter. Swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect.

Sprinkle top of brownies with 1/2 of the cut up Peanut Butter cups.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until brownie starts to pull from edges of pan and is set. 

Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the Peanut Butter cups on top. Press gently into the brownies. The heat from the brownies will melt some of the chocolate to help blend into the brownies.

Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. Makes 9 large brownies.

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Here are the other creations for May's Chocolate and Peanut butter collection:

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Whirligigs
• No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie 
• Monster Peanut Butter-Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle
• Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Bonbons
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie
• Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars  

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