Salted chocolate peanut butter cups!

Woah. Peanut butter and chocolate is quite possibly my favorite duo. It's as if when you combine the two a new flavor is created. It's not quite chocolate, but it's not quite peanut butter...

Brilliant, I know. But seriously. Winning combo. And as Friend Lanie will tell you, I love my sprinkle of salt. It's like a little kick that brings out the flavors even more. WOOHOOOO

Makes ~18 cups

For the peanut butter cups:

1 cup salted peanut butter
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
sea salt, for dusting
cupcake liners

In a small bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Using teaspoon-sized measurements, roll the peanut butter mixture into balls, then push down to form small coin-like circles. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, mixing in between each blast (this will prevent the chocolate from overheating and burning). While the chocolate is heating, set up the cupcake liners on a cutting board or other flat surface. Once melted, spoon teaspoon-sized dollops of chocolate into the cupcake liners. Next, set in the peanut butter coins from earlier. Spoon another dollop of melted chocolate over the peanut butter, creating swirls with a spoon to smooth out the chocolate. Finally, sprinkle the tops of each cup with a pinch of sea salt. Transfer the cups to a fridge or freezer, allowing to cool thoroughly before eating. Nom nom nom.

Chewy peanut butter cookies

I moved. To the midwest. Kind of? For school. And I live with a bunch of guys. Who row. And eat. And eat. A lot.

Triple batches are the new single batches.

Makes ~3 dozen cookies

For the cookies:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sugar-coating
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat together butter and peanut butter until well combined. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix just until blended. Roll balls of dough in more granulated sugar before placing on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for at least 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

From Every Day Home Cook

Salted chocolate peanut butter surprise cookies

Sometimes people tell me I look like Lindsay Lohan. Then they bite their tongue and say "I mean, before her cracked-out coke days." Oh, so you mean... Parent Trap Lindsay? "Y-Yes!" they say, as if I read their mind. OK, so maybe they're a little right. Me and Parent Trap Lindsay both have freckles, the same complexion, and the same nose. And the same eyes. Yeah. 

Moving on. So now I'm an official Parent Trap Lindsay doppleganger. Which pretty much means everything Parent Trap Lindsay did in the movie is something that I wanted to do as a kid. Because we're the same person. Obviously. Like eating Oreos and peanut butter. It's like the best thing ever. And we both do it, which makes both of us pretty cool. So ever since the movie came out in 1998, I've eaten Oreos and peanut butter like it's my job. Which kind of turned me onto chocolate and peanut butter in general.

For the dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons sea salt

For the filling: 

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon regular iodized salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.

On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.

Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until they're just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool completely. Save for later? No. Devour now? Yes.

Recipe adapted from The Dragon's Kitchen.

Salted cayenne peanut brittle!

Sometimes I get really bored. And I make three (yeah.....) batches of peanut brittle. And I experiment. With cayenne pepper. Why? Well, I figure sweet and salty is a fabulous combination, adding another flavor layer can only make it more awesome. You don't taste the cayenne until after you chew for a bit, then it goes boom. It's like a flavor party in your mouth. Great stuff. The spicy is calmed by the sweetness of the sugar, so then you take another bite, and before you know it the peanut brittle that was supposed to be sent down to Georgia for best friend Rose is gone. Hence the need for multiple batches :)

Makes: a lot of peanut brittle

2 cups dry salted peanuts

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup water
Candy thermometer

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, honey, cayenne pepper, and salt. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high and cook until deep golden and the thermometer measures 305°F, right above the Hard Crack line (this should take 20 to 25 minutes, but judge solely on temperature and NOT time). Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter, baking soda, and peanuts (mixture will foam). Stir until mixture is no longer bubbling and caramel is smooth, 1 minute.

hot stuff

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread with a lightly greased spatula. Let cool until firm, 15 minutes. Break into pieces. The brittle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. But let's be real it will only last 3 hours.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

Half-way to heaven peanut butter cookies

This recipes is nearly all in halves, which makes it super easy to remember. It's brought to you by my friend Mallory's childhood nanny, who would make these for her growing up. I have to say, I've never been a fan of peanut butter cookies because they are too heavy-tasting for my palate, but the oatmeal in this recipe balances the strong peanut flavor to make it enjoyable for even the most un-peanut-buttery people out there. Good stuff.



For the cookies:

1 1/2 cups quick oats


1/2 cup flour


1/2 cup sugar


1/2 cup brown sugar


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


1/2 cup honey roasted peanut butter (you can find it freshly ground at Whole Foods)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened


1 egg

For the filling:



1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar


1 cup smooth peanut butter*

Preheat an oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter, both sugars, egg, peanut butter, and vanilla. Pour oat mixture into peanut butter mixture, stirring until just mixed. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of batter on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 centimeters between each one. Using your finger, pat dough down so they form small flattened circles. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool completely on cookie sheet.



While the cookies are baking, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and peanut butter until light and airy, about 5 minutes.



On a work surface, place half of the cookies upside down. Whisk the filling to lighten it. Dollop 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each upside down cookie.  Place second cookie on top of filling and press together until filling just comes to the edges. Ta-da!

*do not use natural p.b. for this part- the frosting will come out thick and heavy

PS-- check out Mallory's blog, Savings and Cravings!