Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies
Print This Recipe
One of the first food blogs I ever read was Culinary in the Desert (now called Culinary in the Country) who regularly shares amazing recipes and photos. This recipe is no exception. Fans of chocolate and peanut butter, pay attention!
Imagine: A soft, rich, chocolate cookie filled with a peanut butter filling similar to that of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Plus, tiny specks of sugar on top. Chocolate and peanut butter–the perfect combination. Go make these now.
Photos of the process here.
p.s. Giveaway coming soon: The super nice folks at Trudeau sent me a huge box of amazing baking supplies. (My favorite are the silicone pinch prep bowls.) Stay tuned for your chance to win!
Dough Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling Ingredients
3/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
pinch salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Dough Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugars and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Form the dough into 32 balls.
Filling Preparation
In a medium bowl, mix together confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter and salt until smooth. Form into 32 balls.
Working on a silpat or piece of parchment, gently flatten each chocolate ball. Top each round with a peanut butter ball, then carefully fold chocolate dough over the peanut butter ball and seal the edges. Roll dough into a ball.
Place balls on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
Place pans into the oven and bake until the surface of the cookies begins to slightly crack, about 8 minutes. Remove and allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Makes 32 cookies.
Recipe from Culinary in the Country.
Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars
Print This Recipe
Not to bore you with excuses as to why I haven’t been blogging lately, but I’ve been busy! The weather is gorgeous, I’m going out with friends, and I have an awesome new guinea pig boyfriend! (So far he has liked everything I’ve baked, he’s a good guy.)
Anyway, as you probably know by now, I love anything oat, chocolate, and caramel so I was excited to try these. Apparently something has happened to my taste buds (too much sour candy?) because I didn’t find these terribly exciting. I tried them warm, chilled, and at room temp and while I didn’t think they were bad, I didn’t think they were amazing either. However–my boyfriend and coworkers thought they were delicious, and all day at work people were saying they definitely ranked up there when it comes to treats I’ve brought into the office. So ignore me and make these. You will make people happy.
Oat Base Ingredients
3/4 cup (3.4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups quick cooking oats
1 generous pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
6 oz (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup chopped chocolate
Filling Ingredients
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups Kraft caramel bits or 32 unwrapped caramels
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with non-stick foil.
Mix the flour, oats, salt, baking soda and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add butter and stir with a spoon or mix with fingers until mixture is thoroughly mixed – dough should just start to come together. Reserve a little less than half of the mixture and put it in the refrigerator. Press remaining oat mixture into bottom of pan and bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Make caramel filling. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the caramel bits and stir to coat with butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until caramel is melted. Pour it over the base.
Sprinkle chilled reserved crumb mixture over top and bake for 10-12 minutes or until top layer is cooked. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Let cool completely, then lift from pan and cut with a Chef’s knife.
Makes 16 squares.
Recipe adapted from Cookie Madness.
Frosted Brownies Topped with Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispies
Print This Recipe
When I saw this recipe I immediately thought I would love these brownies, because really, what’s not to love? Brownies, frosting, chocolate, peanut butter, Rice Krispies. YUMMY, right? Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with me because I thought they were too sweet. I know, I didn’t think that was possible either.
With that said, the brownies were enormously popular at my office. Everyone loved and raved about them all day, so I have to declare them a hit. If I were to make them again (stranger things have happened), I may try subbing marshmallow fluff for the frosting because the frosting seemed a little out of place.
Finally, this recipe is great for scratch bakers or those who are BFFs with Betty Crocker. I used a fabulous brownie recipe (minus the salted caramel part) but if you are in a rush, you can use a mix. Since I hate making frosting (I end up with powdered sugar everywhere), I used store bought. Easy enough.
Ingredients
Brownies (9×13 pan, homemade or from a mix)
Vanilla frosting (homemade or from a can)
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup cup Peanut Butter
12 ounces chocolate chips
Preparation
Bake brownies and let cool completely. Frost brownies and refrigerate.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt peanut butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Add chocolate mixture to cereal. Spread mixture over frosted brownies. Refrigerate for one hour until set. Cut into bars.
Recipe adapted from Hoosier Homemade.
Buttermilk Cake Squares
Print This Recipe
The recipe calls these squares of deliciousness brownies; however, being the brownie expert I am, and having sampled one or two or three or a lot, I feel the need to clarify: These are not brownies, they are moist, chocolately, yummy pieces of cake topped with frosting you just plop on top of a warm pan of brownies cake. I’m guessing they were named brownies because they’re baked in a pan and cut into squares, but don’t let that fool you. These are cake squares. Yes, that is the official terminology.
Did I mention these cake squares are pretty damn good? Like, really good? Especially when they’re still warm? Well, they are. And they’re super easy to make! A few ingredients on the stove, a few in the mixing bowl (including flour and sugar together, weird, I know!), combine everything, then add in two more things. And the frosting? No need to spread and make it look pretty. It kind of glides all over the warm cake all on its own.
Photos of the process here.
Cake Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour milk. Bring mixture to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans.
Cake Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake about 25 minutes for the 15x10x1-inch pan, about 35 minutes for the 13x9x2-inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Pour warm Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting over the warm brownies, spreading evenly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
The recipe claims to make 24 pieces, but those would be huge squares.
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.
