Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 10: Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

It seems to me that red velvet is just one of those flavors that everyone loves – in cake form, of course, but also in so many more applications. I, for one, am pretty much obsessed with this red velvet cheesecake (which would, incidentally, be a dramatic and absolutely delicious addition to your Christmas dessert table). But when I want a red velvet fix more quickly, these red velvet chocolate chip sandwich cookies are just the thing.

The cookies start with a red velvet cake mix. With a few simple additions (including chocolate chips), they become a delicious cookie that is perfect for sandwiching with a luxuriously smooth cream cheese frosting. These cookies, as you may imagine, are impossibly rich – one goes a long way, but you’ll still want to eat another, because they’re just so delicious.

These cookies are perfect for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and every single day of the year.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies
adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 box red velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Half a batch of cream cheese frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In an electric mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Roll into 24 balls and bake for 8 minutes.

4. Spread the bottom half of a cookie with cream cheese frosting. Top with another cookie. You’ll have a total of 12 cookie sandwiches.

Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 9: Peppermint Bark Shortbread Cookies

Peppermint bark is, hands-down, one of my favorite holiday treats. I’ll confess that there is one particular store-bought version I prefer above even homemade versions, but when I saw these cookies, I just couldn’t resist trying them.

The base of the cookies is a buttery, crumbly, shortbread. It’s topped with peppermint bark: a layer of melted chocolate, crushed candy canes, and drizzled white chocolate. It’s a great combination of textures, and the shortbread layer really complements the flavor of the peppermint bark itself. And look how pretty they are! They're sort of a show-stopper – both in looks, and in taste.

Peppermint Bark Shortbread Cookies
from Epicurious

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes (I used the spearmint tri-color candy canes)
2 ounces white chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

2. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

4. Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle semisweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

5. Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

6. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator in airtight containers between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper.

Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 8: Christmas Pretzel Treats

There's really no recipe involved with either of these treats, but I still just have to share them with you. They're quick, easy, and adorable, and absolutely everyone loves them.

The classic version of this treat is made with a snap pretzel, a Rolo, and a pecan half. Simply top each pretzel with a Rolo, stick them on a baking sheet in the oven until the chocolates begin to soften, and then press a pecan half into the top of each one.

The version that I personally prefer replaces the Rolo with a miniature Reese cup, and the pecan with Christmas M & Ms. They're prepared the same way, but I think this version tastes even better. The pretzel/peanut butter/chocolate combination is just one of my very favorites!

You are literally minutes away from a delicious treat that you can make a lot of in very little time, so these are perfect if you've left your baking for the last minute. What are some other variations for these treats you can think of?

Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 5: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m really excited about today’s Christmas treat, you guys. Mint chocolate chip COOKIES. My favorite ice cream flavor, in cookie form. With their fresh, minty flavor and abundance of chocolate chips, these cookies taste like Christmas on a plate.

These cookies use packaged sugar cookie mix, which I’ve used lots of times with really good results. I’m sure you could find a completely-from-scratch recipe if you were so inclined. But if you’re making these for Christmas along with a bunch of other types of cookies, why not take a little help from a mix? The mix works perfectly for these cookies, giving them a sugary flavor and a nice texture.

I will be honest with you and tell you that not too many of these cookies actually made it onto my Christmas cookie trays last year. They were eaten too quickly by my own family! I’m making them again this year, just for us.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Betty Crocker

1 pouch (1 pound 1.5 ounces) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 4: Buckeyes

I’ve seen these treats simply called “peanut butter balls,” and I know the fact that I refer to them as buckeyes is purely because I live where I do. The buckeye is Ohio’s state tree (and also the name of our college football team, of course!), and these treats were given their name because of their resemblance to the buckeye nut. Although the ones from the trees aren’t edible, thankfully these are – and they’re delicious.

Buckeyes, hands down, are my favorite Christmas treat. They remind me of my childhood, when we’d go to my grandma’s for Christmas every year and my aunt would make a huge plate of buckeyes for the dessert table. It was something I looked forward to every single Christmas. Even today, when I make my own buckeyes (using my aunt’s recipe!), they still don’t taste as good as hers.

Not all buckeyes are created equal. Homemade ones are vastly superior to the packaged ones you can get at the store. The type of peanut butter is important for these, too; don’t use natural peanut butter, and don’t use a generic brand. Normally I’m all about generics, but the flavor of the peanut butter is really important in these treats. I prefer using Jif, but I've also used Skippy for these with good results.

This will be the first year Andrew will help me make our buckeyes. Rolling all those peanut butter balls can get a bit time-consuming, but I’m betting the time will fly when I have him in the kitchen helping me.

A note about the recipe: You’ll probably only need around 4 cups of chocolate chips to dip the peanut butter balls in, but I strongly suggest you melt even more chocolate than you need. When you get to the last few, it’ll be hard to get enough chocolate to cover the peanut butter. You can save the leftover chocolate for another recipe if you don’t want to waste it.

Buckeyes
from my aunt

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup softened butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, blend peanut butter, butter, and vanilla until smooth and well-combined. Add powdered sugar and mix well.

2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Combine chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Melt in the microwave in 20-second increments until smooth, stirring after each interval.

4. Using a tooth pick, dip each peanut butter ball in melted chocolate, leaving a portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like buckeyes.

5. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 4 to 5 dozen buckeyes, depending on size.

Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 3: Buried Cherry Cookies

I made (and posted about) these buried cherry cookies in the early days of my blog, and I’ve made them at least twice a year ever since – usually for Valentine’s Day and again at Christmas. Everyone absolutely loves these sweet little cookies.

Although I’m not a fan of chocolate-covered cherries (it’s the creamy white stuff in them that I don’t like), I adore these cookies too. First of all, they’re adorable. Secondly, it’s such a fun surprise to bite into a cookie and find a cherry hiding under the chocolate frosting. These come together really easily, and the recipe makes more than 40 cookies, so again, these are perfect for cookie exchanges and gift-giving.

The frosting does actually cook in the oven along with the cookies, which may sound a little strange. It hardens just slightly and adds an interesting texture to the cookies, and baking the frosting enables it to hide the cherry perfectly without sliding off. I think you’ll love these fun, cute little cookies!

Buried Cherry Cookies
from Better Homes and Gardens

1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries (42 to 48)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain cherries, reserving juice. Halve any large cherries. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each ball. Place a cherry in each center.

3. For frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice. (If necessary, frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice.) Spoon 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover.

4. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 42 to 48 cookies.

Two Week of Christmas Treats, Day 2: Raspberry Truffle Fudge

When I’m planning my Christmas cookie trays, there are certain requirements that I like to fill to make for a well-rounded selection of treats. I like to include something minty. I like to include some sort of candy-like treat. And I like to include some type of fudge.

As soon as I stumbled upon this recipe for raspberry truffle fudge, I knew I’d be making it instead of the standard chocolate or peanut butter version. And I’m so very glad that I did, because I got more compliments on this fudge than on anything else I included on my cookie trays. Raspberry and chocolate pair so perfectly together, and they’re a match made in Heaven in this rich, chocolaty fudge.

This fudge is so easy to make, and it’s definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Raspberry Truffle Fudge
adapted from Allrecipes

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Salt to taste

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup raspberry preserves
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Spray a 9x9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, and line with wax paper.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 3 cups chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Heat in microwave until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let it scorch. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Spread into pan, and cool to room temperature.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat raspberry preserves until smooth. Strain seeds using a fine mesh strainer. Stir in cream and 2 cups chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave until the chocolate melts and stir until smooth. Cool to lukewarm, then pour over the fudge layer.

4. Refrigerate until both layers are completely set, about 1 hour. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

Here’s an impossible question for you: If you had to choose, what would you say your favorite part of a cupcake or cake is – the cake itself, or the frosting? If I had to choose, I’d have to say my favorite part is the frosting. Especially when the frosting is as sweet and luscious as this coffee buttercream is.

I can’t even begin to describe how delicious these cupcakes are. I made them with my sister (who loves coffee and also works for a large coffee chain) in mind, and she absolutely loved them. Coffee and chocolate is one of those perfect flavor combinations (hello, mocha?!), and these cupcakes are the perfect thing to highlight the complementary flavors. The cupcakes are richly chocolate, and the frosting is sweet, with a slight bitterness from the coffee. Absolutely perfect.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
cake adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor; frosting from Eat at Home

For the cake:

1 package triple chocolate fudge cake mix
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

For the frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.

2. Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed, until batter is well-blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes about 20 minutes, or until they spring back lightly with pressed with your finger, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

4. While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. With an electric mixer, beat the butter till smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons coffee. Mix again until well blended. Gradually add more coffee, by the teaspoon until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.

5. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes and garnish with mini chocolate chips.

Butterfinger Blondies with Butterfinger Cream Cheese Frosting

Ah, Halloween. The one day each year when children dress up in adorable costumes and go beg for candy for their parents to eat. It’s a magical, magical day.

I’m hoping we get lots of the “good candy” so I can make these blondies again. You know the difference between “good candy” and “bad candy,” right? Good candy = Butterfingers, Snickers, Kit Kats, etc. Bad candy = individually wrapped hard candies, generic chocolates wrapped in foil. Good candy = a cupboard stocked with sweet treats for months. Bad candy = a careful inspection to make sure it’s still fully sealed, and most likely a trip to the trash can just in case.

These blondies are a perfect use for the good candy. I think you could replace the Butterfingers in the recipe with just about any type of candy bar you can think of – Snickers, Kit Kats, Twix, Nestle Crunch...they’d all taste amazing in this application. I’d much rather use the Halloween haul in recipes like this, just so I don’t have it all sitting around for the next few months, begging me to eat it. Recipes like this get rid of a lot of it at once, which is good.

Plus? These blondies are delicious. Truly, amazingly delicious. “I think I’ll eat three of them” delicious. And that’s just the blondies; don’t even get me started on the frosting.

(P.S. These candy bar cookies are another great use for Halloween candy.)

Butterfinger Blondies with Butterfinger Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Cookies and Cups

For the blondies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped Butterfinger bars (about 16 “fun size” bars)

For the frosting:

1 stick butter at room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped Butterfinger bars (about 4 “fun size” bars)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. For the blondies, cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.

3. On low add the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined. Stir in the chopped Butterfingers.

4. Spread in a 9 × 13 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until center is just set. Remove from oven and cool completely.

5. For the frosting, mix together butter, cream cheese and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add powdered sugar to desired consistency. Stir in Butterfingers and spread frosting over cooled blondies.

Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

I typically try to bake something every weekend. I usually never know what I’m going to bake until I wake up on Saturday morning, though; it just depends on what I’m in the mood for. One weekend when I was looking through all of my bookmarked recipes, I realized I was missing at least one ingredient for every single thing that sounded good. So I moved on to my cookbooks, and that’s where I ultimately found this gem of a recipe. I had everything on hand, so it seemed like the perfect treat to make for my family.

I’ve seen (and bookmarked) lots of recipes for slow-cooker desserts, but I’d never tried one myself. I was happy with both the ease of this recipe, and with the result. I’ve since made it again, with a couple of modifications, and it’s been really well-received by everyone who’s tried it.

This is a lot like a pudding cake, so the chocolate is poured in on top of the cake mixture, but the cake mixture “floats” to the top while the chocolate becomes the sauce. The cake itself is moist, and the chocolate sauce is rich and decadent. The peanut butter flavor is subtle, but not overwhelmed by the chocolate. This cake is definitely best served warm right out of the slow cooker with a dollop of whipped cream, and it is a divine dessert.

Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Fudge Cake
adapted from Taste of Home

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup peanut butter (do not use reduced fat)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 cup boiling water
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk, peanut butter, oil and vanilla; beat until well blended. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture until blended. Spread evenly into a 1 1/2-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and remaining sugar; stir in boiling water. Pour into slow cooker. Do not stir.

3. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center of comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Sweet Acorns

I love being That Mom. You know, the one who always brings fun, creative snacks for her kids’ classes and makes homemade gifts for the teachers. When my boys are in actual school, time allowing, I’m sure I will be That Mom who makes the fancy little Bento box lunches every day until they tell me to stop (which they will, because they are boys, and boys eventually stop thinking cutesy things like that are cool).

I always look forward to Andrew’s snack day at preschool. His snack day in September happened to fall during their “Fall Into Fall” themed week, so I knew these adorable doughnut hole snacks would be perfect. They literally only took minutes to make, and they look just like acorns! They fit right in with the kids’ theme, and as suspected, they were universally loved. According to Andrew's teacher, some of the kids even pretended to be squirrels and tried to hoard as many doughnut holes as they could in their cheeks. :)

Sweet Acorns
from Gracious Rain

Doughnut holes (I used glazed, but if you can find pumpkin ones that would be fun)
Chocolate frosting
Chocolate sprinkles
Pretzel matchsticks

Slather some chocolate frosting on the top third of a doughnut hole. Roll in sprinkles. Repeat with remaining doughnut holes. For the “stem,” stick a pretzel in the center of each top.

Chocolate Peanutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Really, these are chocolate peanut butter Nutella chocolate chip cookies, but I like the sound of “peanutella.” A fun and delicious new word!

And were these cookies ever delicious. I made them on a day when I was craving cookies but had very limited ingredients in the house. Most significantly, I wanted Nutella chocolate chip cookies but I only had one egg, so my usual recipe wouldn’t fly. I quickly found another recipe that called for only one egg, so I was good to go. When I was grabbing the Nutella from the cupboard, I saw the peanut butter, and I thought, Why not?

Nutella and peanut butter were absolutely made for each other, and they work so well together in these cookies. They have a flavor that is out of this world and a perfect texture, too. Joe declared them the best cookies I’d ever made, and they held that title until they were overtaken by the red velvet chocolate chip cookie sandwiches I made recently (recipe coming soon).

These cookies are sinfully delicious and decadent, and you should rush to the kitchen and make them as soon as you can. If your pantry looks anything like mine, you probably already have all of these ingredients on hand. :)

Chocolate Peanutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Lovin’ From the Oven

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup Nutella
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

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

2. Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and peanut butter and vanilla extract. Mix in egg.

3. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips.

4. Chill for at least 1 hour.

5. Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

One year ago: Classic fried rice

Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

These cupcakes have been on my radar for a while now, and when I found myself with half a jar of Nutella in the pantry and no immediate use for it (aside from eating it by the spoonful), I decided it was time to make them. I’m only sorry I waited so long, because these cupcakes are delicious – every bit as good as you’d expect a yellow cupcake swirled with Nutella to be.

The idea is that the Nutella is swirled into the batter before baking, creating a “frosting” for the cupcakes. But I gotta admit that a cupcake without frosting on top of it is a muffin to me, so I spread some additional Nutella on top of mine. It made it taste that much more delicious.

Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes
from Baking Bites

10 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Approximately 1/3 cup Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.

3. Fill each muffin liner with batter about 3/4 full. Top each cake with 1 1/2 teaspoons Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the Nutella.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

One year ago: Fruit and yogurt muffins, still an oft-requested recipe in our house.

Peanut Butter Cookies

It happens to all of us: an undeniable, overwhelming craving for a certain food. It happens to me quite often, actually. If it’s a savory dish I’m craving, I put it on the coming week’s menu. But if it’s a sweet craving – well, it’s harder for me to wait.

One of the cravings that hit me recently was for a peanut butter cookie. Just a simple, classic, chewy, peanut buttery cookie, fork marks and all. Believe it or not, I had never made these cookies myself (yes, really! Do I lose my food blogger's license?), so I didn’t have a tried-and-true recipe to use. My mom made them all the time, but I couldn’t find her recipe in her collection. So I chose this recipe on a whim, and thankfully, it was a winner.

I don’t know what else I can really say about these cookies. They’re delicious, and take me back to when I was a kid and my mom would serve these to my brother and me, hot from the oven, drizzled with melted chocolate in the fork marks. I did the same thing with my cookies and my children, and it was such a happy memory, and such a yummy cookie.

Peanut Butter Cookies
slightly adapted from Allrecipes

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted peanuts
Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Fold in peanuts. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake. Remove to a wire rack.

4. Add chocolate chips to a plastic bag with a touch of vegetable oil to make it smooth. Melt in 30-second increments until completely melted. Snip a corner in the bag and trace chocolate into the fork marks on the cookies.

One year ago: Zucchini banana chocolate chip muffins

Peanut Butter Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze

In my humble opinion, the doughnut pan is one of the greatest inventions in the realm of baking equipment. Ever. I mean, what a genius idea, right? A pan you can use to bake doughnuts instead of frying them. Why, it almost makes doughnuts healthy! (…Okay, I know. That’s a stretch. But at least it’s healthier than deep-frying.)

I bought myself a doughnut pan for Easter, and then promptly…didn’t use it. I just never got around to it for some reason. But then one morning this post showed up in my Reader. And I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. These doughnuts were calling to me, and it was a call I was going to answer.

These doughnuts were delicious. The doughnuts themselves are cakey, rich, and peanut-buttery, but the glaze is what really did me in. I could have eaten it with a spoon. It tastes exactly like the chocolate glaze that comes on doughnut-shop doughnuts. I made these for us as a special weekend treat, and we all just loved them!

(By the way, if you’re in the market for a doughnut pan, this is the one I bought, and I love it. Although while I was searching for it to share the link, I saw this…and now I want it, too. One can never have too many doughnut-making-implements, right?)

Baked Peanut Butter Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
from Fake Ginger

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a doughnut pan.

2. Using a mixer, combine peanut butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in milk, oil, vanilla, and egg; mix.

3. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt over top of peanut butter mixture. Use mixer to blend until just combined. Transfer to a pastry bag with a large, round tip (or a zip top bag) and pipe into doughnut pan.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until doughnuts are golden brown and spring back when touched. Flip onto a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes before glazing.

5. To make the glaze, whisk together melted butter and cocoa powder. Once the cocoa powder has melted into the butter, add milk, corn syrup, vanilla, and powdered sugar; whisk. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add more milk.

6. Dip the doughnuts into the glaze and allow the glaze to set about 30 minutes before serving. Makes 6 doughnuts.

Cashew Caramel Brownies

I’ve been sitting on these brownies for a while now, and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to share them. Well, I haven’t been sitting on the brownies themselves – just the recipe. But now that I think about it, maybe I have been sitting on the brownies, in a sense, since I ate so many of them when I made these. :)

I’m a sucker for the cashew/caramel combination, and also the caramel/chocolate combination, so when I saw this recipe there was no chance I wouldn’t be making these. We all loved them. They’re fudgy and sweet and rich and decadent. I love the textural balance of the fudgy brownie, the crunchy cashews and the gooey caramel. I never met a brownie I didn’t like, but I really, really liked this one.

Cashew Caramel Brownies
from 5 Dollar Dinners

4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 caramels, cut into quarters
1 cup cashews, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

2. Melt the chopped baking chocolate with the butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir together. Let cool while you start on the next part.

3. In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. After the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat it into the eggs mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Gently fold in the rest of the chocolate chips, the caramels and the chopped cashews. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the center.

6. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve warm or, to serve after cooled, warm the brownies in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, or long enough to make the caramel soft again.

Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bananas

I’m adopting a new strategy when it comes to the heat: I’m going to stop complaining about it. It seems like that’s all I’ve been doing lately, but it’s not helping anything, so I’m going to just stop. Maybe if the heat thinks it’s not getting to me anymore, the heat will lay off a little bit. Because it’s not necessary for it to be this oppressive. It’s just not.

Instead of complaining, I’m going to sit back with one of these frozen bananas and try to stay cool. And if there ever was a snack to help you stay cool on these hot summer days, this is it. And it couldn’t be simpler. Chop a banana in half, drizzle it with melted peanut butter and sprinkle it with chocolate chips, and then freeze it until it’s really cold. It’s a semi-healthy, quick, and delicious snack. When you freeze a banana, it takes on the texture of ice cream, and it’s such a fun treat. My boys go nuts for these.

I didn’t have any popsicle sticks on hand, but that would be a great way to enjoy these. We just went at them with our hands. Messy, but so delicious we didn’t care.

Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bananas
adapted from Keep’n the Faith

Peeled bananas
Melted peanut butter
Miniature chocolate chips

Cut each banana in half and drizzle with melted peanut butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Freeze for a few hours before serving. Let soften about 5 minutes before eating.

Better Than "Anything" Cake

I think we’re all well aware of what this cake is really called, am I right? I’m just calling it better than “anything” because I don’t want to get hits or spam comments from people expecting something else, if you know what I mean. This is a family place! :)

ANYWAY, this cake really is better than just about anything. Devil’s food cake is topped with sweetened condensed milk, hot fudge sauce and caramel. Add some whipped cream and some chopped Butterfinger bars, and the end result is a moist, rich, decadent treat. If you’d never made this, find an excuse to do so. Soon.

I’ve seen different versions of this cake. Some versions leave out the caramel or the hot fudge, while this version incorporates both. Some versions use Heath bars, but this version use Butterfinger bars. This is just our family’s favorite way to make this cake. And honestly, you really can’t go wrong with any combination of these ingredients.

Better Than “Anything” Cake

1 box devil’s food cake mix
Water/oil/eggs called for on cake mix box
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel ice cream topping
1 jar hot fudge ice cream topping
1 8-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 Butterfinger bars, chopped

1. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box for 9 x 13-inch cake.

2. While cake is still warm, poke holes in it with a wooden spoon. Pour evaporated milk, caramel, and hot fudge over cake.

3. Spread whipped topping evenly over cake and sprinkle with Butterfinger bars. Chill until serving.

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, today is National Chocolate Chip Day, and what better way to celebrate such an awesome holiday than by making a batch of chocolate chip cookies? I mean, it's almost required, right? This is a holiday that can't be ignored.

This particular version of chocolate chip cookies, which uses vanilla pudding in the mix, just may be our new family favorite. The cookies are so soft and have such a wonderful flavor. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how quickly three dozen of these disappeared from our house! They're simple, delicious, and really special, too.

Here are some other great recipes using chocolate chips to celebrate with today: 

Nutella chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate chip cream cheese vanilla bean muffins

Chocolate chip cookie dough dip

Zucchini banana chocolate chip muffins

Cakey chocolate chip cookies

Oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chip apple bread

White chocolate chip lemon cookies

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.

2. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slight golden and set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Dirt Cake in a Dump Truck

Well hi there! Sorry for disappearing for the better part of a week – I took some time off from work and blogging to celebrate Andrew’s third birthday and Mother’s Day. I also spent a good bit of time relaxing and pampering myself, because I figure I deserve it, and I don’t do it nearly enough! :)

My oldest sweet boy turned three on Tuesday, as I mentioned, and I knew exactly what kind of cake I’d be making for him. I’d had this idea from The Sisters’ Café in the back of my mind ever since I saw it, and I couldn’t wait for Andrew’s birthday so I had an opportunity to make it. Andrew loves trucks more than almost anything, and I just knew he’d love this. He did!

The actual cake was a chocolate dirt cake, topped with the traditional gummy worms. Both the cake and its presentation were very well received by the birthday boy and our guests!

Dirt Cake
inspired by The Sisters’ Café and adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 3.5-ounce packages instant chocolate pudding mix (I used 1 package of milk chocolate and 1 package of dark chocolate fudge)
3 1/2 cups milk
1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with chocolate crème filling

1. Chop cookies very fine in food processor.

2. Mix butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. In a large bowl mix milk, pudding, and whipped topping together.

4. Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.

5. Layer in your chosen dish, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.

6. Chill until ready to serve.