Brown Butter Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been experimenting with brown butter lately. Before I made it for the first time a couple weeks ago, I did not care for it....I did not know of its powers...I was missing out. Then while I was melting the butter to create brown butter for the first time, I knew. I knew what it must feel like to be in Snape's potion class at Hogwarts whipping up a love potion because after first smell of the browning butter, I was in love. Who knew that just melting the butter for a few minutes and allowing it to brown could change its flavor profile completely. What kind of witchcraft is this!?! I will never look at butter the same. 

About theses cookies. I couldn't resist them when I saw they are made with brown butter. Little did I know that I was baking cookies that could possibly replace our currency. Next time you go get gas, offer the cashier one of these cookies as payment and that should suffice. These went fast. As in, less than 24 hours. Although, there were seven boys in my house last night, so I guess 24 hours is really not that much of a feat. As my friend Mark (one of those cookie-snatching boys I was speaking about earlier) was eating one, he took a bite and said "hey, these are actually pretty good".. he then walked away and a few seconds later he returned with another cookie. I eyed him suspiciously and asked how many cookies he had actually eaten...I don't remember hearing a response coming from his cookie filled mouth. I'm convinced he ate at least four last night. Now you know how I bake so much and am not extremely overweight....I have boys around every corner and in every crevice of my house to eat what I make, thankfully. I did have one before swim practice this morning though. I was going to workout. I burned it off. Then I got home and had another one. I had just worked out. I burned enough calories to eat a cookie. Life is good. 

The peanut butter truffles are hand mixed into this cookie dough until just incorporated and complement the chocolate and brown butter smashingly. This is not a full on peanut butter cookie, but that doesn't mean these cookies don't have a mean peanut butter flavor. Think of these cookies as a chocolate chip cookie gone rouge...they are bad and they know it. 

From: Budding Baktress
Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Truffles

- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Cookies

- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 granulated sugar

- 2 large eggs, at room temperature

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

1. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil and spray with no-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Spread in baking dish and flatten with hands. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

2. To brown butter, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and heat until it's golden brown and giving off a nutty aroma. 

3.Remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl; allow to cool to room temperature. This is important because if not cooled to room temperature, the warm butter can cause the cookie to be flat after baking.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

5. Remove peanut butter truffles and cut or tear into small pieces; place back in freezer for at least ten minutes. They won't look perfect and don't have to be cut into perfect squares...as you can tell.


Try and resist nibbling on these truffles...I dare you!

6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and browned butter. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. 

7. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated. 

8. Fold in chocolate chips. Gently fold in chunks of peanut butter truffle. You want them to be visible, not completely blended into the dough. (Note: This makes a lot of peanut butter truffles. Use as much or as little of it as you want!) I used about three fourths of the truffles.

9. Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten slightly with hand, and bake for 9-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I made these cookies for the first time this past Christmas. I'm not sure why I have never made these cookies before because they are soo so so easy and maybe one of my new favorite cookies. Don't try to be dainty and polite by taking little bites and nibbling on these cookies. That isn't going to work. They will just crumple in your hand. Just put the whole dang thing in your mouth. Nothing better than a mouth full of powdered sugar and pecans. mmmm. Warm from the oven and just covered in the powdered sugar, it's easy to lose count of how many you eat. If you have enough will power to let go of these cookies then they are great for sharing, but believe me...you probably won't end up sharing them. 

I'm thinking I want to marry a man of Mexican descent just so I can have these cookies at my wedding. Actually, I'm going to have these at my wedding regardless.

Mexican Wedding Cookies:

From: William Sonoma

Ingredients:

- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup ground pecans (or blanched almonds or walnuts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed . Add 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, add the vanilla and salt, and beat until blended.

2. Mix togethor flour and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed. Stir in ground pecans. Cover and refrigerate about 15 minutes.  

3. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. 

4. Bake until the cookies are just golden on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies one at a time and roll them in the confectioners' sugar. Let the cookies cool completely on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

-Sarah-

Baked Cinnamon Donuts

Donuts. At the sound of that word my knees go weak and my vision starts to blur. I love donuts. Although our small town of Prattville does not have a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts, we have something that is equally as good: Donut Heaven...very appropriately named. Almost everyday in the summer after completeing a nice three hour swim practice, I would make my way to Donut Heaven, which is conviently placed only a mile away from the pool. I always got the same thing too: Apple Fritter. Cinnamony, fried, warm, and filled with apple chunks. Maybe the best donut I've ever had. I don't think anyone can recreate my favorite Apple Fritter, but I have made something that will tide me over until summer time comes again.


If you don't have a donut pan, you aren't living. When I saw it in the store I thought "Hey, homemade donuts...this could be fun"...little did I know that buying a donut pan was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  Although frying donuts is still an option, baking them is healthier (if there is such a thing) and very easy. I didn't know if I would like them baked though since one of the reason donuts are so good is because they are fried...or is it? These donuts really proved themselves a strong competitor with fried donuts. I was only going to make one pan of them, but after the first batch I got pleas from everyone to make more. My brothers and I always taste test what I make together, and when we bit into theses donuts all that could be heard was "mmm...mmm...mmmm...MMM." They passed the taste test. 


Baked Cinnamon Donuts
Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
For donuts-
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted

For the glaze-
- 1/2 cup or more powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Water

- Cinnamon-Sugar


Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Add buttermilk, egg, vanilla and butter. Whisk to combine.

2. Transfer dough to a ziplock bag. Snip off a corner of the bag and pipe dough evenly into a 6-cup doughnut pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until dough is set (it won’t be golden brown, but should be springy.)

3. In a separate bowl, mix together powdered sugar and vanilla. Begin adding water 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir until desired thickness of glaze is achieved. 

4. Glaze doughnuts while warm or cool and dip in cinnamon sugar.

-Sarah-

Sweet & Salty

Wait, where did Christmas go? One moment I was singing carols and wrapping presents and then the next I am saying goodbye to family members. The Christmas season has come to a sudden halt and the new year is rolling in. With all the anticipation built for the Christmas season it seems only fitting that there should be the a at least a few weeks to taper off the holiday. But sadly our tree has already come down and not a single light, angel, or nativity scene is in sight. Time seems to drag on after Christmas in anticipation for beautiful Spring time. But don't worry, with all the unexciting events January and February promise, I have a plethora of baked goods I want to share with you that I whipped up over the holiday. Woohoo. To start, I made a recipe I have been eyeing for awhile: saltine cracker toffee. You heard me. I made it along another great dessert: peanut butter Ritz dipped in chocolate. I am a big fan of these Ritz treats and when I found the saltine recipe I knew I'd love it because of its salty and sweet combo. I always feel as though I'm am breaking rules when I make salty/sweet desserts. Complete opposites?....dang right I'm combining them. Both of theses recipes are easy-peasy and take only minutes to make, plus they make you feel like a rule breaker.


Saltine Cracker Toffee
From: The girl who ate everything

Ingredients:
- 40 salted saltine crackers or enough to line your pan
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips


*You can either use salted butter or salted saltines but not both. I used salted crackers and unsalted butter in this one. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Line saltine crackers in a single layer on the cookie sheet. 

2. In a small pot combine sugar and butter and bring to a boil. Once mixture is at a boil, continue boiling for 3 minutes. Mixture should be a deep caramel color. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely. 

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. It will get all bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let sit a couple of minutes to melt. I stuck mine back in the oven for about 30 seconds or you can slightly melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1 minute then spread it on. Spread melted chocolate. Cool  completely and break into pieces. 

Chocolate-covered peanut butter Ritz

Ingredients:

- 2 cups milk chocolate chips

- ½ cup creamy peanut butter

- ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted

-32 Ritz crackers

Directions:

1. Place chocolate chips over a double boiler and melt.Place peanut butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

2. Spread a small amount of the peanut butter mixture onto a cracker and sandwich together with another cracker. Repeat until all the crackers and peanut butter filling have been used.

3. Place crackers onto a parchment line baking sheet and place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

4. Once the chocolate has melted, using a fork, dip the chilled peanut butter sandwiches into the chocolate until completely covered. Shake off any access chocolate and place back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and set aside to dry, about an hour.

5. Carefully peel from the parchment and serve. Store in fridge

-Sarah-

Baked Cranberry Brie

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and just had to try it. Its the perfect Christmasy app to bring to a party! Not to mention EXTREMELY easy to make.


Ingredients:
1 circle shaped Brie Cheese (I used light)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup craisins
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 F

1- Place chopped walnuts on a clean baking sheet and bake until toasted and fragrant.  About 7-10 minutes.

2- Place cheese on an oven safe dish with sides.  Sprinkle and lightly pat brown sugar over it and on the sides. Then bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is soft.

3- While cheese is baking, In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring 3 Tbsp brown sugar and 3 Tbsp maple syrup to a boil.  Simmer until foamy, about 1-2 minutes.

4- After cheese has baked, sprinkle chopped walnuts and craisins over the cheese.  Then drizzle sauce over. Serve with baguette or crackers.

Butterbeer Cookies

Butterbeer Sugar Cookies 

Some with Chocolate glaze, some with Butterbeer glaze and some with both.

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)

2 sticks butter

1 egg 

1 tsp butter flavoring 

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg, butter flavoring, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.

Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. (The dough will be quite thick...you may need to knead in stray bits of flour from the bottom of the bowl by hand.)

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cutter. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Butterbeer Glaze

2/3 cup butterscotch chips

1/8 cup evaporated milk

1 TBSP light corn syrup

pinch coarse salt

Place all of the ingredients in a glass or metal bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler).  Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth.

Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack on a baking sheet.  Pour the glaze over the cookies and spread with an offset spatula. 

Chocolate Glaze

2/3 cup chocolate chips

1/8 cup evaporated milk

1 TBSP light corn syrup

pinch coarse salt

Same as above... ENJOY!  

I made a mess.... Whoops!

Oh, and one last treat... Thank you 

Harry, Ron and Hermione!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Walking through the grocery store, I spotted it: Peanut butter filled Oreos. And at that moment, I realized my calling. A peanut butter pie had to be made with a peanut butter Oreo pie crust. Peanut butter is one of life's greatest gifts. Fact. There is really not much to say about this pie except it is delicious and rich. Fact. It is made with cream cheese so it has a little cheesecake taste to it, which I am obsessed with but people like my mom try to avoid because of the calories...like I really care about that. When a dessert has as much flavor as one tiny bite of this pie has, it is worth eating. Peanut butter pie might be one of my favorite pies after tasting this, although I want to try different recipes for this pie until the best one is found. I believe peanut butter pie is one of those staple desserts that the best recipe for it must be sought out. But this pie has a crunchiness that makes my head spin, not to mention the nice crunch that comes from the Oreo crust too. Peanuts and chocolate chips are added to the filling to balance out the sweetness of the pie and cool whip is spread over the top. Pretty much this pie tastes really good.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 32 Oreo cookies, finely processed into crumbs, I used peanut butter filled but you can use any kind you want
- 5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Small pinch of salt

For the crunch:
- 1 1/4 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Dash of ground nutmeg

For the filling:
- Half a container of Cool Whip
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp. milk

For the Topping:

- Other half of Cool Whip

- Mini Reese's cups

Directions:

1. To make crust, preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and place on a baking sheet. Mix oreo crumbs,  melted butter, and salt in a bowl. Make sure all crumbs are moistened. Press the oreo mixture onto the sides and bottom of prepared pan. Put in freezer for 10 minutes and the bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let cool completely. 

 

2. To make the crunch, in another bowl combine 1 cup of the chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Toss with a fork to mix and set aside. (Resist snacking on this as it is addictive.)

3. To make filling, use the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese with  confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth.  Beat in the peanut butter, milk, and 1/4 cup of the chopped peanuts until well combined.

4. Using a spatula, fold in the cool whip and peanut mixture. Once all ingredients are incorporated, scrape into cooled pie crust.  

5.  Refrigerate for about four hours or until the filling firms. Top the filling with cool whip and Reese's cups.

It got messy. 

-Sarah-

Adapted from: Annieseats