Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s no secret that Baby Cakes loves peanut butter. He does. I am fairly certain that if he could eat it for every meal he would. He already eats it every day and yet he still goes out of his way to eat more constantly. The man also loves cookies, he eats those everyday as well. Well, in honor of his love of peanut butter and cookies, not to mention in honor of my amore for him, I am surprising him with Valentine’s cookies. You got it, peanut butter cookies. It’s the least I can do, the man brought home 10 pounds of dark chocolate for me for V-day (he knows I am on a diet and that dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate, just ignore the fact that he brought home enough chocolate to feed a third world country. It was really sweet though, he hid chocolate bars all over the house that I randomly found throughout the day. Grin.), seriously I don’t know how I am going to eat it all. Anyone have any good healthy recipes using dark chocolate?

Back to the recipe; growing up my Dad make peanut butter cookies all the time. I am not a fan, and although I was going to use my Daddy-O’s recipe, once I decided to add chocolate chips (BCakes’ other favorite cookie) I knew that my Dad’s recipe wouldn’t work. No worries, I will eventually share my Dad’s recipe, I had kind of forgotten about it until today. So, I knew I needed a heavier cookie dough so in my normal fashion I took to the world wide web. Here is what I found:


Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by 1/4 cupful’s 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.


Are they fantastic? You know it! Baby Cakes hasn't given his opinion yet because frankly he hasn't arrived home from work to eat any yet but I did swipe one and they are fantastic.

Makes 18 cookies, 1 cookie per serving.

Now, eater beware, these babies have 253 calories each! They are huge though, the picture showing just one cookie is on a large salad plate. So just think of it as 3 smaller cookies. lol.

Happy Valentine's Day Y'all,

Thai Baked Peanut Chicken

This recipe was found the other day while searching through a November 2009 issue of a Women's Day Magazine. (My Grandmother always gives me her magazines when she's finished with them and I am not afraid to admit that I happen to buy alot of them myself as well. I sort of have a magazine addiction, especially if they feature recipes.) It was on an advertisment page for A Taste of Thai food products. I always seem to be drawn to those recipes, you know the ones printed on a ad page in a magazine, perhaps because I know that most of them are quick recipes to make.

Anyway, recently a friend of Baby Cakes took him to a thia resturant during thier lunch break, so he took me a few days later, and I took my co-worker and so on and so on. Who knew that I would LOVE thia food that much. Love it! To me it's like indian meets chinese, more so on the indian side. Curried foods and a sweet creamy thia tea drink? I am so in heaven. So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to check it out. Boy am I glad I did. It has a subtle sweetness and a bit of a spicy bite at the end. I think it was perfect!

Baby Cakes gives it a thumb up, I actually liked this one more than he did. His exact words? "I like this because it's easy on you to make." Awww, how sweet. Don't tell him yet but he gets to clean the kitchen. Wink.

If you like peanut butter, if you like chicken, if you like fast meals then make this dish!


Thai Baked Peanut Chicken
recipe from an A Taste of Thai ad

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 can (13.5 oz) A Taste of Thai Coconut Milk
1 packet (3.5 oz) A Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add peanut sauce mix (both inner packets) and coconut milk to a baking dish. Whisk until smooth. Add chicken, dredging both side of chicken in peanut sauce.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until done.

Spoon extra sauce over rice, potatoes or pasta.


Like I said, I love this recipe. I really can't say enough about how wonderful it was. I chose to serve it over brown rice and it was just perfect. Yum yum.

XOXO,

Chunky Monkey Pie

Oh-my-goodness this pie is divine.

As you might know my husband, aka Baby Cakes, BCakes for short, loves peanut butter so I am always finding and saving peanut butter recipes to make "one day". This pies "one day" was Friday when we had dinner guests over. It was amazing.

There is not one thing I would change about the recipe. I WILL try to make it look prettier next time but I won't be changing a thing about it other than that. This pie will be traveling with me from now on to picnics, dinners and anywhere else I can think of taking it. Yum-eeee.


Chunky Monkey Pie
recipe from Our Best Bites

1 4-serving size box of instant vanilla pudding
1 c. cold water
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 cookie crusts. You can use anything--graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, shortbread, even Oreo.
Lots of bananas
1 pint whipping cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar
honey roasted nuts

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, cold water, peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.

In another bowl, whip 1 c. of whipping cream until soft peaks form.

Slice the bananas (probably 4 small bananas or 2 large bananas) and layer them on the bottom of the crusts. Set aside.

Remove the pudding mix from the fridge and gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well-combined.

Now divide the mixture between the two pie crusts.

Prepare the sweetened whipped cream with the remaining whipping cream and 1/3 c. of powdered sugar and spread it on top of the two pies.

Place the clear plastic shells back on the pies and allow to chill for several hours.

Sprinkle with honey roasted peanuts just before serving.


Yeah, so good,


Shared on Totally Tasty Tuesdays over at Mandy's Recipe Box.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Okay, so anyone who knows me knows that I am sooooo not a peanut butter person but lately I have eaten so much of it. First the Fried PB&J, then Baby Cakes brought home some Reeses Peices and now this, ohhh this. Just wait. Woo-weee!

Tomorrow is the next installment of the Girls Poker Shin-dig and I held a vote between 3 different desserts, this one won 4 to 6.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie
adapted from Pioneer Women

Ingredients

Chocolate Pie Crust (Ready-Made)
1 (8 oz.) block of cream cheese, room temp.
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) tub of Cool Whip*
1 (7 oz.) microwavable tub Baker's Dipping Chocolate, Milk Chocolate
handful of Reeses' Pieces candies

Directions

In a large bowl beat together peanut butter and softened cream cheese until combined, using a hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat again until incorporated. Lastly, add the Cool Whip and mix until honey colored and well incorporated. Pour into, or rather scoop into, the pie crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Follow directions on Baker's Chocolate cup and melt chocolate. Pour over the peanut butter mixture and again smooth out.

Toss on a handful of Reeses' Pieces candies and chill until set, about an hour (although I did it overnight). Enjoy!


I also made Baby Cakes his very own Peanut Butter Cream Parfait...


How could I not, look at him...


I caught him while he was so diligently working away on our taxes. And since the girls poker shin-dig is no husbands allowed and I know how much he loooooves peanut butter and chocolate, well, what can I say, I heart the big lug.

To make it simply follow the directions only instead of pie crust drop a chocolate cookie in a cup/dish, a big dallop of Peanut Butter Cream, some melted chocolate and a few Reeses' Pieces.

It is soooo freakin' yummy. XOXO,


*Everytime I see or think about Cool Whip I remember the way Stewie says it on Family Guy. If you've never heard it run a search on YouTube, Michael and I call it that now. Just thought you might like to know that. (GRIN)

Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly

Okay, before I even post this I need you to understand something, looking at the recipes I post on this baby, obviously, we DO NOT eat like this everyday. Not even once a month. This is not something I would recommend on a regular basis. However, once you've had it you'll see, the craving will hit you out of nowhere. Here's a fact, I have been with Michael for about 3 years and I have only made this for him twice. That being said...

Back in my school days I had a friend who had the munchies quite often and she would make these random things. This is a junior version of one of the favorites (her's were three or four layers of gooey warm buttery goodness). I actually prefer the regular old single layer.

A bit of advice before and if you make this- the peanut butter and jelly will ooze out during cooking so just be ready for that. Because of this I normally only use a small amount of both. (This is not a formal recipe, I don't measure a thing and can't or won't even begin to guess.) Now, let's just get down it.


Serves 1

2 pieces bread, your choice (I am a whole grain girl)
peanut butter
jelly (again, your choice- grape here.)
butter

Basically make a peanut butter and jelly and fry it up like a grilled cheese.

I will never look up the calories on this- I have no desire to know, neither should you, just enjoy it, you know you want to.

Love me some gooey goodness,

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

These taste just like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sooo good. Thanks to Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, for this scrumptious recipe.


Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Peanutty Frito Cookie

1 bag of Fritos
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup Karo Syrup
1 1/4 cup peanut butter

Spray non stick pray in a 9x13 baking pan.

Pour Fritos into large bowl.

Add sugar, peanut butter and Karo Syrup into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until all ingredients have melted together.

Pour over Fritos and mix, be careful it is hot!

Evenly spread into baking sheet. Let cool on counter for awhile and then put into refrigerator. Cut and serve.

For another version when mixing melted sauce and fritos throw in some M&M's or chocolate chips for a chocolate version. My husband loved these and so did I! Enjoy y'all.