Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

You can never go wrong combining peanut butter and chocolate. These bars are much like the peanut butter balls you see at Christmastime, only they have a crunchy cookie layer which, in my opinion, almost makes these bars better. These bars are incredibly rich and oh-so-delicious and you won't want to stop at just one.

Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
(Source: Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!)

Cookie Base:
8 med Butter Cookies (I used 12 Market Pantry Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies)
1/4 cup salted butter (I used unsalted butter with a pinch of salt)

Chocolate Layers:
2 1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 1/2 cups creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3 cups Confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Crush cookies until finely ground. Add butter and mix. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 8x8 pan and bake 10 minutes and 325°F. Cool to room temperature.

2. Melt chocolate. Pour half into pan and smooth evenly over cookie crust. Place pan in refrigerator. Keep remaining chocolate warm.

3. With electric mixer, blend peanut butter and butter together until smooth. Slowly beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread mixture over chilled chocolate layer.

4. Pour remaining warm chocolate over top and spread smoothly. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

Makes 24-36 bars.

Twix Candy Bar Cookies

I felt like experimenting this weekend and this is what I came up with.

I decided to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, so I picked the King Arthur Flour's Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. This recipe uses vinegar and corn syrup, which are both slightly odd ingredients not normally found in chocolate chip cookies. The corn syrup adds a nice chewiness to the cookies and the vinegar actually works as a leavener to give the cookie a little lift. The resulting cookies had a nice chewiness and were not too sweet, but they were a little on the sticky side due to the caramel in the Twix bar.

Twix Candy Bar Cookie
(Source: The King Arthur Flour's Cookie Companion, adapted from The Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie)

3/4 c softened unsalted butter

2/3 c dark brown sugar (I actually used light brown sugar since that's what I had on hand)

2/3 c granulated sugar

2 tbsp light corn syrup

1 tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar (I used white vinegar)

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

2 c Twix candy bars, chopped

1 c milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and vinegar, then beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the flour and Twix bars/chocolate chips.

3. Drop by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they're just set; the centers may still look underdone. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a baking rack.

Frosted Jumbo Molasses Cookies

Truth be told, I was a little disappointed by this recipe. Though I chilled the dough for well over the three hours recommended, I found the dough sticky and extremely difficult to work with. The dough was impossible to roll out and it was even trickier to transfer the cut-out cookies to the baking sheet. I think the dough is much more suited for simply rolling into balls and placing on the cookie sheet

Having said that, the cookies themselves were delicious, especially when topped with the Vanilla Frosting recipe below. They were soft and chewy, and full of yummy molasses flavor.

Jumbo Molasses Cookies
(Source: Betty Crocker Cookie Book)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening

1 cup dark molasses

1/2 cup water

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1. Beat 1 cup sugar and the shortening in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours until dough is firm.

2. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease cookie sheet.

3.Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on generously floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3-inch circles.

4.Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains wen touched lightly in center. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Top with Vanilla Frosting recipe below.

Vanilla Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp milk

Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I baked this cake for birthday #2 at work this week and oh, man was it delicious.

I was very hesitant to try this recipe because it got such mixed reviews. Some people thought it was the best cake ever, while others complained that it was dry and bland. I am so glad I tried the recipe because it was truly amazing! It might have been a tad on the dry side, but it was dense and full of the rich flavor of peanut butter.

I frosted the cake with my own (store-bought) chocolate frosting and sprinkled it very generously with Reece's Pieces, which added a surprising (and delicious) crunch. I would also seriously consider using a peanut butter frosting with this cake (you can never have too much peanut butter in my book). This cake is a must for anyone who loves the peanut butter-chocolate combination.

Peanut Butter Cake
(Source: Paula Dean over at Food Network)

1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375°F if baking with a metal dish; 325 degrees F if using a glass dish.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat mixture with electric mixer on low until moistened, and then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute.

3. Bake in greased 9-inch by 13-inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not remove from pan to cool.

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

I baked this cake for birthday #1 at work this week.

In all honesty, I'm not a big fan of chocolate (except if it's paired with Peanut Butter), but this cake was good. It was light, moist, and not overly rich. I admit I cheated and used store-bought frosting, but I don't think it compromised the deliciousness of the cake. :)

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
(Source: Hershey's)

2 cups Sugar
1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cups Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Boiling Water

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9 baking pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bale 35-4o minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Scotcheroos

Simply one of the best (and one of the easiest) recipes ever. Definitely an all-time favorite at my house.

Scotcheroos
(Source: Kellogg's)

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Place sugar and corn syrup into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add cereal and mix until well coated. Press mixture into a 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm.

Makes 24 bars.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

Who doesn't love snickerdoodles? I think that these are always a definite crowd pleaser, no matter what the audience. Kids, Teens, Grown-ups...they all love their rich cinnamon-sugar taste. In my opinion, the cream of tartar/baking soda combination is what gives Snickerdoodles their wonderful texture and their sweet, spicy flavor.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
(Source: Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flours, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; mix well.

2. In small bowl, combine 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture, Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Chocolate Chip "Cookie Dough" Cookies

Well, after a brief baking hiatus, I am back in the kitchen.

I think cookies are my favorite thing to bake. They are quick and easy to make, they come in many varieties, and they are easy to share with others. So, when I saw this recipe over at Picky Palate, I knew I just had to try it. And trust me. These cookies are good. Really good.

Chocolate Chip "Cookie Dough" Cookies
(Source: Picky Palate)

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well mixed. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in chocolate chips and cookie dough bites.

2. With a cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until baked to your liking. (I took mine out just under 8 minutes for a delectably soft cookie). Let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

This coffee cake from Baking Bites (can you tell I love Nicole's recipes?) is moist, rich and delicious. It is not a light cake by any means, but it is very tender and does not seem overly heavy or dense. Aside from the hitch with my stupid silicon fluted pan which pulled chunks off of the top, I didn’t have any problems and found the recipe to be fairly simple.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
(Source: Baking Bites)

For the Streusel:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, very soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (low fat or nonfat)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan.

Make the streusel:

Place all your streusel ingredients, except for the butter, in a large bowl and stir together. Cut the butter into 10 or 12 large chunks and add them to the bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly. Some pieces can be large - the size of an almond or pecan - but they shouldn’t all be that big. It may take 4-5 minutes because it is a bit harder to work with soft butter than firm. Set aside.

Make the batter:
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat eggs in one by one, followed by vanilla extract. Alternately add the buttermilk and the flour mixture, making sure to end with an addition of dry ingredients. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you mix.

Scrape half of your batter into the greased, 10-inch tube pan that you prepared earlier. Smooth batter with a spatula and top with streusel. Scrape remaining batter into pan, on top of streusel, gently spreading it to the sides of the pan with your spatula.

Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Place cake on a wire rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the around the outer and inner edges of the pan. Remove tube portion with cake attached. Run knife over the bottom, loosening the cake. Gently replace cake in the pan, which will support it as you turn it upside down. Place a clean dishtowel on top of the pan and a baking sheet on top of that.

Carefully flip pan over, turning cake out onto the baking sheet. Reinvert onto wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

Serves up to 20.

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies

These Lemon Buttermilk Cutout Cookies, found over at Baking Bites, are soft, but not cakelike, cookies (almost like a shortbread cookie) with a hint of lemon, which adds a nice and springlike flavor to what would otherwise be a relatively plain cookie. The dough comes together very quickly and bakes up in only a few minutes, which means that it doesn’t take too long before you can get to the most important parts of cooking-making: decorating (which I am not so good at) and eating (which I am very good at).

Lemon Buttermilk Easter Cookies
(Source: Baking Bites)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tbsp lemon zest (from one lemon)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in buttermilk, egg, zest and extract. Mixture may look a bit curdled if your buttermilk was cold. Don’t worry. With the mixer on low speed or by hand, add in the flour mixture, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Dough will be very soft.

3. Divide dough into two pieces. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for about 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F.

5. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out to no more than 1/4-inch thick (slightly less than that is best) on a lightly floured surface and use a floured cookie cutter to make desired shapes. Transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Reroll remaining dough, chilling for a few minutes if it becomes too warm to handle easily. Repeat with second piece of dough.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F, until the edges are slightly firm to the touch but cookies are not browned (they may be slightly gold at the edges). Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet, then cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Makes 3 dozen fairly large cookies.