chocolate-peanut butter- sandwiches

  At church  I am a leader to the little girls who are 8-11 years old.  twice  a month we all get together and do fun activities....  Could there be anything cuter? I love these girls they are so fun!!!
   A few weeks ago we made treats to leave as surprise on someones door step.  We have over 20 girls so we try and do fun but simple ideas.  These treats were so simple even your smaller kids can help and they were well lets say really really good.   I made sure all the leftovers were taken away so  I would not be tempted.  But then  a cute little girl brought me a whole plate. My son is allergic to peanut butter.  So like any caring, responisble mother would do I ate them all. I didn't want to chance him finding them and get sick.   Any loving mom would do it, it was for my child.  Don't judge!
   These truly are so simple and quick so if you still have room on your goodie plates for friends and neighbors these have to go on them.

  The best part is you do not even have to turn on your oven or go to the store I bet you have all the ingredients in your pantry.

  Ingredients
40 ritz crackers
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound semi sweet chocolate chips

				Directions

Spread peanut butter onto one cracker and top with another cracker to make a sandwich. Repeat with all the crackers. Melt chocolate I use a double boiler or in a bowl in the microwave in small increments  if the chocolate seems too thick add 1T of oil . Dip each sandwich into chocolate with a fork, tapping excess back into the bowl. Place onto wax paper to cool. Allow to set. Store between layers of wax paper. These freeze very well.

You could change it up too different kinds of chocolate or put sprinkles on top or drizzle with chocolate.

Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

Are you still searching for the perfect cookie to fill your plates at your next cookie exchange or neighbor gifts?  These would surly fit the bill.  These are worth 1 million dollars... Well kind of these cookies won  The Pillsbury cook off
2008 Grand Prize Winner:
Carolyn Gurtz, Gaithersburg, MD

Winning Recipe:
Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies (see recipe below)

Prize:
$1,000,000
 

 Pretty cool huh. I wouldn't mind that, there was some stiff competition though.  Making these won't make you  1 million dollars richer,but it is fun and they taste oh so good.

It's a twist on the classic peanut butter cookie! Crunchy outside, creamy inside, with just a hint of cinnamon. A real winner!

Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup Fisher® Dry Roasted Peanuts, finely chopped

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup JIF® Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated peanut butter cookies, well chilled

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
• In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1-inch) balls.
• Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls.
• Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray; press into remaining peanut mixture. Flatten each ball to 1/2-inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough.
• Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.

peanut butter blossoms take 2

Last week I posted these peanut butter blossoms.  A reader of mine and a friend who happens to be a cookie queen.  She makes the best cookies (she actually sells them too)  she gave me this recipe. I thought it was fun and different and so quick and easy. 
 Last night I was taking dinner to a  friend who just had a baby, and with 20 minutes left before I needed to deliver I realized I had no dessert to bring.  I know, I know I have been baking all week, my freezer should be bursting with cookies, but I have to admit i have no idea where they all went, but besides a few crumbs there are gone....  my bursting buttons could point to the problem, but lets ignore that fact... I needed cookies NOW!
   So I whipped these up from start to finished on plates going to her house it was 15 minutes.  That is my kind of Cookie.  and so good too.

this is the same picture as the ones I made before, but they look he same and this time they were out the door too fast to take a picture!

Hershey Kiss Cookies
 Carrie Paternoster
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
¾ cup Peanut Butter
2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag Hershey Kisses
Cream the condensed milk and peanut butter. Then add the Bisquick and vanilla. Mix until combined. Form dough into small balls, about the size of a large olive. Roll dough in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat the whole ball. Then place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes. Then pull out of oven and press a Hershey Kiss in the top of each cookie. Return to oven for 1 more minute and no longer! Cool on pan for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack . Will take a couple hours for kisses to totally cool off and set up again.
*Tip: Unwrap all of your Hershey Kisses before you put any cookies in the oven. You have to have them all unwrapped and ready to quickly press into the cookies after the 6 minutes
  Thanks Carrie they were a great success.

my one weakness.....

Chocolate and peanut butter.  It really is  weakness of mine! Lately I have been watching this BBC show called Lark Rise to Candlewood. A series my family got me started on,  it is really good anyone else heard of it??  I am alone?    Anyways this postmistress lady in the show says after every pleasure she indulges in says, "This is my one weakness".  It is an excuse to indulge. I feel the same way so often....  If only peanut butter and chocolate were my only weakness, but they are a huge one for me and these are some of my favorites!!!!!

  I have been making these for years maybe a decade. I always experiment with different variations on the dough.  These seem to be my favorite.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated sugar for rolling
Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss’s
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat peanut butter and butter until well mixed, then beat in the two sugars until light. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together, then add in 3 batches to the peanut butter mixture, beating well between additions.
3. Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 7 minutes and remove from oven.
4. Immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. Let cookies cool a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
The cookies will keep for several days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

Sugar hangover remedy

I personally do not drink alcohol so I have never had a  hangover, but I have heard that the next morning one of the best remedies is to have one more drink and it will make the headache go away.  I am assuming it is the same for sugar.  I have been fueling my sugar hangover for days now and even the sight of it made me feel nauseous, but I didn't go away til I indulged again....

     So here is my remedy for this morning...a little bit more sugar to take the edge off...
  I was reading at Our Best Bites about a dream Sara had about these pancakes.  They sounded good, banana, chocolate chip and peanut butter maple syrup. She called them Chunky Monkeys.   I didn't give it too much more thought...until I had a dream that night I had made them and they were wonderful..    So I had to try it out and fulfill my dream.... :)

     I was a little rushed that morning and just grabbed my pre-made pancake mix box  and I actually made it as waffles because they are easier for me and I do not have to worry about turning pancakes... I am not always successful at that, I get distracted too easily and forget about them and then they are burnt and.....  anyways....Where was I...  see what I mean... Oh yes waffles

   So I made the waffles as directed  threw in 4 mashed bananas, 1/2 cup chocolate chips or so I never meansure chocolate... some is good, so more is better right????
  Then  you take 1 cup your favorite syrup and 1/2 cup peanut butter and mix together then microwaved until combined and warm.  I used crunchy because that was all I had, but creamy would have been better I also used too much peanut butter (if there is such a thing) for the amount of syrup and mine was very thick and did not run over my waffles, but it still tasted great!!!
  This will for sure cure your headache in the morning...  But you are on your own for lunch :)

  
Printable recipe

one batch your favorite pancake or waffle mix.
4 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped regulars
 (mix in a little bit of flour it helps them not to sink)
  Mix all together and make pancake or waffles as normal

1 cup favorite maple syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter)  whisk together and microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth.  it will thicken as it cools. 
pour liberally over cakes and reheat if necessary.
 I loved the whipped cream on top....