The best Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies

We are heading there to  Utah visit Mike's family  so I was on pinterest looking up places to eat.
I found a women's blog where she did a post about her favorite restaurants.  While exploring her blog I was a picture of cookies that just looked so yummy. Chocolate and peanut butter in desserts are my favorite. 

So apparently there is a popular bakery called Cutlers in Utah.  Unfortunately I won't be e near it on our visit.  But this lady went there and took there classes where they learned how to make some of their most popular cookies.  So I pinned the recipe and decided I would have to try it.

These are the best cookies I have ever made.  It was time consuming since it involved baking cookies and making 2 buttercream icings.  But oh my gosh.  I wish I had some right now..  You have to make these!

Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature1 cup brown sugar1 cup white sugar1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon vanilla2 eggs3 1/4 cups cake flour ( he uses cake flour in all of Cutler's cookies)1- 12 oz bag Reese's Peanut Butter chips (no substitutions)Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven.Cream together butter, sugars, salt, baking soda and powder.  Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.Add flour and peanut butter chips. Mix just until flour and chips are blended together.Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, or just a large spoon, scoop into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 4 inches apart.  I bake about 8 cookies per sheet.Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set.

Butter Frosting1/2 cup butter, soft-room temperature3 cups powdered sugar1/2 cup peanut butter (not natural)milk to thin to proper consistency (whole milk is best)Cream together room-temperature butter and powdered sugar. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth. Add milk a tablespoon at time, just until frosting is smooth and creamy. Set aside. *I've made these with only 2 cups powdered sugar before and it turned out good too. It was a little less sweet and a thicker frosting but it worked.

Chocolate Frosting1 cup butter or 1/2 and 1/2 blend butter/margarine5-6 cups powdered sugar1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (or less if you like a lighter cocoa frosting)1 tablespoon vanilla1/4 to 1/3 cup milkCream butter and 5 cups powdered sugar. Add cocoa and vanilla. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more powdered sugar.

Now it's time to frost the cookies! First, the peanut butter, then you gently frost the chocolate frosting on top of that. Try to leave a small space between the peanut butter frosting and the chocolate for a layered look.

 

from abountifulkitchen

Cream Cheese Cookies

If you bake cookies for the holidays then here is a new recipe to try.  I got this recipe from a scrapbook message board.  It was posted and 100's of people replied how good it was. The cookies are very soft.  I like to ice these types of cookies.  The original recipe calls for lemon icing.  If you like lemon then make them with that icing.  I hate lemon in my desserts so I took out the lemon juice and lemon rind and used a tsp of real almond extract.  I also think it would be good with chocolate drizzled on top. 

Cream Cheese Cookies

1 cup butter
1 sm pkg of Cream Cheese (3oz)
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese . Slowly add sugar beat until fluffy
Beat in egg yolk, add flour and vanilla. Mix Well. Chill dough
For at least 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 mins.

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons of butter
1 grated lemon rind

Cream butter and add sugar slowly add lemon juice and rind.
Spread on warm cookies

Fudge Puddles

I made these last week and they were a big hit. They were gone so fast. Usually I freeze some cookies for later, but I had none left. Make these!

Fudge Puddles
For the cookie shell:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

For the fudge filling:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla
chopped nuts or sprinkles(optional)


1. In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla.

2. Next, in a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mix. to the creamy mixture.

3. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour (or if you're impatient like me, in the freezer for about 15 minutes). Remove from fridge and form into 1" balls. Grease a mini-muffin pan and add 1 ball to each muffin cup.

4 .Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and make an indentation in the center of each ball.

5.Let them cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack. Once all of the cookies are done baking, it's time to make the fudge filling.

6. In a microwave safe bowl or saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the nuts/sprinkles. Microwave for 1 minutes. Stir well. If there are still unmelted chips, continue to melt in microwave for 15 second increments until all smooth. Immediately start filling the cookie cups with the filling. It will start to harden just a bit as you do it, so make sure to give it a good stir once in awhile. Sprinkle with the nuts or just leave plain. Let set for an hour or so.

recipe from sundaybaker.net

Lofthouse Cookie Clone Recipe

I have seen the recipe for these cookies on a bunch of blogs now so I thought I would try them out. Everyone seems to enjoy these cookies from the store. The husband liked these and he doesn't like sugar cookies. They are super soft and tasty. Mine really flattened even though I kept the dough chilled. So they didn't look like lofthouse cookies. And the icing wasn't really the same but still good. Mine was like a thick glaze which I actually prefer. I will definitely make these again.


Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.) Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.) Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Sweet Tooth

This pregnancy has left me wanting anything sweet... cookies, cake, you name it. Here are 2 recipes I have made to help with this: Monster Cookies and Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

I have been making tons of cookies lately. Mike loves when we go to Amish Country and get their Monster cookies. So I found this recipe and he loved them. He ate like 6 the night I made them! When we get them in Ohio they have a powdered sugar type glaze, so next time i will try to add that to the top for him.

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3 cups peanut butter
2 1/3 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
9 cups quick oats
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars together. Add eggs, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla, syrup, and baking soda. Add the oats one cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a large cookie scoop or large Tablespoon heaped. Bake at 350*F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven when they still look soft.



We also made some cinnamon streusel pancakes. I found this recipe linked to a travel site I was looking at. Apparently these are from some place near Hollywood. We enjoyed them but they are huge. I only ate one. But very yummy. The site has some other recipes I want to try.



Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Streusel:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Do not over mix, batter will be slightly lumpy.

3. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

4. Serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

Makes 6 very large pancakes

http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/cinnamon-streusel-pancakes/

No bake cookies

I never liked these growing up. Maybe it was the way they looked (I was/am a very picky eater). Maybe its b/c most of the time they had nuts (since most recipes call for chunky peanut butter). Who knows? But today I wanted them and they tasted yummy. I wanted cake the other day, made one and it was a bust. Very depressing, especially when you are pregnant and REALLY wanted it. So today it was a quick recipe to satisfy my chocolate craving. Here it is:

Ingredients

* 2 cups white sugar
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup margarine (I used butter)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 pinch salt
* 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (I use regular/creamy peanut butter)
* 3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.
2. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool. Makes 24.

Christmas cookies

What did you make over the holidays? I haven't been cooking too much. But I did do a lot of baking for our Christmas cookie tray.

This year we had:
chocolate chip cookies
sugar cookies
oatmeal scotchies
peanut butter cup cookies
candy cane hershey kiss cookies
buckeyes
oreo truffles
mint oreo truffles
golden oreo truffles

I got the sugar cookie recipe here: http://creatingpostitnotes.blogspot.com/2010/02/almondine-sugar-cookies.html (here). They were delicious. She sells them so I knew they had to be good.

I also tried a new recipe. These turned out very good. Moist, chewy and just enough mint. I did not add the peppermint extract.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1¼ cups butter, at room temperature
1 tsp peppermint extract, optional
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped Candy Cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses
granulated sugar
additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into ¾-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They’ll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften… so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks.

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen

See recipe here

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have one go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I will post it later. I just tried this recipe by Alton Brown on the food network. Mike really liked them and It got rave reviews from several people (one who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies).

I didn't have bread flour but they still turned out great. I will have to try it with bread flour next time.

Ingredients

* 2 sticks unsalted butter
* 2 1/4 cups bread flour
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from here