Easter DIY

I was up until 3 in the morning making peanut butter, coconut cream and buttercream eggs. They came out beautiful, but I am so...very...tired...

The eggs are not hard to make at all, but they are time consuming. (Especially if you're like me and think you're oh-so-smart by using white chocolate for piping, which I had to keep re-heating, because it doesn't pipe so good when it gets cold.) So plan to spend at least 3 hours or so on one flavor. If your kids are old enough they could help, if not, send them somewhere that is not your kitchen. Also, investing in some disposable vinyl gloves is not a bad idea. :)

Each recipe makes about 20-30 eggs, depending on the size you make them.

Peanut Butter Eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 bags chocolate chips

~In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
~Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is mixed in. (It's easiest if you use your ultra clean hands and just squish it together...again, get some gloves!)
~Add the vanilla, salt and peanut butter and mix well. (Hands are easiest.)
~Put the dough in the freezer for about a half hour, or until firm.
~Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Shape the dough into egg shapes, cover with plastic wrap and return them to the freezer until firm.
~Melt chocolate in a double boiler (aka a glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water).
~Quickly dip the bottoms of the eggs and set on wax paper set on a cookie sheet. Use a metal spatula or knife to spread chocolate over the tops and sides of the eggs.
~Put eggs in fridge until chocolate is set. Carefully pull the hard eggs off the wax paper. Put each egg in a paper baking cup.
~Pipe names on top if desired.

Coconut Cream Eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) bag shredded coconut
2 bags chocolate chips

~Cream butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.
~Add in powdered sugar.
~Mix in vanilla and salt.
~Mix in coconut.
~Follow remaining instructions as above.

Buttercream Eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
2 bags chocolate chips

~Same as coconut cream instructions, minus the coconut.

More Peanut Butter

These cookies are so good that I've had people tell me I should enter them in the state fair. Isn't that cute? And to be honest, I've been making them for such a long time I actually thought I'd already posted the recipe. But I haven't. Shame on me.

So here it is...lovely peanut butter filled cookie goodness. Screaming for a glass of milk and a nap. What a nice thing for the weekend.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. My camera is dead. *sniff*


Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies

Peanut Butter Filling:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter

-Mix together until smooth.
-Roll into thirty 3/4" balls and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until firm (I put them in the freezer if I'm in a real hurry.)

Chocolate Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
-Cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars.
-Mix in the egg white and the vanilla.
-In a seperate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
-Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
-Roll into 30 balls.
-Flatten the balls and put a cold peanut butter ball in the middle, wrapping the dough around it, sealing the seams together.
-Place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheets, flatten slightly with a glass dipped in sugar.
-Bake for 7-9 minutes until cookies are crackled and set. Don't bake over 9 minutes.
-Cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheets, then cool completely on racks.
-Drizzle with icing if desired.

Icing:

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk as needed

-Mix together in a bowl until smooth.
-Spoon into a plastic bag, snip the corner and drizzle in a zig-zag over the cooled cookies.

Look Ma, No Oven!

5 Ingredients. 6 steps. No oven. They taste like Reese's. What more do you need?

Maybe a glass of milk.

These are really good, but insanely rich so cut small...okay, not that small. ;)

No Bake Reese's Squares

1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
1 12 ounce bag milk chocolate chips

-Line a 9x13 pan with foil, waxed paper or parchment overhanging the ends for 'handles' (this makes them easier to get out of the pan).
-Combine the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and mix well (it will look crumbly)
-Pour in the melted butter and stir until well combined.
-Press the mixture evenly into the pan.
-Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Spread over the peanut butter mixture.
-When chocolate is set, cut into bars. You can chill them until the chocolate is set, but they're hard to cut if the chocolate gets too hard, so don't leave them in there too long!

Enjoy!

Pea-Nut, Peanut Butter!

I thought these Peanut Butter Cup Tarts looked so darn cute I had no choice but to make some. Besides that, my mini muffin tin doesn't get out much and I felt bad for it being stuffed in with all my well used cookie sheets. They look like a lot of work, but I cannot even begin to tell you how easy they are.

A big bag of miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups will be more than enough for the recipe, so you'll have a couple to munch on while you're waiting for them to cool. Trust me...that wait to get them out of the pan is LOOOONG.

Peanut Butter Cup Tart Cookies

36 miniature Reese's Peanut Butter cups, unwrapped
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
-Cream peanut butter, butter and sugars until fluffy.
-Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
-Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
-Roll into 1 inch balls (or use a small cookie scoop) and place in miniature muffin tins.
-Bake 8-10 minutes or until they just start to brown.
-When tin is removed from oven immediately press 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each hot cookie.
-Allow cookies to cool completely before removing from tin.

Makes 36 cookies

Ala Peanut Butter Sandwiches!

Believe it or not, I think I might have topped the Exalted Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. I found a recipe in Fine Cooking Magazine a few weeks ago that looked positively sinful...peanut butter cookie sandwiches that were generously slathered with peanut butter cream and chocolate chunks. However, the cookie recipe was for crunchy cookies. I don't like crunchy cookies. I thought the filling would be better married to a chewy peanut butter cookie. So after some searching and a bit of recipe tweaking I think I've come up with the perfect, divine combination.

I made a test batch last night to take to work with me and everyone who tried them thought they were magic.

The peanut butter cookie is chewy and light, but buttery and just the slightest bit crispy on the outside. And the peanut butter cream is flecked with tiny chunks of creamy milk chocolate. What's not to love? All you need to add is a tall glass of cold moo juice.

They're insanely easy to make, so whip up a batch for your favorite people and bring on the love. Happy friday everyone!

Peanut Butter Cream Sandwich Cookies

For the Cookies

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I like Skippy)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

For the Peanut Butter Cream

6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cold heavy cream
1/2 cup small diced milk chocolate (I like to use a big Hershey's Symphony bar--you'll only need a little more than half the bar) or mini chocolate chips


-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
-In a large mixing bowl combine sugars, butter, peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Beat well.
-Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and mix until well combined.
-Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (about the size of a large walnut...a cookie scoop makes this process go much faster) onto an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten each slightly with your fingers.
-Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges just start to brown.
-Cool completely on wire racks.
-To make the Peanut Butter Cream put the butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in a bowl.
-Beat together until smooth.
-Add the heavy cream and beat just until smooth and fluffy.
-Fold in the chocolate.
-Flip your cookies upside down and spread with a generous dollop of peanut butter cream. Top with another cookie to make a sandwich.

Makes 20 sandwiches

Memories Are Made of This

I don't know how many of you grew up where I did in Utah, but if you did you should remember this and you can wax nostalgic with me.

I think the school district had strange ideas on food groups and nutrition...not that that stopped me from eating the stuff they made! Heavens no! One of my favorite menus (I think it was weekly, it was so popular) was French Dip Sandwich day. The food groups on that day consisted of a french dip sandwich with au jus, tater tots and a peanut butter finger. I can't remember if there was a vegetable. I imagine that the tater tots qualified as such back in those days--you know, the early 80's.

At any rate, I remember the fights that ensued over those Peanut Butter Fingers. They were so good! We loved them so much that my sister, who was working for the school district at the time, bribed some lunch ladies for the recipe.

So here it is in all it's glory, kids. Real, honest-to-goodness School Lunch Food! It's written up just as I got it...very simple instructions. Thanks, lunch ladies!

Peanut Butter Fingers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cream Together:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine

Add and Beat well:
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine and then add to peanut butter mixture, mixing well:
2 cups oatmeal (quick rolled oats)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

-Spread the cookie dough evenly onto an ungreased 1/2 pan cookie sheet (mine measures 11x17...if you want to use a 9x13 pan, half the recipe)
-Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
-Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes.
-While still hot spread 1 and 1/2 cups peanut butter over the top.
-Cool completely and frost with chocolate buttercream frosting. (Recipe Follows)
-Cut into bars.

Chocolate Buttercream

This recipe makes just enough to frost these cookies perfectly.

1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

-Beat 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk until creamy.
-Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar and add milk as needed (one tablespoon at a time) until smooth and you reach desired spreading consistency. You might not need all the milk.

The Exalted Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I didn't want to wait too long before I posted this recipe, because Ray says it's the best cookie recipe I've ever made. Speaking of which, I will be off to bake a batch in oh, say...5 minutes? Ray is having a bad week at work doing two jobs while a co-worker is on vacation. Poor thing.

I must admit, I was skeptical that this recipe could be anything more than just another cookie recipe because I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies in the first place. But add chocolate chips to them and they become a whole different animal. Then add some peanut butter chips in addition to all that and they become something altogether criminal. And I mean that in a good way.

Peanut Butter Double Chip Cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter flavor shortening (I use 1/4 cup real butter* and 1/4 cup plain shortening)
1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla (not a typo!)
1 and 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a large bowl cream together the peanut butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy.
-Beat in the egg until fluffy and then beat in the milk and vanilla.
-In a seperate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir this into the peanut butter mixture until just combined.
-Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips until they are distributed evenly throughout the dough.
-Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet a few inches apart.
-Bake 7-9 minutes until the edges just begin to brown. (Tablespoon size cookies will take about 10-12 minutes. Make sure you watch for brown edges so they don't burn.) Remove pan from oven and let sit on the pan for a couple of minutes to set up before putting on cooling racks.

Makes about 2 dozen.

*You can use all butter if you like, but you will need to refrigerate your dough for at least a half hour before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
*The key to soft and chewy cookies is they should look just underdone when you take them out of the oven. This is why you let them sit on the hot pan, because it helps them finish baking without too much heat.

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Tips and Tricks From The Kitchen McMitchell...

Why use shortening in baking?
Shortening melts at a higher temperature than butter, so cookie dough holds its shape longer in the oven, allowing the flour and eggs to set before the cookie collapses and spreads. Using butter or margarine (which has a melting point only a degree or two above butter and a higher water content) produces a cookie that spreads out more. Vegetable shortening is ideal for pastry, too, since it blends easily with flour.

If your cookies are ending up flat...
First, try refrigerating your dough. This will help harden the fat you used in your recipe and will give the cookie a chance to bake before the fat melts.
Second, try adding a little extra flour to your recipe. Just a couple of tablespoons (especially at high altitudes) might be enough to help your cookies hold their shape.
Third, test your baking soda/baking powder to make sure it's still working as a leavening agent.