No-Bake Cookies

Here's your post Anne! The trick to making good No-Bake's is to start timing when the mixture reaches a full rolling boil. If you boil too long the cookies will be dry and crumbly. If you don't boil long enough, the cookies won't form properly.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (I use smooth)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pie

I have been making this recipe for a couple years now for gatherings. So I decided to make it last weekend for Memorial Day festivities. This is always a crowd pleaser, and it makes 2 pies! You can take both to the get together or take one and then have another one at home just for your family. Enjoy!

Source: Taste of Home

Servings: 2 pies (6-8 servings each).

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 cups Domino® or C&H® Pure Cane Powdered Sugar
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
• Dry roasted peanuts (optional; I didn't do this)
  

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and milk until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crusts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle with peanuts.


*Sorry no pictures this time!

Peanut Buttery Goodness

While everyone else was having babies this weekend, I decided to make cookies.  Since it was Laetare Sunday and the Solemnity of the Annunciation is this Wednesday, I decided it was a good time to try a new recipe -- eat a few while baking to make sure they were okay, and then take the rest into work on Wednesday!

Recipe courtesy of Jamieann at The Sweetest Kitchen (and she got them from Bon Appetit and Taste of Home)

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, peanut butter and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in both sugars. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir half of dry ingredients into mixture. Add eggs 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in remaining dry ingredients.

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough into 1 3/4-inch-diameter ball. Arrange dough balls 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using back of fork, flatten dough balls and form crosshatch design on tops. Bake cookies until dry on top and golden brown on bottom, about 14 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie Filling
Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 -6 tablespoons milk

Method
In a large mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.  Spread filling on half of the cookies and top with another cookie.

They're fantastic!!  Really peanut-buttery!  I'm taking Jamieann's advice and refrigerating the cookies with filling since the filling has milk in it.  (It also has the added benefit of softening up the otherwise kind-of-hard cookies.)

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

I found this recipe the other day when looking for something to "fix" my chocolate and peanut butter craving.

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and set out a 9 x 13 baking pan (do not grease the pan).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (I was out of vanilla but they tasted fine)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

frosting

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Beat the butter and peanut butter for 30 seconds.
2. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips.
4. Bake in a 9 x 13 pan at 350 for 20 - 22 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips
6. Let chips stand for 5 minutes then spread over the bars then let them cool.
7. When cooled, mix the icing ingredients together to a drizzling consistency. (I made mine thicker and put it in a pastry bag and piped it onto the bars)
8.Drizzle over chocolate layer and cut in to bars.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookie

Otherwise known as the new favorite cookie at the Facemyer house.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter (not all-natural), divided
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in small bowl.
   
3. Melt 1 cup morsels in a small, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth. (I do this in the microwave)
4. Beat granulated sugar, 1/3 cup peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
   
5. Beat in melted chocolate.
   
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
   
7. Gradually beat in dry ingredients.
   
8. Stir in remaining morsels.
   
9. Cover and refrigerate just until firm.
10. Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls; press thumb into tops to make about 1/2-inch-deep depressions.
    
11. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Fill each depression with about 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter. (I put the peanut butter in to a pastry bag and squeeze it in to the thumb prints. If you don't have a pastry bag, try using a plastic storage bag and cut a small piece of the corner off.)
    
12. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still slightly soft. (I bake for about 12 minutes and that makes a nice chewy cookie)
    
13. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completed

Unique Pancake Toppings - Submit Yours!

This morning in our fridge, I discovered that there was leftover blueberry pancakes and sausage from The Pancake House Restaurant. It was my mom's, but she said I could eat it for breakfast. I'm not really a big pancake/waffle fan because it's too much carbs at once for me, and syrup isn't really my thing anymore. Don't ask me why, but this morning I was hungry enough to eat it. My mom has a belgian waffle maker and last time she made them, I ate them with an unusual assortment of toppings. So today I did the same. I thought it would be fun for us to give each other some ideas, just for the sake of something different (and maybe more healthy).

On my blueberry pancakes, I smeared peanut butter and smashed some raspberries onto it. seriously. it's awesome. i dont miss butter or syrup at all with this concoction.

ok, now you!