Dark Chocolate Dipped Peanut Cookies

My room mate and I exchanged Christmas gifts to each other a couple of days after Christmas. He was a little baffled as to what to get me but I was ready for this question. I told him that I desperately needed new cookie sheets. Mine were over 4 years old!

 

Not only did he get me amazing Nordic Ware cookie sheets, he got me wire racks. I didn't have any proper ones. I only had makeshift ones. I felt so spoiled!

 

The cookie sheets came with a recipe for cookies. So, naturally, I decided to christen the baking sheets with the recipe that came with them.

I used 90% organic products and I highly suggest using at least organic peanut butter and dark chocolate when making these. These cookies weren't too soft and weren't too hard. They were just right. Dipping them in chocolate and then sprinkling on the peanuts makes them appear more gourmet (like they came from a candy shop.) And of course the pairing of peanuts and chocolate is a win-win, just like this recipe!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Peanut Cookies (adapted from the recipe that came with Nordic Ware cookie sheets)

1/2 C butter, room temperature

1/2 C peanut butter

1 C and 2 Tblsp flour

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped peanuts, divided (Erika's Extras: I used salted peanuts)

8oz dark chocolate

 

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a mixer bowl, mix butter and peanut butter on medium speed until combined. Add 3/4 C flour and the sugar, egg, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add remaining flour (1/4 C & 2 Tblsp) and mix to combine. Stir in 1/2 C chopped peanuts. Place level scoops from cookie scoop onto baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown on the edges. (Might take up to 12 minutes.) Cool on wire racks.

 

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate and place on baking sheets lined with waxed paper. Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped peanuts. Refrigerate cookies until chocolate is set.

 

Erika's Extra: I had left over melted chocolate and chopped peanuts, so I mixed them together and placed the mixture on waxed paper in a ramekin. Then I placed it in the fridge to harden and I ended up with a lovely chocolate bar to snack on.

Bake well and prosper!

Salted Peanut and Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Buckwheat Flour)

'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la. Wow. That's a lot of la-ing. How about some ooo-la-la-ing at Bergdorf Goodman's windows?

 Tons of sparkle from lady's Bergdorf.

 I feel like some one's getting ready for the Baz Luhrman Great Gatsby.

Such fantastic imagination must go into each window!

A little optical illusion for passer-bys. Which way is up?

And from the men's store? Monkeys!

 Playing violins (like basses)!

Jamming on the piano.

And soaring through Manhattan...I mean the air!

If those monkeys have elephant friends, they could share and enjoy these cookies made with peanuts. I think the elephant would REALLY like this one.

If anything, I hope my fellow runners like them. I'm bringing them to our Christmas Lights Run after party along with buttered rosemary and orange nuts.

'Tis the season for lots of parties, fa la la la la la la la la!
'Tis the season for lots of baking, fa la la la la la oo la la!

Salted Peanut and Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Buckwheat Flour) (adapted from Almond Corner)
makes about 30  
1 C buckwheat flour
1 C flour1 and a half sticks of butter
1/2 C sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 egg2/3 C salted peanuts
1 C dark or milk chocolate chip

Preheat the oven to 355°F. Cream soft butter with sugar until fluffy, add vanilla extract and finally beat in the egg. Coarsely chop peanuts. Sift flour on top of the butter mixture, add chocolate chip and peanuts and knead everything together. Take the dough and form an about 3-4 cm diameter roll. Cut roll in about 0.5 cm slices and put them onto the baking paper covered sheet. Flatten them with the help of your fingers and bake about 10 minutes. (Erika's Extras: Since I used chocolate chunks I found the dough log more difficult to cut.)

Bake well and prosper! 

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies



Do you ever feel like you just can't get a break? I think that's the way NYC feels right now when dealing with mother nature. Last week was Hurricane Sandy. This week was Nor'Easter Athena which meant snow.

Looks pretty, but it's been too much crazy weather for me in just a week's time. And guess what! It's going to be 60+ degrees F this weekend!

 

I DID get a break when making these cookies though. I saw a lovely photo on a Czechoslovakian blog. I don't read that language but google.com/translate does! I added a little more flour than the original recipe so they became less flat, but besides that I think everything worked out just fine!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (translated from Sweet Pixel Blog)

Ingredients

1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 bananas, crushed

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter

8 tablespoons butter
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup milk
3/4 cup of dark chocolate, coarsely grated
3/4 cup of peanuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 340° F. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add the sugar, brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract, milk and banana pieces. Mix.
In a smaller bowl, mix the flour and baking powder and add to the mixture. Finally, stir chocolate chips and peanuts.

Spoon the batter onto a baking sheet and spread it out in the shape of a circle. Leave a good amount of room between dough.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Once out of the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes and then add sliced chocolate and peanuts on top if desired. 

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Apple "Nacho" Bites

Welcome to Day 2 of

I'm really excited about this recipe. I saw it on Real Mom Kitchen and bought an apple corer that same day. (Laura aka Real Mom was even awesome enough to answer my question of if the apples turn brown too quickly with this recipe. Answer: She left them out for an hour and they didn't brown. Sweet!)

I made this last night and my boyfriend and I loved it! I even brought the ingredients in to work today to make it again for a yummy mid-afternoon snack.

I modified the slices of apple into chunks of apple seeing my upper arm strength is lacking and an apple corer made me sweat!

This is great for an pick me up at work or a go to after school snack!

Apple "Nacho" Bites (adapted from Real Mom's Apple Nachos)

Ingredients

•30 large marshmallows

•1/3 cup butter, cubed

•1/4 cup caramel apple dip
•4 medium tart apples, sliced into bite sized pieces (I used Macintosh apples)
•1/3 cup nut topping (the kind with the ice cram toppings) or chopped dry roasted peanuts
•1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1.In a large saucepan, melt marshmallows and butter.
2.Arrange apples in small bowls or plates. Place caramel dip into a quart sized zipper bag. Snip off one corner with some scissors and drizzle caramel over the apples.
3.Then drizzle with the marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle with nut topping and chocolate chips. Serve immediately.

Erika's Extra: I halved the recipe. I found that you can also microwave the butter and marshmallows (I used minis) and it yields the same results. Just microwave for 15 seconds, stir, and repeat until the gooey consistancy forms. Be careful though - the microwaved bowl will be hot!

Have you recently blogged about an apple dessert? Send me the link at erika8cookies@gmail.com. My last post in my Apple a Day posts will include a list of others' links of apple recipes. (Dessert only please!)Thanks!

 Bake well and prosper!

I LOVE NY!!!

It's been said by many. It's been misunderstood by many. For instance, my mom was in town a couple of weekends ago to see the opera I was in and kept saying how she doesn't understand how I can live in NYC. She can only deal with the tall buildings and close surroundings for about 3 days.

There are just so many things I could say about NY. Today I shall just share one experience.

I was in my kitchen this past Sunday looking at my sifter and thinking about a line from the opera I was just in. It was in old English and the father said, "I shall go and sift her." I'm sure it means "I will go and set her straight" but I couldn't help but think about baking. lol

All of a sudden I heard tons of honking from the street below. I ran to the window where my beautiful cake was cooling.

I stopped to admire its beauty and thought how lovely the top of it would be for wall paper on a computer.

I was shaken out of my state of admiration with the noise of music. There was an accordion outside!!!
There was dancing outside!

On this dreary Sunday, the superintendent's family was celebrating and I had a bird's eye view. It was like the whole street was celebrating and the gray clouds were a thing of the past. Then the bride arrived and a even fresher breath of air flowed through the street. And wouldn't you know it! She started dancing too!

I forced myself from the mesmerizing scene to finish my dessert that I was bringing to a board game night I was attending in Brooklyn that evening. Yep! Another reason I love NY. One second a street dance party, the next Bananagrams!

Oh, and by the way...yes, the dessert I made WAS messy.

Peanut Bars (from my Mom's Best Recipes Book)

Sponge Cake:

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C milk

1 T butter

1 t vanilla

1 C flour (bread flour is good)

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

 

Frosting:

half and half

powdered sugar

unsalted peanuts

 

Cake:

In a small saucepan, scald milk, add butter. Beat eggs until light, add sugar and beat well. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt that have been sifted together. Stir in vanilla and milk mixture. Bake in greased pan (about 7 1/2 by 10 inches) for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool well. Cut in narrow bars.

 

Frosting:

Frost sides and bottom with frosting made with powdered sugar and thin cream (half & half). Roll in unsalted peanuts that have been ground in a food processor.

Bake well and prosper!