peanut butter Archives - Page 2 of 2

Desserts

peanut butter bars

Are you like me? Do you enjoy discovering new recipes? I usually find new recipes online, but I also am addicted to well-written cookbooks. This peanut butter bars recipe is lightly adapted from the Fat Witch Brownies cookbook, which is one of the best specialty cookbooks E-V-E-R.

If you’ve never had brownies from New York City’s legendary Fat Witch Bakery, well…I’m sorry. Because their deliciousness and decadence rivals those found in (shameless plug) Baked Chicago’s Simply Decadent Brownies cookbook. [If you’re a baking aficionado, then you need to get the Fat Witch cookbook. I’ll assume you already have the Baked Chicago brownies cookbook. ;0) – But if not, watch for a special announcement on February 1 kicking off National Chocolate Month.]

I was specifically searching for a peanut butter flavored dessert to bake as part of a peanut butter-themed goodie box for my niece. She – like most of the world – loves peanut butter. Overall, this recipe was easy-to-follow (all the directions are on one page – love that!). My only comment (and I always assume it could be human operator error – me) is that I was expecting a bold peanut butter flavor in these bars.

I did add semisweet chocolate chips (which the recipe says is optional, but recommends) and to me the bar tasted more like a chocolate chip cookie bar. The butter and the chocolate were the primary flavors that came through, with a hint of peanut butter peering out. I used crunchy peanut butter (as the recipe called for) but I think if I had also added rough chopped dry roasted peanuts that it would have elevated the peanut butter in the flavor profile.

That said, the bars were irresistible. I cut 9 bars from the 9×9-inch pan (recipe suggested 12 to 16 bars) because I like a big bar. And only 6 of them made it into the goodie box.

Peanut Butter Bars

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch by 9-inch baking pan with butter. Dust with flour and tap out the excess flour.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugars until smooth. Add the peanut butter and continue mixing until well combined. Beat in the vanilla and butter. Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until well combined and there’s not a trace of dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a spatula, spread the dough evenly in the prepared baking pan. The batter is very thick, so this may be a challenge; using a spatula makes it easier.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in plan for 1 hour before cutting into 9 large bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Number of servings: 9

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Desserts

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Cookies

When I think of oatmeal, I immediately think of breakfast. These oatmeal peanut butter cookies are easy to make and are a delicious way to get more fiber in your diet. And one might argue that you could even consider these to be “breakfast cookies” which are also highly portable for a breakfast on the run.

The breakfast cookie debate aside, I’ve never liked eating hot oatmeal on its own for breakfast or any meal. As a kid, I was more of a Cream of Wheat fan topped with maple syrup.

But oatmeal as a featured ingredient in another dish – well I can get behind that big time.

Oatmeal adds a great textural dimension to meatloaf and muffin recipes. And an oatmeal base for “breakfast cookies” provides a blank canvas for healthy options like apples, raisins or nuts.

This recipe is my riff off the classic Quaker Oats oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Stir in the oats by hand, then fold in the peanut butter chips until well blended.

Using a cookie dough scoop, drop onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Or the old-school way of dropping by rounded tablespoons.

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen Oatmeal-Peanut Butter cookies.

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Cookies

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

14 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups old fashioned, rolled oats

1 cup peanut butter chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.

Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Stir in the oats by hand, then fold in the peanut butter chips until well blended. Using a cookie dough scoop, drop onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Or the old-school way of dropping by rounded tablespoons.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until lightly brown. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

http://bakedchicago.com/oatmeal-peanut-butter-cookies/

Breads

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Roasted Cacao Nibs

This peanut butter banana bread with roasted cacao nibs is the latest experiment from my kitchen. I’d never used roasted cacao nibs before, so I was excited to create this recipe to see what kind of texture and flavor it would bring. Cacao nibs are bits of fermented, dried, roasted and crushed cacao bean. They have a nutty, chocolaty flavor, but aren’t sweet.

I wanted to do a riff on banana bread, adding in some crunchy peanut butter (one of my favorite ingredients) and roasted cacao nibs. But I was having some trouble finding cacao nibs in local grocery stores. So I found roasted cacao nibs online at The Spice House in Chicago. This is Chicago’s spice mecca. Their bricks-and-mortar store is so enticing, because each aisle is brimming with unique spice blends. It’s safer for my wallet to buy from their online store. [Yes, my name is Harvey and I’m a spice addict.] I’ve purchased their lavender vanilla sugar mix, double-strength vanilla, candied gingers and baking lavender there in the past, along with gifting to family and friends one of their most popular items: Ethnic Chicago Neighborhoods Spice Blends.

With banana as the primary canvas, I wanted to mix in ingredients that would add depth to the flavor. In this recipe, I used whole wheat flour – but you could substitute all-purpose flour, if you desire. And you could substitute granulated sugar instead of dark brown sugar.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Roasted Cacao Nibs

Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: 10 servings

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Roasted Cacao Nibs

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 small bananas)

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup roasted cacao nibs

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Generously grease a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until it's light in color. Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix just until combined. Then add the mashed bananas and peanut butter; blend thoroughly.

Add lemon juice to the milk. Don't worry if the milk curdles slightly. Alternate the addition of dry ingredients (in 3 parts) with the wet ingredients (in 2 parts). After each addition, mix only until the ingredients are blended.

Fold in the roasted cacao nibs by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. With a spatula, level off the batter to ensure even baking and rising.

Bake for 55 minutes or until the bread springs back when touched lightly in the middle. Do not over bake; the cacao nibs - which are already roasted - will have a tendency to burn if the bread is baked for too long. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the peanut butter banana bread from the loaf.

http://bakedchicago.com/peanut-butter-banana-bread/

Desserts

cacao (king of the) jungle cookies

Happy birthday to Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘N ‘ Roll®. Elvis was known to love his peanut butter, bananas and bacon. All three of those flavors are rolled up into this sandwich cookie that I’ve named Cacao Jungle Cookies. I’ve thrown in some roasted cacao nibs for a deep chocolate crunch.

While the recipe calls for using semisweet chocolate in the brownie sandwich cookie base (it balances well with the banana-bacon cream filling), I also recommend trying a more decadent version of the cookie by substituting the semisweet chocolate with Scharffen Berger’s 82% Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate which gives a stronger flavor contrast.

Cacao Jungle Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and let cool. Finely chop the bacon and set aside.

Place the semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted; set aside and let cool. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, use a mixer to beat together the butter and sugars (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in the chocolate and flour mixtures. Mix just until combined. Fold in the cacao nibs by hand.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool completely. Yields about 32 cookies, which makes 16 sandwich cookies.

While the cookies are baking, beat the softened butter, peanut butter, mashed banana and cream cheese in a medium bowl, until just mixed. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt, mixing until combined. Fold in the bacon by hand.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. When ready to assemble the cookies, put 1 tablespoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie. Then place another cookie on top.

Ingredients:

Sandwich Cookie Ingredients:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate (62% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup roasted cacao nibs

Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
pinch of kosher salt
4 slices of bacon, crispy and finely chopped

Number of servings: 8 (2 sandwich cookies per person)

Cooking time: 14 minutes

Breakfast

chocolate waffles and peanut butter syrup

Start off making the peanut butter syrup by melting 3 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in peanut butter until thoroughly combined. In small bowl, stir together syrup and water. Then stir syrup mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve the syrup warm on top of the waffles.

While the syrup is simmering, you can combine 1/2 cup butter and chocolate in another medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat and stir constantly until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Then stir in eggs and vanilla, just until combined. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk until batter is smooth.

Add batter to a preheated, lightly greased waffle maker. Bake per manufacturer’s instructions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off the griddle. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve topped with warm peanut butter syrup.

Cover and refrigerate any remaining syrup for up to 3 days.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup water

Number of servings: 6 (2 waffles each)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

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Desserts

Peanut Butter and Jelly Brownies

If you knew me, you’d be surprised that I’d even consider creating a recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Brownies. Why, you ask? Let me lie down on the couch and explain. I’m one of those people who loves peanut butter, who likes jelly and jam – but is NOT a fan of peanut butter and jelly together. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me. Well, maybe I do know why.

When I think peanut butter and jelly, I think of PB&J sandwiches. Growing up in the 70’s, we used to have Smucker’s PB&J (Grape) in the cupboards. Strips of peanut butter and strips of jelly in a single jar – in theory – makes sense. It was the 70’s and we all craved for innovation in our kitchens (or at least our moms did). But in practice, having peanut butter and jelly in the same jar was nothing more than a blobby mess.

And as child #4 out of 6, we had an assembly line of PB&J sandwich-making each night to get school lunches ready for the next day. Add in that I loathe, loathe, loathe mushy bread, those PF&J sandwiches were not a fond memory from my childhood. Now if that’s among the most annoying things in my childhood, I really should not complain. But it left a psychic scar on my palate.

I usually consume my peanut butter separate from my jelly. Actually, as an adult male, I now gravitate toward blackberry jam. [Quite adult of me, don’t you think.] This PB&J aversion might not make sense to you. But consuming peanut butter separate from my jam makes perfect sense to my palate – and it satisfies three levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for me: physiological, safety and self-actualization (yes, honest to goodness self-actualization). Don’t let my crazy stop you from trying this combination in your next brownies.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Brownies

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease bottom of a 9×9-inch square baking pan with butter or shortening.

Beat butter, brown sugar and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and then mix well. Beat in flour and salt until well blended. Fold in chopped dark chocolate.

Spread batter in the prepared baking pan. Drop jam by spoonfuls over batter, and then swirl into the batter with a butter knife to create a marble effect. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Lightly dust with cinnamon-sugar mixture and cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 brownies.

Brownie Points: Jam is better for baking than jelly because it includes pieces of actual fruit, whereas, jelly is made up of only fruit juices. Use any of your favorite jams for this recipe. For a stronger flavor contrast against the dark chocolate, try strawberry, raspberry or apricot jam.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup jam
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Number of servings: 24

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Desserts

Peanut Butter Whirled Brownies

Peanut butter just makes the world a better place! While the mix of peanut butter and chocolate is a universally popular flavor combination, it’s the texture of the crunchy peanut butter in these peanut butter brownies that makes them extra delicious. Don’t have crunchy peanut butter? Simply add some chopped roasted peanuts to creamy peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Whirled Brownies

Preheat your oven to 325° F. Lightly grease the bottom of an 8×8-inch baking pan with butter or shortening.

In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stir 8 tablespoons butter plus chocolates together until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Take the chocolate mixture and whisk in the granulated sugar. Then add eggs and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture, just until combined. Set aside.

For the peanut butter filling, stir together the 4 tablespoons butter, confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.

Spread 1/3 of the batter in the prepared baking pan. Drop dollops of the peanut butter filling (1 tablespoon each) on top of the batter, spaced about 1 inch apart. Drizzle the remaining batter on top and gently spread it to fill the entire pan. Drop dollops of the remaining peanut butter filling on top. With a butter knife, gently swirl the peanut butter filling by running knife lengthwise and crosswise through batter.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few dry crumbs. Let the peanut butter brownies cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows to make 16 peanut butter brownies.

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3 eggs
2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Number of servings: 16

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Desserts

Peanut Butter Pound Cake

Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

1 slice

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

3 cups dark brown sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt cake pan. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Stir into butter mixture alternately with milk. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

http://bakedchicago.com/peanut-butter-pound-cake/

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