Easy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

I adapted this delicious and easy recipe from All Recipes December/January 2016 magazine. They are so yummy!

Easy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of flour

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 stick of butter, softened

3 Tb. milk

1 large egg

1 Tb. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1+ cup of chocolate chips (I used Guittard Milk Chocolate)

Directions:

1. Mix butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar together until nicely blended. Preheat your oven to 375*.

2. Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on the edges.Then spray with bakers joy or another nonstick spray.

3. Add in milk, vanilla, and egg to your butter/sugar mixture. (I totally forgot to add the milk and mine still turned out good).

4. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Carefully add to your dough and mix together.

5. Add in chocolate chips, mixing to incorporate them throughout the dough.

6. Evenly press the dough into your pan.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a baking rack for another 20 minutes.

8. Lift out of the pan and then cut into bars.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I made these easy and delicious cookies for my nephew's mission farewell. I got the recipe from my December/January All Recipes magazine :). Super yummy! They do take a few hours to cool in between making the dough and baking, so keep that in mind!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil

4 Large Eggs

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 Cups of Flour

2 teaspoons of Baking Powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Mix together cocoa, granulated sugar, and oil in the bowl of your mixer.

2. Add in eggs 1 at a time and then the vanilla. I like to do this while it is mixing.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl and whisk together.

4. Add the flour mixture to the cocoa mixture and mix together.

5. Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours. Or overnight.

6. Using a melon baller or a small cookie scooper, scoop out the dough and roll into balls and then cover in powdered sugar. Put on a prepared baking sheet about 1 and 1/2 inches apart. Bake at 350* for about 12 minutes.

8. Let sit on baking sheet for about 2 minutes after taking them out of the oven then transfer them to a cooling rack with a slotted metal spatula for best results. Let cool for about 15 minutes before storing!

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Snickers Surprise Cookies

This is another recipe from Judy :).

I made these cookies for my friend who recently had surgery. I brought her some Sausage Tortellini Soup and Parmesan Rolls as well. We've had a huge bag full of miniature sized Snickers staring at me for the last couple of months. I decided it was time to put them to use!

These are super delicious and fairly simple to make.

Snickers Surprise Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Butter
1 Cup of Peanut Butter
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. of Vanilla
3 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 pkg. of mini Snickers

Directions:

In your mixer combine butter peanut butter, and sugars. Slowly add in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly and carefully add the flour mixture to the dough. Mix well.

Take a Tb. of dough and shape it around a mini Snicker. Roll into a ball. Continue with the rest of the Snickers until you run out of dough.

Bake at 350* 10-12 minutes.

And then try not to eat all of them :)

Enjoy!

Legendary Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies

My new favorite cookies to bring to parties are these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies. I first heard of these cookies on the funny show "How I Met Your Mother". I was nursing in the middle of the night when on the screen I see the "Mother" sharing these cookies with Lily. I started craving them immediately. I searched Pinterest and found a recipe here. I changed it up a little bit but mostly its the same, I just make smaller cookies than she does and I form mine differently.

Legendary Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard is my favorite)
28 chewy caramels, unwrapped and cut in half ( Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamed. Scrape the edges of the bowl, add the eggs to the mixer and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Sift together or stir using a whisk to get rid of any lumps. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, and mix until it forms a soft dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix on the lowest setting until they’re scattered throughout. 

Roll a rounded 1/2 Tablespoon of dough into a ball with your hands. Place a half a caramel in the center of it. Place another rounded 1/2 Tablespoon of dough on top of the caramel and press down on the edges of the cookie to close the seam so the caramel doesn’t leak out when baking. Roll into a ball so ensuring the caramel is securely inside. Set the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. 

Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. This is important. If you transfer too early your cookies will fall apart and then you will just have to eat all the pieces :). But that's okay, because I heard broken cookies have no calories!

Now if you are a visual learner like me here it is with pictures:

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard is my favorite)
bag of chewy caramels, unwrapped and cut in half! ( I use the Werther's Original Chewy kind) 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamed together.

Scrape the edges of the bowl, add the eggs to the mixer and beat until well mixed.

 In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Sift together or stir using a whisk to get rid of any lumps. 

 Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer (wrap a towel around it before you mix on low to avoid flour coating your kitchen and yourself unless you are cool and have a real cover), occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, and mix until it forms a soft dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix on the lowest setting until they’re scattered throughout. I never really measure the chocolate chips. I just dump like half a bag in.

Roll a rounded 1/2 Tablespoon of dough into a ball with your hands. Place a half a caramel in the center of it. Place another rounded 1/2 Tablespoon of dough on top of the caramel and press down on the edges of the cookie to close the seam so the caramel doesn’t leak out when baking. Roll into a ball so ensuring the caramel is securely inside. 

I found putting them on a paper plate makes it so you can just cut them right on it and then they don't stick to the plate.

Now just add another generous 1/2 Tb. and form into a tight ball!

Set the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Mine came out perfectly at 11 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. This is important. If you transfer too early your cookies will fall apart and then you will just have to eat all the pieces :)

One leaked a little caramel, but I just kind of pressed it back in to the cookie and it was fine

I love this kind of rack and this kind of spatula (metal with holes) seems to transfer the cookies best

Let cool completely before putting in your bowl. Keep in an airtight container to keep them fresh and yummy for days!

Now Enjoy!

 Princess Belle sure loved them!

 

Best EVER Sugar Cookies

I don't know about you, but making sugar cookies isn't worth is unless they turn out AMAZING.  And these don't disappoint!  They were not too hard to make either.  They are soft and chewy and simply amazing.  Go out and get the ingredients and make them this weekend!  The perfect treat for your kiddos after a long week of school.

I made the dough the night before and wrapped it in saran wrap to chill overnight in the fridge.  The next morning, I took it out and let it sit for about 10 minutes before I rolled them out.  To make it easier, I cut my dough into about 4 sections and rolled it out on a floured surface.

I just used a circle cookie cutter and cut out circles.  They really did hold their shape, so next time I make these, I am going to Halloween shapes!

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.  This makes it so they don't stick to the bottom of your cookie sheet.

Put them in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes and lay out on counter on more parchment paper and let cool completely before frosting them. (I may have eaten a few even before they were frosted because they were just that good!)

My kids have already been asking when I can make them again, like everyday!

Best EVER Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder

*More flour might be needed

Combine butter and sugar together and mix well.  Add in the sour cream and blend.  Then add the eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients together and mix.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix really well.  Then add more flour.  Probably another 1 cup (a little at a time).  You don't want the dough to be too sticky.  Wrap dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours (or overnight)  Roll out on floured working space and cut out shapes about 1/2 inch thick.  Put on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Place on parchment paper to let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter, softened
1 block cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla
milk

Mix butter and cream cheese together really well.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Then add in a little milk (I eye-ball it).  Add more milk or powdered sugar until you get the consistency you want.  Add in a little food coloring if desired.