Flavor Focus: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

It’s been awhile since I’ve added a new flavor.  I have a million I want to try but haven’t had too many occasions.  Plus, I’ve been busy baking for Fridays…

My best friend, Carlock, had a big birthday a few weeks ago.  I thought it was the perfect time to try a new flavor.

What’s that?  No,  that’s not her real name.  I’ve changed it to protect the innocent.  Okay, that’s not true.  It’s just what we call her… we had too many Meagan/Meghan/Megan/Meaghan’s in our high school class.  Nicknames had to be created.  Plus, it’s catchy, don’t you think?

Anyway, these were a HIT.  Hello, peanut butter cake, spiked with mini chocolate chips, covered in dark chocolate buttercream.  Then, just in case you didn’t have enough, topped with a single Reese’s piece.  Certainly a keeper.

Oh!  And Carlock loved them!

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Pretzel Cookies – Fresh Baked Friday!

Longest cookie name ever.  But, for those who have tried these babies, well worth the mouth full of words.

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a try.  To be honest, as I’ve mentioned before, sweet and salty isn’t my thing.  Chocolate covered pretzels?  I’ll pass.  Salted caramel?  Not my first choice.

I made these, though, a few weeks ago to bring for some friends I was seeing during my trip to Philly.  One person in particular doesn’t have a particularly strong sweet tooth (crazy, right!).  I thought this cookie would be the perfect option for her.

Turns out it was the crowd favorite.

Taste-wise, these are a complicated cookie.  Can cookies be complicated?  Well, I’m saying these are.

The base of the cookie is packed with the peanut butter flavor.  The white chocolate adds a touch of sweetness here and there.  Then, the pretzels add a bit of crunch.  Complicated, right?

A few notes…

Feel free to use all-natural peanut butter.  It will make the dough a bit thicker, but mine turned out just dandy.  You could try adding a few teaspoons of milk or water if you are worried about the density.  (Now, I have not tried this theory.  If it doesn’t work, don’t fully blame me!)

I normally fold in any additions to my cookie batter.  For this one, I thought it would be good to have the pretzels broken up a bit, so I went ahead and added them and did a quick mix. Turned out perfectly.

If sweet and salty is your thing, these are the cookies for you.

Added bonus for me?  Since it’s not, I only ate one.  But trust me, there wouldn’t have been many sitting around to eat.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Pretzel Cookies
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8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 cups white chocolate chips, divided
1 ¼ cups peanut butter (reserve 2 tablespoons to melt with the white chocolate chips)
1 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup pretzels
fine sea salt (or fleur de sel)

Directions…

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line two cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.  Set aside.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Over a double boiler, melt 1 cup of white chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the melted white chocolate mixture and remaining peanut butter.  Add egg and mix well.  Add vanilla.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  The mixture may be crumbly, which is okay.  Add pretzels and remaining white chocolate chips.  Quickly mix on low speed.

Scoop cookies onto the prepared sheets.  Using your palm (or the bottom of a glass), lightly press each cookie down to about ½ inch thickness.  Sprinkle each cookie with a touch of sea salt.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and lightly crisp.  Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Source: Picky Palate

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Chipsters – Fresh Baked Friday!

A while back – before Kristina’s Confections and before this lovely blog – I tried my hand at (unofficially) following along with the bakers over at Tuesdays with Dorie.  It was great.  I loved working my way through a fantastic book of baked goods.  The drawback?  Well, excessive amounts of freshly baked treats in the house, every day of every week.

We sent some to Mom’s office.  Others were passed off on Grandma and Granddad.  Someone in town?  Guess who became the lucky recipient of some baked treats?

When an actual event occurred, it was a dream come true!  So when these peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies came up the same week as a Redskins tailgate, well it was kismet.These are really the meeting of three all-American classics – the chocolate chip cookie, the oatmeal cookie and peanut butter.  Our favorite sweets all rolled (no pun intended) into one. They were a huge hit at the tailgate and are a huge hit every time I have made them since.

Start by mixing together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Be generous with the cinnamon measurement.  The peanut butter and cinnamon really accentuate one another, making this cookies (er, chipsters) even more delicious.

Blend together the peanut butter and the butter.  Dorie recommends chunky peanut butter, but I only buy creamy and I think it works just fine.  Up to you.

Add the sugars and beat until smooth and creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Add the vanilla.

Now the dry ingredients.  Mix until just blended.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Now this is very important… take a little taste.  I know, I know.  Raw eggs.  Blah, blah, blah.  Fine, skip if you want.  Your loss.  Not mine.  Plus, I’m still alive.  As is my mother, grandmother and a long list of friends.  In high school, we considered cookie dough a food category all it’s own.  Doing just dandy.

Anyway, quick rinse of the hands, if you took my advice.

Now drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough on a prepared cookie sheet.

Bake.  Just until golden brown.

A little tip, these are really delicious when warm.  Pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.  Perfecto!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Chipsters
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3 cups Old-Fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup peanut butter – chunky or smooth (NOT natural)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions…

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and peanut butter.  Add the sugars and beat until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, if time allows, for about 2 hours (or up to one day).  This will help keep the cookies uniform.  Drop the the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until just golden brown a bit firm around the edges.  Place the cookies on a cooling rack. They will firm as they cool.

Source: Baking: From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan

Flavor Focus: Banana Chocolate Chip

My mom LOVES bananas.  She eats one just about every day.  In fact, she fed me so many when I was little that I went on a banana hiatus from the age of twelve until seventeen.

I have, however, always eaten banana bread.  I love the moistness, the sweetness and the subtlety of the banana flavor.  And, quite honestly, when chocolate chips are added, there’s no stopping me!  And so you have the inspiration for my new Banana Chocolate Chip cupcake.

For the base, I went with traditional banana bread.  While I tweaked my normal banana bread recipe a bit to reduce the denseness (dense sweet bread = good; dense cupcake = not so good), I made sure to maintain the flavor and moistness.  I then added mini chocolate chips to ensure you got a little in each and every bite.

As for the frosting… well, what goes best with bananas and chocolate?  Peanut butter, of course!  So to top it all off is my peanut butter frosting.

Interestingly enough, my mom – a banana fanatic – does not typically like banana bread (I know, we defy all logic).  I didn’t even think she would taste this cupcake.  But as a supportive mother, she did and… LOVED them.  What more can I say?

Perfect pairing: circus party, Elvis tribute, after school surprise snack, picnic treat