Favorite Friday Recipe: Peanut Butter and Jelly bars

The most delicious bar ever!  Recipe from Epicurious, recommended to me by a Fashionism friend.

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup grape jelly or other jelly or jam (I used strawberry preserves)
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts (I used oatmeal)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving 2-inch overhang around edges and pressing firmly into corners and up sides of pan and spray with nonstick spray
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl
• Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat on low speed until smooth
• Add flour mixture; beat on low speed just to blend
• Transfer half of dough to prepared pan
• Place remaining dough in freezer for 10 minutes
• Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto bottom of pan. Spread jelly over in even layer
• Remove dough from freezer; using fingertips, break into grape-size pieces, work in oatmeal (if using) and scatter over jelly layer
• Sprinkle chopped nuts over (if using)
• Bake bars until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool bars completely in pan on rack
• Using foil overhang as aid, lift bars from pan. Gently peel foil from edges. Cut into 16 squares.
   

Favorite Friday Recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my go to recipe for cookies.  No matter what I do (and trust me, I've left out/added a lot of ingredients to things I make), these always seem to turn out.  In fact, for this batch, I added too much oatmeal so that's why the cookies remained puffed up instead of spreading out--they still tasted amazing though!

I think you can add pretzels, m&ms, raisins etc. to the batter to make it more monster cookie-like.  In fact, I think I'll be doing that next...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup peanut butter (if using natural, use above sugar amounts, if using regular pb, cut down the sugar a bit)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 tsp of vanilla
• 3/4 tbsp of corn syrup (I don't even know what 3/4 of a tsp of corn syrup does so you could try to leave it out if you're not into that.  B claims it's what makes the cookies great)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 cups oats
• 1/4 to 1/2 lb chocolate chips (I highly recommend Guittard milk chocolate!)

Directions:

• Whip softened butter, sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter together
• Try to keep your husband from eating all the butter/pb/sugar mixture
• Add eggs, vanilla, corn syrup and baking soda to mix
• Threaten your husband that there now are raw eggs in it and he could get salmonella poisoning if he dares to steal any more batter
• Add oats cup by cup until combined
• Mix in chocolate chips by hand (I now know this because chocolate chips have bent two of my Kitchenaid wire whisks out of shape) 
• Scoop cookies out with melon baller or a spoon or your hand, whatever it takes
• Bake at 350F for 10-12 min
• Tops and bottom edges should be a golden brown when you take them out
• Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan
• Then transfer to a wire rack and try to keep your hands off them!

ps--this dough also refrigerates and freezes very well if you like to have freshly baked oven warm cookies at any time of the day. (which is how our household operates)

Favorite Friday Recipe: Crispy Peanut Butter Cup Bars

If you're a fan of peanut butter, this is the recipe for you!  From Tasty Kitchen:

Ingredients:

• 3-½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 1-½ stick Butter, Melted
• 2 cups Natural Peanut Butter
• 3 cups Rice Krispies
• 16 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate

Directions:

Mix the powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, and Rice Krispies together in a large bowl. Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish, then spoon in the peanut butter mixture. Use a spatula to spread evenly. Melt the chocolate, then layer evenly on top. Refrigerate for an hour or two, then cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Note: If using processed peanut butter (Jif, Peter Pan, etc.), decrease sugar by at least 1/2 cup. Also, use whatever chocolate you like best—anything from milk to bittersweet to something in between! 

My personal favorite chocolate to use when baking is Guittard milk chocolate.  Here's the finished product served up on my new (to me) Riviera plate!

Favorite Friday Recipe: Repeats for Poker Night

Made both the oven ham sandwiches and cucumber sandwiches for poker night tonight.  They'll go well with chips, rum punch, and my favorite new addiction: peanut butter filled pretzels (available at all fine Costcos)

Have I mentioned my new favorite coffee table book?