Peanut butter makes the world go round... :)

Today was amazing. What started out as a tough day - no more coffee left at home and an injured back so no running - ended up being perfect. This morning I lazed around and watched some Food Network before making these delicious cookies for my friend Lea's birthday. :-)

I got to see my best friend Ka for his birthday too - same day! - and got to see some of my favorite people at the party. These cookies are quite simple but totally delicious- and addicting!

The original recipe, by Ms. Dorie Greenspan (first recipe I'm making from her cookbook- my newest addition to my collection!!) is supposed to yield 40 cookies, but somehow I managed to make 62! Perfect however, since I wanted to bring them to a party and save a few for myself as well ;) I made only a few slight adjustments to the recipe; I skipped the nutmeg, baked them for 10 minutes per sheet rather than 12 since they were a bit smaller, and since the recipe calls for salted peanuts and I only had roasted UNsalted, I toasted them in the oven for about 10 minutes with an initial sprinkling of salt and then another round after being toasted. Finally, the recipe suggests rolling the balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar before pressing down the crisscross pattern on them, and I passed on that too. The combination of chunky peanut butter and fresh toasted peanuts adds all the flavor I think these cookies need and there is DEFINITELY enough sugar in them to not really require extra. :)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanyts. You'll have a soft, pliable dough.
4. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Press a fork onto the top of the cookie in one direction, and then perpendicularly, so you have a beautiful crisscrossed pattern.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes rotating the sheets from top to bottom racks at the midway point for even browning. When done the cookies will be lightly colored and a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transfering to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

With no refrigeration time needed either, these cookies can go from separate ingredients to mixing bowl to oven and then to your mouth in less than 30 minutes, so give 'em a try!


Happy Baking!
Jessica

PB & J Bars

Today I knew it was time to tackle a dessert that had been teasing me since January when my friend Danielle's mom made them for our a cappella group. I remembered them being just the right amount of sweetness and delicious peanutty-ness (that's a word right?) that made me want to eat the whole pan. But let's establish something first. Peanut butter. It can be crunchy, creamy, organic, reduced fat and everything in between. But one thing I know? I LOVE IT. It's seriously a problem. I will eat it on anything and with anything, any time of day. If there's a jar in the house, no matter what kind, know that it won't make it through the week. Although I am partial to Trader Joe's organic crunchy salted variety, I do not judge. :-) So, when I found not one but TWO full jars of peanut butter in my house upon my return, I knew it was the perfect time to bake this yummy dessert.
Thank you Martha Stewart for satisfying my peanut butter addiction!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

~

Ingredients

1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (I only used 1/4 cup since peanut butter and jelly are both so sweet already)
1 egg
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used a combination of smooth and crunchy, but don't use an organic variety because the PB will separate, Skippy and Jiff are good picks)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup jam (I used raspberry)
1/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 x 8 in. pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
2. Whisk together salt, baking powder and flour. Add to bowl of mixer on low speed; combine. Add vanilla. Transfer two-thirds of mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly with offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture. Dallop remaining third of peanut-butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts. (Make sure you alternate dalloping the dough and peanuts, or they'll fall off the bars after you bake them)
3. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes (for 1/3 recipe like I made). Transfer to wire rack to cool; cut into about 12 bars.

Happy Baking!

Jessica