A Musselman's GIVEAWAY and Peanut Butter Apple Bites

.  This post is rather over due.  Don't tell Musselman's but I was supposed to have this up last week.  But like most everything these days, the time completely passed by.  Right on past the due date.  But let me 'splain.

As you know, because I've not spared one moment to tell you, wedding consumes every waking thought of mine.  Can you imagine how hard it is to work during the day?!  

But just this last weekend I was in Arizona with my two long time besties from Minnesota and future mother-in-law for what is sure to be one of the most emotionally charged weekends I've been through.  So many weeks leading up to this monumental weekend in the wedding planning process, I've been trying to put all of my thoughts together as well as keep up with the many wedding 'tasks' one must.  So I'll just be honest, it was a miracle I even got that pop-tart post out.  But more on the wedding weekend later.  I'll need a post [and a half] to get through everything ☺️

Plus...it's finally time to get into another giveaway here on LSM.  And yes, it's with Musselman's!

  

And the giveaway is all about...game day goodies!

The package I received included a large jar of Musselman's Apple Butter, a few easy game day recipes, and ...drum roll please....

A Wilton Armetale Grillware Pizza Tray!

This piece of cookware is quite honestly, unbelievable.  The tray can be used for prep, on the grill, on the stovetop, or in the oven, then straight to the table!  A duo of grillware and serve ware, what more could you ask for?!

But not only will you receive this multi-purpose pizza tray,  but also Musselman's delicious apple butter and recipes perfect for the big games!  Think March Madness, people...

Out of my package, I decided I just had to try the easy peasy recipe of Peanut Butter Apple Bites.  Who doesn't love little bite-sized snacks to pop in your mouth throughout the game?  You have to keep that stamina up if you're going to properly cheer, so peanut butter and apple are the almighty couple.

These little bites are basically the inside of a truffle.  Creamy and soft.  Without the fuss of all that dipping!  Don't get me wrong, who doesn't love a chocolatey outside, but the centers are where the magic happens.  So here you are.

And what is that you need to do to get this free package?!  Simple.

Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite game day treat is.  No matter what it may be.  I told you it was simple!

This giveaway will be open until Friday, February 28, so you only have a few weeks to join.  Get commenting!  .

Secret Recipe Club: Apple Peanut Butter Bars

.  Okay...so you might be thinking that's a different combination?

I mean, people eat apples and peanut butter before workouts though, right?  But I'll give it to ya, you don't usually find these two ingredients together in a baked goodie.  Or at least I've never stumbled across it...

So thank the good Lord for my September SRC assignment, 365 Days of Baking and More by Lynne, for introducing me to one of the most nostalgic [takes me back to school days], addicting bars I've had in quite some time.

But first, let's talk 365.  Because I was absolutely giddy the second I saw which blog I was assigned this month.  And I'm sure you can guess why?

Out of all of my SRC assignments thus far, I have yet to have one that is also strictly a baking blog.  Can you ba-lieve that?!  Yes, I've absolutely adored each and every assignment I've had because les' be honest, I've gotten some damn good recipes [e.g., Grasshopper Bars, Christmas Cake Truffles, Danish Puff, and more].

But this time, I didn't have to do an inkling of researching to hunt down any baking recipes.  Because they were all. right. there.  And this time around, I had an extra hard time narrowing down my options because there were just so many treats!  Who can resist Pumpkin Biscuits with Cinnamon Honey Butter, Banana Bread French Toast, Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake Balls, and Salted Caramel Thumbprints.

And to make matters slightly 'worse', this blog does have some enticing cooking recipes that also got me thinking.  Albeit I have no cooking skills, don't Basil Baked Salmon, Baked Ravioli with Bechamel Sauce, and Apple Cheese Chicken sound deee-lish?  Yes, yes they do.

But for whatever reason [I'm thinking it was the apple/peanut butter combo], I couldn't pass up the Apple Peanut Butter Bars.  Oh yeah, and possibly Lynne's husbands' reaction when he took a chomp out of these bars: "Oh my God, what the hell are these?!  These are unbelievable...!"

And that is a direct quote.  Check the bottom of Lynne's post ☺

And without even knowing him, I already like Lynne's hubby because he was spot on with this recipe.

The best way [that I can think of] to describe these bars is to compare them to the most chewy peanut butter cookies you've ever had.  And in some spots where the tart apple pieces reside, you get an almost fudge-like texture.  No joke.  And to top it off, a creamy, uber peanut buttery glaze is drenched across the top.  I'll be honest, I couldn't get enough of that glaze.  And if you have kiddos, these bars will be right up their alley.  Throw them in their lunch boxes for school and you've have one happy child.  Or keep them at home for your own personal snack.  Either or.

Thanks again, Lynne, for a recipe I completely devoured thoroughly enjoyed and shared with everyone.  Happy baking, everyone!  .

My Notes:

• Lynne's recipe was adapted from the original by substituting the peanut butter glaze with a pecan topping and also layering the apples rather than incorporating them in pieces.  I was being lazy and decided to just stir the apple pieces in and I also didn't have any pecans on hand, so I went with the peanut butter glaze.  Either way, you'll love 'em.

Adapted from 365 Days of Baking and More

Ingredients:

Apple Peanut Butter Bars:

1/2 c. unsalted butter

2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced to bite-sized pieces

Peanut Butter Glaze:

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until creamy.  Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  
4. Add eggs, one at a time, to the peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each addition.  Add vanilla extract and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.  Fold in apple pieces.
5. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake 30 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool.
6. For peanut butter glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle or evenly spread the glaze across the top of the bars.  Cut and serve.

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

.  So I'm a little bummed.

I try not to complain about anything on LSM because let's be real, who wants to read about the poor woes of another?  But life happens and sometimes you just gotta vent.  And luckily, it's nothing life changing or dramatic.

It's my knee.

Okay, that sounded dramatic.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this on LSM, but lately I've been getting into running a bit more than normal.  I decided to team up with a friend of mine [an avid distance runner] to train for the Omaha Half Marathon coming up September 23.  The training has been great and I started to run distances I thought only 'crazy' people did [sorry, but it's true!].  But a couple of weeks ago, I tweaked my leg somehow and it's been downhill from there [figuratively speaking].  At times I couldn't even keep a slow jog going without my knee hurting and often times it even effected walking.  I tried putting off exercise for a number of days but lo' and behold, I was back out [painfully] running again. 

Well, the knee has just been too much lately.  Before, I was able to do the Stairmaster but now it's gotten to the point where my knee hurts even doing that.  Every work out session has become a pain in the a** [excuse my frustration] and I've just had enough.  So despite my efforts to resist modern medicine, I'm heading to the orthopedist this Monday to see what's going on.  All I hear is 'cha ching!'

And that's all I have in regards to that.  Thanks for hearing me out.

But you know what cheers up any and every person on this Earth?  I do.  And I bet you could guess, too.

Cookie Dough.

Whether you like to admit it or not, I know that during your lifetime you've snuck a finger swipe here or there of mom's chocolate chip cookie dough.  And then went back for more.  Well, I seemed to have found the perfect treat for you cookie-dough-lovin' spirits out there [myself included] and I know you won't be able to get enough of this stuff.

Basically this bar is one big slab of cookie dough topped with a heavenly, thick, and rich layer of melted chocolate and peanut butter [the best combination known to man].  Cookie Dough.  Chocolate.  Peanut Butter.  HELLO!  Nothing more needed here.

I think my knee even feels better now  .

My Notes:

• The ingredients list says to use milk chocolate chips for the topping, but feel free to also use the left over semisweet mini chocolate chips.  Up to you!

From Gingerbread Bagels

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. mini chocolate chips

Topping:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2/3 c. milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
2. With the mixer on low speed, alternate mixing in flour and sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined.  Gently fold in mini chocolate chips with spatula.
3. Line 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper.  Press the cookie dough into the pan (the cookie dough may be sticky, so lightly flour your hands).
4. Cover the bars with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight until firm.  
5. For topping, combine the peanut butter and milk chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until smooth.  Spread the mixture over the cookie dough bars.  Chill the bars for 1 hour or until topping is firm.  

Yield: 16 large bars

The One and Only: Scotcharoos

.  Oh hey.  Yes, I'm alive.  Barely.

Telling from the lack of posts the last couple of weeks, you can most likely guess that the CWS and Tasty Bites kept both Robbie and I fairly busy.  Fairly may be an understatement though.

But regardless, the crazy crowds, too many cheese curds, and ample family time are things that I wouldn't have traded for anything.  It was a crazy time but I think we all had too much fun.  And you can bet I'd do it all over again!  Pictures to come...

Unfortunately I had to miss the last couple of Foamer softball games [the cheese curd trailer was a-callin'!] and I'm also missing tonight's game because Robbie and I are heading to the Olympic Swim Trials here in Omaha.  I wish I could say I was a bit sad I'm missing out on softball, but Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte won't wait around.  Sorry, Foamers!

But I did want to leave you with the treat I made for the last softball game I went to and let me tell you.  I'm proud.   A little addition to this classic, nostalgic goodie is what takes it over the edge.  And fortunate for you, I'm sharing ☺

I actually got this recipe from my softball BFF's mom, who used to make these Scotcharoo Bars every once in a while for weekend games.  And until I got the recipe, I never could quite put my finger on what made these things so dang addicting.

You may have heard these bars called many things: Special K Bars, Rice Krispy Treats, etc.  But in the end, they're all one in the same.  Except for this recipe.  And being involed in sports my entire life, you can bet I've had my fair share of different versions of Rice Krispy Treats.  And this one is easily, most definitely, my absolute favorite.  And in the spirit of getting you to make these simple bars, I won't fill you in on the secret ingredient.  Looks like you'll have to make them for yourself, my dears!  .

Ingredients:

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. sugar

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 c. rice crispy cereal

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 c. butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Spray 13x9-inch pan with non stick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat together light corn syrup and sugar until boiling.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract.
3. Stir in rice crispy cereal and then gently pat into prepared pan (the harder you press, the thinner your bars will be).  
4. In a microwave safe bowl, melt together chocolate and butterscotch chips and stir until smooth.  Evenly spread mixture over the top of the rice crispy bars.  Let cool until topping is set.  

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Monster Cookie Bars with a Side of Landscaping

.  Lots to talk about.  So brace yourself.

First things first, remember how I mentioned that Robbie and I spent Memorial Day Weekend working on the front yard?  Well, we really did.  And I have the pictures to prove it.  

It might not look much different to you, but our backs would beg to differ.  We spent all of Saturday clearing out the front yard: [loads of] weeding, mowing, sweeping, and picking up rascaly branches from our ginormous tree.

Then on Sunday, I made a little trip to a nearby nursery and grabbed a fair amount of flowers and plants: rhododendrons, hostas, and a variety of annuals.  I also ended up having to make an extra trip to grab another Yew to fill in that little space you see there in the back hedge.  Neither Robbie or I know what happened to that little gap...but it's all fixed now with a Yew that is drastically smaller than the others.  Oh well.

Somehow during the weekend we managed enough strength to collect ourselves and head downtown for a nice little dinner while watching Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship [which they won!], which is the reason for our upcoming weekend trip.  We'll get to that though.

Anywho, we rarely get pictures together [or not near enough as I'd like!], so I thought it'd be nice to share a couple with you all.  What Robbie doesn't realize is that if he would just smile for one picture, we wouldn't have had to take three more.  Guys...

So back to this random trip Robbie and I will taking come Thursday afternoon.  As I mentioned, Creighton won the MVC Tournament, and they were placed in the UCLA Regional.  Soooo, Robbie and are jetsetting off to L.A. to spend a long weekend, watch some baseball, and lounge on the beach for a few hours.  Not a bad time, I would say!

I most definitely will have pictures from our trip, so be on the look out for those some time soon.

Okay, and for the final point of this post...the absolute star...Gooey Monster Cookie Bars!  As you know, it's Thursday, and that means Foamer time!  If you haven't noticed, there hasn't been a Foamer post in a few weeks because unfortunately I haven't been able to make the games for this reason or that.  And what do you know, I'll be missing this weeks game, too.  Boo.

But last week I did make the game and brought these little gems with me.  For some reason I felt a little nostalgic and wanted to bake something classic.  And this is what I came up with! I used a couple of recipes [one of them being Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookie and adapting it] and came up with my very own Monster Cookie Bar.  Proud of me?  Just kidding, don't answer that.

I, and my teammates, absolutely loved these [well, I think they did].  What I think really makes them unique though is the addition of marshmallows.  I made a Kitchen Sink Cookie some time back and remembered how much I loved the addition of the marshmallows, because they become uber gooey and sometimes caramelize, so I had an inkling they would work in this creation.  And they did, they did.  The base is a buttery, soft peanut butter cookie dough, offering up the perfect chew.  The marshmallows add a wonderful texural element, like I said, gooey.  And then you add in those crunchy, chocolate M&Ms, oats, and white chocolate chips, and you have a winner all.  day.  long.

Robbie and I are obviously going to be away this weekend, so I wish everyone a fabulous next couple of days and I can't wait to share our trip with you all!  

Oh, any restaurant suggestions out there for the L.A. area?!  .

My Notes:

• Feel free to choose whatever add-in's your heart desires, that's one of the fun things about this recipe!  
• The peanut butter flavor in the cookie dough is rather slight, so don't be deterred from adding in peanut buttery things, it will only make this treat better!  If you like peanut butter, that is...

Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

3/4 c. old fashioned oats

1 c. mini marshmallows

1 c. M&Ms

3/4 c. white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375F.  Grease 13x9-inch pan with non stick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.  In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth (about 1 minute).
3. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until well blended (about 2 minutes).  Beat in vanilla extract and then eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in dry ingredients in three portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated.  Fold in oats, marshmallows, M&Ms, and white chocolate chips. 
5. Slightly press down dough evenly into prepared pan.  Bake 28 to 32 minutes, or until golden brown and middle begins to puff slightly. 

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

.  Wow, things have been mighty slow around LSM.  Sorry.  For some reason I haven't felt much like blogging lately.  I think I tired myself out a bit prior to Easter, so maybe a break was just what I needed.  And you know, with this nice weather we've been having, I haven't really wanted to sit indoors typing away on the computer.  You know whatta I mean?

I've debated with myself how much I should actually be blogging.  Sometimes there are recipes I've tried that I can't wait to share with you all, so I crank out the posts.  But other times, I feel like I'm putting out posts only because I feel like I need to and not because I want to.  But I am constantly reminding myself that blogging is strictly a hobby and not my job.  I don't get any money from blogging, I do it because I love writing, I love browsing through the incredible recipes from fellow bloggers, and because I thoroughly enjoy sharing recipes with all of you.  Simple yet true.

So to the point, I shouldn't feel guilty for not posting every single day, right?  Right.  Great, that's settled.

Aside from the pity party I just had, I do have a classic recipe to share today.  And the only way I can really describe the cookie nostalgia is to take you back to those elementary school days.  You know, the times when everyone looked forward to recess or competed for the flashiest lunch box or who had the best snacks.  You remember those days.  Well, one thing that always stuck in my mind from my childhood days was the cookies.  Ooo, those cafeteria cookies.  The chewy, soft, cookies that, for one reason or another, I could only find in the cafeteria.  I don't know what they did to them, but they were downright addicting.  A bit similar to Chewy Keebler cookies but bigger and better.  Does everyone know what I'm talking about?  I hope so.  Because these are it. 

So if you're looking for a wonderfully classic peanut butter and chocolate combo, you should look no further.  These cookies will take you right back to the good ol' days when all we had to worry about was our spelling test the next day.  Well...at least I worried.  But regardless, these will getcha  .

From The Idea Room

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 to 1 tbsp. milk

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat together butter and peanut butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.  Beat until combined.  Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.  Beat in flour.  Add milk, just enough to make dough moist and creamy.  Stir in chocolate chips just until incorporated.  If necessary, cover and chill dough for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
2. Heat oven to 375F and spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Drop cookies by scant teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet.  Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown.  Transfer to wire rack to let cool. 

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Tried & True Tuesday: Banana Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

.  All right.  Busy week at work, so all-time shortest post right here.  Let's go.

I told you I was going banana crazy since, for me, I'm kind of in baking limbo [i.e., between seasons].  But I'm really excited to share this recipe with you because 1) these cookies are beyond fantastic and 2) this is one of the very first cookies I ever made when the baking craze hit me.  And to prove it, I have no picture.  At the time, taking a picture of the cookies [I was about to devour] never crossed my mind, so I'm having to rely on Pillsbury's [beautiful] picture of these Banana Cookies.  Maybe I should do this more often since my own photography seems to be lacking.  Hmm...nah ☺

Anywho, back to these small pieces of banana heaven.  The cookies themselves are super soft and tender, almost fall apart cookies.  And though they could end right there, they don't.  These 'naner cookies are topped with a healthy spread of peanut butter frosting and sprinkled with a few chocolate chips [for good measure and because the peanut butter-banana-chocolate combo is a no brainer].  Mm.  Mm.  Mm.  I vividly remember making these cookies, and wondering how such an easy-to-make recipe could produce such a memorable cookie.  And memorable they are, as I sit here 2+ years later blogging about them  .

Picture and Recipe from Pillsbury

Ingredients:

Banana Cookies:

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. (about 2 medium) mashed bananas

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 to 2 tbsp. milk

Semisweet Chocolate Chips (for sprinkling)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Beat brown sugar, sugar and butter in large bowl until creamy; add bananas, egg and vanilla extract.  Beat until well mixed.  Set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.  Add to banana mixture and mix until soft dough forms.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire racks.
4. For frosting, beat peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until well mixed.  Add milk until frosting is desired spreading consistency.  Spread about 1 tablespoon onto tops of cookies.  Decorate with chocolate chips.

Yield: 30 cookies

Peanut Butter Sandwich Dips

. And the streak goes on!  The undefeated streak, that is.

Yes, the Foamers are now 5-0!  Last week we won with a whopping score of 10-7 [no thanks to me...] and I couldn't be more proud of our little railroading squad.

But instead of contributing some decent softball play, I decided to leave any skills of mine behind and just bring treats.  Yes, I still played in the game but I basically could have not been there and had the same effect.  Oh well, maybe next week.  But, I did bring some awesome goodies for everyone to chomp on after our victory.  Peanut Butter Sandwich Dips to be exact, and they are scruuumptious!

Peanut Butter and chocolate?  Yes, please!  And I think the Foamers agreed with me.  These little cookie sandwiches are a classic amped up just a bit with the help of a [generous] dose of creamy filling and a dip in some melted chocolatey chocolate.  The cookies themselves are spot on, that crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth type of cookie.  The filling?  More peanut buttery goodness.  And the chocolate simply rounds out the treat to a 'T.'  A 'T' I tell ya.

Wish us luck at our game tonight and that my goodies for this week turned out! .

My Notes:

• I realize a teaspoon of dough per cookie sounds like nothing but it was the perfect amount since there's two cookies, filling, and chocolate per serving.  And I also didn't feel bad taking seconds.
• My bowl wasn't deep enough to get the entire halves of the cookie coated in chocolate, so I used a little spoon to get chocolate where I wanted.  Just a tip!
• After dipping the cookies in chocolate, place on parchment or wax paper to let set.  I let them set on my wire racks and ended up having to rip off a couple of the sandwiches because they got stuck.  Not good.
• I found it best to keep the cookies refrigerated whole not being eaten [which wasn't very often].  This helps to keep the chocolate set.

From Gooseberry Patchs' 101 Cupcake, Cookie, and Brownie Recipes

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

Peanut Butter Filling:

1/4 c. powdered sugar

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Dip:

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

4 tsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350F.  Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2.  In a separate bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter, sugar, and egg until smooth.

3.  Gradually beat in flour mixture. 

4.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed.  Transfer cookies to wire racks to let cool.

5.  For the filling, combine powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth. 

6.  Spread rounded teaspoonfuls of filling onto half of cooled cookies.  Top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches.  Refrigerate sandwiches for 30 minutes.

7.  For chocolate dip, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and vegetable oil, stirring after 30 second intervals until melted.  Dip one half of each cookie sandwich into chocolate mixture, letting the excess drip off.

9.  Refrigerate cookie sandwiches on wax paper until set.

Yield: 3 dozen sandwich cookies

Tried & True Tuesday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

. Okay, short [but sweet] post!

After glancing through my last seventeen few posts, I've noticed a heavy trend of fruit.  And that is obviously expected, since it's fruit season insanity and I can't resist walking past ripe, seasonal produce.  Oh, sidenote: I hit the jackpot at the Farmer's Market this last weekend and made a wooooonderful coffee cake.  So come back around later this week.  Just saying.

But back to the point of this post.  To break up the beautiful monotony of my fruity posts, I decided to throw in a little chocolate-peanut butter combo.  And we all know that is simply unbeatable.

So let me introduce the oh-so-wonderful Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies from Martha Stewart.  These little cake sandwiches are pure deliciousness, let me tell you.  The peanut butter buttercream filling is uber creamy and, of course, peanut buttery.  The filling in itself is addicting, I'm warning you now that you will be tempted [and will give in] to dipping those little fingers into the bowl a time or two.  I, of course, had extreme will power but...just kidding!  I had no what we call 'willpower', nor do I ever when it comes standing in the kitchen with batters and frostings galore.  But I'm willing to sacrifice myself for the betterment of baking.  Betterment?  Yes.

Alright and super short post turned into a regular one.

Now back to these whoopie pies.  The filling is then sandwiched between two soft, decadent rounds of chocolate cake.  Perfect little items to fulfill that chocolate peanut butter fix.  And since they're small, you can have a couple .

My Notes:

• The directions below are for free form whoopie pies, but if you have a whoopie pie pan then you can also use that.
• When I made these, I decided to make mini whoopie pies, which yielded about 30.  If you like this idea, simply drop scant teaspoons of batter onto baking sheets and bake the cakes for about 9 minutes.

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

Cake:

1-3/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1/4 c. vegetable shortening

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 c. whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

8 tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 c. powdered sugar

Salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.  Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in small bowl; set aside.
2. Add butter, shortening, sugar, and dark brown sugar to in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment; cream on high speed until smooth (about 3 minutes).  Add egg, beat until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Add half of flour mixture, then milk and vanilla extract; beat until well combined.  Add remaining flour mixture and beat together.
3. Drop 12 slightly rounded tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Bake 10 minutes in upper and lower thirds of oven; switch positions and rotate.  Continue baking 2 to 4 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched.  Let cool on baking sheets (about 10 minutes).  Transfer to wire rack to let cool completely.
4. For filling, cream peanut butter and butter in medium bowl on high speed.  Reduce mixer to low speed and mix in powdered sugar until combined.  Beat mixture on high speed until fluffy and smooth (about 3 minutes).  Add salt to taste.
5. Spread scant 1 tablespoon peanut butter buttercream on half of cookies.  Top with remaining cakes.

Yield: 1 dozen whoopie pies

PB&J Cupcakes

. Oh my, these are a keeper.  And would you guess that Ms. Martha Stewart supplied the recipe for this goodie yet again?  Well she did.  We're 2-2 with Martha recipes lately.

You've probably noticed or read that I like to make desserts on a seasonal basis.  There's just no better ingredient than a seasonal fruit, in my opinion.  But I think we can all agree that PB&J's aren't really seasonal.  Right?  Actually more of a nostalgic eat.  And I needed something just like this for last Friday night.  Why?

Please excuse both the 'I just went swimming' and 'I haven't washed my face in days' look I'm rockin.'

Well for the return of this lady, right there!  That's Ms. Jess [Draemel] Allen, fellow blogger at Blonde Ponytail but most importantly, one of my former college softball coaches!  Jess is an absolutely wonderful woman: wildly passionate, driven, dedicated, and just a joy to be around.  She was a huge inspiration in my college career to always strive to become a better player.  She definitely left her mark on myself and many other players, and that's something I'll never be able to express or thank her enough for.

Her blog, Blonde Ponytail, mainly focuses on health and running.  I've maybe called her crazy a time or two since she's that lady running marathons and calling a 5-mile run easy.  Ha, easy my butt ☺  But just a glimpse of any of her posts will show you what I'm talking about, so wander on over and I know you'll enjoy Blonde Ponytail as much as I do!

Anywho, since my BFF from softball [please see the above picture, she's the one with the frosting-stache), myself, and several of the softball girls wanted to catch up with Jess, we decided to all meet at a slowpitch game a bunch of them were playing in.  And you all know what that means!  Baaaaaaked Gooooooodies!

So when debating on what to make, I knew I wanted to zero on something that would ring a bell with us all.  I immediately thought of what our softball team referred to as 'bench snacks.'  Between every double header, we always had 'bench snacks' for the team to refuel before heading out for the second game.  And one of the 'bench snacks' staples were all of the fixin's for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Every double header, no fail.  So what better way to reminisce about our softball years than with our Saturday peanut butter and jellies?

And these cupcakes were nothing short of AH-mazing!  Martha really knew how to take that classic sandwich and plop it into a peanut buttery, soft, and moist cupcake, topped with a fantastically smooth peanut butter-cream cheese frosting.  And where does the jelly fit in?  Well, right in the centers!  MmmMMmM!

Even though our little reunion was cut drastically short [due to some rain and lame lightning], it was so great to see Jess and the softball girls.  It's a bittersweet thing though, wonderful getting to see them all again but also remembering how much I miss those ladies!  We went from hours upon hours, day after day, together, and then once graduation hit, hello real world and goodbye friends.  But I guess that's what makes these little gatherings so fun, huh? .

My Notes:

• When filling the liners, gently flatten the tops of the batter before baking.  The batter is fairly thick and if you don't do this, you'll end up with little pockets of uncooked batter.  Boo to that.
• I chose to use strawberry preserves this time around, but you can use whichever flavor of preserves or jam you prefer.
• The directions say to fold in the whipped cream when making the frosting.  However, I found that the whipped cream wasn't really combining, so I continued to use my electric mixer with the whisk attachment and the frosting turned out great.

PB&J Cupcakes

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

Cake:

1-3/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

1-1/3 c. sugar

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

3 large eggs

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

Your favorite flavor of preserves or jam

Peanut Butter Frosting:

6 oz. cream cheese

1/3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350°F.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in small bowl; set aside.

2.  Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3.  Add peanut butter and combine well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  

4.  Reduce speed to low.  Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture in three additions, alternating with milk and vanilla extract, and ending with dry ingredients.

5.  Divide batter among muffin cups, filling a little over 1/2 full.

6.  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Let cool completely on wire rack.

7.  Once cooled, cut out centers of cupcakes using a paring knife.  Fill centers with preserves.

8.  For frosting, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with mixer on medium speed.  Add salt, then peanut butter, and then vanilla extract.

9.  In separate bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Fold into peanut butter mixture.

10.  Frost cupcakes as desired. 

Yield: 20 cupcakes