Peanut Butter Muffins

My kids and I love these muffins. I freeze them so we can have them as a breakfast side or a snack anytime.

Peanut Butter Muffins

2 cups white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup milk or coconut milk
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Heat oven to 375 F. Line or grease a standard-size muffin tin - this recipe makes 12 muffins.

In a big bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix together peanut butter (microwave for a bit if not soft enough), and coconut sugar until creamy. Stir in milk, mashed banana, and vanilla until mixed. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. Don't over-mix. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate. Scoop batter into 12 muffin cups until all filled. Bake until a tooth pick comes out clean for 18-20 minutes. Take them out of the tin and let cool for at least 15 minutes before eating.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate

When I want to make a treat, usually I think chocolate and peanut butter. I can't help it! I recently discovered these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with oats. The oats aren't very noticeable and add texture. Try chopped dark chocolate (the darker the better) instead of chocolate chips here or in any cookie recipe to slightly reduce sugar content and add more deliciousness.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate
from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar or sucanat
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly with fingers. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Honey Peanut Butter Bars

I bought puffed rice for a recipe, but it really called for crisp rice cereal. I searched for a recipe using puffed rice and found this one. Since I made it I've been craving more and will make some soon.

Honey Peanut Butter Bars
adapted from She Bakes Here

1 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup melted honey
3 - 3 1/2 cups puffed wheat or rice cereal
1/4 cup chocolate, melted

Line a 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter, maple syrup and honey with a wooden spoon.

Stir in puffed wheat or rice cereal and mix until the cereal is lightly coated. Using the back of the spoon, press the mixture evenly into the square pan.

Put the pan in the freezer for 25 minutes until the bars have hardened.

Grab hold of the parchment paper and gently lift the bars out of the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the bars into even rectangles. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These bars whip up and bake in a jiffy and are delicious. The original recipe says do not use natural peanut butter. So many recipes say that, and I'm beginning to doubt that it's a problem. I've made these several times with natural peanut butter (the kind where the oil separates), and they are totally fine.

Another ingredient swap I make now - I no longer buy brown sugar. Brown sugar literally is granulated white sugar with molasses added back in. I buy organic sugar from Costco for a decent price, so when I'm not using a better sugar, like maple syrup or sucanat, I feel good about this brand of organic sugar. It's slightly less processed (larger granules and a little brown in color), and it's not GMO. Did you know sugar is one of the common GMO crops?

In a recipe like this, where the brown sugar gets mixing time, I just add the sugar and molasses separately. If you need brown sugar and don't have a mixing step in the recipe, go ahead and mix the sugar and molasses together with a mixer or food processor. I don't usually measure the molasses, but you should add anywhere from 1 1/2 Tbsp. to 1/4 cup molasses per cup of sugar.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
adapted from Averie Cooks

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
1 large egg
1 c. organic sugar (or try 1 c. sucanat and omit the molasses)
2 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy, natural peanut butter
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt, to taste (depends on the salt content of the peanut butter)
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with some butter; set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. Allow the butter to cool for a few minutes. Add the egg, sugar, molasses, vanilla, and stir vigorously to combine, for about 1 minute.

Stir in the peanut butter. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until center is just set and golden. Bars will firm up more in pan as they cool.

Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store extra bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

If you haven't already figured it out, my main motivation for keeping this blog is a selfish reason. It's a fairly easy way to record recipes I have tried and makes it so easy to find them later (recipe index or search is so much faster then sorting through a hodge podge of papers). I also like sharing recipes, so it's convenient to refer people to my blog for recipes.

But I do sometimes have something to say, and though probably not too many are listening, it's fun to think maybe someone will read what I have written. I have had so many food thoughts lately and have dreamed of writing poignant blogposts. But that's not happening. I haven't even been keeping up with posting so many recipes I've made recently that I don't want to lose track of. I try to accomplish the most important things each day, and sometimes it feels that I'm not successful with even that. But I do also try to unwind every day with activities that are purely for my enjoyment. Blogging would fall in that category. Hopefully I will get fairly caught up soon.

This delightful recipe was one I discovered today, made today, and am posting today! It's so good I couldn't wait to share it. This is sugar-free, rich, delicious, chocolately candy. Yes, you read that correctly. I was somewhat skeptical this formula could make something just as enticing as traditional candy, but I was so wrong. Try it and see if you don't like it, as these morsels are amazing.

Variations: Try mini-muffin liners and pans for a smaller version. I'm thinking almond butter would taste scrumptious in place of the peanut butter.

UPDATE 5/16/13: I tried these with almond butter and maple syrup instead of peanut butter and honey, and they were indeed scrumptious. Also I used a silicone muffin pan without liners, and the candies popped out very nicely.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
adapted from Creating Naturally

1/2 cup coconut oil (slightly melted, but not hot)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
1/4 cup mild-flavored raw honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Prepare a muffin pan with 10 muffin liners OR use a silicone muffin pan with no liners.

Add ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until blended and smooth. The heat from the coconut oil will help melt the peanut butter and honey. Pour the liquid fudge into the prepared muffin liners dividing evenly between them. There will be about a half inch of fudge in each muffin liner.

Place the muffin pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until the fudge has hardened. Remove fudge from muffin pan and store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Take 5 Bars

I wish I could call these something other than Take 5 bars, since I'm not even sure if I've had a Take 5 candy bar. But what else to call them? Peanut butter pretzel bars with peanuts, caramel, and chocolate? So, Take 5 it is. I have no idea if these resemble Take 5 candy bars, but they are so tasty.

Take 5 Bars
adapted from Pixel-Whisk

3 cups small pretzels
1 cup peanut butter (natural works fine)
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 heaping cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt flakes or crushed pretzels for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels, peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar until the pretzels are crushed into small bits and the mixture clumps together. OR crush the pretzels in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin and stir into the peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl. Press firmly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes.

In a saucepan over medium hear, stir remaining 1 cup of sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil sugar for about 5 minutes, or until the color begins to darken. Swirl caramelized sugar to mix and continue to cook until it's a medium amber color. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream (it will bubble violently, so stir carefully) and vanilla. Set aside to cool.

Pour caramel over the pretzel crust, then top with chopped peanuts. Lastly, cover all the peanuts with the chocolate chips and bake for 10 minutes.

Use an offset spatula or knife to smooth out the chocolate chips while they're still warm and top with sea salt or crushed pretzels. Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours, or until chocolate hardens. Slice into bars and serve.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

I haven't made these cookies in a while, which is why they haven't been posted before now. I used to love these, but when I made them this time, they didn't seem very peanut buttery, which was surprising and a bit disappointing. As I ate more, I remembered why I love them, but it took me a while. I think I might prefer flourless peanut butter cookies, which have a much strong peanut flavor. I'm really not trying to deter you from making these; they are excellent. I'm just surprised at my change in tastes!

Unlike these peanut butter cookies, it's best to use no-stir peanut butter as it helps hold the cookies together.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. butter
½ c. peanut butter (must be solid at room temp)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375˚. Mix sugars, butter, peanut butter, vanilla and egg in medium bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press dough to ¼ thickness with fingers. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Sorry for the posting hiatus. Usually I plan ahead and have some posts ready to go even if I won't be home. That did not happen this time, but I guess I needed the break!

I have trouble with getting homemade granola bars to stick together, but I'm wondering if the secret is to mix them up with your hands. The first time I made these, they were crumbly, but I only used a spoon. The second two times I used my hands with better luck. In any case, I really loved the peanut butter used to bind these bars together. Peanut butter is one of my favorite food items, so these bars really hit the spot. However, my mother-in-law tried them, and even though she does not like peanut butter too much, really liked these granola bars.

These are so simple, hearty, and healthy. I'll be making these often for my stomach-never-full husband.

In this batch, my add-ins were chopped raisins and flaxseed. I've also used dried cranberries and chocolate chips. Really, the possibilities are endless.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars
adapted from How Sweet Eats

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup natural peanut butter, melted in the microwave for 30 seconds
1/2 cup honey

optional add-ins:
chocolate chips
wheat germ
flaxseed
dried fruit, chopped
other nuts, chopped
seeds
coconut

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine oats and peanuts. Add honey and mix to combine. Add melted peanut butter and mix until moistened (I found my hands worked best to make sure every oat was coated). Fold in optional add-ins. If dough is still too dry (this can depend on your ingredients) add more peanut butter or honey 1 tablespoon at a time until moistened.

Press dough in a greased (non-stick spray) 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Once cool, cut into squares. Store in an air-tight container.

Devil's Food Cake with Peanut Butter Ganache and Chocolate Shards

I found this beautiful, chocolately cake online recently. As I was looking at it my eyes got big and a smile crept onto my face. I just had to try it!

Sometimes ambitious recipes get the better of me and turn out not so great. Somehow I found success with this one. The chocolate shards that decorate the cake gave me no trouble at all. My cake looks just like the original! And it really wasn't that hard!! The cake part is a simple cake recipe, and the ganache frosting is pretty basic too. So if you have any baking skills at all, I say try this one out and you'll most likely be successful as well. Then everyone will ooh and aah.

Since I don't know where to buy Biscoff, I used peanut butter as a substitute, as suggested in the recipe. So this ended up being a chocolate and peanut butter treat, one of my favorite combinations.

To me, nothing says love better than chocolate.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Waffles

More waffles! I jotted down this recipe from a magazine a few years ago and have no idea from which one. As you can see in the photo, the waffles appear like regular waffles, but have hearty whole wheat flour and peanut butter. The peanut butter flavor isn't overwhelming, but can be tasted.

Break extra waffles into sections and freeze. Stick frozen sections in the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Waffles

2 ¼ c. whole wheat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ c. creamy natural peanut butter
1 ½ Tbsp. sugar or 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 eggs, beaten
2 ¼ c. whole milk, or almond milk, or half whole yogurt and half water
¼ c. oil or melted coconut oil
¼ tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and cook on waffle iron.

Failproof Candy

Candy making is fun, but sometimes frustrating. These two candy recipes don't require any special skill, so if you want something easy, but really yummy, try either or both of these: peppermint bark and buckeyes.

Peppermint Bark

12 oz. dark chocolate
12 oz. white chocolate
4 - 6 candy canes, crushed

Prepare pan by lining it in wax paper. I used 8x8 square pan, but the bark was on the thick side. Also try a cookie sheet, but don't spread the chocolate all the way to the edge. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (on high for 1 minute, stir, then short bursts of 10-20 seconds until melted. Stir after each burst). Spread the dark chocolate in the prepared pan. Let set. Repeat melting process with the white chocolate. Spread evenly over dark chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes, pressing the candy slightly into the chocolate. Let set. Remove the bark from the pan. Peel the paper away from the bark. Break or cut into pieces.

As many non-midwesterns may not know, buckeyes are a nut-like fruit that grows on trees. Candy buckeyes resemble the fruit. Ever wonder what the Ohio State Buckeyes are? Nuts (or fruits)!

Many buckeye recipes have a peanut butter center containing only peanut butter,powdered sugar, and butter. I tried this recipe with graham cracker crumbs and cream cheese in the center, and thought the consistency and taste were perfect.

I used a toothpick to dip the buckeyes in chocolate. After the buckeyes were set, I pushed the exposed peanut butter center around a little to get rid of the toothpick hole.

Buckeyes
from Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 14 graham crackers)
dash of salt
3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks or 5 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped

Make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together until combined. Add the graham cracker crumbs and beat for 10 seconds. Add the sugar and butter, and mix on the lowest speed until it stops floating off everywhere, then increase the speed until the ingredients are combined. Scrape down the whole bowl well, then mix again. The mixture will be quite sturdy and a little dry — perfect for shaping. Set it aside while you prepare the coating.

Make the coating: Melt the chocolate either over a double boiler, stirring until it is completely smooth or in a microwave in 30 then 10 second increments, stirring before you start it again until it is completely smooth. Let it cool to tepid (about 100 degrees), while you shape the peanut butter centers.

Assemble the candies: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop out slightly more than one tablespoon’s worth of filling, and use your hands to form it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared sheet and repeat the process until all of the candies have been shaped. They can sit close to each other but make sure they are not touching.

Using a fork or large skewer, dip each ball into the chocolate and roll it about so that almost the entire candy is coating, leaving a small circle uncoated.

Chill the buckeyes until they are set, about 30 minutes.

More Peanut Butter and Chocolate

These cookies take a little more work than most, but very worth it.  They're kind of a like a cookie version of a peanut butter cup.  Delish!

Magic Peanut Butter Middles
adapted from This Week for Dinner

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
granulated sugar, for rolling

In a small bowl blend flour, cocoa and baking soda. Mix until well blended.

In large bowl beat sugar, butter or margarine and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Set aside. Divide into 32 equal sized portions.

To make filling: Combine confectioner’s sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Blend well. Roll filling into 32 1-inch balls.
For each cookie, with floured hands, flatten one portion of dough and shape it around one peanut butter ball, covering completely. Roll each cookie in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly with the bottom of a glass.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7-9 minutes. When cookies are done, they should be set and slightly cracked.

Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies

Back to peanut butter and chocolate!  

Yes, these peanut butter cookies really are flourless.  And fabulous.  They remain a little gooey even after baked and cooled.  My husband wondered if I had finished baking them or if I did something wrong.  But no, they are meant to be gooey (think peanut butter fudge) with a little crisp on the outside. Even though I'm a big fan of natural peanut butter, these are better with peanut butter that is solid at room temperature.  Grocery stores have recently started carrying solid peanut butter without trans-fats.

Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies

from Everyday Food PBS website

1 c. creamy peanut butter

¾ c. sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¾ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ c. roasted, salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350°, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts.

With moistened hands, roll dough, about 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, into balls. Place 2 inches apart on two baking sheets.

Bake until cookies are golden and puffed, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate

So I've always loved chocolate, but in the last few years I've discovered I love peanut butter and chocolate together, possibly even more than just plain chocolate (shocking, I know). So when I found this cookie recipe I knew it would be heaven... I always bake cookies on a Pampered Chef baking stone. Below you'll see the bottom of a cookie - perfectly golden brown.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
from Martha Stewart

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups salted whole peanuts
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put sugars, butter, and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture, and mix until just combined. Mix in peanuts and chocolate chips.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.