Tweaking Jif's Peanut Butter cookies

Yes, I took a stab at these too. I made some slight modifications and my husband couldn't tell the difference. My son gobbled whatever I put in front of him. Win-Win!

3/4 cup Peanut Butter*

1/2 cup Coconut oil

1 1/4 cups coconut sugar

1/2 cup of applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine peanut butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, applesauce and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. 

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in a crisscross pattern with tines of fork.**

3. Bake one baking sheet at a time 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

*You may need to add a tablespoon or two of coconut sugar to compensate for the lack of sugar if you use all natural peanut butter.

**I froze the cookie dough mounds and later baked them at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Healthy Cookies!

I'm about to surprise your mouth. I had been making up these cookies from Picky Palate. They are the bomb. You can bake them right away or freeze the dough for later, (great for when people stop by and you need something to serve!)  so - very versatile... and now to take them up a notch. 
I have a friend who has given me a little push towards coconut sugar in place of regular sugar for baking... so I experimented on these, and I mean come on, guilt free cookies? Top notch!

• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar

• 1/4 cup applesauce

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 (+ or -) cup Gold Medal Flour’s white whole wheat flour

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips (removed for my friend but not for the rest of us)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper. Place softened coconut oil into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, beating until well combined. Add applesauce and vanilla, beating well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until dough forms.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet placing 1 inch apart. 
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring. Serve and enjoy. Makes 2 dozen servings

*You can also pop these bad boys in the freezer after scooping on the baking sheet until you are ready to cook. 

No-bake cheesecake

I was craving cheesecake as any normal pregnant person should. And I had all the ingredients. in my house. at the same time. So I just needed an excuse and my excuse was our anniversary. 

His

2 packages of cream cheese (8oz each) - room temperature

1-2 tsp of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of sugar

1 (8 oz) cartoon of Cool Whip, Whipped Topping, etc.

Graham cracker crust 

Hers

With a kitchen aid mixer or hand mixer, whip together the first three ingredients. Scrape frequently to get it mixed well. 

Add about a third of the Cool Whip to the cream cheese mixture. Gently whip it until well mixed. 

Scoop half of that mixture into the graham cracker crust. Gently spread it evenly across the bottom of the crust. 

Add another third of the Cool Whip to the other half of the cream cheese/cool whip mixture. Gently whip this also, and then spread gently and evenly on the first layer. 

Top with remaining Cool Whip, spreading evenly across the 2 layer. I used the back of a spoon to make little swirls in the topping.  

Refrigerate. 

Our toppings- added right before serving- were strawberries for me and chocolate peanut butter sauce for him. 

Chocolate peanut butter sauce was just chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter and sugar melted together and mixed together. 

~You don't have to do this many steps or layer it this way, but I wanted to try it and well, my son was napping too~

Eat it up and Enjoy!!!

snow day and s'mores

Several inches of snow have been dumped across Midwest and I am loving it... Sadly I'm stuck inside for the most part. I really would rather not fall on anything slick with my little mister on my hip.
So I am enjoying it from afar and where it's much warmer...

And I made some s'more goodness. 

Yes, you want to know how to make this.

4 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate

2 tbsp of butter

Melt on low in a saucepan. Stir every couple minutes.

1 package from a box of graham crackers 

1/2 a bag of mini marshmallows

Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper or foil.

Break the graham crackers into their indicated quarters and then each of those quarters in half and spread them out in the pan. Don't crush them. 

Sprinkle with marshmallows.

Scoop melted chocolate in small spoonfuls onto crackers and marshmallows. (don't be exact, just scoop out the chocolate evenly over all of it, not one pile in the middle.) 

Gently stir mixture with your chocolate spoon. Keep mixture spread out.

Freeze for 45-60 minutes or until chocolate hardens. 

Break mixture into smaller pieces (chocolate will melt on your fingers so do this quickly). 

Pop the mixture in the fridge until you want to serve it. 

Make sure everyone gets some. This is like food crack.

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (mushed)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice (a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice)
1.25 cups plus 1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Equipment: 12 foil or paper muffin liners; a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups

Directions:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350F. Put liners in muffin cups.
Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1.25 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.
Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.
Divide the batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full), then sprinkle the tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown about 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Sneaky Cobbler - Dessert Shortcuts 101

 from thepioneerwoman until i make it again, and take my own

1-2 can of pie filling (choose any flavor you prefer)
1 box of cake mix (once again any flavor)
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of  (softened, not melted)

Preheat oven to 350.
Pour Filling into an oven safe dish or pot (that has a fitting oven safe lid), preferably less than 12 inches in diameter. Sprinkle on cake mix. Crumble Butter and sugar together with a fork or fingers and sprinkle onto cake mix.
Put the lid on and place the dish in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top starts turning a golden crispy brown and the filling is bubbling.

Serve with ice cream!


Recommendations:
Cherry Filling and Chocolate cake mix
Peach Filling and Yellow cake mix
Blueberry Filling and White cake mix

Little Cooking Shortcuts 101- Quick Desserts

Tiramisu Knock-off
This post starts a series of posts I am going to do on Cooking Shortcuts. I have a special few that I use in times of trouble, or in times of poor timing, or in times of needing something QUICK!
This one I invented in my head after I picked up one ingredient at the store.
Mascarpone. If you know anything about this ingredient it is the "killer" ingredient in Tiramisu (the most incredible dessert in the world.) So my thought was a "crazy american's" tiramisu knock-off.

Method 2 minus optional toppings and ice cream.

1 Pound cake or angel food cake (or hazelnut crunch kilo cake from Lidl's)
Mascarpone (6-8 oz)
Sugar
Nutellla (or equivalent) (4 oz)
Ice cream (vanilla, preferred)
Optional toppings* - Strawberries (sliced with a little sugar)                or  - Instant coffee granules
The coffee granules are for the tiramisu effect. Strawberries, for the chocolate and strawberry effect. Use either one....

1. Warm the mascarpone in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds, just enough to soften it. Add a few tablespoons of sugar to sweeten it a bit. I also added a smidge of vanilla sugar.
2. Warm the Nutella for 15-20 seconds. (might need to add a fraction of a teaspoon of milk to get it to a drizzling consistency.

3.This is where we split into separate methods.
Method 1. Cut the cake in half horizontally.
Spread the mascarpone onto the top of the bottom half of the cake. (* Sprinkle with coffee granules)
Top with other half of cake. You can add another layer of Mascarpone on the top half if you like.
Drizzle the top with melted Nutella. (*top with Strawberries.)

Method 2. Slice the cake (vertically) into individual pieces. Lay each piece on it's side and top with a layer of mascarpone and Nutella. (*Sprinkle on coffee granules or strawberries)

Serve with a scoop of ice cream.
P.S. This is a good one to serve up at home. If you would like to take it to a party, I recommend Method 1. And if doing strawberries- wait until you arrive at the party to top with strawberries. (and of course wait until it's being served before adding the ice cream) ::wink::

Enjoy! and Bon Appétit!

one-bowl chocolate cake!

Easiest Chocolate cake to make!!
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack. To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar and transfer to a serving plate.
*I didn't have powdered sugar, which was fine, I served the cake with ice cream. Enjoy!

Dessert Panini

Delish!

4 slices of bread
couple tablespoons of butter
vanilla sugar(or regular sugar)
Nutella (or I used Peanut butter cocoa spread)
1 Banana, sliced

Butter both sides of the bread and sprinkle sugar on one side of each. (keep track of which side). *Fry them til they have a golden brown touch on the sugared side. Spread Nutella on the sugared side of all 4 pieces and top 2 of them with banana. Place the other slices chocolate side onto the bananas. Fry a couple seconds longer on both sides to warm. Enjoy!

*If you fry the non sugared side less then the sugared side the chocolate spreading and last couple seconds should get it to a nice golden brown.

You can also make this non-panini and use 2 slices of bread. (like the picture)

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I couldn't remember the last thing I took a picture of, so I knew it was time to get on here... I got this recipe from Betty Crocker, but I mixed a little bit of a recipe from Barefoot Contessa. So here is the concocted version!

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
3/4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup of sour cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an angel food pan.
Mix first 4 ingredients, set aside.
Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. (the longer you beat them the fluffier they get).
Add flour mixture and sour cream alternating small amounts of both to blend them well.

Streusel:
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of butter

You can double this for a thicker swirl in your cake. Just blend this together til the butter is small chunks. I did 2 layers of steusel in the cake and a layer on top as well. It is entirely up to you!
Layer the cake mixture and streusel. Bake for 1 hour.

Glaze:
1 tbsp of maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup of powder sugar
2-3 tsp of milk

Combined ingredients. Add enough milk that it thickly drizzles over the cake. Bon Appétit!