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Twisted Peanut Butter Cups

June 6, 2008 By Steph 15 Comments
My addiction to Costco has hit an all time high.  Maybe it’s the 2 million pints of strawberries for only $5.99.  Or maybe it’s the totally awesome rotisserie chicken for $4.99.  Or maybe it’s there freakin’ cookbook section that gets me every time.  They may not even be the best or even most well known cookbooks, but the fact that they are like $10 makes me become the victim of an overly obsessive cookbook disorder.  I know that I don’t need them.  But they sit there, staring at me screaming “pick me, pick me!” So, I cave.  Yesterday, I caved.  I usually have second thoughts once I’ve hit my driveway.  Why did I buy that freakin’ cookbook? But, this time I found one recipe that really jumped out at me.  Yes, one recipe.  Maybe down the road I can get some new ideas from it, but for now, one recipe.  It is Pillsbury’s Best of the Bake-Off Winners.  I found a recipe for Choco-Peanut Butter Cups that I knew I couldn’t die without trying.  Just my kind of treat.  So I went home and made it.  All I can say about this recipe can be summed up in just one word.  Yummy.  Yes, it may be lame, but it is one of my favorite descriptive words when it comes to food.  I can’t help it.  It must be the little kid in me.  But it’s true.  These peanut butter cups are yummy.  It is basically a peanut butter cookie stuffed with peanut butter mixed with half white chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate.  Try them out and I bet that you will agree. Very rich, but very yummy.  Yum, yum, yum.  Okay, enough of that.  Obviously, the recipe being from the Pillsbury cookbook, calls for store bought peanut butter cookie dough. But I made my favorite Sweet Melissa recipe, and it was perfect.  So do as you wish! I decided to rename this recipe Twisted Peanut Butter Cups, it just sounded more interesting to me. But call them what you want! Enjoy this one!  Splurge!!!!

Twisted Peanut Butter Cups
adaped from Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off Winner Cookbook
24 cookie cups
1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
(or homemade recipe)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 oats n honey crunchy granola bars (I used Nature Valley), crushed (3/4 cup)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray or shortening.  Cut cookie dough into 24 slices.  Press 1 slice in bottom and up side of each mini muffin cup, forming 1/4 inch rim above top of cup (dust fingers with flour if necessary).  Bake 10-15 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown.  Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. With tip of handle of wooden spoon, press dough down in center of each cup to make room for 2 tablespoons of filling.
2. Meanwhile, in 2 quart saucepan, melt white chips and 3/4 cup of the peanut butter over low heat, stirring constantly.  Divide mixture evenly into cookie cups (about 1 tablespoon each). Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
3. In same saucepan, melt chocolate chips and remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter over low heat, stirring constantly.  Divide chocolate mixture evenly on top of the white chocolate mixture in each cup (about 1 tablespoon each).  Sprinkle crushed granola bars over top of each. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.  Remove from muffin cups before serving.
After baking, poke the cookie down so that you have room for the yummy filling.
Fill with the white chocolate peanut butter mixture, and chill.
Fill with the chocolate peanut butter mixture.Top with crushed granola bars and you now have one twisted peanut butter cup.

Filed Under: cookies, cupcakes, desserts

Red Velvet Cupcakes

June 3, 2008 By Steph 13 Comments

First of all, a very Happy Birthday to my dear sweet Mother!  Happy Birthday Mom.  Thanks for teaching me all that I know in the kitchen and in life.  Thanks for being my best friend.

I decided that for my families Birthdays, I will be making there favorite cupcakes for them, as a special treat just for them!  My mom’s favorite is Red Velvet Cake.  So, I searched my cookbooks for the perfect recipe.  I had to go with my Sweet Melissa Baking Book again.  I knew I just couldn’t go wrong. So far, I have made:
Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (post to come)
And now, I’ve tried her Red Velvet Cake, which I made into cupcakes.  (If you notice in the picture that my cake is not so red, it’s because I ran out of red food coloring!)  Anyways, I was a little hesitant making cupcakes out of a cake recipe, I haven’t had much luck in the past.  They always seem a little too dense and they seem to cave in the middle.  But today, while going through my cookbooks, I read in my Cake Doctor Cookbook how to accomplish this task successfully! I’ll quote from the cookbook:
“How to turn your favorite cake recipe into muffins or cupcakes? It’s possible with almost any recipe, but you’ll have the best results if the cake is sturdy in structure, containing 3 to 4 eggs, possibly a package of pudding mix, not too much liquid, and just a few add-ins like chocolate chips and nuts.  Yet, the only way to know for sure is to just give the recipe a go. I prefer to line muffin pans with paper liners, but you can spray them with a misting of vegetable oil spray. Fill the cups from two-thirds to three-quarters full, bake at 350 degrees.”
Well this recipe, my friends, worked perfectly.  I have to say this is one of the tastiest cupcakes that I’ve ever made.  Not only were the flavors out of this world, but the texture was absolutely perfect.  Not too dense, not to heavy.  I haven’t experienced many red velvet cakes in the past, so it was hard to compare, but the mixture of a small addition of cocoa powder and cinnamon made this sweet and satisfying!  I’ve decided that I now have a love/hate relationship with my dear friend Sweet Melissa.  Her cookbook alone has made me gain 5 pounds!  Everything I’ve made has been so decedent and there is no possible way to eat just one bite, or just one serving.  If you can do it, I’d like to know your trick!  I might have to hide this book away, because I might be in trouble.  But it is nice to know that if I ever need a recipe I can count on, this is the one to go to!  I did use a different recipe of frosting for these cupcakes. I decided try a White Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting to top them off.  It was a perfect combination!  I hope you like them Mommy!
Red Velvet Cake or Cupcakes
makes 1- 9 inch cake or 24 cupcakes
For the cake:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons best-quality unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons natural red food coloring
For the frosting:
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Before you start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans, or line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
To Make The Cake:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until combined.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, cream the sugar and oil.
Add the eggs and beat well.  Add the vinegar and food coloring and mix to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Mix well after each addition.  Scape down the sides of the bowl.  Beat well for 10 more seconds.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, or cupcake pans.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes for cakes, or 20-22 minutes for cupcakes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before turning the layers or cupcakes out onto the rack.  Cool completely before filling or frosting.
To make the frosting:
1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute.  Remove the bowl and stir until smooth.  Set the chocolate aside to cool.
2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine.  Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined.  Add the vanilla and 2 1/2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more.  Add more sugar as needed to make the frosting spreadable.  Increase the mixer speed medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.
3. Frost the layers, top and sides of your cakes, or top your cupcakes.

Filed Under: cupcakes, desserts

Blueberry Almond Granola

June 2, 2008 By Steph 7 Comments

I love the smell of granola slowly cooking in a warm stove.  There is nothing quite like it.  It smells the whole house of yummy goodness.  And you just can’t wait until it’s done and you can bite into the beautiful aroma and taste the delicious flavors.  This particular granola is from my all time favorite cookbook.  Every single thing I have made out of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book has been a success.  It is a book I can count on if I’m in the mood for something truly delicious. I’m looking forward to conquering every recipe.  This granola is not only good for you, but it is so flavorful and perfect with yogurt and fresh strawberries, which is how I like my granola.  You can use any dried fruit in this recipe, but I chose dried blueberries.  It was perfect.

Blueberry Almond Granola

5 cups rolled oats
3 cups rye flakes (similar to rolled oats, you can find them at natural food stores)
1 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
1 cup roasted shelled pumpkin seeds
1 cup whole natural almonds
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup clover honey
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup dried currants
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup golden raisins
(I used 3 cups dried blueberries instead of currants, cherries and raisins)
Position a rack in the bottom and top thirds of your oven.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
1. In a very large bowl, combine the oats, rye flakes, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, and dry milk powder.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the oil, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger and bring to a simmer, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Pour the hot mixture over the oat mixture, and mix well to combine.
4. Divide the granola equally between the prepared cookie sheets, spreading it evenly into a single later.  Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring eery 15 minutes, until golden.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Break up the granola into a bowl.  Add the currants, cherries, and raisins (or blueberries) and mix thoroughly.
The granola keeps in an airtight container at room temperature and in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Filed Under: breakfast, snacks
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