Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a classic childhood favorite, packed in many lunch boxes over the years. I still love to eat PB&J's now! And what's not to love about a classic PB&J?  They are the perfect combination of creamy and salty peanut butter and sweet jelly sandwiched between two slices of soft bread. This cookie is the perfect treat for any PB&J lover. These jumbo-sized peanut butter cookies are soft and chewy and filled with a center of your favorite sweet jelly. Enjoy!   

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies: (peanut butter cookies adapted from Elle's New England Kitchen & idea from Giada)

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 butter, softened
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• peanut butter mixture, see below
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• about 1/2 cup of your favorite jam/jelly

Peanut Butter Mixture

• 8 oz. peanut butter
• 2 oz. (1/2 stick butter), softened
• 2 oz. honey

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Make the peanut butter mixture by combining all of the ingredients. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside. In a standing mixer or large bowl, cream the 3/4 butter, shortening, and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and peanut butter mixture. Add the flour mixture by the cupful and beat at low speed until fully mixed. Stir in the peanut butter chips.

Put the remaining 1/4 of sugar in a small bowl. Form the dough into 1/4 cup-size balls and roll in sugar. Arrange 5 balls of dough, evenly apart, on prepared baking sheets. Using a round 1/4 teaspoon measure, or the thin end of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the center of each ball of dough, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch deep. Spoon about 1 teaspoon jam into each hole. Bake for 11-14 minutes until the dough has spread and the surface of the cookies are crackled. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Serve or store in an airtight container. 

Homemade White Chocolate Peanut Butter

Woo hoo!!! School is finally out for the summer and I am soooo ready for a break! 

Summer is my favorite season ever! I sometimes wish that I lived somewhere where it was warm year-round, like Hawaii, oh how I would love living in a tropical place! Although, I must admit, I would miss the snow on Christmas. But anywho, what do I love about summer? I love the heat, the beautiful sunshine, sleeping with my window open and falling asleep to the sound of crickets, the fresh and delicious fruit, shorts, flip flops, summer dresses, going barefoot, summer vacations, and cookouts, and basically everything else about summer! Best of all, it means that I will have more time for baking and blogging and sharing yummy recipes with you!

I never knew that making homemade peanut butter was so easy. All you need is a few simple ingredients and a couple of minutes and you will have whipped yourself up some gourmet peanut butter with endless possibilities! You can basically add anything you want into the peanut butter mixture to create your own peanut butter concoction. You could add honey, melted milk chocolate, melted butterscotch chips, caramel, or may I suggest trying this fabulous looking Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter, from Picky Palate that I want to just dive right into! Doesn't that look delicious?!

This peanut butter is great for dipping apples and pretzals into or slathering on toast and bagels. Try it out and let me know what flavors you come up with!

Homemade White Chocolate Peanut Butter: (How Sweet It Is)

makes about 3/4 cup

• 1 1/2 cups dry, roasted peanuts (I used salted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup white chocolate, melted

 Add peanuts to a food processor and blend until a thick nut butter forms. Stream in oil and vanilla with the processor on, continuing to run it until te mixture is smooth-about 3-5 minutes. Turn off processor, add melted chocolate, and turn processor back on. Blend until smooth.

You can keep at room temperature for about a week, but refrigerate if you want to keep it for a few weeks.

Better-Than-Crack-Brownies

What else can I say about these fabulous brownies?

I guess the name says it all, although I don't know if they are truly better-than-crack, thank goodness! 

But, what I do know is that these brownies are sinful and are full of pure delicious-ness.

You have a fudgy chocolate brownie, topped with chopped up Butterfingers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which then gets topped off with a mixture of melted chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter and then Cocoa Pebbles cereal gets mixed in! Wow, I know, trust me they are gooooood!

These brownies are chewy and fudgy, crunchy and smooth, and chocolatey and peanut buttery! It's like eating a brownie, a candy  bar, and a scotcheroo all in one!

 I have made these several times and everywhere I take them, they are a huge hit!

Go make these brownies : ), don't wait!

Better-Than-Crack-Brownies: (adapted from How Sweet It Is)

-1 batch brownies for a 13x9-inch pan (boxed or your favorite homemade)

-1/2 cup chopped Butterfingers

-1 cup chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

-3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

-3/4 cup butterscotch chips

-1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

-1 1/2 cups Cocoa Pebbles cereal

Make brownies according to directions for a 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, just so that they are slightly underbaked. Remove and top with chopped Butterfingers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and bake 4-6 minutes more.

While they finish baking, melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter together until smooth. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour peanut butter mixture over top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. I think they taste best cold straight from the refrigerator!

Peanut Butter Candy Pie

I love it when someone's birthday comes around because I get to make a decadant and over-the-top dessert, which I love doing! Last week was my cousin's 22nd birthday and we celebrated with dinner and this Peanut Butter Candy Pie that I made. One of his favorite candy bars are reese's peant butter cups, so, I chose a dessert that incorporated them in it!

This pie starts off with a chocolate oreo cookie crust that gets sprinkled with chopped up peanut butter cups and then on top of that is a peanut butter filling, which is a mixture of cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and freshly whipped cream. To top it off, I sprinkled colorful peanut M&M's on top! It is layerd with many textures; crunchy, smooth, creamy and it is rich, peanut buttery and nutty. It tastes kind of like a peanut butter cheesecake, but, it is much lighter due to the whipped cream that gets folded into it. There are a few steps in making this pie, but, it is really so simple to make, it looks impressive, and it is delicious! Everyone loved it!

Peanut Butter Candy Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

-20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed or ground in a food processor

-4 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Pie:

-1 1/2 cups miniature peanut butter cup candies, roughly chopped

-8 ounces cream cheese, softened

-3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

-1 cup heavy whipping cream

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Peanut M&M's, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

2. To make the crust, stir Oreo cookie crumbs and butter in a small bowl until moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3. When the crust is completely cooled, sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups.

4. To make the pie, combine the cream cheese, 3/4 cups powdered sugar and the peanut butter in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. In a seperate bowl, whip the heavy cream until light and thick. Add the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

6. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Pour batter into the springform pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

7. When ready to serve, sprinkle the top with chopped peanut M&M's.

Jumbo Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I found these cute mini chocolate covered peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's, which is such a cool store! I wish we had one closer to us, but the closest one is an hour and a half away : ( boo! But, if you are ever  near a Trader Joe's make sure and stop in and check it out, I always find some kind of treasure there! When I saw these mini chocolate covered peanut butter cups there I knew exactly what I wanted to make, and that was an extra large and chewy peanut butter cookie loaded with mini peanut butter cups and chocolate chips....so here it is! By the way, if you don't live near a Trader Joe's, I just saw that HERSHEY's just came out with these extra mini peanut butter cups too, no unwrapping! Enjoy!

                                  Jumbo Peanut Butter Cup Cookies: (adapted from allrecipes)

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup butter, softened

-1/2 cup shortening

-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

-3/4 cup granulated sugar

-3/4 cup packed brown sugar

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

-1 1/2 cups mini chocolate cover peanut butter cups, or regular size peanut butter cups chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, peanut butter, and both sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and mini peanut butter cups. Measure out  a 1/4 cup dough for each cookie and drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool for one to two minutes on baking sheet before removing onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Fudge

It's that time of year for sweet treats, candy making, and baking and fudge is a popular treat that everyone enjoys! This is a super simple peanut butter fudge recipe, no candy thermometor needed, just a microwave and a wooden spoon! It only takes about 5 minutes to make. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fudge: (Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown)

Ingredients:

-1 cup butter

-1 cup peanut butter

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 1/2-3 3/4 cups, I used 3 1/2 cups)

Directions:

Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Pour into a greased 8x8-inch pan. Place a piece of wax paper on the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store into an airtight container for up to a week.

Poppy Chow

This super yummy and addictive poppy chow which is made with popcorn is reminiscent to puppy chow which is made with chex cereal. Plain popped popcorn gets coated in a mixture of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter and then it gets sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar! It is so sweet and chocolatey and it is perfect to have at any holiday gathering or packaging up and giving away to loved ones who will gobble this simple tasty treat right up!

Poppy Chow: (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Ingredients:

-9 cups Air-Popped Popcorn

-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup butterscotch chips

-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

-1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In microwave or double boiler, melt chocolatechips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and butter until melted. Stir in vanilla. Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over all. Stir until evenly coated. Add the powdered sugar and stir until each piece is covered. Spread out on a cookie sheet to set the chocolate. Store in an airtight container.

*Store in an airtight container.

CReePy BUck EyE baLLs!

It's almost Halloween so for the next few days I will be posting some festive, maybe spooky, yet oh so sweet holiday tricks and treats! I hope you enjoy them! To start you off, I have creepy peanut butter buck eye balls which are always a popular Christmas staple in my house! For Halloween, I decided to coat these creamy and rich peanut butter centers with white chocolate and place a brown M&M on top and then decorate them with red veins. Enjoy!

CrEEpy BuCk EyE bAllS:

-1 1/2 cups peanut butter

-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

-1/2 cup butter, softened

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 (12 oz.) bag white chcocolate chips

-2 tablespoons shortening

-24 brown M&M's

-red frosting

Mix peanut butter, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, blending with the mixer until all the sugar is fully incorporated.

Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Heat a double boiler to the lowest heat and combine white chocolate chips and shortening in the double boiler.

When the chips are melted, dip one peanut butter ball in the melted chocolate until it is well coated (I used 2 spoons and found that is the easiest for method for me), place on the prepared baking sheet, and immediately press one M&M on top. Repeat until all the peanut butter balls are coated and topped with the candy.

Let the chocolate harden and then make decorate the balls with red veins using your favorite frosting.

 

Surprise Cheesecake Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

These yummy cookies came about because I had some leftover cheesecake batter from making mini cheesecakes and I didn't have enough crust! So, since I am not a big fan of cheesecake and my boyfriend is, I decided to combine two of his favorites, peanut butter and cheesecake, into one simple and delicious cookie.  All you have to do is use this Magical Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, which only has 4 ingredients in it! And then, you form 2 tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball and make a little well in the center with your fingers, next you spoon about a 1/2 tablespoon of the leftover cheesecake in the middle, then bake for about 10-12 minutes and let cool completely. If desired, place 3 reesee's pieces in the center and drizzle with melted milk chocolate. These would be perfect to munch on at a Halloween party!

Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake

I just finished taking my accounting test that I was talking about yesterday and unfortunately, I don't feel too good about it. It was super, super hard, extremely difficult, I will find out the results on thursday : / I'm scared, I don't really want to know what I got. But, on a positive note, there is one thing that I do feel good about, well actually, wwwwwaaaaayyyyyy better then good, and that is this Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake from Brown Eyed Baker (check out her blog, it is seriously awesome!) that I made for my sister's husband's birthday this past weekend. I think that this cheesecake is by far the most decadant and rich dessert that I have ever made, yeah it is. It is full of layers upon layers of chocolate and peanut butter and more chocolate and peanut butter. What's not to love? You start with an Oreo cookie crust, then top it with a chocolate fudge, then top that with chopped peanut butter cups. Next comes the creamy peanut butter cheesecake, and then as if all of that isn't enough......it gets topped with a smooth chocolate ganache and an amazing peanut butter frosting and some more peanut butter cups if your little baking heart desires, and mine did! There are so many layers and levels of textures in this dessert; crunchy, smooth, creamy, cool and soft. This is a dessert for pure indulgence, pure decadance, it is amazing, heaven. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake: (From Brown Eyed Baker)

For the Crust:

-32 Oreo cookies, finely crushed or ground in a food processor

-5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-Pinch of salt

For the Fudge:

-8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-20 miniature peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped and roughly chopped

For the Cheesecake:

-24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

-1 cup creamy peanut butter

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-4 eggs

For the Ganache Topping:

-4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

-1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

2. To make the crust, stir the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl with a fork until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let cool.

4. To make the fudge, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1-2 minutes, then add the vanilla and stir with a whisk until smooth and combined. Pour the fudge into the cooled crust and spread evenly over the bottom. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and sprinkle surface with the chopped peanut butter cups. Return to freezer for 10 more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the cheesecake filling. Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Scrape the bowl and mix on low for another 20 seconds.

6. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling over the fudge and peanut butter cups. Bake until the sides of the cheesecake are set and the middle just slightly jiggles, about 1 hour (mine took closer to 1 hour and 30 minutes, and I covered it with foil to prevent browning). Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature (at least 1 hour). Refrigerate the cheesecake at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Carefully remove the sides from the springform pan.

7. Before serving, prepare the ganache topping. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour the ganache on the top of the cheesecake and, using an offset spatula, spread evenly over top of the cheesecake. Return to the refrigerator to set the ganache, about 20 minutes. Garnish as desired (I used a basic buttercream frosting and added peanut butter to it to pipe around the edges and added a peanut butter cup to the middle, just as Brown Eyed Baker did).

Peanut Butter Caramel Apple Cookie Bars

Fall is one of my favorite seasons and it is probably my most favorite season to bake in! The air is cool and crisp, the leaves change from color to color, you get to cuddle up under a fuzzy blanket and eat warm comforting meals like homemade chicken and dumplings that satisfy anybody's belly. You get to enjoy fresh warm apple cider and eat caramel apples, I can just taste it now! There are also so many great seasonal items to bake with. Apples being one, and oh how I do love tart Granny Smith apples (they are my fave), so crunchy and crisp! So, here is a yummy recipe for my first fall dessert of the season. It starts with a soft and sweet sugar cookie base which gets topped with a smooth cream cheese, peanut butter and cinnamon mixture. Then, you layer on some fresh tart apples and drizzle it with warm caramel and top it off with crunchy cinnamon-y cashews. Enjoy!

I also have been searching around for canned pumpkin for the past couple of weeks and I finally found some yesterday! Yay, I was so excited! There were about 15 cans on the shelf so I picked up a couple because I have been in great anticipation of baking some pumpkin desserts! Pumpkin is another one of my favorite things to bake with in the fall. I love the aroma of anything pumkin baking, the smell is so intoxicating and enticing and the smell of pumpkin and spice just fills the whole house up with pure Autumn-ness! Happy Fall Baking everyone!

Peanut Butter Caramel Apple Cookie Bars:

-1 package (16.5 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened

-1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

-1/2 cup powdered sugar

-1/4 cup peanut butter

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

-1 medium Granny Smith apple

-1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

-1/2 cup Cinabon Cinnamon Cashews, chopped (or plain would work just as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Press sugar cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Let cool completely.

2. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie.

3. Slice apples to desired thickness and arrange evenly over cream cheese mixture.

4. Microwave ice cream topping for 30 seconds or until warm; drizzle evenly over apples. Chop cashews and sprinkle evenly over apples. Cut in to wedges and enjoy!

Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Blondies

Calling all peanut butter lovers! I saw this recipe for Peanut Butter Blondies on Joy the Baker and I knew I had to try them because my boyfriend loves peanut butter desserts! She topped hers with a milk chocolate frosting which looked delicious, but, I opted for a mixture of melted milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips for the top because I have been very into scotcheroos lately and it is the topping I use on them! I also filled the blondie batter with Reese's Pieces, mmmm mmmm good. The blondies are delicious, they are very dense, moist and chewy and are packed full of peanut butter flavor and caramelly brown sugar flavor. I also think these would taste great swirled with strawberry jelly and I also want to try them with the milk chocolate frosting! These are so worth making many more times!

Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Blondies: (Joy of the Baker, adapted by me)

-5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 cubes

-1 cup light brown sugar

-1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

-1 large egg

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1 cup flour

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 cup Reese's Pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sugar together until the butter is just melted. Remove from the burner and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add the peanut butter. Stir until incorporated. Allow to cool for 5 more minutes, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Whisk together salt, flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just incorporated. Fold in the Reese's Pieces. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for about 30 minutes. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over top and let set until topping is firm. Cut and serve. Store in an airtight container.

                                                      For the Topping:
                                      -heaping 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
                                       -heaping 1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one until melted and smooth, about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Give Me S'more Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Have you ever made a classic campfire s'more with a Reesee's Peanut Butter Cup instead of Hershey's Milk Chocolate? If not, you should give it a try before summer so shortly comes to an end, or you can try out my Peanut Butter Cup S'more Brownies! I must say....Delicious!

I had leftover marshmallows, ghram crackers and peanut butter cups from our vacation a couple weeks ago that I wanted to use up and I thought that brownies would be a great base to throw all of those leftover goodies into.

And I was right! The brownie itself was very fudgey, rich and chocolately, just the way I like them, which paired perfectly with one of summer's classic favorite treats, s'mores; chopped ghram crackers and peanut butter cups get mixed into the brownie batter and then it gets topped with large marshmallow halves that get that great toasty flavor and golden brown color; just as if you were roasting it over a campfire. If you serve them warm, the marshmallow gets nice and gooey and the peanut butter cups melt and it is just like eating a s'more but in a brownie! Give these a try, they are super yummy!

S'more Peanut Butter Cup Brownies:

Ingredients:

-5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces

-6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

-2/3 cup granulated sugar

-2 large eggs

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-pinch of salt

-1/3 cup all-purpose flour

-6 regular size Reesee's Peanut Buttr Cups

-3/4 cup chopped ghram crackers

-8 large marshmallows, cut in half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 8x8-inch pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put butter in bowl, top with chopped chocolate and stir occasionally until just melted. Remove bowl from the pan of water.

3. With a whisk, stir in sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and whisk vigorously to bring butter together. Gently stir in the flour and salt; just until incorporated. Fold in the chopped ghram crackers and peanut butter cups.

4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and then layer the marshmallow halves evenly on top, leaving a little bit of space in between each one. Pour the rest of the batter on top of the marshmallows and spread evenly.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into squares and serve warm (nooked in the microwave) or at room temperature, (I liked them best nooked in the microwave for about 10-12 seconds, it gives you the ultimate warm and toasty s'more campfire feeling)!

MMMM!!!! Marshmallow, chocolate, peanut butter and ghram crackers combined into one fabulous brownie! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Sorry, I haven't posted anything for almost 2 weeks! I just got back on Saturday from a wonderful week of vacation spent with my family! It was our annual trip to the U.P. that we do every year for vacation and it is something that my mom has been doing ever since she was a baby! We had great weather and a great time and I didn't want it to come to an end because then it is back to reality and it means that summer will shortly be coming to an end. It was a week full of sunshine, relaxation, spending time with my family and loved ones and cooking in the kitchen with my grandma who is a wonderful cook! I made a blueberry cobbler and blueberry pancakes with fresh, sweet and tiny wild blueberries that we picked on the side of the road and I have some leftover to make homemade blueberry jam which I will post soon for you! I have been itching to post a recipe so here is a yummy and quick one to try out and I will have more to come this week! Enjoy!

 This very simple, few ingredient and super tasty peanut butter no bake cookie recipe is calling your name if you or anyone you know is a peanut butter lover!

I made regular no bake cookies last week with cocoa in them for my family to take on vacation for the car ride and I saved a couple for my boyfriend, not knowing if he liked them or not because he isn't a big chocolate fan and he is really picky about foods.....he won't really eat homemade brownies or cake unless they are Little Debbie brownies or cake from a cake mix...I still haven't figured this one out! But, come to find out, no bakes are one of his favorite cookies! I was shocked and surprised that I didn't know this (since we have been dating for almost 6 years)...whoops! Anyway, he asked me if I would make just peanut butter ones the next time I made them because peanut butter is one of his favorite things in desserts!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it got really great reviews. They are sweet, peanut-buttery, have a great texture from the hearty and chewy oats and they almost taste like peanut butter fudge. If you are looking for a quick and easy sweet to satisfy your sweet tooth craving, a quick dessert for a party, or if it is too hot to turn on your oven, then you should give these a try and I am sure that you and whoever else gets a taste of these will be very satisfied! My boyfriend absolutely loved them!

 No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies: (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

-3 cups white sugar

-3/4 cup butter

-3/4 cup milk

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 1/2 cups peanut butter

-4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a rapid boil for one full minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter. Mix in the oats, stirring until the mixture begins to cool. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let cool until set.

Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos

All I can say is that these Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos are OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS! These little gems are packed full of chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, a little peanut butter, some butterscotch chips and a surprise ingredient that many people go gaga over, including myself.....Nutella! Cocoa rice krispies, peanut butter and nutella mix together to form a sweet and chewy, crunchy and chocolately base and then it gets topped with smooth and dreamy chocolate and butterscotch chips that combine so perfectly together.

Thank-you David Lebovitz for this great little concoction, you are a genius!

He took a classic scotcheroo and in my opinion, amped them up about 10 notches! And, I am not trying to dis plain ol' scotcheroos because I am a big fan of them, but, I must say these triple chocolate ones are incredible, outstanding, chocolately, mouth-watering delicious (my mouth is getting watery right now!) and they made me really, really happy.....I was in pure bliss. Who knew that such a simple dessert could be so fantastic? You need to try these, ASAP!!! I am not kidding, especially if you are a chocolate lover like me : )! Have I convinced you yet? I don't think I can use anymore words to describe how fabulous these are!

Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos: (David Lebovitz, adapted by me)

-1 cup sugar

-1 cup light corn syrup

-1/2 cup peanut butter

-1/2 cup Nutella

-6 cups crisp chocolate-flavored rice cereal (Cocoa Rice Krispies Cereal)

-1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

-1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips

1. Butter or spray a 9x13-inch baking pan.

2. In a large saucepan (at least 6 quarts) over medium heat, bring the sugar and the corn syrup to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and Nutella, then mix the rice cereal in until completely coated. Press the mixture into the greased pan, making sure the top is smooth.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth and well-blended, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Spread over rice cereal mixture and cool until set.

David Lebovitz describes these as pretty intense and on the sweet side, so bite-sized portions are in order, but, I could have eaten the whole pan  by myself!