Chocolate Kissed Peanut Butter Cookies

When I was contacted by C&H Sugar and asked to bake a holiday creation from their website in exchange for a gift card I could not resist. I was sent a gift card and purchased what I needed to make these delicious peanut butter kiss cookies. They were so good and devoured immediately in our house. Luckily, I did manage to freeze some for Christmas though. These cookies are so simple to whip up too.

Make sure to visit the C&H website. There are a ton of recipes, ideas for cookies exchanges, gift ideas and a ton of other stuff! You won't be disappointed!

Chocolate Kissed Peanut Butter Cookies

Description: Scrumptious Peanut Butter Cookies Made with Brown Sugar and Topped With a Chocolate Kiss

Cooking Time: Bake 8 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup C&H Pure Cane Golden Brown Sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (9 oz.) pkg. chocolate kisses, unwrapped
1/2 cup C&H Pure Cane Granulated Sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F degrees. In large bowl cream peanut butter, brown sugar, and butter until smooth. Add egg and vanilla. Blend thoroughly. Stir together salt, baking soda and flour. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Shape dough into walnut-size balls, then roll in granulated sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet, about two inches apart. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and press a chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie. Return to oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Serving Size: Makes about 37 cookies.

Taste and Create - Babka Cake

For Taste & Create this month, I was paired with Vanillastrawberryspringfields. This is quite the picture blog. She has a ton of awesome photos and is quite talented!

I chose the Babka Cake because I thought it looked interesting. I am Polish and my great aunt makes Babka frequently but I know that she uses yeast in it. Or I am fairly certain that she does? I didn't know that there was even such a thing as Babka Cake.

The original recipe called for a custard filling in the middle. There was not a custard recipe posted and I didn't want to look any further for a custard recipe. So I decided to just go ahead and make it without. While it was baking I figured that I could put some strawberries on it with Cool Whip and it could be very tasty. This is the perfect cake for strawberry shortcake.... That is for sure. It is a great cake and I am very glad that I chose it.

All in 1 Holiday Bundt Cake - TWD

I was not excited to make this bundt cake. For some reason it didn't seem appealing to me in the slightest. Even though I kept reading good reviews about it. The cranberries and nuts really turned me off. But I knew that Ben would enjoy it. He loves cranberries, nuts, apples and pumpkin.

So I forced myself to make it...I have a really cool stoneware bundt cake pan that I enjoy using too and thought that this would be a good excuse.

SURPRISE!!! It is really good. I chopped up the apples, cranberries and nuts super fine. It baked last night before I went to sleep. I left it cooling in the bundt pan overnight and covered it with some foil. After lunch today I removed it from the pan and thought that it was really pretty, but was still not convinced that I would really like it. Before serving it I dusted it with some powdered sugar.


YUM! Here is another dessert that I am going to have to limit myself to one a day. I think that I will bring it to a mom's meeting that I have on Thursday. It would probably make a really good mid-morning snack. Ben really enjoyed it too!

Thanks to Britin for choosing it. Be sure to check out her blog to find the recipe.

Cran Apple Crisp - TWD

As I was frantically making a chili dinner with cornbread last night for our guests....I asked Ben to help me make dessert. He agreed!! I opened Dorie's cookbook and let him have at it. He did an awesome job and the crisp turned out great. We both liked it and so did our guests!!

I was a little scared of the cranberries, I will admit. I don't enjoy cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving...in.the.slightest. But this was great. There were raisins, apples (honeycrisp) and cranberries, along with the tasty, crunchy, oatmeal topping. I had Ben make the crisp "family style" in a 9 inch pie plate instead of individual portions.

We have been limiting ourselves to a piece a day. Not easy to do. I wasn't able to get a picture of the entire dessert before we dug into it. But at least I was able to snap a picture before we devoured more of it today. Try it with Edy's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Not that I blew my diet by eating ice cream with it. I wouldn't do that (insert extreme sarcasm)!

Thanks to The Repressed Pastry Chef for the selection. You can find the recipe HERE.

Dorie...how I have missed you!

I'm back!! At least for this week. I can't make any promises about next. I have missed baking so much, especially TWD. But we have been so good with our diets around this house. I had to splurge and try the cookies that Pamela picked for her turn this month. I have been following her Cookies with Boys blog for quite some time now.


These cookies are outstanding. I loved them. So did the rest of my guys. I don't know if we liked them so much because there hasn't been a lot any baked goods floating around my kitchen or because they were simply that fantastic. I think it is the latter.

These flat cookies have ginger, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, molasses and brown sugar in them. They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the center. Everything a cookie should be and so perfect for fall. The recipe made 28 decent sized cookies. I am sure that Pamela will have the recipe posted on her blog very soon and I will link to it at that time.


Do try them though! It is not easy to stop at one.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This month I was paired up with NO REASON NEEDED for Taste & Create.

I immediately chose the chicken and wild rice soup recipe that she has posted HERE. We have been eating a lot of soup this fall. I have made stuffed green pepper soup and chicken tortilla soup that were both very good. This chicken rice soup did not dissapoint either. It will be made again.

I used a box of Uncle Ben's long grain wild rice with a seasoning packet. I also used a pound of whole, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. After everything cooked in the slow cooker for approximately 7 hours, I took the chicken out, shredded it and then put it back in the cooker for another hour. SIMPLE. DELICIOUS!

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
3 cans (14½ ounces each) chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces (I did not cut up the chicken until it was done and then just shredded it)

2 cups water
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup diced carrot
1 package (6 ounces) converted long grain and wild rice mix with seasoning packet (not quick-cooking or instant rice)
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons white vinegar (optional - and I skipped)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes (I also skipped)

1. In crockpot slow cooker, combine broth, chicken, water, celery, carrots, rice and seasoning packet, onion and pepper; mix well.
2. Cover; cook on LOW 6 hours to 7 hours or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.
3. Stir in vinegar, if desired. Sprinkle with parsley.

MAKES 9 SERVINGS

Feeling Fall

FALL....Here are some random pics of my decorations in and outside my house.


Make sure to stop by all the other You Capture participants this week. I am especially enjoying fall this year!

Strawberry Shake

For Taste & Create this month I was paired with My Kitchen Treasures. She has a delicious blog with lots of yummy things. However, I started Weight Watchers a week ago and have been very good. No baking and no cheating.

I had a hard time choosing something from her archives of deliciousness. But I finally found something that I could have.....Strawberry Shakes!

This was perfect, pretty and tasty. As well as simple. Strawberries, ice, milk and a blender.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches - CEiMB

I am back. I have been a TERRIBLE CEiMB participant over the past couple of months. Summer was busy and I have had an awful time keeping up with everything. The truth is....I have been cooking with Wildtree products the past several weeks and am very impressed. I attended a party and am hooked. Absolutely hooked. These products make healthy, simple and tasty meals. My family has loved just about everything I have made too. Unfortunately, Ellie has taken a backseat.

However, I could not pass up the recipe that Pamela chose this week. I am a sucker for anything that involves rotisserie chicken. Especially my ridiculously naughty chicken pot pie recipe. I have to get that back in my rotation soon! Maybe next week? Back to the BBQ chicken at hand. Be sure to check out Cookies with Boys and find how her choice turned out.

I thought that this is a really good recipe. I followed it exactly and am very impressed. I made the chicken up this morning and just reheated it in the microwave for dinner. However, I did not use whole wheat buns and added cheese to our sandwiches. Probably defeats a lot of the "healthiness" of it all. But I would make these again! My husband also reported that "Ellie didn't ruin this recipe". Quite a compliment coming from him. Seriously. The recipe can be found HERE.

TWD CATCH UP

I am going to cram 3 TWD posts into one. I have been so busy and have been baking along but have not been posting. Time to get my act together!

These applespice bars were OK. I thought that they tasted delicious right out of the oven after the frosting was just cooled. But the next day....not so much. I stored them in a Tupperware container and they were a little mushy and the frosting seemed to soak through the bars. The recipe was chosen by Karen from Something Sweet and can be found HERE. I think that if I would make them again I would halve the recipe and intend to eat them all at once maybe for a party.

This key lime pie was tasty. I might have left the pie under the broiler a tad too long though. It was almost black in spots. Still good though. The recipe was chosen by Linda of Tender Crumb and can be found HERE. My only criticism about this was too much butter. I should have used half. I would rather have more of a tart lime taste than a lime/butter combo.

These YUMMY espresso cheesecake brownies are PHENOMENAL! I wouldn't change a thing about them. I could sit down right now and eat half the pan they are that good. I used 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate and reduced fat cream cheese. I also only had about a half cup of sour cream and about a quarter cup of powdered sugar. Therefore, my topping wasn't that thick. I don't think that it mattered though. The recipe was chosen by Melissa from Life In a Peanut Shell and can be found HERE. Thank you for such a great pick!!

Banana Cookies - Taste and Create

For Taste & Create this month I was paired with Quick & Easy, Cheap & Healthy. Anne does an awesome job reviewing recipes, products and ingredients for quickness, easyness, cheapness and healthiness. After searching through her blog I couldn't pass on the banana cookies. I always have issues with bananas going bad. I have recently started freezing those nasty black bananas that attract fruit flies in my kitchen. I was getting quite a collection of these nasty black things in the freezer and had to do something about it.

This is a very good recipe for banana cookies. What I really like about it is that the cookies are very light and soft. I added some toffee chips that I had leftover and they were perfect. Everyone seemed to enjoy them here and they will make a perfect after school snack!

Banana Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives) I used toffee chips

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.
3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.
4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.
Makes about 30 cookies

Brownie Buttons - TWD

These were not my favorite. I don't think that I liked the orange flavor. And I probably overcooked mine. Or maybe it was the fact that I forgot to add the brown sugar until the batter was already in the mini muffin tins. I just happened to glance back at the perfectly measured brown sugar sitting on the counter. CWAP! I actually just divided up the brown sugar in each invidual muffin portion and then mixed it with a toothpick. I don't think that I would attempt them again!

The recipe was chosen by Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen. My batch made 24 buttons by doubling the recipe by 1/2.

Vanilla Ice Cream and Banana Bundt Cake

I have been awful about getting any blogging done lately. No excuses!

I made the vanilla ice cream last week. It was yummy and everyone enjoyed it. I followed Megan's recommendation and only used 3 eggs. The recipe was chosen by CafeLynnylu and can be found HERE.

Today I baked the banana bundt cake. Also a winner. It was moist and delicious. The recipe was chosen by The Food Librarian. I did use light sour cream though. I tried to make it less fattening. Yeah right:)!

Pretzels - Taste & Create

For Taste & Create this month, I was paired with foodie plus 4. There were lots of yummy recipes to choose from. But I couldn't resist the pretzels. I love stadium pretzels and these looked so good. I was going to make some mustard dip to serve with them but have been very unmotivated lately...especially with my blogging. So we are eating them plain. They are good. And so easy too. I was shocked at how much they taste like the real thing.

Pretzels
Makes about 12 medium pretzels.

1 package active dry yeast
1/8 cup warm water
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/3 cup light brown sugar
5 cups flour
6 cups water (for boiling)
12 Tbsp. baking soda
lots of coarse or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 475°F.
Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with coarse or kosher salt and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/8 cup warm water.
Stir in remaining 1 1/3 cups warm water, brown sugar, and flour.
Mix until smooth, then knead dough (with the kneading attachment on your mixer or by hand on a floured surface) until smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes).
In a wide saucepan, boil the water with baking soda.
Divide the dough and start rolling the pieces like a pencil. Shape as desired.

Gently lower pretzels into boiling water (we did two at a time) and let cook for about 20 seconds or until dough is slightly yellow in color.

Remove pretzel with a slotted spoon and place on salted baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Thanks for the delicious recipe my fellow Taste & Create partner. I am also going to have to try that poundcake that I had a hard time passing up too. It sure looks like a diet killer and I just couldn't do that one since I have been a good girl and working out all week. But I will someday soon.

You Capture. 4th of July and Food

If you can believe it, I chose not to photograph any food for the challenge this week. All of my shots are from the 4th of July parade. My youngest has been sick since the 3rd but we were lucky enough to get to the parade.

My 3 favorite guys enjoying the parade.

This is such a neat shot. One of my favorites! If you look closely at the reflection in the bumper of the fire truck, you can see both of my boys covering their ears as the siren is being blared as it drives by!! I love it.

Be sure to head over to Beth's for the other You Capture participants.

Tribute To Katherine Hepburn Brownies - TWD

Lisa from Surviving Oz chose the recipe this week after she designed a fabulous logo for TWD. Check it out along with the recipe HERE.

The recipe is Katherine Hepburn brownies. They were good. Even though I did not really follow the recipe as Dorie suggested. I skipped the cinnamon and nuts. I also used espresso powder in place of instant coffee and only used half the amount.

The brownies are super fudgey and moist. Go ahead....try them. You won't be disappointed.

You Capture. Photographer's Choice.

This week's challenge for You Capture is a photo of your choice. I chose this picture of my youngest, Brady, after he fell asleep during our bike ride last weekend. He was pretty tuckered out after not having a nap for the second day in a row due to our camping trip. He was also up very late the night before trying to fall asleep in the tent. He managed to sleep like this while we took a 6 mile bike ride. His head kept hitting my back and I really have no idea how he slept?!

Check out the other "Photographer's Choice" selections at Beth's.

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!

Breakfast Cookies - CEiMB

I was the lucky one to choose this week's recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly. Sara and Nick wanted to allow some older members to be able to choose again, thus starting at the top of the list. Thanks!! I chose these yummy breakfast cookies.

Breakfast Cookies
2007 Ellie Krieger

Serves:
12 cookies, serving size 1 cookie

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped

Directions
Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies are good. However, walnuts are not a hit in our house. So I used chopped peanuts instead. I think that next time I will completely exclude any nuts. I think that they would be perfect without the nuts. Unfortunately, I was the only one in my household who liked the cookies. The boys don't like nuts or raisins. And my husband thought was scared of the baby carrots. I just froze them and am going to pull them out one at a time to enjoy for breakfast.

Thanks for baking these along with me!