Celebrating A Delicious Food - National Peanut Butter Day

Yesterday was National Peanut Butter Day. Yes, I know I'm a day late, but in my defense I didn't discover this wonderful holiday until late in the day and by then I was already baking two kinds of delicious donuts and getting ready for some girl time later in the evening. But, actually, according to punchbowl.com January 24th is, and since I didn't get that memo and some sources say it was yesterday I seem to have missed it all the way around.

In honor, I thought I'd wax poetic about my love for peanut butter. Okay, not really because let's be honest, if I tried that it would just be scary for all of us. But, I do seriously love peanut butter. I'm the girl who will eat it straight from the jar with a spoon. I'll dip pretzels in it, smear it on some saltine crackers, add it to a smoothie. I'll even go healthy and eat it on apples. Crunchy or creamy doesn't matter too much, although if I have a choose I choose creamy every time. And, I'm not a fan of the thinner natural peanut butters, nope give me the thick and smooth stuff with all the added sugar and probably a few ingredients I don't know how to pronounce. A few of my favorite recipes that I have shared in the past can be found here, here, and here. The only way I can think of that I won't eat peanut butter is in savory dishes. I know some people totally disagree with me, and that's okay, I respect that, but for me, peanut butter is not meant to be included in my main course.

If I had to choose my favorite way to get my peanut butter fix it would be paired with chocolate. Whether combined in a cookie, mixed up in a no-bake pie or as part of some kind of candy I don't care, just give me the two together. It's no secret that I have a massive sweet tooth and Reese's Cups are quite possibly my favorite candy. It's also no secret that I like to try to make things from scratch, if for no other reason than to prove that I can. I have made my share of faux Reese's Cups over the years, but my absolute favorite chocolate and peanut butter concoction to make is Real Deal Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars aka Reese's Cup Bars. I don't know the original source, but the recipe was given to me by a friend whose dad makes them. From the first taste I was in love. They are simple if a bit messy to make, but well worth it. The only downside to these amazing bars are that you have to wait atleast an hour after making to cut into them because they have to chill. That hour feels like days to me! Not to mention, once I cut into them it's pretty hard not to eat one every time I enter the kitchen.

Once chilled you can store these little bits of heaven at room temperature or in the fridge. If you store them at room temp they will get pretty soft. I prefer storing them in the fridge, but then again, I just prefer my peanut butter cups crunchy and cold anyway. So, clearly it's just a matter of choice. If you have never eaten them cold give it a try, I swear it's amazing!

As for the photo, can I rant about that for a second please? As I said, I was baking donuts yesterday so this photo is from a little while back, and I don't love it. Do you ever take photos and then you either accidentally delete them or can't remember where the heck you saved them? Yeah, that would be me right about now. If you remember the computer crises a few weeks back you'll understand why I know the photos aren't saved to my hard drive. But, I always back photos up to flashdrives or cd's and I can't find the photos on either. Oh well, atleast I found one photo so that I could share these babies.

Real Deal Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
aka Reese's Cup Bars
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1. Pour melted butter into a 9x13 inch glass pan, stir in graham cracker crumbs. Add peanut butter and confectioner's sugar, and mix until completely incorporated. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan.
2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and remaining 1/2 cup of peanut butter. Stir occasionally until completely melted and mixture is combined. Pour on top of peanut butter filling mixture, and smooth evenly. Chill in the refrigerator atleast one hour before cutting into squares.
Note: A great trick I use is to place the pan I am making the bars in over the large burner on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium, toss your 2 sticks of butter, cubed into the dish and stir it around til it's melted. When the butter is melted turn the heat off and proceed with the recipe as instructed. This way saves me from dirtying up another dish and the pan is warm so the other ingredients are easier to incorporate. And when cutting these I like using a bench scraper. That's my little trick when cutting any kind of bars. I just mash that baby down into them and get straight cuts and perfectly square bars everytime.

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12 Days of Christmas Baking - Day 10 The Easiest Peanut Butter Fudge Ever!

I know, I know fudge isn't baked, therefore it doesn't technically fall into the Christmas baking category, but it's so good, you'll overlook that minor detail right? Fudge is definitely popular at Christmas and makes an awesome homemade gift if the recipient has a sweet tooth.

I happen to have a massive sweet tooth if you can't tell based on the recipes I've shared so far. I am also a major peanut butter lover. Seriously, I can eat the stuff straight out of the jar with a spoon. I'll take it smooth or chunky, but my preference is smooth, especially in cookies or fudge.

Chocolate ranks pretty high on my list of sweet favorites, but when it comes to fudge I'll take peanut butter over plain chocolate any day. This peanut butter fudge recipe definitely lives up to its name. You melt the butter, mix a couple other ingredients in, boil for a few minutes then add the rest. No candy thermometer or crazy preciseness required. Just measure your ingredients accurately, boil for the full amount of time and you've got a fool-proof fudge anyone will swear took tons of effort. I guarantee it or your money back! Okay, I was kidding on the money back thing, so don't email me asking for a refund on your ingredients please. But I do promise it tastes amazing!

Easiest Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over confectioners sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 8×8 inch dish lined with tinfoil and buttered. Chill until firm and cut into squares.

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12 Days of Christmas Baking - Day 9 Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I absolutely LOVE Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I am a huge peanut butter cup fan, and adore peanut butter cookies. These cookies give me the best of both worlds. They are pretty great any time of year, but they're perfect for gift giving because their size and shape makes them easy to stack and package. Plus, who doesn't like peanut butter cups?

I will make a little confession, the first time I made these I wasn't sure if the peanut butter cups were supposed to be inserted into the cookie before or after baking so I tried both, and guess what? Either way works! The chocolate will bubble up a little if you stick the peanut butter cups in the dough before baking though (as evidenced in the photo), and they go in super easy after baking, so I say just do it that way. You will need a mini muffin pan to make these, and with this recipe I end up using the whole bag of peanut butter cups, minus the few that mysteriously don't make it that far. Somehow they get eaten before the cookies finish baking. No idea how that happens!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

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A Family Tradition: No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Growing up I could always tell when it was getting close to Christmas because my Nana would whip up a batch or two of her famous No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies. They are outta this world and not like anything else I've ever tasted. I would venture to say that many people reading this probably have never had a cookie quite like this. They're BOILED not baked. Yup, you read that right, they're boiled! They are totally simple, with just a handful of everyday ingredients, things that you probably already have in your kitchen. This is a very unassuming, unsophisticated cookie, but gosh I could eat myself sick with these babies. And yanno what?? Tummy ache and all I would still be the happiest girl you've ever seen, they are that delicious!

The cookies contain no flour, the base is peanut butter and oatmeal, and seems extremely simple, but I won't lie, you either have the knack for making these or you don't. If you do count yourself blessed and know that it really is simple.

I've always been the baker in my family and I tried for years and years to make these cookies, usually failing miserably. They would always taste wonderful, but the consistency was wrong, they just wouldn't set up and you'd end up eating them with a spoon. It's totally unexplainable, the same ingredients, the same cooking time, except it seemed like the magic was missing. A few years ago though, I finally beat my struggles & knock on wood I got the hang of it. I've had a batch or two since then that stayed more soft, eat em with a spoon than should be, but usually they harden into those delicious little cookies I remember from my childhood.

So I challenge you, no better yet I encourage you to try these cookies out & let me know how you do. I would love to know if you enjoy these cookies as much as my family does. Around here we're split down the middle in regards to the addition of cocoa powder. They're great either way and no changes are needed if you want them sans chocolate.

Boiled Cookies

2 c sugar

1 stick butter/margarine

1/4 c cocoa powder(optional)

1/2 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c peanut butter, chunky or smooth

2 1/2 c oatmeal

Mix and boil sugar, butter/margarine, cocoa & milk for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add vanilla, peanut butter, oatmeal & nuts. Mix well. Spoon by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

*Work quickly as mixture will start to thicken in a hurry.

I've tried both quick-cook and old fashioned oatmeal with these cookies and been sucessful & unsucessful with both. So I guess it's a toss up. I used old fashioned this year.

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