If you are unfamiliar with macarons, you may want to read my first post about them here.  Also, Helene of Tartlette is the queen of macarons and has a fantastic tutorial with some troubleshooting tips.  In this particular recipe, a portion of the almonds are replaced with peanuts so the shells have a peanutty flavor.  I filled all of them with a thin layer of ganache, as you can see, but also added a surprise little dollop of straight peanut butter in the center of each cookie.  I think that really took these from good to great, and kicked the sweet-salty combo up a notch.  Each time I experiment with macarons they get better and better.  Now I just need to decide what flavor to make next.

Note: All of the measurements for this recipe are listed by weight.  A kitchen scale is necessary for making macarons.  Attempting to make these by volume measure would likely be a waste of time and ingredients, so volume measurements are not provided.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Macarons
Yield: about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

Ingredients:
For the shells:
55 grams almonds (blanched or slivered)
55 grams peanuts (blanched, unsalted)
200 grams confectioners’ sugar
100 grams egg whites, aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
50 grams granulated sugar
Finely chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)

For the filling:
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾  cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. butter
½ cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Pulse the almonds, peanuts and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground and well blended.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy.  Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until a smooth, shiny meringue with stiff peaks forms.  Add the ground almond-peanut mixture to the bowl with the meringue and quickly but gently fold together using a wide rubber spatula until no streaks remain.  You want to achieve a thick batter that ribbons or flows from the spatula when lifted.

Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.  Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip.  Pipe into small rounds on the prepared baking sheets (each round should be about 1-1½ inches in diameter), spaced about 1 inch apart.  Sprinkle half of the rounds lightly with chopped peanuts for garnish, if using.  Let sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell.

Preheat the oven to 300˚F.  Bake for 12-18 minutes, depending on size.  Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before moving the cookies.

While the cookies are cooling, make the ganache.  Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.  Combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.   Bring the cream mixture to a simmer, remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.  Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk gently in small circular motions until a smooth ganache forms.  Let the mixture cool until it is thick enough to pipe.  (To speed chilling, transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator and let cool, stirring every 10 minutes, until thickened.)

Once the cookies are totally cooled, match them up by size.  Pipe a thin layer of ganache onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair.  With the peanut butter in a separate pastry bag, pipe a small dollop of peanut butter in the center of each layer of ganache.   Sandwich together with the remaining cookie, pushing the ganache to the edges.  Store in an airtight container.

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from Tartlette

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Muffins
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Yield: about 20 muffins
Ingredients:
For the muffins:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the peanut butter swirl:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp. milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  To make the chocolate muffin batter, combine the butter and 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.  (Alternatively you can microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.)  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk or mix briefly to combine.  In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla and whisk until combined.  With the mixer on low speed, blend in the buttermilk mixture just until combined.  Blend in the melted chocolate mixture.  Stir in the remaining chocolate chips with a spatula.  Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each no more than 2/3 full.  (These muffins will rise a lot!)

To make the peanut butter swirl, combine the peanut butter and butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave briefly until smooth.  Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth.  Drop a small spoonful of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate muffin batter.  Swirl together using a skewer or knife.

Bake 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Cate’s World Kitchen who adapted it from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

I made PB&J cupcakes last year for a coworker’s birthday and while they were good, they were a bit too dense and peanut buttery for me.  (I have previously discussed my strong feelings on the balance between the peanut butter and jelly components.)  This time around, I used a lighter, fluffier frosting and made minor changes to the cake to create a lighter crumb.  I was much happier with these results.  Give them a try, and be sure to enjoy with a big glass of milk!

Peanut Butterscotch Chocolate Crispy Bars
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Yield: 30-36 bars
Ingredients:
6 cups puffed rice cereal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 0z. butterscotch chips

Directions:
Combine the puffed rice cereal and the peanut butter in a large mixing bowl (do not mix yet).  Set aside.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Combine the honey and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, just until boiling.  Immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot mixture over the peanut butter and rice cereal.  Mix well with a spoon or spatula until the peanut butter is completely melted and all ingredients are evenly combined.

Press the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking pan.  Combine the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a heatproof bowl set over a bowl of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally until completely melted and smooth.  Pour over the cereal layer and smooth with a spatula.  Cover and chill until the top layer is set before slicing into bars.

Source: Pennies on a Platter

See, Ben is a great sport and a loving husband, and he tagged along with me to all my foodie destinations on this trip.  Since he enjoys outdoorsy things, I planned a day for us to go hiking on a nearby mountain as a sort of thank you.  What I did not plan on was that the hike would be the hardest, most ridiculously un-fun hike ever.  We’re in shape, we work out, and we’ve done a fair amount of hiking in other mountainous locations but people, this trail was not cool, both for its sheer incline and the poor state of the trail the day we hiked (super muddy, wet, blah).  After about one mile we were both annoyed and considered turning back but I’m pretty stubborn and I figured if I had already put in the effort to get that far, I might as well finish it.  Big mistake.  We continued up the three mile stair master from hell, alternating between laughing hysterically at the situation and wanting to cry.  When we finally reached the summit, my fear of heights prevented me from scaling the fire tower so I could see the view.  But hey, at least we made it.  (And let’s not even talk about the trip down.  No thank you.)

When we got back to our room later, we were ravenous having missed lunch by about three hours.  We stopped at The Moon Dog Cafe next door for lunch.  The food was good and we cleaned our plates.  As we were paying, we saw some drool-worthy peanut butter chocolate cookies up at the register.  Ben didn’t even have to ask me, he just bought two and we chowed down.  Now, I’m sure our rough start to the day played a role in this, but those cookies were incredible.  We immediately agreed that I had to recreate these at home.  As luck would have it, I was browsing Shanon’s blog the very next week and saw that she had just posted a cookie that looked incredibly similar to our dream cookies.  And the recipe came from King Arthur Flour.  It seemed like fate, or maybe karmic balancing.

I made the King Arthur version first and while it was very good and we certainly had no trouble eating way too many of them, they weren’t quite on target.  I tinkered with the recipe a bit more, dialing down the cocoa powder, dialing up the peanut butter, making the size larger, and adding more peanut butter cups.  The end result is indeed everything we were hoping for.  These cookies are a giant, in-your-face, no nonsense dessert.  And they almost make up for that ridiculous hike.  At least we had a lot of laughs and some great cookies, right?

Stay tuned next week for another installment from our Vermont travels, and another giveaway :)

I do wish the peanut butter balls inside the cupcakes had been a little less dense – next time I may try adding a bit more butter or a little less powdered sugar.  I also needed to make extra filling balls because the original quantity was not enough for me to fill all the cupcakes.  I’ve indicated my changes below.  I say it’s better to end up with a few extra than not have enough.  You could even make them into buckeyes – that is, if your husband doesn’t wander in to the kitchen and polish them off ;)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
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Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

To make the filling, combine the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.  Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (at least 24) and set aside on a baking sheet.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside.  In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Place a ball of the peanut butter filling in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and well blended.  Mix in the whipped topping until smooth and fluffy.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Source: adapted from Proceed with Caution, originally from Good Housekeeping

I know I have mentioned in previous posts that I am not a peanut butter chocolate addict as so many people seem to be.  I enjoy the combination, but I don’t go nuts over it – or so I thought.  However, that may be changing.  I think I am now starting to understand that mystical attraction to this fantastic flavor combo.  In the past week I have made two desserts incorporating peanut butter and chocolate, and have saved even more recipes based on these ingredients.  Now it is becoming clear to me why the Reese’s cup chocolate peanut butter cake and peanut butter chocolate chip muffins have been two of the most popular posts I have ever made.

These bars were AWESOME!  Simple and easy to make, and incredibly addictive.  They were a big hit with Ben’s coworkers.  They might also make an excellent (albeit unhealthy) breakfast – not that I would know from experience ;)  Originally I had planned on doubling the crispy layer, but I ended up not having enough corn syrup to do so.  I am glad I ran out though, because these were perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe to make a double batch next time.  I also loved how cleanly these cut – an added bonus for the perfectionist in me :)

*New site feature!*
Tried and true favorites – I will be linking to old recipes that I have made recently, so that readers can see which recipes I really love enough to make again and again.  I’ll start this with my next post.

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Ingredients:

For the crispy crust:

1 ¾ cups crisped rice cereal

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

3 tbsp. light corn syrup

3 tbsp. butter, melted

For the chocolate peanut butter layer:

5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chocolate icing:

3 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ tsp. light corn syrup

4 tbsp. butter

Directions:

Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8×8” square baking pan. 

To make the crispy crust, pour the cereal into a large bowl and set aside.  Pour the water into a small saucepan.  Gently add the sugar and the corn syrup (do not let any sugar or corn syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined.  Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235° F.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal.  Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan.  Using your hands or a silicone spatula, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides).  Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

To make the chocolate peanut butter layer, in a glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water, combine the chocolate and peanut butter.  Cook, stirring with a spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth.  Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.  Pour the mixture over the cooled crust.  Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens. 

To make the chocolate icing, in a glass bowl set over boiling water, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter.  Cook, stirring with a spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth.  Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.  Pour the mixture over the chilled chocolate peanut butter layer and spread carefully into an even layer.  Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens.

Cut into 16 squares and serve.  Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I think nearly 90% of those who tried them asked when the recipe would be posted on the blog…that should speak for itself.  Per my usual, I have doubled the recipe to fit a 9 x 13-inch pan because anything less is just not enough.  If you are in the fudgy brownie camp (ME!), you’ll love these.  The addition of cream cheese to the actual brownie batter results in a brownie that is dense, moist and super fudgy.  Then add the peanut butter cheesecake swirl, and well, I think I’m off to go have one from the fridge.  (I’m so not kidding.)

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
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Yield: 30-36 brownies
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
14 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 cups sugar
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the peanut butter cheesecake swirl:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tbsp. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  To make the brownie batter, combine the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.  Remove the bowl from the heat.  Whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar, eggs and cream cheese until smooth and well blended.  Mix in the vanilla and salt.  Add the flour to the bowl and whisk just until incorporated.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with a spatula.

To make the peanut butter cheesecake portion, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until completely smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture over the brownie batter in the pan, creating a cobblestone appearance.  Use a knife or wooden skewer to gently swirl together the peanut butter mixture and brownie batter.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until the center is just set.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate until well chilled before slicing and serving.

Source: adapted from Kitchenist

I see nothing about this cake that necessarily makes it a breakfast cake, but we’ll call it that anyway so that you can justify eating it to start your day :)  This is a simple peanut butter cake with a peanut butter streusel topping and chocolate chips.  In other words, YUM!  The cake was amazingly light and tender, and the topping was delicious.  I was a bit skeptical of how a streusel or crumble topping made with peanut butter would turn out, but it worked very well and came together easily.  Though this is supposedly a coffee cake, I think it could be easily dressed up with a drizzle of chocolate and peanut butter sauces to make it a decadent dessert.  Just be sure you have a glass of milk ready with this one, you will need it!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
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Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk

For the topping:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1-1½ cups chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside.

To make the cake, in a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar.  Beat on medium speed until well combined, 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions.  On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk until just combined, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

To make the topping, in a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar and flour.  Mix in the peanut butter and butter, until the mixture is crumbly.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the cake batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: via the The Food Librarian, originally from Suite101

I’m normally super organized about making the weekly menu, writing out the shopping list, and then doing a quick inventory check before we go shopping to make sure I don’t buy items we already have.  Apparently though, my eyes are blind to oatmeal when I do my inventory check.  We end up buying it only to come home and find we already have three (or more!) containers in the pantry.  So, I put myself on an oatmeal-buying ban and am making an effort to use up all these dang oats.  That was the main inspiration behind trying these cookies, but wow, am I glad I tried them!

The cookies are perfectly chewy peanut butter cookies with a lovely golden brown color, and the filling is a simple peanut butter frosting.  The oatmeal primarily provides the chewy texture of the cookie but the actual oatmeal flavor isn’t really noticeable.  As with a lot of sandwich cookies, I think the filling helps keep the cookies soft and tender.  Apparently these are similar to the Girl Scout DoSiDo cookie or to Nutter Butters, but due to my childhood dislike for peanut butter, I never ate enough of either to know whether this is an accurate comparison.  Either way, we love these cookies.  Andrew enjoyed one during his Easter egg hunt and I think he cared more about the cookie than the eggs :)

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
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Yield: about 18 sandwich cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats

For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together with a fork to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla extract.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Stir in the oats until evenly blended.

Use a small cookie dough scoop to portion out the dough (about 2 teaspoons), rolling each portion into a ball, and place them on the prepared cookie sheet, a couple inches apart.  Bake about 10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking.  The cookies will be light golden brown and slightly puffed.  Let cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, pair them up by size.  To make the filling, combine the butter, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Cream together until well combined.  Mix in the heavy cream until smooth and fluffy.  Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair.  Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.  (Note: This filling recipe makes *just* exactly enough to fill the cookies.  If you like a large amount of filling or just want to be sure you have enough,  you might consider increasing the amount of filling by 50%.)

Source: adapted from Savory Sweet Life, originally from Allrecipes