Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

What is there to say about these cookies? The title is alluring enough for me, but if you need more convincing, what if I told you that the edges are crispy while the middle is chewy; they are delicious both right out of the oven and after they've cooled down; and the dark brown sugar that is used adds a depth of flavor to these cookies that is really tasty. (I'm not gonna lie - using the dark brown sugar was a little scary and left me wondering if I had screwed everything up by not using good, old, reliable light brown sugar. Turns out, I was worrying needlessly.) If you don't have dark brown sugar, these cookies will still be delicious with light brown sugar substituted, I assure you.

I used a little package of mini peanut butter cups I picked up at Trader Joe's (what don't they carry?!), but this recipe would work splendidly with those new mini Reese's cups, or even the regular traditional sized, just cut into smaller chunks.

Serve warm or cold with a tall glass of milk. Sigh a happy sigh. Repeat.

Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Yield: 18 large- / 36 regular-sized cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 12 oz. package mini peanut butter cups (unwrapped, and chopped if not already bite-sized)

Preheat oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicon mat. Place butter and sugars in a mixer bowl, mix on medium high until well-combined, 2-3 minutes. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix on low just until combined. Stir in peanut butter cups until distributed. Chill dough 15 minutes.

Scoop 1/4-cup dough balls onto a lined baking sheet (if making large). Bake 11-15 minutes, until the edges brown and the center is still soft. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Source: Slightly adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally adapted from Cook's Illustrated Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy Chocolate Marshmallow Fondue

My mom gave my husband and I this fun little fondue pot for our anniversary this year. Our daughters instantly wanted to break it in as they are no strangers to the deliciousness of chocolate fondue. Mama didn't raise no fools, if you know what I mean. :)

The girls helped me prep the ingredients and create our "dippers" list (I had our 7-yr. old write them down to encourage her to spell/sound them out). Then they watched in anticipation as we poured the chocolate-marshmallow fondue goodness into the bowl.

It was finger-licking good!

Easy Chocolate Marshmallow Fondue

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. milk chocolate, broken
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 5 large marshmallow, cut up
• 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
• Cubed fruit, cake, graham crackers, or marshmallows for dipping

Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, add the marshmallows and milk, and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment, until the chocolate and marshmallows are melted. Add whipping cream as needed until smooth. Re-warm an additional 15 seconds if needed, then place in fondue pot or bowl over a lit candle. 


Serve with fruit, angel food cake, graham crackers, marshmallow, cookies, etc. for dipping.

Source: Slightly adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Breakfast Sandwich Goodness

So this post isn't so much a recipe as it is a method: A very delicious and buttery method, at that. Think of it as a breakfast sandwich that puts others to shame. What's the secret? Simple. Tender, savory scones.

Prior to meeting AJ Perry, the creative and culinary genius behind Sassafras Bakery, I had only had a savory scone once before. It was delicious, but wasn't something I craved.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago: While talking with AJ about savory scones, she recommended warming the scone, and sandwiching a couple eggs in it. Intrigued, I tried it. It is not an understatement to say I was blown away. The tender scone was the perfect vehicle for transporting my fried egg white and cheesy goodness into my belly. The first scone I tried was a Sassafras's Roasted Corn and Jalapeno Scone, but my breakfast sandwich was equally delicious with the Butternut Squash and Spinach scone pictured above.

I would go so far as to say that about any savory combination would make a delicious egg sandwich: Ham and Gruyere (this one is a biscuit, but it's kinda like a scone), Bacon and Cheddar, Cheddar and Dill, and the list could go on. While I've never made any of the above, I've had them bookmarked to try for a long time.

Or, if baking one isn't your thing or you just want an amazing scone made for you, Sassafras Bakery usually has a savory option at the Worthington Farm Market every Saturday morning. Her scones are also sold at several retail locations around Columbus. You can check out her savory selection here.

Corn Cakes with Tomato Relish

 

We've enjoyed so much farm-fresh produce through our farm market this year, and while I'm excited about fall being just around the corner, I'm really going to miss all the delicious local veggies we've been eating this summer.

These corn cakes are a tasty way to enjoy the last couple weeks of summer corn and tomatoes. The corn cakes are crispy, the tomato relish is very fresh and flavorful, and the ranch gives the dish the creamy finish it needs. We ate these as a light lunch, but they would also make a delicious side.

Summer won't be around for much longer, so enjoy this one while you can!

Corn Cakes

Yield: 12 Corn Cakes

Ingredients:
For the corn cakes:

• 3 large ears of corn, shucked
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp. buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

For the relish:

• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Juice of half a lime
• 1½ tsp. olive oil
• 1½ tsp. white wine vinegar
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced (I did not include)
• Ranch dressing (optional)

Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and  place in a large bowl. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels in the food  processor and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but  still chunky. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the remaining corn  kernels. Add the flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, and  baking soda to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to  mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to  combine.

To make the salsa, combine all of the  ingredients except the avocado in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Just before  serving, mix in the avocado.

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan and heat  until sizzling hot. Scoop the batter into the skillet a heaping  tablespoon at a time, cooking the cakes in batches of 4 or 5 so that  they are not touching. Fry 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining  batter.

Serve immediately topped with the relish and drizzled with ranch dressing, if desired.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen

Panzanella

Annnndddd..... I'm back. I've been trying a bunch of new recipes, but a number of them have been so mediocre that I felt it would be a disservice to share. (Maybe I'll throw together an outtakes post...)

Others have been placed in a "made, but not blogged" file, to remake, photograph, and share because they were delicious, but I just didn't get a chance to capture their loveliness with the camera.

But this, my friends, was a lovely summer salad that I had to share immediately. This was dinner tonight and was the perfect way to use up some farm market veggies. Imagine this: Crusty ciabatta croutons infused with a Dijon and garlic champagne vinaigrette, tossed with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, yellow peppers and a sprinkling of fresh basil.

Summer on a plate. Divine.

Panzanella

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• ½ loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1" cubes (approx. 3 cups)
• 1½ Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 medium, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 cucumber, unpeeled, and seeded, sliced ½" thick
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded cut into 1" cubes
• ¼ red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 10 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped or julianned

For the vinaigrette:

• ½ tsp. finely minced garlic
• ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1½ Tbsp. champagne (or white wine) vinegar
• ¼ c. good olive oil
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400º. Toss bread cubes with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper and bake for 8-9 minutes, stirring cubes halfway through baking. Set aside.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all ingredients together.

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables and basil. Add bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about a half hour to allow the flavors to blend.

Source: adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Harry Potter Inspired Recipes

I'm so sad that I don't have the time today to whip up any themed-deliciousness to celebrate the last installment of the Harry Potter films, but these are the recipes I would make if I had time! If you have the time and are as excited to celebrate the culmination of a fantastic series, might I recommend:

Butterbeer!

This Butterbeer Recipe from Cherry Tea Cakes also looks delicious (and easy!):

Butterbeer Cupcakes from Cooks Like a Champion. Seriously, how amazing do these look??

Butterbeer Cookies from Bake at 350. I really wanted to make these today, but it just isn't in the cards. Soon, though!

If Butterbeer isn't your cup of, well, buttery deliciousness, how about Pumpkin Pasties from Three Baking Sheets to the Wind? A pumpkin hand pie cannot be bad.

Or maybe some Chocolate Frogs from Ezra Pound Cake. (Their insides are filled with peanut butter. Now that's a frog I can get behind eating.)

Thank you to J.K. Rowling for a story that entranced, entertained, and enamored us to these characters from the beginning through to the end. I have loved every minute of the journey.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

There is a great little Chinese restaurant that we've been going to for over 10 years. They make the most incredibly delicious egg rolls from scratch daily, and they use all white meat chicken in their dishes. The owners are also incredibly friendly and hospitable. I love this place so much that I'm pretty sure that if they ever close up shop, I might go into mourning.

If that worse case scenario happens, at least I now have one yummy Chinese take out recipe I can fall back on. This chicken was sweet, glazed beautifully and turned out quite tasty. The only changes I may make next time would be to use a little less sugar in the sauce and add a little red pepper flakes to give the sauce a little kick.

I will warn you that this recipe is a bit of a labor of love, but one that is well worth it if you have a craving for some Chinese take out. Now if anyone has tips for egg rolls, I'm all ears!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients
For the chicken:

• 3-4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

For the sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• ½ cup vinegar (preferably rice or white)
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat with the egg. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all sides are browned. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9×13 baking dish.

Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure each piece is coated. Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker