By Cathy Thomas | Correspondent
I’d by no means thought-about the pairing as among the finest on the planet. However when my grandson Jacob was 5, he provided his opinion in a assured tone. He seemed me within the eye and proclaimed that peanut butter and chocolate are one of the best mixture of flavors.
Some may argue, providing up completely different units of two substances that work collectively harmoniously. My father at all times sang the praises of strawberries and cream; my mom would weigh in with apples and cinnamon. For me, my palate wavers, however my favourite ingredient mixtures usually showcase some type of cheese.
Now in highschool, Jacob and I’ve made tons of of Peanut Blossom Cookies, tasty peanut butter cookies, every adorned with a Hershey’s chocolate kiss. The recipe has been round for many years and it’s foolproof, an awesome deal with to bake with children.
The recipe is included right here, together with a brownie that reveals off peanut butter in addition to chocolate. Additionally included is a formulation for Peanut Brittle Bars, a bar cookie that makes use of chocolate and salted, roasted peanuts, deviating a smidgen from the peanut butter theme. However I couldn’t go away them out. To my palate, they’re one of the best bar cookies possible. The pairing is a jewel.
Peanut Brittle Bars
My hankering for salty-sweet treats began with my Aunt Lillian’s peanut brittle. All through my childhood, yearly her nut-laden sweet arrived just a few days earlier than Christmas. Tightly packed in a pristine espresso can, Lillian’s crunchy confections disappeared far too shortly. Nicely into maturity I found Peanut Brittle Bars. The crisp squares showcased a topping of salted peanuts, together with chocolate chips and caramel.
Yield: 48 bars
INGREDIENTS
Base:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup entire wheat flour
1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ
1 cup firmly packed mild brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilly butter, reduce into 1/4-inch slices
Topping:
2 cups salted, roasted peanuts
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 (12 1/2 ounces) jar caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS
1. Modify oven rack to center place. Preheat oven to 350 levels. Grease a 10-by-15-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet.
2. In a meals processor fitted with the metallic blade, place flours, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda and salt; pulse to mix, about 10 seconds. Add chilly butter slices; pulse till crumbly and butter is reduce into dry substances. Don’t over course of, or combination will type a dough. Dump onto ready baking sheet. Use clear fingers to evenly press into even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes or till evenly golden.
3. Sprinkle peanuts and chocolate chips over heat base. In a small bowl, stir collectively the caramel sauce and three tablespoons of flour; drizzle over peanuts and chips.
4. Bake in 350-degree oven for 12 to 18 minutes or till golden brown and set. Cool 1 hour or till fully cooled. Reduce into bars.
Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies
My favourite option to serve peanut butter spiked brownies is alongside vanilla ice cream that’s sprinkled with peanuts.
Yield: One 9-by-13-inch pan of brownies, about 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
Comfortable butter for greasing pan and parchment paper
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons easy peanut butter
1 cup coarsely chopped milk chocolate
1/2 cup darkish brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 massive eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, see cook dinner’s notes
Prepare dinner’s notes: I exploit semi-sweet chocolate chips as a result of they’re most popular by my grandchildren, however cookbook creator Nicole Rucker requires 72% chocolate chips, a darker chocolate with the next cacao content material. The selection is yours.
DIRECTIONS
1. Modify oven rack to center place. Preheat oven to 375 levels. Calmly grease a 9-by-13-inch rimmed sheet pan and line the underside and sides with parchment paper. Put aside.
2. Place 2 sticks of butter in a small saucepan on medium warmth. Stir incessantly and control it so it doesn’t brown. In the meantime, put peanut butter and chopped chocolate in massive heatproof bowl. When the butter is sizzling and melted, pour over peanut butter-chocolate combination and stir to mix and soften chocolate. Put aside.
3. Within the massive mixing bowl of an electrical stand mixer, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla. Combine on medium velocity for 1 minute, till the combination is pale in shade and creamy trying. Add the melted chocolate-butter combination. Combine at a medium velocity till mixed. Add the flour and cocoa powder; combine till simply mixed, so no dry bits of flour stay.
4. Switch batter to ready pan. Utilizing a silicone spatula easy out batter pushing batter into the corners and making it even. Faucet flippantly on the counter to take away any air pockets. Scatter chocolate chips on prime of batter, gently urgent them down slightly.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate pan and bake one other 13 to fifteen minutes, or till the perimeters are set and the middle will nonetheless seem a bit unset. A toothpick inserted in heart ought to come out with very moist crumbs.
6. Permit brownies to chill on a wire rack. They are often saved hermetic at room temperature as much as one week.
Supply: Tailored from “Fat + Flour” by Nicole Rucker (Alfred A. Knoff)
Peanut Blossom Cookies
A milk chocolate kiss pressed into the middle of those still-hot peanut butter cookies makes them fairly and scrumptious, too. Once I need to make these cookies with my grandchildren and I uncover there aren’t any Hershey’s chocolate kisses in the home, I substitute both Hershey’s nuggets or Mini Milk Chocolate peanut butter cups from Dealer Joe’s.
Yield: About 3 to 4 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 beneficiant cup peanut butter, creamy most popular
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup darkish brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Parchment paper
Granulated sugar for rolling
9 ounces Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped
DIRECTIONS
1. Modify oven rack to center place. Preheat oven to 375 levels. Within the bowl of an electrical stand mixer, place butter and peanut butter. Beat at a medium velocity till nicely mixed. Add sugars and beat till creamy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat till nicely mixed.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add the flour combination in 3 parts to the butter combination, beating between additions to mix.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form dough into 1-inch balls (I do that with the help of a small ice cream scoop). Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar to coat. Place on ready baking sheets, about 1 1/2-inches aside. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Take away from oven and instantly place an unwrapped chocolate kiss in the midst of every cookie, flippantly urgent it down. The cookies might crack across the edges. Don’t fear.
Award-winning meals author Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, together with “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Observe her at CathyThomasCooks.com.
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