Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Brownies

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.  Try saying that three times fast!  If you can, I think you've earned your brownie!

Well, I guess it's only appropriate to wish the interwebs a happy Valentine's Day!  I mean, once again I am alone on Valentines Day, but only romantically.  Seriously boys, when I are you going to realize that I can bake?  Yeesh!  However, I am not alone.  I have wonderful friends here in Seattle and family back in Michigan who I know love me and they should know I love them right back.  That, and I just polished off a box of conversation hearts (and a bowl of vegetarian chili and some middle eastern flat bread and… oh, I should probably stop talking now) so I got some loving words from them.

While today is technically V-Day, I celebrated yesterday with the girlfriends.  Christine, Julie, Katrina and I had a girls day extravaganza in honor of the blessed holiday.  It started off with a walk around Green Lake and a picnic in one of the parking lots.  Next we drove on up Aurora to a unique nail salon (appropriately titled Glamour Nails) and had a three hour long manicure.  With our polished fingers and toes we trotted on over to my place where we decorated red velvet cup cakes (check back for that post later) and Julie & Katrina cooked a delicious and light dinner.  To complete the picture, we closed off the evening by watching Twilight.  All in all, it was the perfect day and definitely the perfect Valentine's Day.

However, these brownies are in no way connected to Valentine's Day.  In fact, I made them a few weeks ago for a game night that I had.  It was right after I accepted my new job (of which I just completed my first week today!), most of 'the group' was in town and we pretty much hung out all day.  After playing some 3 on 3 football with 5 people, it was as interesting as it sounds, we didn't want to stop hanging out and decided to have a game night that evening.  Being that I am who I am, I made brownies to make the people happy.  Of course they were, but they were a little rich to be paired with the soft white wines were were drinking.  Don't take this as a bad thing though, they were do delicious and the caramel perfectly melted into the brownies. 

So if you're single today, make a pan and polish the whole thing off without worrying about anyone knowing.  If you're attached, make this for your significant other and chances are, you'll make their day.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Friday night after work all I wanted to do was bake cookies.  Before meeting Bjoern at Shalimar for lunch (it was Ann Arbor Restaurant Week - aka I can eat at places I usually can't afford), I stopped by Downtown Home & Garden to see if they had received their shipment of knife rolls.  While they didn't have any knife rolls, they DID have a perfect cookie scoop!  AND for $3 less than what it would have cost at Plum market!  So for the rest of the day all I wanted to do was try it out!  And the cool thing is (because the dough is so dense) the cookies looked like little scoops of ice cream!

Next time I make these cookies, I think I will use more peanut butter.  While the taste of peanut butter was present, the chocolate flavor was much more prominent.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (I used natural creamy peanut butter)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 oz dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F,
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Once the butter and sugar are well combined, stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the peanut butter chips.
3. Drop cookies using a medium sized cookie scoop (or making 2 TBSP sized balls with your hands) onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until set. Cool on wire racks.

Stir-Fried Vegetables in a Peanut Butter Sauce with Curried Tofu

I am poor college student who has a gourmet palate that primarily cooks for one (sometimes four when I cook for my housemates or 20 when I go to potlucks).  As a result, I have a fridge full of half cut up veggies and a very full spice rack.  This past sunday I noticed that in my fridge I had the following ingredients that needed to be used up ASAP: Half a white onion, some spinach, some baby carrots, some extra firm tofu that was teetering on its expiration date, a huge bag of limes, and the last bit of a jar or natural peanut butter.  And, of course, over the weekend I picked up a fresh jar of hot curry powder.  What's a girl to do?  Pseudo stir fry of course!  This meal is incredibly filling and easy to make for one (and easy to double or triple).  Sadly, I did have some tofu left over that I just had to throw out (a cardinal sin for college students, I know) because I knew I would never eat it.  And again, please excuse me for the poor photography.  I have florescent lights in my kitchen and i was eating at about 8 at night… not really the best time to capture an award winning image.  Hopefully my light box will be up and running soon and I won't have to worry about my shady florescent lights anymore!

(PS - proud to say this recipe is 100% my own)

Ingredients:

• Extra Firm Tofu, cut into half-inch cubes
• A few shakes of Hot Curry Powder (I'll estimate a tablespoon or so)
• 1 tsp Yellow Mustard Seed
• Canola Oil
• Fresh (or frozen is fine) spinach
• Baby carrots, cut into long strips
• White onion, cut into rings, then cut in half

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 2 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (leaving it out on the counter it warm up real helps)
• The juice and zest from one lime
• Yellow Mustard Seed (a pinch or two)
• Red Chile Pepper Flakes
• A few dashes of the hot curry powder
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. For the Sauce, mash all the ingredients together with a fork and set aside.
2. Heat up a wok (or a large skillet) with some canola oil and sprinkle with a little salt.  Once the wok is hot, slowly add in the tofu, sprinkle on the mustard seed and curry powder, combine well, and stir-fry until the outside of the tofu has formed a crispy shell.  Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat up a small amount it canola oil and saute the onions until partially cooked, then add in the baby carrots.  Once the onions and carrots are soft, add in the spinach.  Once the spinach has cooked down, add in the pre-cooked tofu and combine with the stir-fried veggies.
4. Invigorate the sauce with the fork and pour over veggie/tofu mixture on the pan.  Cook for another minute or two.  Remove from heat, transfer to your favorite plate, crack a beer, sit down, and enjoy!

The Baked Brownie with a Swirl of Peanut Butter

I have been wanting to try "The Baked Brownie" forever. Every time I went on tastespotting or foodgawker, I saw yet another photo of the alluring Baked Brownie. Having an urge to bake something and use of the bag of chocolate chips in my freezer, I decided this would be the best option. While looking for recipes all over the internet, I swear, no Baked Brownie recipe was the same. Some recommended using three different types of chocolate, some used specific types of cocoa powder....etc. I being a poor college student, I used plain old Hersey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa, Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips, and I made a little bit of some REALLY strong coffee in my french press.... and I think they turned out just fine. Just ask my neighbors and housemates... they didn't seem to complain too much (or at all) when eating them. Oh yeah, and I also added some Peanut Butter!

THE BAKED BROWNIE

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
• One bag of dark chocolate chips (I used Trader Joe's)
• 8 ounces butter (2 sticks), cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tsp of REALLY strong coffee
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Peanut Butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9x13x2 pan.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.
4. Configure a large sized double boiler. Place the chocolate, the butter, and the STRONG coffee in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan. Mixture should be room temperature.
5. Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
6. Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (DO NOT USE A WHISK) fold the dry into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.
7. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula. Spoon on some natural peanut butter and "marble" in with a knife.
8. Bake the brownies for 33 minutes (rotate the pan half-way through baking) and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan. The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
9. Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving. (This step wasn't so strictly followed...)

Thai Inspired Stir-Fry

I made this for dinner a few nights ago (and finally finished eating the left overs yesterday night for dinner) and I was very pleased with the results. The 'peanut sauce' for the noodles is a go-to sauce for me and I have used it countless times. Most of the veggies I bought at the Ann Arbor's farmers market and I think that made all the difference for me - the dish tasted so fresh! So, no more boring rambling, here is the (kinda long) recipe!

Ingredients:

For Stir-Fry:

• Onions
• Potatoes, sliced thinly
• Celery
• Carrots, thinly sliced
• Asparagus (thin stalks)
• Peppers (orange, yellow, and red), diced
• Summer (yellow) Squash
• Chard
• Scallions
• Mung Bean Sprouts
• Tofu (optional)

For Stir Fry Sauce:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 tsp. Chinese Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch

For Noodles:

• 1 package of Trader Joe's Rice Noodles (I like the width)
• 2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
• 5 Tbs. Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup (ish...) Soy Sauce
• Zest and Juice of one lime
• (side note: I have never measured for this sauce before, every time I make it I 'eyeball' it until it looks/tastes how I want it)

Directions:

1. Cook Rice noodles according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking, mash together brown sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, and lime zest until it is a smooth paste. Drain noodles, place back into pot, mix in sauce, and set aside with lid on top to keep it warm.
2. For stir-Fry sauce: Combine the first 6 ingredients. Place the cornstarch in a bowl & whisk the liquid mixture into it. Set aside and whisk again before you add the sauce into the stir-fry.
3. Heat the woke alone (for about a minute), then add in a little peanut oil. Add the onions and saute them alone first until transparent. Add potatoes, celery, and carrots and saute until partially done. Add Sauce now. Add in the peppers (all three colors), summer squash, and asparagus - saute until almost done. Finally, add in the chard, scallions, and mung bean sprouts. If you decided to use (pre-cooked and marinated) tofu, add it in now.
4. Plate the noodles so that they look like a bird nest. Scoop the stir-fried veggies into 'the nest' - serve immediately.

Black Magic Cupcake with Reese's filling, topped with a swirl of Peanut Butter/Chocolate Frosting

Here in the evolution of a cupcake being garnished (and eaten):

If you like peanut butter and chocolate together, proceed with caution because you will soon become addicted to this cupcake.

One of my best and dearest friends, Meg Bliss, is leading the Miniwanca girls Odyssey trip this year. If you don't know what Odyssey is, it is a biking trip where you bike from New Hampshire to Michigan (through Canada) in about 30 days. And I am hosting these girls for a night in Ann Arbor. Because they are so amazing, I am making them a treat: Black Magic cupcakes with a Reese's filling, topped with a swirl of peanut butter buttercream and chocolate frosting.

Black Magic Cake

Adapted from Hershey's Kitchens
makes 2 dozen cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong black coffee
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 bag of miniature Reese's cups

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pans with cupcake paper (I used a metallic finished one so they look more like a candy wrapper)
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
3. Pour a little bit of batter into a cupcake wrapper, place a mini Reese's inside, put more batter on top... and continue until all the cupcake wrappers are full.
4. Bake 23 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

For the peanut butter frosting:

Adapted from Proceed with Caution (blog)

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cool whip

1. In large bowl, with mixer on medium-low speed, beat butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth and blended.
2. Add powdered sugar slowly, incorporating fully after each addition.
3. Add cool whip and beat until smooth and creamy.

For the Chocolate Frosting:

Adapted from Magnolia Barkery

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate melted and cooled until lukewarm
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy - about 3 minutes.
2. Add the milk as you need it, and beat until smooth.
3. Add the melted chocolate and beat well.
4. Add vanilla, and beat for 3 minutes.
5. Slowly add the sugar and beat until you reach your desired consistency.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread WITH Chocolate Chips!

As the Ann Arbor Art Fair keeps rolling on, my oven is (essentially) continually on. For my shift on Friday, I made some Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate chips. This bread is incredibly dense and moist. My recommendation is to use mini-chocolate chips, I used regular sized chocolate chips and they all congregated in the middle of the bread (due to the weight) and it made slicing the bread a little difficult.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium ripe mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided use
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons raw sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Mash banana with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Using a mixer on medium speed beat in peanut butter, 2 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in milk and flour mixture until just combined; stir in chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake for 55 minutes. Remove pan from oven, melt additional tablespoon butter, brush evenly over the top, and top with turbinado sugar. Continue to bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool for 20 minutes before running a knife around outside edges, removing, and transferring to a wire rack to cool an additional 30 minutes before slicing.

"Bowl o' Oatmeal Cookies" Experimentation

Today is one of my days off and I felt like experimenting. No, no... not with the chemicals of science, but the chemicals of COOKING! (However, if you talk to Alton Brown, science is cooking and cooking is science). Now, I was having a hankering for peanut butter cookies, but I didn't want just plain peanut butter cookies. I wanted them to have some spice, some crunch... just a little more flavor. Hence, I thought of what I usually have in my oatmeal when I make it for breakfast: Cinnamon and Peanut Butter. Thus, the birth of "Bowl o' Oatmeal Cookies"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Once light and fluffy, cream in the peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats until just combines. Make teaspoon-sizes balls and drop onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten lightly with a fork.
5. Bake for 13 and a half minutes in the oven, or until just light brown.

UPDATE:

After testing out these cookies on my daring Bivouac co-workers, they made a few suggestions that I think I will try out the next time I make these. One - mashed bananas in the batter. Two, chocolate chips? (I kinda like how these cookies aren't ovely sweet, so I may pass on this one). Three, a little less starch.

Homemade, Healthy Granola Bars

Spend money on small granola bars no longer! Super easy to make, this yummy bars are an incredibly filling snack. I made them recently for a Women's Fitness Night at Bivouac - they went over incredibly well! This recipe makes about 1.5 large jelly roll pans of granola bars - but if you want less the recipe can easily be halved.

PS: I did most all of my ingredient hunting at the People's Food Coop (PFC) in Ann Arbor.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Snack Bars

Ingredients:

-parchment paper

-1 cup of honey

-1 cup natural cream peanut butter (I recommend the bulk peanut butter at the PFC)

-4 TBSP maple syrup

-2 TBSP Canola Oil

-1/2 cup light brown sugar

-1 tsp ground cinnamon

-2 tsp vanilla extract

-4 cups rolled oats

-4 cups crisp brown rice cereal

-1/2 cup wheat germ

-1 cups roasted peanuts (corse chopped)

-1 cup dried cranberries

-1 cup dried blueberries

-approx. 1 tsp kosher salt (more or less to taste)

Assembly

1. Line jelly roll pans with parchment paper (trust me - it will make removing the bars and cutting them much easier)

2. In a medium sized saucepan, put honey, peanut butter, maple syrup, canola oil, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Combine over medium/high heat juuuust until the mixture starts to bubble (it'll take about 5 to 8 min). Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

3. In a fairly large bowl, mix together the oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, peanuts, cranberries, blueberries, and salt.

4. Pour the ooey-gooey peanut butter concoction over the oatmeal/cereal mixture. Mix with a spatula until everything is combined (aka, all the dry goods are coated with the wet goods). Pour the mixture into lined jelly roll pans, cover with more parchment paper, and press the mixture firmly down into the pans.

5. I recommend allowing the bars to cool for about an hour on the counter and then pop them in the fridge overnight to 'solidify' them more. When ready - cut them into squares/bars and enjoy!

Next Up: Zucchini Cakes!