I really kind of sweated about what to make. Bake sales are funny things. Believe it or not, all you guys in foodie land, there are people that just aren’t interested in trying raspberry chipotle brownies, or bacon and chocolate chip cookies. I know, right? Bake sale items are the best if they are comfort food, normal stuff that you used to eat when you were a kid, or things that are very similar. So I thought that peanut butter chocolate chip would be different enough to feed my sense of uniqueness and familiar enough to do well. I will have to tell you the verdict on that later. But I can say that, since a cookie broke when I was removing it from the sheet and I was forced to eat it, these are the perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter flavor.

*It’s later and the bake sale was called off for some reason.  But the cookies are…awesome!

The cookies are large, moist and slightly chewy with a crisp outside and a tender inside. Warm, the chocolate chips just melt and flow into the surrounding crumb. Right now the entire house smells fantastic..better than ANY Yankee Candle Co. candle. Give these a try and let me know what you think.

It is really important not to over bake these. They will be soft when you take them out of the over. Allow them to stand for at least 5 minutes to firm up before removing them from the baking sheet to cool completely. By using a tablespoon measure you should get cookies that are about 3-4″ in diameter.

Did you know that the traditional design in peanut butter cookies (the fork ### crosshatching) helps them to develop a crisp outside and a tender middle without being cakey?  Now you do.  I forgot where I read that…

What are you waiting for? Gosh!

Bake Sale Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 cup soft unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt (more if you are using homemade peanut butter)
• 6 oz chocolate chips (I used Safeway/Tom Thumbs brand organic)

2. Cream the butter, Crisco, and peanut butter together until smooth.
3. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat until fluffy and well blended.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla and blend.
6. Sift together the baking soda, flour and salt and stir in to make a soft dough.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips.
8. Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with silpat or parchement.  Flatten with a fork dipped in flour, first horizontally and then vertically to make squares.
9. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes.
10. Cool.

Makes about 4 dozen

images:marye audet (c)2009

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The other night Marc was out of town with our 10 year old Sean.  Sean is involved with the JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) group at church and they had regionals in Longview Texas.  Our kids won, by the way, and will be at Nationals in Rockford, Illinois.  Anyway, when someone is out of town the rest of us try to do something different as well.

Now, I admit..I am a weird mom.  I have been known to get my kids up within 15 minutes of going to bed and bundle them into the car in their pajamas and make a *slurpee run*.  There is something fun about a clandestine slurpee in the middle of the night.  The other thing that I am well known for is declaring that it is banana splits for dinner.  No meat, no potatoes, no organic asparagus.  Nope.  Banana Splits.  Big enough that you could not eat dinner and one of these.

Unhealthy? On a regular basis, yes.  But once in awhile? Unexpected?  The perfect way to be the coolest mom on the block.  You can buy ice cream at the store or use one of the recipes from me, here at Baking Delights.  Just use the search tool at the top.

And never underestimate the power of a banana split.

Peanut Butter Banana Splits

• Hot fudge sauce, commercial or homemade
• Caramel sauce, commercial or homemade
• Whipped cream
• Ripe bananas
• Vanilla ice cream, commercial or homemade
• Peanut butter sandwich cookies, broken in large pieces
• Peanuts

You know what to do.  Place sliced bananas at the bottom of a shallow dish.  Add two scoops of ice cream.  Cover one scoop with caramel and one scoop with fudge sauce.  Sprinkle with broken cookies.  Add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with peanuts.

images:marye audet

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I had no idea what to name these.  First, I thought that peanut butter and jelly bars would be good, but that did not describe the copious amounts of chocolate in these…Peanut butter chocolate bars did not hint at the unrestrained use of Hershey’s Dark chocolate pieces filled with raspberry…So…Name them what ever you like…just try them.

Here is the deal…Moist peanut butter bars sweetened with brown sugar …mini peanut butter cups, raspberry filled dark chocolate, semi sweet chunks and bittersweet chunks folded in…..Spread carefully in a 9 x 13 inch pan to make sure that the squares were generous…topped with more peanut butter cups, raspberry filled chocolate, and chocolate chunks…Baked to perfection…served warm…perhaps with a dollop of vanilla ice cream?

These are for those days when you need an extra five thousand calories in your diet.  Go for it.

Peanut Butter and Everything Else Bars

13x 9 inch pan

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup butter, unsalted
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed (I use light brown sugar)
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 c peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 6 ozs bittersweet chunks
• 6 oz semi sweet chunks
• 1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups
• 1/2 cup raspberry filled dark chocolate pieces

For topping:

• 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
• 1 cup raspberry filled dark chocolate pieces
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chunks
• 1/2 cup  bittersweet chunks
• 1 cup peanuts if desired

Preheat oven to 350

1. Mix butter and oil until creamy.
2. Add sugar and beat for 3 minutes until smooth.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Beat in vanilla and peanut butter.
5. Mix baking soda and flour and stir in.
6. Fold in chocolate.
7. Spoon into greased 13 x 9 inch pan, smoothing top.
8. Sprinkle liberally with topping ingredients.
9. Bake for 35 minutes or until done.
10. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting in squares.

Image:marye audet

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My husband and three of my sons are headed out to Royal Rangers camp for the entire weekend. Sigh. I am a bit jealous. I love to camp but we haven’t been in some time. Royal Rangers is a bit like boy scouts but is affiliated with a denominational church. Marc is a commander, and they are going to do fun things like throwing tomahawks, making fires, and eating cookies.

Cookies? Yeah. Because Nick…of the puppy dog eyes….

…asked me to make him cookies to take so the guys in his tent would think he was really awesome.

Who could resist? Not me! Could you resist those eyes? Yeah. I didn’t think so. So I did it. Reeses Mini Peanut Butter Cups, peanuts, and chocolate chip cookie dough. They don’t have a name. They disappear too fast. I hope Nick keeps them hidden from his brothers and dad until he gets there….

Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

• 1 12 oz package Reeses Mini peanut butter cups
• 1 c chopped peanuts
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. Cover cookie sheet with parchment or Silpat.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter , brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture.

Stir in the Peanut Butter Cups and peanuts.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light golden brown.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

Images: Marye Audet 

Content:Marye Audet for Baking Delights 

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  This is a bar cookie that I really don’t see much anymore. It is wonderful…close to the candy bar in flavor AND would be perfect for the Blog Bake Sale. You ARE doing that right? You HAVE gotten involved?

  Good. I knew you would.

Oh Henry! Bars

4 c oats

1/2 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

1 c melted unsalted butter

6 oz chocolate chips

1 c peanut butter (crunchy is best)

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 13 x 9 ” pan. Mix oats, sugar and brown sugar in large bowl. Pour melted butter over and mix well. Press into pan firmly and bake for 20 minutes.

Cool.

  Melt chocolate and peanut butter together stirring to blend. Spread over cooled cookie base. Chill 1 hour…IF you can wait that long. Cut into 2 dozen bars.

I have computer at home again AND that means that as soon as I get my photo program loaded I can do pictures again…YAY!!!!!!!

 Seriously, do try to remember about the Nation wide bake sale..It is such an excellent cause.

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