A Cook's Quest

This month's recipe for the Secret Recipe Club comes from the blog Loving Life  written by Kirstin.  What I enjoyed about reading through this blog is the personal aspect Kirstin brings to all of her posts.  Not only are there recipes, but also daily life details of one family from the Pacific Northwest.  I love learning about those who write the blogs and getting to know about their life and what is important to them. I have shared on my blog a time or two that my husband's favorite dessert flavors are chocolate and peanut butter, in fact I have a chocolate and peanut butter category on my blog just so I can quickly find a recipe whenever he has a craving.  When I found this peanut butter pound cake at Loving Life I knew it was the recipe that I would be making for this month's reveal. As pound cakes go this one fits the bill.  It is dense, but moist, and very full of flavor.  Alone it reminds me of a peanut butter cookie in cake form, ...

This cake, THIS CAKE, is unlike any other cake I have ever made.  It is a cake, within a cake, that has surprises throughout...good surprises like caramel, peanut butter cups, and peanuts...oh yes, it crazy rich, but soooo delicious! Usually I am all for easy, fast, economical, or all of the above.  This cake is not any of those things; however, for the holidays I am willing to splurge for a dessert that makes the entire family drool in anticipation.  I served this for a dessert party that my sister-in-law hosted after Thanksgiving and it was a hit for everyone who tried it.  At one point three of us were standing around what was left eating bites with our forks and visiting. I found this recipe by complete accident when I stumbled upon the blog Sprinkle Bakes .  If you have not seen this blog, go there right now and check out the many, many, many, tasty and beautiful recipes.  I made a few changes to the original recipe but nothing that changed ...

As I have mentioned a time or two , peanut butter and chocolate are one of the combinations that everyone in my house loves.  Usually, barring any major baking catstrophes, if a recipe calls for these two ingredients it is sure to be a hit especially with my husband.  When I stumbled onto this recipe at The Farm Girl Recipes  I knew it was going into the Ice Cream Friday series.  This ice cream has a wonderfully smooth texture thanks to the creamy peanut butter and heavy cream.  It has the salty flavor one expects, but is balanced nicely with the sweetness from the sugar and the chocolate.  Oh, and I can't forget to mention the chunks of peanut butter cups throughout.   The only thing that could have made it better was a covering in hot fudge, but we didn't not have any.  So, my poor family suffered through and it all up without fudge and let me tell ya they were real troopers about it.  ENJOY! I'm linking up, go check so...

In my quest for great cookies to try out this holiday season, I stumbled onto these tasteful bites that contain two of our favorite things in this house--peanut butter and chocolate.  While they aren't exactly a cookie, I can definitely see the brilliant snacking potential they offer, not to mention the who wouldn't want them as part a holiday hostess gift?  Simple,  easy, cost effective and most importantly, delicious, these buddies won't last long once prepared.  Cook's if you have plans that include wrapping and removing the buddies from your house you may want to do it when those people who love to sample all the goodies in your house are gone, sleeping or distracted in some way.  Otherwise, they probably won't make it out the door...mine didn't!  Enjoy!

I have to start with the disclaimer I didn't make these delectable little bites of chocolate peanut butter dellciousness. Br2, my seven year daughter who has inherited my love of making yummy food, made these babies all by herself.  She found the recipe, prepared the recipe, and with hardly any guidance from me she baked these brownies to take to Thanksgiving dinner so that she had her very own dish to bring like, "all the other girls."  They are rich, delicious, and a great addition to any dessert buffet!  We used a brownie mix because at the last minute I discovered I was all out of cocoa, but this brownie recipe  (minus the mint candy) or your favorite recipe would work beautifully with the peanut butter struesel topping.  Enjoy!

There are a few things I don't mess with.  Bedtime for the kiddos, the kind of peanut butter my husband eats, my face wash,  and Mel's "best ever" recipes.  I have learned that all of these things are the way they are in order to make my life better, easier, and tastier.  This cake is one of my favorite recipes from Mel's blog.  I have searched high and low for homemade cake recipes that have the texture of a box cake, you know the light and airy crumb that is uber moist and tasty on its own or topped with frosting?  This recipe fits the bill, plus I can pronounce every ingredient! It is chocolatey.  It is delicate and light.  It is simple to make.  It freezes beautifully.  It makes a TON of cake.  It is fabulous with Peanut Butter Frosting which you all know is one of the perfect combinations for dessert at this house. I changed nothing about the recipe.  Follow it as Mel has given it to us, and you will be a hero ...

As I have told you all before, anything made with peanut butter is usually a winner in this house.  I've heard of peanut butter frosting many times before, but never made it.  When I found a chocolate cake recipe that had been declared, "the best ever," I knew I was going to match it with this peanut butter frosting.  This recipe is easy, fast and delicious.  The salty flavor of the peanut butter pairs really well with any sweet cake or cookie.  Not to mention it is fast and easy to prepare.

In this house peanut butter rules, add chocolate and everyone is in dessert heaven.  We will pass on anything sugar related if it means we will get some form of peanut chocolate decadence.  These Peanut Butter Bars were no exception.  Every single person stopped to comment on what I was preparing as I prepared it, and my husband literally did a little dance in the kitchen as he took his first bite.  Oh, and did I mention they were NO BAKE?  So we have, peanut butter, chocolate and no need for the oven, this cook is one happy lady!

Sure, it "looks" like an unassuming cookie as it sits on the plate, but it is not my friends.  This cookie is something else entirely.  I promise, if you like peanut butter you will love these cookies.  Oh, my heaven, they are so good--soft and chewy, with a warm chocolate gooey center and then a second surprise with the little kick of cinnamon.  I have mentioned before that my husband's favorite flavor combination is peanut butter and chocolate so I made these for him, but I will confess I ate about six of them before he got home.  This is a cookie that I could eat a lot of. Secret Promises Cookies Recipe Source: Adapted very slightly from Cookie Madness  by a Cook's Quest 1 1/4 cup all purpose unbleached flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup butter 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup smooth peanut butter 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 24-30 good quality chocolate candies that don't get too hard when col...

Peanut butter and chocolate.  These two flavors are my husband's favorite, I don't think he can get enough of this flavor combination. I can't say that I blame him, the salty peanut butter combined with rich, velvety chocolate is a perfect match for just about everyone.   When I saw this recipe in my mother in law's newest issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray (March 2010) I knew that it would be something I made right away.  The final cookie is soft and chewy with a smooth peanut butter filling that is very rich.  Even better, this recipe was very very easy on the budget.  Next time I will make them smaller, I was a little generous when I was dropping the batter and ended up with pretty big cookies.  Penut Butter Stuffed Milk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Recipe Source: Every Day With Rachel Ray March 2010 issue 2 1/2 cups (15 ounces) milk chocolate chips 4 T butter unsalted butter, softened and divided 1/3 cup plus 2 T flour 1 tsp baking powder ...