Category Archives: Uncategorized

September 17, 2011 · 4:26 pm

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Hi, friends!

I think it’s time to address the issue of peanut butter.

It was mentioned briefly but we have come nowhere near discussing an adoration that I should probably be embarrassed about.

I mean…we’re at the point where my mother feels the need to stock up on peanut butter when I’m going to be home.

This is serious.

Peanut butter might be my favorite food.

I’m not even entirely sure it counts as food, really, but in my world…all you need is love and peanut butter.

(Plus the occasional banana.)

((Chocolate is good too.))

So how about ooey gooey decadently rich chocolate cookies with peanut butter filling?

I mean really…do I need to sell these to you?

When I saw these cookies, I literally dropped everything and made them.

They did not disappoint.

They are incredibly rich and satisfying.

They IMMEDIATELY went away to Daniel’s office or I would have eaten them all.

I also realized something: when a male person thinks something is too rich or too chocolatey…that means they’re amazing in female-speak.  Keep that in mind.

Let us begin.

First: butter(s) and sugar(s) meet $8 retro-chic electric mixer

Anything involving multiple butters and multiple sugars wins, right?

Seriously. Try them.

Then eggs and vanilla come to play.

Now make it chocolatey and doughy

I happened to have some mini hershey’s bars lying around that had been lying around for a while now and were not going to get eaten.  So…into the bowl of wonder they go.  Get ready for super fudgy chocolaty melty cookie amazingness

NOW. You’ve got your dough and it’s time to deal with the peanut butter part.

There are differing philosophies regarding peanut butter filling sweetness.

The original recipe called for 3/4 cup powdered sugar for 3/4 cup peanut butter.

I didn’t do that.

Some people have issues with just basically a glob of peanut butter in the middle of a cookie.

I don’t.

If that’s you that’s ok we can still be friends. Sweeten your peanut butter filling to your heart’s content!

I won’t do that.

I added a bit of powdered sugar but seriously…a little shake of sugar is all it takes for me to be happy.

I like the contrast of the salty peanut butter with that super sweet/chocolatey cookie.

Also: I used crunchy peanut butter.

Because crunchy is fun.

Also because that’s what I had in my pantry.

Work with what you’ve got.

Ready for the secret technique that makes this a peanut butter surprise?

(not hard. at all.)

Roll.

Flatten and Fill.

Pinch and Roll.

Flatten again.

You know….so they can actually cook through…

BAM those already delicious guys are hiding an even more delicious peanut buttery surprise!

Genius.  I know.

Into the oven they go to become an ooey gooey peanut butter chocolate mess.

This is one mess I can handle.

Make sure you have an ice cold glass of milk on hand.

Also here’s the thing about these guys….

JUST THINK OF THE COMBINATIONS!!

chocolate-mint

chocolate-caramel

chocolate-peppermint using candy canes for a Christmas treat?

marshmallow fluff?

pumpkin-cream cheese

carrot-cream cheese

lemon cookie-blueberry filling

almond-vanilla cream

vanilla-strawberry

chocolate-raspberry

peanut butter cookie-jelly filling

cinnamon-apple

shall I continue?

Do you have any fantastic ideas?

Or any of the above you would like to see on here?

Let me know! Talk to me!

Also subscribe!!!!!!!!!!!

And enjoy.

❤ Ellen

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

(Recipe adapted from Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, SOFTENED!! (you know how I feel about this)
1 cup peanut butter, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
some powdered sugar for the filling…the orginal recipe said 3/4 cup…do what you like

1. Preheat oven to 375º F


2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream sugars, butter and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, beating to combine. Stir in the flour mixture and stir to combine, blending well. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, mix together however much powdered sugar you’re using and remaining 3/4 cup of peanut butter until smooth.

5. Pull off a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten with your hands. Take about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture and place it in the center of the chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the peanut butter center, pressing to seal. Roll the cookie into a ball and roll the cookie in the sugar. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass or a spatula or any flat thing, flatten each cookie to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes. Let stand on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to cool.

3 Comments

Filed under Dessert, Uncategorized

August 21, 2011 · 6:15 pm

Ginger Ale FROM SCRATCH!

What?

You can make ginger ale?

As in…I am currently sipping ginger ale that didn’t come out of a green can on an airplane?

Yeah.  I did that. You can too.

SO EASY! (promise)

Really–this happened because I wanted an excuse to buy fresh ginger.

Have you seen that stuff?  It’s weird stuff.

Here I’ll show you:

He’s just a little guy.

Which is nice because how much ginger syrup do you really need in life honestly?

But a little bit is a good thing.  A refreshingly spicy/sweet bubbly thing.

You want some.

SO this involves 3 steps.  Ready?

sugar, ginger, water INTO THE POT!

to simmer for an hour…maybe an hour and a half…until it’s syrup

3 ingredients, 3 steps

and one of them is…

pour some sparkling water over ice and stir in as much of that yummy ginger syrup as your heart desires.

throw in a straw.

things taste better that way.

make it green and pretend it’s a lime because you wish you had one

but if you do….definitely put a lime wedge in there.

and if you have some bitters and are in a bitters kind of a mood…shoot…do that too.

wasn’t that fun?

and easy?

and delicious?

Ginger Ale

(recipe from http://www.joythebaker.com)

1 cup finely chopped ginger

1 cups granulated sugar

3 cups water

1 cup soda water

3 tablespoons ginger syrup (or to taste)

lime wedge (or a green straw if that’s your thing)

a little bit o’ bitters (if you’re into that kind of thing)

ice (necessary.)

1. chop the ginger as much as you can…a blender or food processor would make your life easier

2. place ginger, sugar, and water in a large stock pot.  bring the whole mess to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the liquid has reduced down by more than half.  when it looks like silky smooth syrup it’s finished

3. remove from heat and strain twice through a cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer to separate the ginger chunks. let syrup cool completely before incorporating into drinks.

p.s. keep those bits of ginger! toss them with some more sugar, spread them out on wax paper and let them dry over night.  later we’ll make some delicious ginger cookies with them…get excited

4. combine everything in a glass, stir it up, throw in a straw, go crazy

you just made ginger ale from scratch.  high five.

p.s. I MOVED!

this is my view every morning

these are my friends in my kitchen.  they came to play even though I didn’t have a couch. or air conditioning. that’s love.

AND I see this handsome stud every day

I am very, very happy.

I hope you are too.

❤ Ellen

PRETTY PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!

8 Comments

Filed under Beverages, Uncategorized

August 13, 2011 · 9:24 am

Erika’s Famous Banana Bread

Hi!

Let’s talk about bananas.

I LOVE bananas.

Also peanut butter but that’s a discussion for another day.

Banana bread is brilliant.  Eat it plain and pure, or studded with chocolate chips (or heck..any kind of chips), or raisins, or walnuts, or apples…ANYTHING!  The possibilities are endless.

Serve it buttered, warmed, chilled, first thing in the morning, as an after dinner treat…again…the possibilities are endless.

There are as many banana bread recipes as there are ways to eat it, but no one does banana bread like my friend Erika.

Are you ready for this?

Remember those eggs from the pull-apart bread?  Some friends are joining them to un-chill this time

Organize your life. (Or at least your banana bread ingredients….baby steps)

Let’s take a closer look at those bananas.

They should be beyond ripe.  We’re talking black/slimy/rotting.  Seriously.  That’s when they have the banana-iest possible flavor and it really makes a difference.

I guess banana bread theoretically happens when you bought too many bananas and they went bad before you got to them.  One of those “if life hands you rotten bananas….make banana bread” kind of a deals.

If you’re me, though, there’s no such thing as a banana you “couldn’t get to” so you’ll have to make a conscious effort to let them be til they’re in the properly rotten-delicious state.  Bag ’em up, stick them somewhere room temperature and try to forget about them.

You’ll be happy you did, I promise.

These guys are even a little less rotten than I usually like. That first guy for sure. You DEFINITELY need 3 bananas, though, so we’ll make an exception. Real life.

Cream that butter and sugar (aka stir it until it’s creamy. an impossible task unless your butter has un-chilled properly…just saying.)

I like to toss in some vanilla with the wet ingredients.  You can’t go wrong with vanilla.

Smash!

Literally just mix everything together. Win.

AND THEN! for the secret ingredient: Cinnamon.

It’s not in the original recipe and not at all necessary but I love the extra fragrant, comforting something it gives the bread.

If you’re allergic to cinnamon (this is for you grandma) try nutmeg (you need less nutmeg than cinnamon…that stuff is strong) or leave it out altogether.  The bread will survive and it will be as yummy as ever.

You should end up with something like a chunky cake batter.  I like chunks of banana..they get all gooey in the oven…but let’s not get carried away.

Unless that’s you’re thing.  Then by all means..carry away.

Pour it into your greased and floured bread pan.  I have another little thing I like to do….

Slice another banana, (one that’s not quite as ripe so you can actually cut it), into really thin slices and arrange them on top (note: I was low on banana supplies…usually I would put more on top than is pictured here) then sprinkle some sugar in the raw on top.

The bananas carmelize in the oven and….yum.  Just yum.


Pop that sucker into your 350 degree oven for like about an hour and BAM! It’s bananas. It really is.

Slice and enjoy =)

Banana Bread Recipe

Courtesy of my friend Erika, with a couple of Ellen twists

Note: I kept it simple this time.  Straight up, no-nonsense, perfectly, amazingly delicious and classic banana bread.  The beauty of this stuff, though, is the fact that anything goes.  Experiment with add-ins…let me know if you hit on a good one!

Ingredients:

**UPDATE: For super extra moist banana bread use one more tablespoon butter, substitute one cup of the flour for super finely ground oats (oat flour), and use all brown sugar!  I also always add some vanilla.  Delicious.  Happy baking =)

4 tablespoons SOFT butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 medium rotten (seriously) bananas, mashed
1/3 cup yogurt (plain, vanilla or lemon are really yummy but feel free to go crazy)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
OPTIONAL:
-cinnamon (I always put cinnamon in mine. to taste so however much you want. taste as you add)
-nuts
-chocolate chips
-dried fruit

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. cream the butter and sugar
3. add bananas and mix until well blended and mashed (depending on how lumpy you like your banana bread)
4. beat in egg and yogurt
5. mix flour through salt in a separate bowl and add them to the wet mixture until blended
5. pour into 9 in. loaf pan
6. bake about 1 hour (check at about 45 minutes…don’t overcook!!)
7. keep in pan for 10 min. before removing, then cool on cooling rack
*if you’re feeling fancy, top the bread with thinly sliced banana and sprinkle with raw sugar (or just granulated sugar) before you bake it….the bananas get all caramelized and delicious in the oven

7 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Uncategorized