Chip off the Old Block: Peanut Butter Chips with Jelly Salsa Recipe for Peanut Butter and Co.

Everyone knows that chips and salsa are a delicious precursor to a Mexican meal. But what about giving them a sweet and spicy and rich peanut butter makeover to continue the party post-dinner?

It’s time to introduce Peanut Butter Dessert Chips with Fruit Salsa, a dish wherein plain flour tortillas are brushed with a decadent peanut butter, brown sugar and butter mixture and baked until crispy, then served with jam or preserves. It’s a snap to prepare and makes for some sweetly addictive eating.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Peanut Butter and Co.!

Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Fudge Recipe

There was a time, in my childhood, during which my parents chose to go without a microwave. I know--hippies!

As a result, I became exceedingly adept at cooking everything with the toaster--for instance, putting foil on top of the toaster oven and heating up microwave pizza using the heat rising from inside of the toaster. Totally not a fire hazard at all. 

These days, now that I have a microwave of my very own, I really want you to know that I appreciate its presence very much and strive to honor it whenever possible. And what bigger tribute to la belle microwave than making delicious microwave fudge? This is a riff on a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com, but I made the executive decision to use half and half instead of milk (good idea) and to add a healthy dose of peanut butter chips for added rich deliciousness. Here's how you make some microwave magic at home:

Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Fudge

• Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Fudge
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup peanut butter chip morsels, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 cup

Procedure

1. Line an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pyrex pan with parchment paper or waxed paper.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Pour the half and half over mixture and place butter in bowl. Do not mix (it will be too thick to mix, anyway). Microwave on high until butter is melted, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and stir vigorously until smooth. 
3. If adding the peanut butter morsels, stir them into the smooth mixture; the residual heat should make them melt into peanut buttery swirls in the batter.
4. Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan and using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture so that it is evenly distributed. If desired, sprinkle the top with the remaining peanut butter morsel chips.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour, or the freezer for half an hour, before serving. Makes about 16 squares.

Sweet and Salty: Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies Recipe for Peanut Butter and Co.

Looking for cookies to serve during your July 4 festivities? Bake this cookie that creates an explosion of flavors in your mouth, of the sweet-savory kind.  The sweet drop cookies are nicely contrasted by the saltiness of the chips, but get a fascinating flavor dimension from the nutty Smooth Operator peanut butter. One bite and even doubters will be singing a new story.

Note: I found that you can also get extra flavor-points by using The Bee’s Knees peanut butter, which adds pleasing mellow end-note from the honey mingling with the brown sugar.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Peanut Butter & Co's website!

Peanut Buttery Goodness: Chocolate Pasta with Peanut Butter Sauce Recipe for Peanut Butter and Co

Oh, I’m sorry. Are you still eating regular pasta, like a jerk?

Time to get with the program: I’m talking chocolate pasta. It’s readily available online, and it’s well worth the investment.

But even an inherently perfect product like this can stand to become slightly awesomer, and so I propose Chocolate Pasta served with peanut butter cookie “meatballs” and a rich, crunchy peanut butter buttercream sauce. It may not be pretty, but it tastes like heaven on a plate. In fact, the only thing that might make it better is a thick slice of buttered pound cake on the side.

Lastly, this makes a swell April Fools’ dessert for someone or some people you love to have fun with

For the full entry and recipe, visit Peanut Butter and Co.!

Green and Sweet: St. Patrick's Day Peanut Butter Truffles Recipe for Peanut Butter and Co.

As any leprechaun knows, the journey to the end of the rainbow can be pretty long and arduous. And while the treasure at the end of the line is totally sweet in the figurative sense, the fact is, gold does little to satisfy the physical appetite.

These truffles, however, comprised of a sweet filling with crispy cereal and creamy, rich peanut butter and generously coated with festive green candy coating, are worth their weight in gold when it comes to a satisfying St. Patrick’s Day snack–delicious for humans and leprechauns alike.

For the full entry, more photos and the recipe, visit Peanut Butter & Co.!

Just Dough It: Homemade Do-Si-Do Girl Scout Cookies for Serious Eats

Girl Scouts can teach you everything you will ever need to know about teamwork. How, exactly? Just look to the cookie. I'm talking, of course, about Do-Si-Dos (sometimes called Peanut Butter Sandwiches), where peanut butter and oatmeal cookie work together to make one beautiful baked good. And—even better—they're served in sandwich form, which means that you get to eat two at once, with frosting. Could there possibly be a more warm and fuzzy hand-holding experience of a cookie?

This homemade version, adapted from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, comes out a bit fatter and more moist than the original (not such a bad thing, right?), but the flavor is fairly spot-on: sweet, nutty, lightly salty, and very buttery. That is to say, dangerously addictive.

Not keen on the peanut butter and oatmeal pairing? Try your hand at homemade Thin Mints, Tagalongs, or Samoas instead!

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Awesome Overload: Homemade Samoas With Peanut Butter

I know, I know. You probably went into the sweetest sort of sugar shock when I posted those Homemade Samoas Girl Scout Cookies.

But I want to know that there's a way to make them even awesomer.

It's true. And it involves peanut butter.

While appointing my Samoas with chocolate on top, out of the corner of my eye a jar of peanut butter caught my eye, and a little lightbulb went off in my head.

And I'm happy to report that yes, adding a dollop of peanut butter to the coconut-topped Samoas, and then finishing it off with a Hershey's kiss or big dollop of chocolate topping is extremely delicious.

Want to try it yourself? Simply follow the recipe I posted on Serious Eats, but after topping the cookies with your coconut mixture, add a teaspoon of peanut butter and then top with either hershey's kisses or a dollop of the chocolate topping called for in the recipe. Easy as pie! I mean, cookie?

Thanksgiving Pie Chronicles: Cranberry Pecan Pie in a Maple Peanut Butter Cookie Crust for Peanut Butter and Co.

CakeSpy Note: Did you know that I'm an all-star? Well, an all-star blogger, anyway, for the lovely and amazing Peanut Butter and Co.! Here's a peek at my latest recipe entry, for Cranberry Pecan Pie in a Maple Peanut Butter Crust!

Don’t get me wrong–Thanksgiving has a lot going for it food-wise. But sadly, the traditional offerings are extremely lacking in rich, delicious peanut butter.

But what if–just what if–you combined classic Thanksgiving flavors with a peanut butter cookie crust?

I wanted to find out, and so I prepared a thick Mighty Maple peanut butter cookie crust, which I then filled with a mixture of tart, unsweetened cranberries and crunch pecans, all topped with a thick, brown sugary, pecan pie-inspired filling. The result? Total magic: the tartness of the cranberries is perfectly balanced by the richness of the peanut butter and pecans, and the maple and sugar contribute plenty of sweetness. It’s a flavor combination to be thankful for, indeed.

For the full entry and recipe, visit the All-Star Recipe Blog on Peanut Butter and Co.!

Trick or Sweet: Peanut Butter Cookies on a Stick for Peanut Butter and Co.

CakeSpy Note: You knew I did recipes for Peanut Butter & Co., right? Here's my latest one.

There are probably foods out there that aren’t improved by being served on a stick, but none come to mind at the moment.

But which one is the most fun to serve around Halloween? My vote goes to these peanut butter cookies on a stick. They’re part trick, decorated to look like pumpkins–but they’re even more treat, with a rich, cakey texture and rich, peanut buttery flavor that is far more delicious than any fun-size candy bar could ever hope to be.

For the full entry, visit Peanut Butter & Co.!

Lovely Leche: Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

When I encountered the recipe for Dulce de Leche Cheesecake bars in last month's issue of Bon Appetit, my eyes got really big and I think I probably said something like "Whoa".

After a brief moment of despair at having no graham crackers or cream cheese in the house, I found myself wondering "could this work with peanut butter and Reese's Puffs cereal instead?". And so I made said substitutions, and found myself with a pretty tasty treat. They could have chilled longer to set, but friends had no problem dealing with the dulce de leche ooze.

Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Crust

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 1/4 cups finely ground Reese's Puffs cereal
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 1 16-ounce jar peanut butter (preferably smooth, full-fat)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup purchased dulce de leche
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

• 2/3 cup purchased dulce de leche
• 3 tablespoons (or more) heavy whipping cream
• (optional) a spoonful of hot fudge sauce

Procedure

1. Make the Crust. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray (I used an 8x8-inch pan for fat, thick bars). Mix cereal crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter; stir until coated. Transfer crumb mixture to pan. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake until crust is light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on rack.
2. Make the Filling. Blend peanut butter and sugar in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, processing 3 to 5 seconds to blend between additions. Add dulce de leche and vanilla; process until blended, about 10 seconds. Spread batter evenly over cooled crust. Bake until just set in center and edges are puffed and slightly cracked, about 38 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.
3. Make the Glaze. Heat dulce de leche, 3 tablespoons cream and chocolate sauce (if using) in microwave-safe bowl in 10-second intervals until melted. Stir to blend, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if too thick to pour (amount of cream needed will depend on brand of dulce de leche). Pour glaze over cooled baked mixture; spread evenly. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour (glaze will not be firm). Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled. Sprinkle bars with fleur de sel.