cookies

Peanut Butter & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Jodi / 1 Comment

pbwc stack

I made some pretty yummy cookies for a picnic we went to yesterday.

These peanut butter and white chocolate chip cookies pretty much MELLLLLT in your mouth!

I was looking for something new and different and came across a similar recipe on one of my favorite baking blogs, Cookies and Cups.  Shelly made me chuckle with her description of her “big-boned” version!

I didn’t want mine to be quite as “big-boned,” so I used another favorite blogger’s recipe (Sally’s Baking Addiction) for soft peanut-butter cookies.

Combining Shelly’s idea with a tweak or two to Sally’s recipe, I came up with a winning version (at least according to my guys – – –  and there were none left at the picnic either!).

pbwc stand

Here’s the recipe:

Peanut Butter & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 2 cups (4 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large egg
  • 3 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 bags white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars together in mixer until light and fluffy.  Mix in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove chilled dough from fridge and roll into balls.  Then flatten slightly as these cookies will not spread very much.

pbwc balls

Bake for 9 minutes until the tops begin to start cracking slightly.  Do not over bake.   Cookies may not look done, but they will firm up as they cool.

pbwc rack

I got about 7 dozen from this recipe.

(And I was sure to set a few aside for a certain sweet someone whose favorite candy bar is White Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that I think is going to LOVE these!)  🙂

Mikey is always such a big helper in the kitchen too!  He always cleans the floor for me.  All I need do is brush crumbs from the counter to the floor, and they magically disappear.

choosey dogs choose Jif

Choosy Dogs Choose Jif!

And since we polished off this jar of Jif, Mikey took care of cleaning it out for me before we put it in the recycle bin.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Pittsburgh-Style Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies

/ Jodi / 20 Comments

Pittsburgh Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies Cover

So – we have already discussed that we Pittsburghers do cookies for weddings.  Right?

Massive cookie tables that serve as appetizers, desserts (along with cake!), and take-home treats/gifts/doggie bags.

Pittsburgh is also kinda famous for our twist on the traditional thumbprint cookie, which is typically filled with jam or fruit preserves and rolled in nuts.

Nope – in the Burgh, we do sprinkles and icing on our thumbprints!

blue sprinkle thumbprint cookie stack top down

Many of the local bakeries as well as our large grocery store chain, Giant Eagle, make and sell these by the hundreds of dozens.  They come in a variety of colors of icing and sprinkles and there is also a chocolate icing version.

The ones I made this week are blue because, well – they are for an upcoming wedding (WOOHOO Jackie and Matt – only a little over a week to go!) – and I wanted to match the wedding color theme (as close as possible with sprinkles and icing – there are only so many shades of blue sprinkles available….)

blue sprinkle thumbprint cookie stack1

Here are the ones I made last year for Jake and Colleen’s wedding in yellow.

yellow sprinkle thumbprints

I must give credit to two great baking bloggers for this recipe:  Michelle – Brown Eyed Baker and Chelsea – Chelsea Bakes.

Pittsburgh-Style Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sprinkles of your color choice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour and salt. Once it is mostly incorporated, slowly increase the speed back to medium-high and beat for another minute or so until a dough forms.

3. Form tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the sprinkles.  If dough is a bit dry, you can add a little bit of milk or cream or put on your hands when rolling the balls to allow sprinkles to stick.

4.  Place on baking stone about 1 – 1/2  inches apart. Make a slight indentation with your thumb or finger on the tops of all the cookies.

5. Bake for 8 minutes, then make a deeper indentation in the middle, and bake for an additional 7-8 minutes. The cookies should not brown much at all around the edges. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons milk or cream
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter, room temperature
food color of your choice

Stir together all ingredients until smooth, then drop a spoonful into each cooled cookie.

pittsburgh sprinkle thumbprint cookies

I liken the taste of this buttery cookie to that of shortbread.  It is thick and moist and dense and tender flaky all at once.

You need to allow these cookies to cool for quite a long time for the icing to “set.”  I leave mine on racks overnight and then place in Ziploc Freezer bags.

To make the chocolate frosting version, see Michelle’s recipe on her Brown Eyed Baker Blog here.

Enjoy these Burgh style cookies.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Biscoff Blondies with Cinnamon and White Chocolate Chips

/ Jodi / 8 Comments

biscoff blondies title photo

OOOO  LA LA!!  Have you ever tasted Biscoff Spread?

O… M… G…

It kinda tastes like those little teddy graham cookie crackers, but in a peanut buttery-like spread.  (Can you imagine?!)

biscoff

It is amazing on toast, bagels, English muffins…..

It is heavenly licked from a spoon!

Add it to a blondie with some cinnamon chips and some white chocolate – and it is magical!

biscoff blondies 2b

Remember – I was recently cleaning out the baking shelf??   Well – I had some Biscoff Spread, had some cinnamon chips, and Biscoff Blondies came to my imagination.

So, of course, I googled Biscoff Blondies to see if anyone had thought of it yet or if there was a similar recipe; and lo and behold, the amazing Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction, had just the recipe!

I thought it needed cinnamon chips, so that was just the way to “Jodi” it up.

biscoff blondies 4

I simply followed Sally’s recipe, but subbed 1/2 cinnamon chips and 1/2 white chocolate chips for her 1 1/4 cups of white chocolate chips.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup  flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 Tbsp  butter, melted
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Biscoff spread
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray (I used a 9 x 9 square baking stone).

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk, then add the vanilla. Stir in the Biscoff spread. Gently fold in the dry ingredients.

(Per Sally – be careful not to overmix, as it will result in crumbly, hard blondies.).

Fold in the cinnamon and white chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The blondies may appear very soft, but they will set up as they cool.  Always UNDERBAKE for yummy goodness.

Allow the blondies to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 16 yummy, awesome blondies.

biscoff blondies 2a

Betchya can’t eat just one!

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

S’More Cookies Please!

/ Jodi / 13 Comments

smore cookies

I could barely wait to share this recipe for S’More Cookies that I made on Sunday!

OOOOO  LAAAA  LAAAA!!!

smore broke

It’s like a campfire memory in a cookie!

I was inspired to make these as I began thinking about cookies to bake for Jackie’s Wedding (which is only a month away!!!  Sooooo excited!!!).

untitled

the beautiful bride to be, Jackie, at her bridal shower, with yours truly

For those of you that don’t live in or around Pittsburgh  – aka “Da ”Burgh,” – we have what I’ve come to learn is an unusual tradition at weddings.  (Much like french fries on salads, calling rubber bands “gum bands”, calling groups of people “Yinz,” being the ultimate “Stillers” and “Buccos” sports fans,  calling bologna “Jumbo” and – oh – I could go on and on about our wonderful Pittsburghese – isms! 🙂 )

We have Cookie Tables at weddings.

VERY large cookie tables.

Like where Cookies are APPETIZERS and DESSERT…  AND go with the meal…

cookies

The Cookie Table at Jake and Colleen’s Wedding on July 13, 2013 @ Gable Farms, Lake Latonka, PA

And just to be sure you understand correctly – this does not mean we don’t have wedding cake….  Oh my no – we have BOTH – cookies AND cake!

So when thinking of how to best celebrate our sweet Jackie and what kind of cookies to bake, I thought of S’Mores – which are Jackie’s favorite treat –  and I found this amazing recipe by Jen at CarlsbadCravings.com.

smore 1

I couldn’t think of anything to make it any better, so here is Jen’s recipe exactly as she posted.  I hope you don’t mind me sharing Jen! (Photos are of the ones I baked.)

The only things I changed were that I baked for only 7 minutes on baking stones in my convection oven.  I always under bake slightly and let set on stones to finish.  I also added about an extra 1/4 cup flour, which I often do to cookie recipes to give them more fullness and chewiness.

smore 3

Soft and Chewy S’more Cookies
Author: Jen@CarlsbadCravings.com
Serves: 3 dozen 2″ cookies  (of course I doubled the recipe 🙂 )
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Hershey bars, broken
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions:
  1. Cream together butter and sugars; mix in egg and vanilla.
  2. Add flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and salt. Mix until smooth.
  3. Stir in chocolate chips and chocolate chunks until well combined.
  4. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove and quickly press marshmallows into cookies. Return to oven and cook until done, about 3-4 minutes

smore 4If you like s’mores, you will love these cookies.

I’ll be making these for Jackie’s wedding – most likely AGAIN – as I’m not sure these will last……

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

Peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie bars

Does the name just say it ALL?!?!?

PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE CHUNK Cookie Bars

Oh My!!!!    I first saw this simple recipe on the AverieCooks Blog.  Have you seen Averie’s blog yet?  It’s one of my faves.   I think she could take a picture of a piece of cardboard, and I would want to eat it!

Oh #AverieSunshine – I think you are my hero! (Check out her amazing BLOG here.)    I can only aspire to be like Averie Sunshine (sigh).

 I wonder if it would help if I had a cooler name…??!!  

Maybe I could use Marty’s “pet” name for me……  Do you think Gertrude PIA Wisenheimer has a cool ring to it??!!??  (and if you are wondering… PIA is an acronym for Pain in A$$). 

I guess that’s what I get for calling him Merv.  🙂

IMG_9346

Anyway – We were going to a barbeque picnic Saturday – one of those parties where everyone brings something to share.  (with our buddies from John’s Bar btw)
Marty suggested I make a dessert.   Seems I’m always the dessert lady.
Too bad I don’t L O V E baking!

So I remember these amazing looking cookie bars from AverieCooks, and decided that is what I was making.

But I had to somehow “Jodi – ize” them.   Hmmm…. ????  What could make a peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie bar any better??  I know!  A sprinkling of Peanut Butter M&Ms on top!  Am I a genius or what??!!

IMG_9336

This recipe is seriously so easy and basic.  You probably have all the ingredients on hand already (if your pantry looks anything like mine).  You really don’t even need a mixer, and they only take a few minutes to mix together and 20 minutes to bake.

IMG_9311Note how I measure my peanut butter….  teeheehee!

So here’s the recipe:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 Heaping cup creamy peanut butter
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt  (did you know a pinch is 6 shakes?  Trivial Pursuit Question!)
1 Bag Nestle Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunks

Garnish:  1 cup (ish) Peanut Butter M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 13×9 baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray.

Mix butter, egg, sugars, vanilla.

Stir in the peanut butter.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until just incorporated.

Stir in chocolate.

Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until center is just set and golden.  (Underbaking is always better!)

Bars will firm up more in pan as they cool.

ENJOY!

IMG_9344Let me know if you make them and how you like them.

IMG_9340Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

/ Jodi / Leave a comment

rvThis weekend, I needed to whip up some cookies for Nick to take to a special someone’s birthday dinner.  Always happy to bake cookies, I wasn’t even fully unpacked from our weekend away before I was mixing up some dough to chill a bit before baking and getting done in time for him to take.

I always like to chill my cookie dough for at least an hour, if not a few, before baking.  It helps hold the cookie shape better, prevents them from spreading and flattening on the cookie sheet, and makes for a chewier cookie center while allowing for a bit of a crispy outside.

This recipe is a simple, but quite yummy cake mix cookie that has been getting raves.  The recipe is on the side of the box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix, and the ingredients are basic pantry stock items, so these make a great last-minute special treat.

rv1For 3 dozen cookies, I used:

2 boxes Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix, 2 sticks of softened butter, the zest of two lemons, and 4 eggs.

rv2After thoroughly blending and refrigerating for a bit, roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and then in powdered sugar.

rv3Place the powdery sugared balls of red velvety gooey goodness on a baking stone about 2 inches apart, and bake for about 8 minutes at 375 degrees.

rv4When they come out of the oven, they are a crinkly red and white delight.  Let them set on the baking stone to cool for at least 10-15 minutes, then remove to fully cool on a cooling rack.

rv5Your guests will be pleasantly surprised by the lemony “twist” to these red velvet cookies that makes them super delish.

Marty took what was left to a friend in the hospital whose wife and sister-in- law asked for the recipe.  I think that means they were good.  I actually didn’t even get to try one, but with rave reviews from Marty, Nick and friends, I think I will be making these again –

soon –

when I have some time –

at Life in Between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Birthday Cake Cookies with LOTS OF SPRINKLES

/ Jodi / 3 Comments

birthday cake cookies with sprinklesThere’s another birthday in the house this week!

Happy Birthday Liz!

Since I’m more of a cookie baker than a cake baker (at least currently) – thought I’d take the traditional SPRINKLY birthday cake mix and make some cookies with them.

EASY PEASY!

Start with just a box of your favorite sprinkly birthday cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Party Rainbow Chip), 1/3 cup oil, and 2 eggs.

bd cookies 1Then it NEVER hurts to add some MORE SPRINKLES!

bd cookies 2Refrigerate a bit to firm up, roll in tablespoon size balls, flatten with a flour-dipped cup, bake for about 8 mins, frost, add MORE sprinkles – and VOILA – Birthday Cake Cookies!

birthday cake cookies

 

Hope you’re having a sprinkly kind of day – at life in between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

 

Kicked-Up Chewy Peanut Butter Cinnamon Chip Cookies

/ Jodi / 4 Comments

Kicked Up Chewey Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Chip Cookies

The other evening while surfing around on Pinterest, I came across an intriguing recipe via FoodieCrush for Flourless Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies that led me to Averie Cooks.  These peanut butter cookies intrigued me because they were rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  I had never thought of combining peanut butter and cinnamon.  And who doesn’t love peanut butter and who doesn’t love cinnamon and sugar?!

Well – I NEEEEEDED to make some cookies to take to our regular Thursday night trip to John’s Bar for dinner and drinks with our friends because I had missed and had to make up for a very important birthday the week before (Sorry Donna – you know I love you!).  These sounded different and worth a try.

The original recipe called for vanilla extract – of course – a staple for cookie bakers – but can you believe I was out of it?!  I had orange extract and mint extract and root beer extract and maple extract and RUM extract…. Hmmmm… Rum extract might work.  Thought I’d give it a shot.  And then to Jodify it and kick it up a notch, I decided to throw in some cinnamon chips too.  Couldn’t hurt – eh?  And instead of granulated sugar to roll them in, why not the coarser brown raw sugar to really add crunch and texture.

Well – oh my – I gotta say – they kinda kicked butt!

This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen large cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 tsp rum extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup cinnamon chips

1/2 cup raw sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon for rolling

Mix the first six ingredients on medium-high speed of a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes.

Flourless Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies by Averie Cooks

Add cinnamon chips.

Flourless Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies Kicked Up Batter

Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour or more.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the 1/2 cup raw sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

cinnamon and sugar

Form 1 inch balls of dough and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture – TWICE – to create a thicker cinnamon-sugar coating and produce cookies with more texture and more intense cinnamon sugar flavor.

Place balls onto a baking stone about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the tines of a fork, creating a crisscross pattern.

cookie sheet 1

Bake for 8 – 9 minutes. They will look slightly underbaked on top and a little fluffier than you expect when you pull them out, but allow cookies to cool on the baking stone for AT LEAST 10 minutes or until they’ve firmed up.

cookie sheet 2

Once completely cooled, store cookies in a Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer for best yumminess.

ENJOY!

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Got Milk?

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

chocolate chip cookies

Could hardly go to a Gable family picnic yesterday without taking some of my “Jodi’s Almost Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

For this batch I mixed semi-sweet chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips.

If you would like the recipe, it is the same as I used for the White Reese Peanut Butter Cup Cookies here.

A couple tips:

Refrigerate the dough before baking at least an hour and up to a few days if sealed well.   (The dough also freezes well in a Ziploc bag – you can even make balls and freeze them for easy fresh pop-in-the oven warm cookies on the spot when needed.)

I always bake on baking stones.  I use a large tablespoonful scoop of cough and roll it into a ball and then slightly flatten before backing.

Electric ovens (mine is also convection) provide the most even heating.

Underbake slightly and then let cool for 10 mins. on the baking stone before removing to wire rack.  (I usually bake for 8-9 mins).

Once completely cooled, I like to throw them in gallon size Ziploc Freezer bags in the freezer – even if just for a few hours or overnight.  They keep fresher and thaw very quickly – 10 mins.

My family even likes to eat them right out of the freezer.

 

It was so nice to spend time at Jake and Colleen’s, and see the rest of the gang too. The weather was perfect, and Jake made some AMAZING ribs on the grill and his delish potato salad (with bacon crumbled in it – what isn’t a bit better with bacon added?!).

They have been working hard on their yard, and it is really looking nice. Freshly edged and mulched with cute little touches everywhere. Their sweet little home has so much rich history from the couple who built it, raised their family in it, and lived their entire married life in before them, so there are little treasures everywhere – inside and out. I especially love the stone stairway in the back yard leading up to their vegetable garden and bonfire pit.

memorial day 2104 colleen flowers

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful holiday weekend with those you love most and in honor of those who served to give us the freedom and good lives we have.  (Thank you Pap – we miss you!)

Cheers and hugs,

Jodi

White Reese Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

/ Jodi / 6 Comments

White Reese Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 

Today is a VERY special day!   It’s the birthday of a very special girl…   Our sweet daughter-in-law.

Happy Birthday Colleen McKinney!  (Has a nice ring – huh?)

In honor of the first year we get to wish Colleen a happy birthday as our “daughter,” I had to make a special cookie – right?!

Well – Colleen’s favorite sweet treat is  (you’ll never believe it) White Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.IMG_7702 Did you even know they existed?  They are surprisingly pretty amazing!

So I used my trusty chocolate chip “base” cookie recipe  and tweaked it up by switching the chocolate chips for CHUNKS of White Reeses’s Peanut Butter Cups.

They turned out pretty yummy.

Pretty simple recipe that I know by heart:

White Reese Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Mix together:

1 lb softened butter (YEPPERS – you heard me right – I did say O N E   P O U N D – 4 sticks – 2 cups)

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 -/2 cups white sugar

2-3 tsp vanilla (just pour some in)

4 eggs

Then add:

5 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

Lots of chopped up White Reese Peanut Butter Cups (about 24 oz)

Drop by heaping tablespoons on baking stone, and bake at 375 for 9-11 min.

VOILA!     Enjoy!

With a cup of cold milk (traditional style)……..

Or a glass of red wine (Jodi style) …….

Or with a can of room temperature Mountain Dew ( COLLEEN STYLE!)

Love you sweetie!  xoxo