Peanut, Peanut Butter Cup Cookie (A lil bite of Heaven!)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

There's nothing I like better than peanut butter and chocolate when I have a hankering for something sweet. I'm a sweet and salty kind of a girl. And these cookies satisfy both cravings! They really are like a little bit of Heaven in your mouth!

I adapted this recipe from Family Circle Magazine because I needed it to be peanuttier!

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks of butter (I use regular salted)
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chunky peanut butter
1 (overflowing!) cup of dry roasted peanuts (I want the salty flavor of the nuts) chopped
1 cup of mini peanut butter cups (I used Trader Joe's brand) or Reese's mini cups coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large bow sift together flour and baking soda, set aside

In a large mixing bowl beat together sugars and butter until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in peanut butter.

Add in flour mixture until well blended.

Add in peanuts and peanut butter cups.

Using a small scoop place cookies on cookie sheet leaving an inch in between each scoop (I can fit a dozen on each sheet)

Bake 15 minutes

Let cool on cooling rack

and enjoy!

Monkey In the Middle Cupcakes

This one is a fun one for the kiddos.

Another easy-peasy recipe that takes almost no time to make, no time to bake and will please the kids to no end! The secret treat is the mini peanut butter cup hidden in the middle of each cupcake. An unexpected burst of peanut buttery surprise! (Note: for those with peanut allergies Hershey's Kisses are a very good substitute.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 package of yellow or white cake mix
2 - 3 over-ripe medium bananas
1 cup of sour cream, I use light
1/2 cup of milk, I use 1%
3 eggs
4 Tbs of cocoa powder
18 mini peanut butter cups
18 cupcake liners

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients EXCEPT cocoa powder and peanut butter cups Mix well until well blended
Divide batter in half and pour into another mixing bowl
In one mixing bowl add the cocoa powder and mix well

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners
Place peanut butter cup in the center of each liner
Add a large spoonful of the banana batter, then a large spoonful of the chocolate batter
Repeat until all cupcake liners are filled 3/4 to the top

Place in oven for 20 - 30 minutes. I have found that on the regular setting I needed 30 minutes, but in convection they were done in 20 minutes.

Let cool a good 20 minutes before offering to the kiddos!

fill the batter half and half...

there's the fun surprise!


up close... yum!