Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

“What is happiness to you?” -Vanilla Sky

What IS happiness? The easy answer is “an emotion”. Real thought-provoking, eh… The tougher answer is figuring out what makes YOU happy, and being able to put that into words that others can relate to. This blog is in no way a place where I philosophize or go into my deepest thoughts about my personal life, so I won’t write out an essay about what makes me happy. This is a food blog, not an English assignment. Instead, I’ll give you my food-related definition of happiness:

Happiness, for me, is the beautiful harmonization of food flavours. Finding two {or more} flavours that blend so well together, that when you eat the finished product, you feel like the world has stopped moving just so you can savour that tasty moment.

One of my favourite flavour combinations is peanut butter and chocolate. As I’ve posted in entries prior to this {such as the peanut butter cup smoothie, peanut butter filled chocolate candies, and the peanut butter chocolate chip tart just to name a few}, I just LOVE the way these two flavours join together. Chocolate is so rich and sinfully sweet, while peanut butter is slightly salty with a creamy texture. So good!

So when a competitor on an episode of the Ultimate Recipe Showdown presented the judges with a “peanut butter cookie dough brownie” as the dessert {and won!}, both Joe’s and my jaws dropped. This dessert looked far beyond tasty, and I thought that since Joe’s birthday was coming up, why not make this for him? {I’m sure he would have enjoyed the poached pears I planned on making, but really, he loves peanut butter and chocolate more than almost any dessert.}

I went onto the Food Network’s website, and found the recipe for this calorie-packed dessert! I will admit that I used a boxed brownie mix for this, as I was super low on time {I work 9-5, Monday – Friday, so I don’t always have time to do everything from “scratch”}. For this entry, I’ll post what I did for this recipe. The original recipe can be found by clicking here. Enjoy! 🙂

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

{adapted from the Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown contestant Kerstin Sinkevicius}

Ingredients:

• Brownie Mix {you can either make your own, but I used a boxed mix for this}
• Cookie dough layer:
• 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp skim milk
• 1/2 cup 100% natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour {the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp, I found that to be way too much for this recipe, so I cut down on this}
• 1/4 tsp salt {the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp salt, again, I found this to be way too much, so I cut down on this}
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract {not called for in the original recipe, but I like to add vanilla to pretty much anything}
• Ganache layer:
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips/broken chocolate of your choice {I used milk chocolate with great results!}
• 1/4 cup whipping cream {keep it above 30% m.f.}
• optional garnish: 1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
• Dash of salt for the top of the chocolate ganache {I did this as I wasn’t using peanuts, but wanted to give a hint of a salty flavour to the chocolate}

Method:

• Prepare the brownie base as you normally would. This takes about 30 minutes.
• Allow the brownies to cool, then prepare the cookie dough layer.
• For the cookie dough layer, mix the butter and brown sugar in a bowl until well blended.
• Add in the milk, peanut butter, flour, vanilla and salt.
• Mix well.
• Spread the mixture over the cooled brownie layer.
• Make the ganache by placing the whipping cream and chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
• Microwave for about 1 minute on high, then stir the mixture until all of the chocolate has melted.
• Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth.
• Pour and spread the ganache over the cookie dough layer, then sprinkle the peanuts on top if using. If using the dash of salt instead, sprinkle this over the ganache.
• Place the whole dish in the fridge, and allow to set for at least an hour prior to serving.
• Note: this tastes best when allowed to sit overnight.
• Optional: serve with a side of vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie - "Joe sized serving" 😉

served a la mode 🙂 (Nikki sized serving)

Smoothie Week – Some Smoothie Recipes

For health reasons, this week I’m unable to eat solid foods. This is a bit of a problem because, well… I love to eat. Especially crunchy or spicy foods…

So this week, a liquid diet is on the menu. I didn’t want to go a week without posting recipes, so I figured I’d write out some smoothie mixtures that will satisfy my tastes along with providing some protein and other nutrients that I need. Each smoothie can have the addition of something such as protein, fiber or ground flaxseed, it just depends on what is lacking and still necessary for that day. Supplements can even be omitted entirely if not needed. If you drink regular milk, you can also use this in place of the almond milk that I’ve written in each recipe.

I get bored of adding just orange juice or apple juice to my smoothies. One brand of fruit juice that I really love to use with these smoothies is the “Sun-Rype Fruit Plus Veggies”. They have a large assortment of flavours, and each juice can add a different taste to your smoothies.

Rather than write up a bunch of individual posts, I’ll keep all of the smoothies to this one post. (However, I will list them separately on the Recipe Index.)

Each smoothie recipe makes 1 medium – large smoothie. The method for each smoothie is to simply toss all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth! Enjoy! 🙂

Here’s a nice coffee and chocolate smoothie that I love to have when I’m starting my day:

Café Mocha Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chilled coffee
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup crushed ice
• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

This smoothie is probably one of my favourites, because it tastes like a peanut butter cup. It definitely satisfies that sweet tooth, while being considerably more healthy:

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)
• 1 tbsp smooth 100% natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup crushed ice
• 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
• Optional: 1 tbsp chocolate chips

This smoothie is nice and light, and the melon really helps to make the pineapple less tangy:

Melon Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen melon of your choice
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)

This one is almost like a creamsicle 🙂 :

Orange Banana Cream Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt or vanilla frozen yogurt

I like to consider this one a dessert… It tastes just like a chocolate covered strawberry:

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk

This one has a surprisingly pleasant flavour. Dates are really sweet, and have such a nice after taste. You may need to add a little bit more almond milk if the smoothie is too thick though:

Vanilla Date Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pitted and chopped dates (I like Medjool dates best)
• 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)
• optional: 1 banana

This one is pretty tangy, and has such a fresh taste:

Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pineapple
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice or apple juice
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup orange sherbert
• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)

Similar to the chocolate dipped strawberry smoothie, I consider this one a dessert. It’s so creamy and rich:

Chocolate Covered Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 banana
• 1/4 vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1-2 tbsp protein powder, or 1 tsp Benefiber (or any other supplement you may want to use)

**********

I was going to include 3 “green smoothie” recipes below… However, after attempting to drink the “lettuce berry” flavour, I’ve decided that I don’t really like the taste of greens in my fruit smoothies. If you would like to try them, do so at your own risk… 😉 I’ll keep them posted below, but they are crossed out. If you try them, and don’t like them, remember: you were warned! 😉

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Tarts

Here is entry 2 of 4 from my “Easter Weekend” baking blitz. After making the 3 layer lemon cheesecake cups, I had 4 cups left over of graham cracker crust prepared. I didn’t want to throw them out, because they taste so good… So I grabbed a few things and got to work on something filled with peanut buttery goodness because I know Joe LOVES peanut butter! 😉 Here’s a yummy little treat! Enjoy! 🙂

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Tarts

Ingredients:

• 4 left over graham cracker crust filled muffin cups
• 3 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

• Pre heat oven to 325 F.
• In a bowl, mix the peanut butter and sugars.
• Divide the mixture between the four muffin cups.
• Add some chocolate chips on top (as many as you like! I put 8 on each cup…)
• Bake for about 40 minutes, until peanut butter mixture is set. (The baking time is the same for the 3 layer lemon cheesecake cups, so you can actually bake these all at the same time if you like!)
• Remove from oven, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
• Eat warm, or chill in the fridge ( on a paper towel lined plate and covered in plastic wrap) until cold.

Mmmmmm... Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Tart....

Coming Soon!!

It’s been a few days since my last post, but that doesn’t mean I have been staying out of the kitchen! I don’t have the recipes with me to post at the moment (time is also restricted due to money-making), but here’s a preview of some sweet treats that I will be posting later this evening when I have a chance! 🙂 Check back later this evening/tomorrow for the recipes! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Tart with a Vanilla Graham Cracker Crust

3 Layer Lemon Vanilla Cheesecake Cups

Vanilla and Chocolate-Mint Meringue Puffs

Sponge Toffee (Just like in the Crunchie Bar! 😉 )

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolates

Chocolate cravings are a frequent thing with me, so I always make sure to keep items on hand that will allow me to quickly whip up something tasty. One of my husband’s favourite combinations for sweets is peanut butter and chocolate, and I have to say that it is also one of mine. In keeping with the method of making filled chocolates at home that I posted in my buttercream filled chocolates recipe, I decided to make some peanut butter filled chocolates so that both Joe and myself could indulge. It’s so simple to get that sweet peanutbuttery flavour, so I’ll share the recipe I use to make these yummy little things! This recipe makes enough filling for about 12-16 small to medium-sized chocolates.

Note: To avoid repeating the instructions on how to prepare a chocolate mold (they’re a bit long), please view the instructions in my recipe for Buttercream Filled Chocolates. I’ve also used this filling recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Tarts, which is a tasty variation on a peanut butter cup crossed with a tart or a pie.

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolates

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Belgian milk chocolate molding wafers, divided into 2 bowls: 3/4 cup in one bowl and 1/4 cup in another bowl (You can use dark chocolate if you like, but milk tastes best in this recipe!)
• Molding tray
• 3 tbsp 100% natural peanut butter (or any type of peanut butter you like!)
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar

Method:

• Prepare the chocolate mold with the first layer of chocolate as seen in my recipe for the Buttercream Filled Chocolates.
• For the filling, mix the peanut butter, icing sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir until the mixture forms a dough-like consistency. This filling is obviously to taste, so if you want a more “peanutty” flavour, use less sugar.
• When the first layer of chocolate is chilled and the mold is ready to be filled, pull off small pieces of the peanut butter mixture and pat down into each cup.
• Chill the mold for about 5 minutes.
• To seal the chocolates, and for instructions on how to remove the chocolates from the mold, follow the same instructions as in the recipe for Buttercream Filled Chocolates.

peanut butter filled chocolates

Peanut Butter Cup Tart

Peanutbutter is great, isn’t it? So is chocolate… This is why I am so thankful that many years ago, someone had the brilliant idea to cross peanut butter and chocolate! Aside from chocolate and mint, chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favourite flavour combinations. Although I’m sure my husband would disagree with me, I don’t think that serving a peanut butter cup on a plate qualifies as a fancy dessert. So on one creative evening, I pulled some individual tart shells out of the freezer, and threw together something that would combine a peanut butter cup and a pie. This is a super simple dessert, and very enjoyable for peanut butter lovers! Enjoy! 🙂

This recipe makes 2 tarts.

Peanut Butter Cup Tart

Ingredients:

• 2 individual pie tart shells, thawed and baked as instructions state on the box (or however many you want to make)
• 2-3 tbsp 100% natural peanut butter (or any type of peanut butter you like!)
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup melted milk chocolate, any type you like, for the tops of the tarts (Belgian Chocolate molding wafers, purchased from the Bulk Barn, work great for this recipe! However, you can melt any chocolate that you like. I prefer milk chocolate for these, but dark works as well.)

Method:

• Prepare the pie tart shells as indicated by the instructions on the box. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before filling.
• Prepare the peanut butter filling by mixing the peanut butter and sugars together.
• Fill each tart with 2-3 tbsp peanut butter filling.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute, stirring immediately after removing from the microwave. If the chocolate is not fully melted, microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted.
• Spoon and spread the melted chocolate over each tart.
• Chill before serving.

peanut butter cup tart