Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I love peanut butter.

When I'm hungry during the day, I often open one of the jars of peanut butter in my kitchen and eat a spoonful (or two). Surprisingly, I've only posted one recipe involving peanut butter in the 4 years I've had my blog.

It's probably because I chow down on anything with peanut butter before I can photograph it.

I'm the type of person who buys whatever brand of stuff is the cheapest at the store. I'm no snob when it comes to the generic labels! Luckily, my absolute favorite brand of peanut butter (and the only kind I'll buy) is the Kroger brand, which is the store brand where I shop. Is there anything you'll only buy in a specific brand?

This recipe is a variation on the famous New York Times Cookie recipe. I've given the weights as well as the cup measurements. I used my kitchen scale to weigh all the ingredients.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Yields: 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size.

1 3/4 cups (8 1/2 oz) cake flour*
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 oz) all purpose flour*
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cup (10 oz) brown sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp (8 oz) sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini peanut butter cups, chopped***
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Sea salt for sprinkling

1. Mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat. Slowly add the dry ingredients until it is just incorporated.

3. Fold in the peanut butter cups and chips. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

 4. Scoop 2 oz balls (these are big cookies-- the dough should be at least 2" in diameter) onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silpat. I only baked 6 cookies at a time-- they're that big! Sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 350 for 13-18 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the middles no longer look raw.

* You can use whatever ratio of the two flours you have-- I was about 1/2 cup short on the cake flour, so I used AP flour for that 1/2 cup. Just make sure you have 17 oz flour altogether.

*** I got mini peanut butter cups at Winco in the bulk section. They're adorable and perfect for baking! They work great in cookies, brownies, and ice cream.

Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis

Have you ever met someone who doesn't like Chick-fil-A?

I'm sure you haven't, because it's not even possible to dislike Chick-fil-A.

Austin and I love Chick-fil-A. One of our favorite things there is the Chick-n-Minis. They're soft honey butter rolls . . .

. . . with Chick-fil-A nuggets inside. 

We've been making Chick-fil-A nuggets at home for some time now, but we've only just recently discovered that you can make Chick-n-Minis at home. Best way to start off 2016, if you ask me! 

These seriously taste exactly like the Chick-n-Minis at Chick-fil-A. 

Chick-fil-A Chick-n Minis Copycat

Yields: 24 chicken minis (6-8 servings)

Rolls

1 tbsp (1 packet) yeast

1 cup warm water

3-4 cups flour

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup veggie or canola oil

2 tbsp butter, melted

1. In a medium bowl, combine warm water, 1 tbsp of the sugar, and the yeast. Let it bloom for 5-10 minutes. 

2. To the yeast mixture, add the egg, salt, remaining sugar, and oil. Stir with a spoon to mix, 20 seconds or so. Put flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix/knead until all the flour is incorporated. 

3. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Roll out to 1/2" on a lightly floured surface. Butter a 9x13 pan and spread the remaining butter on the dough. Cut into 24 squares using a pizza cutter. Let rise, covered, until doubled in size. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Brush with honey, if desired. 

Chick-fil-A Nuggets

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 lb chicken breasts or tenders, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp paprika

Oil for frying

1. Combine egg and milk. Add chicken and soak in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. 

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bag. Heat up oil to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Add a couple of pieces of chicken to the dry ingredients and shake. Add them to the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. 

3. Remove onto a paper towel and put inside honey-butter rolls. Enjoy while they're hot! 

Kentucky Butter Bundt

Is there anything more elegant than a bundt cake?

They're round, dense, and not overly sweet.

This bundt cake is my absolute favorite. It's a simple vanilla bundt cake soaked with a butter glaze throughout the entire cake. The glaze goes on while the cake is cooling in the pan, and it creates a moist soaked cake with a slightly sugar crisp on the outside of the cake.

Bundt cakes have frustrated me in the past, because parts always seem to stick in the pan. I can't stand that! For this recipe, the cake didn't stick at all. The secret?

You have to let the bundt cool all the way in the pan before inverting it. 

This cake is great, because it's even better on the second and third days. This means you can make it the night before, and it will be even more moist the next day! This cake will still be great if you can't resist it on the first day, but I recommend waiting if you can! 

Kentucky Butter Bundt

Yields: approximately 12 servings 

Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

Glaze

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a bundt pan liberally with butter or shortening, getting into every nook and cranny. Lightly sprinkle with flour and tap out the excess.

2. Place all the cake ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a bowl with a hand mixer). Mix on low for 30 seconds, then up to medium (about a 4) for 3 minutes. 

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-75 minutes (it totally depends on your oven and altitude), or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

4. Prepare the glaze by combining all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium low. Stir until everything melts and dissolves together, but make sure you don't boil it. 

5. Right when the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in it with a knife. Keep the cake in the pan! Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, letting it soak in as you go. 

6. Let the cake cool completely (I covered it and left it overnight) before inverting. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. 

Note: Cake is best if you make it the day before so it can cool in the pan overnight. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal cookies are definitely my favorite kinds of cookies. If I had to pick one, I'd probably say oatmeal.

These cookies are a simply a mash up of my three favorite kinds of cookies. They really are about 1/3 of each type. In each bite, you get a taste of each cookie.

These cookies are chewy and delicious. If you like crispy cookies, these probably aren't for you. They do have that delightful slight crunch on the bottom, but the inside is so chewy thanks to the brown sugar and peanut butter.

To make these cookies fit your dietary needs, you can make some simple alterations. To make them vegan, use margarine, vegan chocolate chips, and egg substitute. To make them gluten free, use gluten free flour and make sure there isn't hidden gluten in your other ingredients.

I bake all of my cookies on a Silpat, which is a silicone baking sheet that fits into your cookie sheet. I never bake anything directly on my cookie sheets. Silicone baking sheets prevent sticking, and the don't allow the bottom of things to brown too much. It's great! If I forget to take my cookies off the sheet, they don't stick and break like they would on a regular cookie sheet. Here's a link to a silicone baking sheet.



Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Yields: 2 dozen medium cookies or 3 dozen small cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup oats (I used old fashioned)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with silpat or parchment.

2. Cream together butter and sugars for about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla.

3. Combine flour, oats, and baking soda. Slowly mix into the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and mix.

4. Scoop onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.

Here are my traditional chocolate chip cookies:

(click photo for recipe)

What's your favorite kind of cookie?