Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 Like every mom, I could tell you how busy I am.  I am the treasurer of this and I am the president of that.  I have social engagements on top of laundry, housework, swim team, and homework.  Oh yeah, I have a husband too.  He needs a haircut and his underpants washed. 

See, I am the busiest woman on earth.  That’s why I haven’t emailed you back, taken you up on your lunch date, or been blogging……because I know you have been waiting for a new blog post.

Really though, on top of the busy mom stuff, I’ve just been playing on Pinterest. 

I am addicted.

So I made these cookies, not just because they are good, but more because they would make an attractive Pin.

I know.  I have lost my mind.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:

·        1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

·        2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened baking chocolate

·        1 cup sugar

·        ½ cup Butter Flavor Crisco

·        2 eggs

·        ½ tsp salt

·        1 tsp vanilla

·        1 ½ cups flour

·        ½ tsp baking soda

·        ¾ cup finely chopped peanuts

·        36 Reeses miniatures peanut butter cups

·        1 cup melted peanut butter chips for drizzle

Combine chocolate chips & chocolate squares in bowl and microwave at 50%.  Stir after 2 minutes.  Repeat for an additional 30 seconds until chocolates are smooth & melted.

Combine sugar and ½ cup shortening in a large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until blended and crumbly.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then salt and vanilla.  Reduce to low speed.  Add chocolate slowly.  Mix until well blended.  Add baking soda & flour until you have moldable dough.

Shape dough into 1 ¼ inch balls.  Roll in crushed peanuts. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Cookies will be soft.  When you remove them from the oven, immediately press a peanut butter cup into the center.  Let cool on pan for 1 minute, and then move to cooling rack.

When cookies are cooled you can add the drizzle.  Melt the peanut butter chips at 50% in the microwave for about 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Add the melted chips to a plastic sandwich bag and cut off a small corner.  Squeeze out and drizzle over cookie.

Yummy, chewy, chocolaty, peanut-buttery goodness.  Perfect for a fall bake sale.  Plus, they will look fabulous on Pinterest don’t you think?

To follow my pinning adventures……CLICK HERE!

Typhoon Roke...Sept. 21, 2011

Dad, this post is for you.  Because I know you called to see how we are doing, but by the time I got the message, you would have been sound asleep. 

This Japan/US time zone thing makes me crazy!

So we are in a typhoon…..again.  Typhoon Roke is the name, and wind and rain is his game.  I let the girls go outside for just a few minutes.  Again Dad, this especially for you!

It is dark now, so I can’t really see the damage yet, but as you saw in the video the screen came off of my dryer exhaust, so now giant roaches can easily get into my house.  Yay.

Oh yeah, and there is a little tiny tree blocking our street.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

It has been such a busy couple of weeks I have hardly had time to sleep, let alone blog.  So, after cleaning today with the girlies, we decided to take it easy…before I blogged. 

I took easy to a whole new level.

I made Spinach Artichoke dip for lunch.  For myself.  No sharing.

Nom.  Nom.  Nom.

I did take a few pics for you though, so you can see my laziness shine through.  The dip. In a bowl. On the couch. In front of the TV.  With my Twilight plastic cup filled with Diet Cherry Coke (my fav).

Want some?  Make your own.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

·        8 oz of cream cheese

·        ¼ cup mayo

·        ¼ cup sour cream

·        ¾ cup chopped drained spinach (I used frozen)

·        1 can artichoke hearts diced up

·        1 Tablespoon (at least) chili powder

·        Tortilla chips, veggies, or crackers for dipping

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it stirs smooth (1 minute).  Mix in mayo, sour cream, spinach, artichokes, & chili powder.  I take the stems out of the artichokes because yuck….I hate them.  I probably add more chili powder because I like a little spice and the ingredients really cool down the spice.  Be brave….add a lot! Dump the mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 400 until cheese is beginning to brown.  (I think it is about 20 minutes but remember, I was being lazy and forgot to time it.

It’s so good even Edward wanted some.

He didn’t get any.  I ate it all.

Not Really Wednesday Anymore....But Wordless

Courtesy of my famous photographer friend and “Mil Spouse” in Japan…..

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

I’ve been seeing these little pizza dippers around Pinterest and other blogs.  YUM.

But, I haven’t been so keen on making my own dough lately.  Just think of it as me doing my part to conserve energy in Japan.  If I made dough, I would have to knead it.  If I were kneading dough, I would get hot.  If I got hot, I would have to turn on the air conditioning.  See what a good person I am?

Okay, I am lazy.  My kids were hungry and I didn’t want to knead and wait for dough to rise…..so I improvised.

These little bites are easy to make and fun to eat.  I did pepperoni bites, but I have visions of filling them with some veggies and sausage too.  Serve with some marinara sauce and you will have an empty platter as soon as they hit the table.

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

·        One pizza worth of pizza dough…buy it or make it…your choice

·        8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

·        1/3 cup diced pepperoni

·        2 Tbls butter

·        1 tsp crushed garlic

·        1 tsp parsley flakes

·        Parmesan Cheese (I actually forgot this, but they were still good.)

·        Marinara sauce for dipping

Step 1:  Make your dough.

Step 2:  Mix your shredded cheese and pepperoni

Step 3:  Flatten tablespoon sized pieces of dough on your hand or flat surface.  Use flour if dough gets sticky.  Place a bit of the cheese & pepperoni on top, like this…..

Step 4:  Wrap the filling inside the dough, creating a little goody filled dough ball.  Place into a pie plate.

Step 5: Melt the butter and mix with the garlic and parsley.  Brush mixture onto dough balls.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Step 6:  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until tops begin to brown.  Let cool for a couple minutes.

Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Baked Sugar Donut Muffins

Just a lazy long labor day weekend here at our house.  The girlies wanted me to slave over some cinnamon rolls. I had to think about that one for exactly a nano-second…….NO.

So as not to make the poor starving babies think that I don’t love them, I whipped up some of these little sugared cuties. 

Much much easier than sweating over cinnamon rolls and much much healthier than fried Homemade Donuts, they were a hit!  The ones pictured here are covered with plain white sugar, but cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar are good too.
 



Sugar Donut Muffins

(recipe adapted from Baking Bites)

 



3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)

2 tsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla                                                                                                     
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.  In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.   In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract.  Divide batter evenly into a mini-muffin pan. (Recipe will also fill about 10 regular muffin cups ¾ full.) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.  When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from pan, and roll around in remaining sugar.  
   

Makes 24 mini-muffins.

Looks good, no?  Okay then, how about dipped in vanilla icing?

Owl Cupcakes...They Are A Hoot!

If you take these to a school bake sale everyone will say to you, “Nice hooters!”

Cute huh?

I made these for the daughter of a VERY good friend.  I say VERY, because I don’t normally take a lot of time to decorate things I bake or cook.  I tend to make big messes and get frosting all over everything. 

So, wearing a pair of white shorts no less, I got all down and dirty and chocolaty for my friend.  Turns out, it was worth it.

Owl Cupcakes

What you need:

·        12 cupcakes (I used Chocolate & Vanilla)

·        1-2 cans chocolate frosting

·        24 Oreo sandwich cookies twisted apart

·        Junior Mints

·        Candy Corn

Step 1: Frost all of your cupcakes with the chocolate frosting and be sure to drop a glob on your white shorts.

Step 2:  Twist your Oreos apart.  Mine came apart easily, but the cupcake book I used said to zap some in the microwave for about 3 seconds if you are having trouble.

Step 3: Press the Oreo halves, frosted side up, into the upper half of the frosted cupcakes.  (It is at this time you somehow get chocolate in your hair.)

Step 4: Score 12 of the unfrosted Oreos into 3 parts with a serrated knife.  This way they can easily snap apart.  It should look like this.

Step 5: Stick the round edge Oreo pieces into the top of each cupcake above the Oreo halves.  These will be the owl’s ears.

Step 6:  Next, you will pipe more chocolate frosting on the ears and in between the eyes to create the look of feathers.  I have no pictures of this because I had too much chocolate frosting on my hands and shorts.

Step 7: Pipe a dot of frosting on top of each Oreo half and stick a Junior Mint on it for the owl’s eye.  Make sure to drop a Junior Mint on the chair you are sitting on and get the back of your white shorts all chocolaty too.

Step 8: Press a candy corn in the center of each set of eyes for the nose.

Step 9: Put on an apron to cover up the chocolate you got all over yourself.....or maybe you should have done that first....before you started with the chocolate?

You’re done!!  Whoo hoo!  (Or should I say Hoot! Hoot!!??)

Happy Birthday Kaylie…..hoped you liked them!!!