Ok, I’ll admit it … I’ve been on a bit of a chocolate/peanut butter binge lately. Unlike the heavenly, yet potentially sugar-coma inducing, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes, these cookies produce the same dynamic flavor combo yet are lighter and decidedly more snackable.  Consider these cookies the slightly less mature, more rough-around-the-edges younger sibling of the (arguably) elegant cupcakes.

With a crisp outer shell and a chewy center, these can become rather addicting.  Made with oatmeal, whole wheat flour and all-natural peanut butter, the recipe was right up my alley.  The salted peanuts smash right up against semi-sweet chocolate chunks for a true flavor explosion in your mouth.  Get thee to a kitchen, pronto!

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!

When I see chocolate and peanut butter paired together I immediately start humming “We Go Together” from the classic movie/musical Grease.  Aren’t they simply the most perfect flavor duo?  They would clearly be voted the Prom King and Queen of the dessert world.  We go to-ge-ther like shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom … !

Oh lovely friends, how I’ve missed you!  I am happy to report that I took The Exam and came out alive.  I can now return to my regularly scheduled life.  I’m sure you are all relieved.  I imagine you were all just waiting at your keyboards with bated breath for my triumphant return.  Wait … you weren’t?  Aw shucks, well … a girl can dream, right?  Anyway, to make up for my absence, I give you this moist, tender tribute to the eternal Cool Kids of the sugar kingdom … Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!

Crepes get a bad wrap.  Notoriously difficult to make, most people wouldn’t dare attempt them at home.  My easy, one-step solution for that: Lower your standards.  Don’t expect picture perfect crepes every time.  Don’t expect paper thin, French perfection.  Expect something that will taste divine, be filling and healthy … yet perhaps not perfect.  Honestly, in all the times that I’ve made these, I think they’ve come out perfectly thin, flat, and round exactly zero times.  And you know what?  They still tasted fantastic each time!

As a peanut butter lover, I can honestly say that these crepes have a distinct, yet not-over-powering peanut butter flavor.  They can be made sugar-free by replacing the sugar with Splenda (which I always do).  They contain no flour (gluten-free!) and are primarily egg pancakes, so they are very low on the glycemic index and are perfect for people looking for a sweet breakfast without all the carbs.  I drizzle mine with some agave nectar, but you can replace that with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!

During the depths of winter and the bone-chilling cold that comes with it, nothing comforts more than something hot, something thick enough to stick to your ribs, something tasty enough to break you free from the drab-ness of winter.  Oatmeal is neither a revolutionary nor a terribly novel addition to one’s collection of winter standbys.  However, there are delightful little ways to make this traditional breakfast far more exciting and tasty.  I have to thank Kalyn for the initial inspiration for this dish, and my dear friend Josh, who apparently is a peanut butter oatmeal lover.

This is less a recipe than simply a suggestion for experimentation.  I never use actual measurements and frequently just adjust the seasonings to my taste at the moment.  I do, however, always start off with steel cut oatmeal.  Unlike the standard rolled oats (think Quaker) that are most common today, steel cut oats haven’t been processed yet so they are round little grains.  Due to their unprocessed nature, they don’t cook nearly as fast as the flattened/rolled oats do (although I have seen Quick-Cooking Steel Cut Oats at the store but have yet to test them out).  Many people prefer steel cut oats because of their nutritional value (they are more fibrous and less processed than their rolled cousins which is great for people looking to up their whole grain intake!) however, I love their extra nutty flavor and almost chewy texture.

Traditional instructions for steel cut oatmeal generally require about 30 minutes of stove top simmering.  Frankly, when you are reaching for the oatmeal chances are good that you have no interest in standing over the stove for 30 minutes.  I certainly don’t!  I’m sure that my fellow-foodies would be appalled at my admitting that I actually cook my steel cut oats in the microwave (gasp!).  In a large bowl, combine about 1/4 cup of the steel cut oats with about 1 cup of water.  I always throw in a pinch of salt for flavor.  Then microwave at about 3/4 power level (on my machine it’s power level 7, but you probably will have to fiddle around with your levels to see what works . . . like I said, this isn’t really a recipe, more a license to experiment) in 5 minute intervals, stirring every couple minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.  Yes, this is a cheater’s method for what is traditionally a labor of love.  And, yes, you will probably still spend 15 minutes in front of the microwave.  But, hey, it saves you from washing a big pot afterward!  And for me, that’s justification enough.

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!