Puffy Vanilla Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Last week I hosted a Valentine's Day cookie exchange at my house. All the ladies brought at least two dozen cookies to sample and share with one another. It was a lot of fun not to mention yummy! I made these Puffy Vanilla Peanut Butter Chip cookies. 

They are made puffy from using Crisco and also chilling the dough.  I love the strong flavor of vanilla that shines through from my homemade vanilla extract. There is also a slight cinnamon flavor in these cookies and of course a pop of peanut butter in every bite. I am a huge fan of these little babies and once you try them you will be too!

Puffy Vanilla Peanut Butter Cookies

From Averie Cooks

Makes 2 dozen cookies (I doubled the recipe)

Printable Version

Ingredients

1/2 cup Crisco (or vegetable shortening)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup peanut butter chips (can also use butterscotch, white chocolate, or chocolate chips)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with Silpat liners, parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl beat together Crisco, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until batter is creamy. Add in the cinnamon, salt, baking soda and flour and mix until just combined. Fold in the peanut butter chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. Do not skip this part if you want puffy cookies!

Using a cookie scoop form 1 inch balls (or roll into 1 inch balls) and place about 2 inches apart from one another on cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until barely brown. Remove cookies from the oven when they look slightly under baked and allow cookies to cool and firm up on cookie sheet placed on wire rack for approximately 5 minutes. 

Then remove from cookie sheet and allow to finish cooking on wire rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Valentine Peanut Butter Blossoms

When I bought a package of Dove Chocolate Heart candies I intended to give them to my hubby for him to put in his candy jar in his office. But then I saw a better use for them - as Valentine's Day Cookies. Aren't they so much cuter than the traditional Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Blossoms? Make a batch for your Valentine! 

Valentine Peanut Butter Blossoms
From Sweet Saturday
Printable Version
Ingredients 
Heart Shaped Chocolates (I used Dove Milk Chocolate) 
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar in a small bowl 

Directions
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove wrappers from chocolates. Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat well. Stir together flour baking soda and salt; gradually beat into mixture. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar before placing on ungreased cooking sheet. 

Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate heart in the center of each cookie. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. *Note you may want to place them in the freezer because I had a batch melt completely!*

Peanut Butter Waffles

Last weekend I made these peanut butter waffles on a lazy Sunday morning. I added creamy peanut butter to Belgian waffle batter. It was an excellent choice. The peanut butter flavor comes through in every bite and creates a beautiful golden brown color. These waffles are super quick and hubby declared them his favorite waffles to date. 

Peanut Butter Waffles
Modified from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook
Makes 16 4-inch waffles
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs 
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or butter, melted
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions
In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside. In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

Pour 1 1/4 cups of batter onto grids of a preheated lightly greased waffle iron. Close the lid quickly and bake according to manufacturer's directions. 

Use a fork to life waffle off iron. Serve warm with butter and syrup. 

Fluffernutter Cookies

Raise your hands if you ate fluffernutter sandwiches as a child. Now raise your hands if you eat them as an adult. I am guessing that like me, not so many grown ups whip themselves up a peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich. These cute little cookies are the dessert version of fluffernutter sandwiches. Peanut butter thumbprint cookies filled with marshmallow fluff. They are messy and sticky but so much fun. I made them when we had friends over for dinner last week and someone said, "ooh they taste like toasted marshmallows". Toasted marshmallows on top of peanut butter cookies - yep that pretty much describes these babies. Make them today for a flashback to youth.

Fluffernutter Cookies
From Two Peas & Their Pod
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 small jar of marshmallow fluff


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (I used tin foil instead) and set aside. In a medium bowl mix the peanut butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. You can do this by hand. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until throughly combined. Add the salt and baking soda. Spoon the dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon for each cookie. Place the cookie dough balls on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. With your thumb press down the to make a puddle in the middle of each cookie. 

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove from oven and press down the cookies with your thumb again -- cookies will be HOT so do this quickly. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes. Move cookies to a wire rack and cool. Then take a spoonful of marshmallow fluff and fill the center of each cookie. Try to smooth it out as best as you can - it will settle and spread out on the cookie over time. 

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

When my sister in law visited for the Holidays we made these smoothies after a morning workout. Although the idea of oats in a smoothie may be a little off putting, they are ground into a powder so that you don't even notice them. This smoothie is my new favorite - it's uber healthy and very filling. I modified the original recipe by adding in walnuts (a pregnancy super food) and ground flax seeds. 

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
From This Chick Cooks
Printable Version
Makes 2 small smoothies
Ingredients
2 frozen bananas, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
Sprinkle of walnuts
Sprinkle of ground flax seed
3/4 cup milk


Directions 
Put oats in a blender and blend until powdery. 

Add remaining ingredients.

Blend until smooth and no banana chunks remain. Garnish with fresh banana slices if desired. 

Week of Holiday Treats: No Bake Chocolate Cookies

These no bake cookies are the easiest cookies in the world! They don't require an oven and from start to finish only take half an hour. With a blend of chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal these cookies are delicious on top of being a cinch to make.


No Bake Chocolate Cookies
From my home church's cookbook
Printable Version
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted this since I used butter with salt)

Directions
In a large bowl mix together oatmeal, peanut butter, vanilla, and butter. In a small saucepan boil sugar, milk, cocoa, and salt. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in the large mixing bowl. 

Drop into cookies on waxed paper and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before eating or storing in an airtight container. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

I had chocolate chips sitting in my pantry for a while and when our neighbors invited us over for dinner I said I'd bring dessert. I was originally thinking of just making chocolate chip cookies, but that's just too boring, not to mention cookies take a good chunk of time to bake. So I searched for a chocolate chip cookie bar recipe but then thought, well why not add in peanut butter? Isn't chocolate and peanut butter better than just plain ol' chocolate? I had to resist eating the entire batch of dough, it is sooooo good! These cookie bars are moist, thick, and delicious. We made them even better by heating them up in the microwave and placing a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
From Bake at 350
Printable Version
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips 
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 X 8 pan. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Beat in the sugars until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture. 

By hand, stir in the chocolate chips until combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. 

Bake for 30 - 32 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. 

Peanut Butter Pie

I'm really mad at myself. I have had this peanut butter pie recipe in my family collection for years and had never made it before! What is wrong with me?! It's seriously the best peanut butter pie in the world. It's fluffy, creamy, light, perfectly peanut butter-y and topped with chopped peanuts and drizzled chocolate. 

I made it for hubby's birthday and was one happy man. He ate it for lunch the next day and that was the end of it. (I may have eaten it for breakfast, but you won't tell, right?!) It's ridiculously easy to make for how extremely delicious it is. I am telling you, GO! MAKE! THIS! PIE! RIGHT! NOW! Trust me on this one!

Peanut Butter Pie
From My Gram and My Mom
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons milk
8 ounces cool whip
1 9 inch graham cracker pie crust
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (optional)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and peanut butter in a large bowl or electric stand mixer. 

Beat at medium speed until blended, about four minutes. 

Fold in cool whip. 

Spoon filling into crust.  

Sprinkle with crushed peanuts.

 Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat. Drizzle onto pie using a fork. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.

Nutella Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies

I've tried lots of combinations with Nutella: Nutella and toast, Nutella and ice cream, Nutella and bananas, Nutella and a spoon. Somehow it had never occurred to me to eat peanut and Nutella together. Ohhhhh was I missing out! These cookies take your regular peanut butter chocolate thumbprint cookies to an entirely new, better level. They melt in your mouth and are just the right level of richness. Another bonus is that they are gluten free!

Nutella Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies
From Bell'alimento
Printable Version
Makes about 20 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
9 teaspoons Nutella

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Into your stand mixer add sugar, peanut butter, egg, and baking soda. Mix until completely combined. Measure approximately 1 teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place onto cookie sheet and gently press dough ball down using the palm of your hand. *Your hand will get very greasy, but that's part of the fun, right?! 

Space approximately 1 inch apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Using a teaspoon, make gently make an indention in the middle of each cookie. 

Fill with a dollop of Nutella (this will get messy too). Return tray of cookies with Nutella to the oven and bake an additional 2-4 minutes until golden. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool before enjoying with a big glass of milk (you will need it).