30 Jun 2016

Kids and Summer – and Peanut Butter Bars

by | posted in: chocolate, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Easy Peanut Butter Bars

About a month ago, I was so concerned with what I was going to do since summer was coming.  See, my older little boy is in preschool and it was letting out for 2 months.  It is hard to take two preschoolers with me anywhere, and I had grown accustomed to getting things done in the morning with just one of them.

And here, almost July, and we have one more month. A month filled with fruit picking, zoo trips, play dates, and vacation to North Carolina.  It hasn’t been as tough as I thought, but my husband has been gracious with his time off, too.

At the beginning of the week I wanted to bake something and get my older preschooler in the kitchen.  He really loves being in the kitchen with me and I love it.  So, we opened a cookbook, made a few tweaks with what we had, and put them in the oven.

The next day we got to head to Roswell and go hiking and playing in the water at Vickery Creek Falls.  So fun.  My boys are definitely water lovers and they love any time they get to spend with their daddy.  These bars were delicious and portable and had some good energy boosting carbs in them to refuel them after the hike.

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Easy Peanut Butter Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Bar
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20
 
Easy, portable, not-to-sweet peanut butter bar
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg (room temp)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts (halved)
  • ¾ cup chocolate chunks (I used dark)
  • ½ cup 10x sugar
  • 1½ T creamy peanut butter
  • 2 T milk (or until desired glaze consistency)
Instructions
  1. Cream first ingredients (through vanilla).
  2. While you let the mixer do its work, get a 9x13 pan, line with foil, spray with cooking spray, and set oven to 350.
  3. Combine dry ingredients and mix with sugar mixture.
  4. Fold in chips and nuts.
  5. Press into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
  6. When done, let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.
  7. Take the bars out (made easier with the help of the foil) and put on cooling rack.
  8. Mix glaze and drizzle over the bars.
  9. Let cool completely then cut into squares.
These were easy to assemble and tasted great and have lasted well throughout the week.

1 Nov 2014

Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

by | posted in: chocolate, food, The Charming South Kitchen, Uncategorized | 0

Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Now that Halloween is over and a new month is upon us, must of us are gearing up for the other two big holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Let the baking season begin (or, um, continue).

Some people wonder what inspires me to cook what I do.  One of the ways is by following great foodie people on Instagram.  That’s how these came about.  One of the best places in Savannah is Back in the Day Bakery. Cheryl Day, co-owner and baker, featured a chocolate covered rice krispy treat yesterday in her feed.

How to Use Leftover Halloween Candy

Well, I thought I would just run to target with my littles and get the ingredients.  Little did I know that it would be the worst Target run ever.  In front of our local Target store, the city has been demolishing a building.  The backhoes and front loaders and bulldozers are in full force.  Yes, I’m a mom to two little toddler boys!  My older one is mesmerized by their action.  So, cue drama and meltdown as I pushed the boy-filled cart toward the Target entrance, away from the construction site.  Then, I get in there and finally am able to calm him down, when my younger one who is usually happy as a clam in a store, completely screams his head off for 20 minutes while I’m in the store.  He was teething.  But, I couldn’t find the marshmallows.  I had everything else.  Finally just put everything back on the shelves and walked out.  Forget making dessert.

Well, later that afternoon I decided I still wanted to make them and we tried again.  This time at our local Publix.  No construction site.  Employees with candy and balloons.  They were happy. Momma was happy.

Thankfully, these were made.  I’m not usually a fan of milk chocolate anything, but I’m glad I went with the milk chocolate frosting as it was just perfect paired with the peanut butter in the rice krispy treat.

This is a perfect way to use up all of your leftover Halloween candy – or give you a perfect excuse to go buy more!

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Halloween Trash Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Sweets
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Perfect use for all of your leftover Halloween candy
Ingredients
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 3 T creamy peanut butter
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups crisped rice cereal
  • 1 container milk chocolate with chocolate chips frosting
  • leftover halloween candy
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9x13 pan
  2. In large pot, melt together the butter and peanut butter.
  3. Add salt and stir.
  4. Add marshmallows and stir until melted.
  5. Add in vanilla.
  6. Set pot off the heat.
  7. Stir in cereal.
  8. Press into 9x13 pan by using a piece of parchment paper so the mixture won't stick to your hands.
  9. Let cool.
  10. Frost with frosting.
  11. Immediately top with leftover crushed Halloween candy.
  12. Let sit to harden.
  13. Enjoy!
 

 

28 Oct 2014

Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

 

Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

Here are two disclaimers for this recipe post about a delicious cookie:

1.  I am a purist when it comes to Oreo Cookies.  None of these fancy seasonal flavors or even the double stuff or reduced-fat. No, give me the original!

2.  I wouldn’t say that peanut butter cookies are my favorite.  There are plenty in front of it.

So, when I passed by the Peanut Butter Oreos in the Wal-Mart aisle today, it could only be my creative streak and giving into my son when he said “cookie” that made me want to whip up a batch of these.

Elijah's first baking

But how would Oreos and Reece’s Pieces (E. T. Phone Home – my husband’s favorite childhood flick) go together.  I guess there was only one way to find out!

Reece's Pieces

Bake!

These cookies were like pillow-soft.  I loved that about them.  Perfect texture.  I loved the chewiness with the texture from the Oreo pieces and candy coating from the Reece’s.  My husband said he wouldn’t change a thing. I’m glad. I adore these cookies.

And the colors work perfectly for the Fall.

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Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: cookies
Cuisine: dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 18-24
 
Soft, chewy, chunky, peanut butter cookies - easy to munch on all night!
Ingredients
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup regular sugar
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup crushed Oreos (but not too fine)
  • 1 cup mini Reece's Pieces
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugars for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla - mix for another 5.
  3. Add in dry ingredients
  4. Fold in Oreos and Reece's.
  5. Spray 3 cookies sheets with cooking spray.
  6. Preheat oven to 350
  7. Spoon out onto sheet pans and bake for 10-12 minutes or until set - but don't overcook.
  8. Let cool.
  9. Devour
 

6 Aug 2013

Peanut Butter Chunk Blondies

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The other day I was watching The Chew, the foodie talk show that comes on right during the lunch hour – making this pregnant girl even hungrier!  One of the chefs was making blondies – I thought, hmmm, blondies.  I knew I was going to the store later and just had to pick up a couple of things to make this.  So good – we were inhaling the crumbs (and gave some away to friends here in town).

Adapted from Hersheys, a book that sweet Louisville friends gave me a while back:

Makes 9-12 bars depending on how big you cut the bars (a 9×9 pan)

3/4 cup creamy pb (not all natural)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 T milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp salt

1 bag reeces mini cups

Preheat oven to 350 and grease pan.  Cream ingredients peanut butter through vanilla.  Add in dry ingredients. Fold in the reeces mini cups (wrapper-less, how kind are they)!

Bake for about 25-30 minutes until done. Serve and enjoy!

23 Dec 2010

Triple Layer Brownies

by | posted in: chocolate | 0

My Mom does make some great things when she follows recipes. She knows I am kidding when I say this, but she also knows its partly true…her lack of following directions when she bakes – kinda whatever she wants to put in there is what goes.
Well, let me tell you – these were in the fridge when I got home, and they were so good…so here is her recipe!

2 brownie mixes (1 supreme, 1 regular)
mix according to directions – so you’ll need eggs, oil, and water)
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T butter
1 cup peanut butter, creamy
2 cups rice krispies.

Brownies mixes to package, spread in 10×15 pan (sprayed and foiled) and bake according to directions, or about 15 minutes at 350.
While hot, sprinkle marshmallows on top (1 whole bag). Return to over for 3 minutes.
Take a knife, dipped in water, and spread out the marshmallows. Let cool.
Mix the pb and chocolate chips and butter, over low heat, till melted. Stir. Take off heat and add in rice krispies.
Spread over brownies.
Chill, cut, and serve at room temp.

Enjoy!