Scotcharoo Bars

Do you believe in love at first sight? Well how about love at first bite? My little warrior came home from school today wanting peanut butter crispy treats with lots of chocolate on top. And you know me, I was happy to accommodate his request! We've talked about this before, right? Well if we haven't, we need to...the happiness that peanut butter and chocolate share!
Peanut butter and chocolate are like Prince William and Princess Kate! Romeo and Juliet! Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler! Tristan and Isolde! Lancelot and Guinevere! They just go together!
These bars have crunchy chunky peanut butter and caramily (is that a word?) brown sugar instead of the standard white sugar. Topped off with butterscotch and chocolate! Yes, that's love!

SCOTCHAROO BARS
Ingredients
6 cups rice crispy cereal
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Butter or grease 9x13 baking dish. In a large saucepan combine the peanut butter, syrup and brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until all the ingredients are melted and well combined. Removed from heat and stir in the vanilla. Mix in the cereal until it is all nicely coated. Pour into the pan and spread out evenly.
In a microwaveable bowl combine both chips. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Continue this process until all the chips are melted. Pour and spread evenly over peanut butter bars.
Allow the chocolate to set before you cut them to serve and devour!  Enjoy!

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger!

Coffee Oreo Ice Cream

Good ole Nebraska! Monday it was 90 and today I think they are saying a high of 60 and it will probably get down in the 30's overnight. I thought if I want to try this ice cream recipe, I'd better do it now before it's too late!

Coffee Ice cream is pretty much my all time favorite ice cream! And Haagen Dazs is by far the best coffee ice cream in the world!  Add crunchy Oreo cookies and salty peanut butter...need I say more? Don't count calories on this one people, or carbs, or fat for that matter...just eat it and then go run 5 miles, or maybe 8!

Anyway, why is Haagen Dazs so stinking good? Evidently they add egg yolks to their recipe, which is why it boasts it's creamy goodness flavor. Don't see how eggs can make ice cream taste so good? Well, give it a try and I promise you will see!

Look at the bites of peanut butter, Oreo and the Oreo cream! MMM....

Enjoy My friends! Happy Last Day's of Summer!

Coffee Oreo Ice Cream 
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
2 cups whole Milk
3/4 cups sugar
2 Tbl instant coffee
5 egg yolks
10 Oreo Cookies, broken into big chunks
1/2 cup peanut butter

Beat egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside. Combine cream, milk, sugar and instant coffee in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it's just about to boil, it will be steaming. Reduce the heat to medium-low and remove 1 cup of the cream and sugar mixture. Very slowly add the 1 cup to the egg yolks - make sure you go slow and whisk continually until it's well combined. Now pour the egg mixture into the the remaining cream and sugar mixture on the stove. Cook and stir constantly until it thickens and is custard-like. Remove from the heat and strain into a medium bowl. Set a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the mixture and refrigerate until it is cool.
Pour into the ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturers directions. When you're done "freezing" the ice cream, stir in the Oreo chunks and the peanut butter. Pour into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for a couple hours until the ice cream is hard or just until you're ready to indulge!

Warmly,
Mary

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Reese's

Sitting by the lake, swimming at the pool, running through the sprinkler, long walks, bike rides, afternoons at the park, baseball in the yard with the kids, sidewalk chalk, cook-outs with friends and homemade ice cream! I love summer. When it's 110 with 95% humidity, you won't catch me complaining. Yes, hot chocolate, snuggling on the sofa watching movies, building snowmen and sledding are all nice, but personally, nothing beats summer! Ever since I was a tiny little girl barely toddling around, I remember our family making homemade ice cream. We made it at my Grandma and Grandpa Peterson's House and at my Grandma McCoy's House. Especially on the fourth of July! I remember my dad sitting there for an hour turning the hand help crank. Luckily for me, now I have n electric ice cream machine! My dad grew up making homemade ice cream, I grew up making homemade ice cream and now my kids are getting to enjoy homemade ice cream! It's my family's favorite summertime treat! It is rich, cream and worth the extra effort!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream


Ingredients
1 1/3 cups smooth peanut butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
6 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, roughly chopped (I used the holiday ones...they are just so much better than the regular!)

In a mixing bowl, cream peanut butter and sugar. Add milk and beat until smooth. Add cream and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Freeze in the ice cream maker according to the directions. When he ice cream is done, stir in the peanut butter cups and spoon ice cream into a freezable container. Freeze for a couple hours or eat!
If you haven't made ice cream before, I'll let you know that it's more like soft serve when it's done in the ice cream maker but will harden up in the freezer.


Enjoy the Goodness!

Warmly,
Mary

Peanut-Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

You have to try these absolutely wonderfully peanut-buttery chocolatey....

...Oh man, do you ever think of something perfectly witty to say, but get distracted and forget what it was? I do that all the time! Last week I had the most luxurious manicure and pedicure. Yep, I sure did! I was awesome! A four year old little warrior painted my toes (yes, most of the polish was on the toes themselves and not the nails) and a three year old princess painted my finger nails (she did manage to get most of it on the nails, it’s a girl thing!). Oh yes, the warrior had picked out a purple glitter polish for the princess’s birthday gift and after he painted her fingernails and toenails, it of course was mommy’s turn!

So anyway, I totally forgot what I was going to tell you about these totally yummy Peanut-Butter Filled  Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache  because I was distracted by the idea of removing evidence of what was left of my week old manicure. By the time I returned to my computer with my fresh glass of ice tea and bowl full of strawberries to snack on, I was lost. Sorry!

Anyway, reading my ramblings will be totally worth it once you make these heavenly treats! I made these for my birthday (along with the White chocolate cream cheese frosting with 4berry filling - I feel like people need options in life!) Since they were such a hit I just HAD to share them with a whole new audience! All I have to say about them is OH MY!! I have been getting phone calls, emails and texts from the friends who were among the privileged to enjoy!

I know, Horrible picture, but you get the point...I hope!

Peanut-Butter Filled  Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Choose your favorite Chocolate Cake recipe. I use my own that you can find here  The Very Best Chocolate Cake

 

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 1/4 c peanut butter

1/3 c butter, room temp
3-4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl brown sugar

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter together until creamy. Add the vanilla and brown sugar then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until you have the desired consistency (3 cups is perfect to me), using the mixer to incorporate it in. Set aside. 

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
6 ounces milk chocolate chips
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
½ c heavy cream

2 TBL butter, cut into pieces

Add choc chips and cream to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 sec intervals. Stirring in between. Usually takes me 1 min 30 sec. Make sure to stir occasionally until fully melted. Once melted, add in the butter pieces. Whisk until it is very well incorporated and your chocolate ganache is smooth and shiny! (assembly instructions below)

See the manicure?

I do not have giant hands, these are the mini-cupcakes! ;)

Now Put It All Together

Now that you have made your cupcakes, the filling, and the ganache, it's time for the fun part! I just use a sharp knife and cut a cone shape out of each cupcake and fill that baby up with the Peanut Butter Filling. Pack it in there, don't be shy! You can set aside the cake scraps to make cake balls if you want...that's what I do! Anyway, fill up all your cupcakes then you can top them one of two ways. Take a spoon and spoon the ganache on top or you can do what I do and grab the cupcake by the base and dip and twist it in the gananche. Once again, don't be shy, the chocolate may get on your fingers, but oh well...it's just chocolate. Then voila perfect cupcakes every time!

can you see them there, between the ladybug cupcakes and strawberry cheesecakes

Make these. Make a bunch of them. Give them to the people you love. They will be happy!

Warmly, 

Mary