Giant Cheat Day Cookie: Double Peanut Butter Chip Cookie (And Then Some!)

You may not know this yet, but my husband Mike is a big fan of peanut butter. He eat's it right out of the container, in his lunches with celery sticks, on top of puddings and yogurt and of course in peanut butter cup form, he is a fiend! So when I was experimenting with Giant Cheat Day Cookie flavors it seemed obvious that I would make this Double Peanut Butter Chip Cookie just for him.

I like to share recipes with you that are versatile and easy to play with. This is certainly one of them, you can change it up as much as you like. For this particular cookie, you can throw in dark chocolate chips or chopped candies, I love to dip my peanut butter cookies in chocolate and let the choclate harden. Oh. My.  Adapted from this post at Sally's Baking Addiction, Jessica and I came up with a few different flavors and dubbed them the ultimate Giant Cheat Day Cookie. The Double Peanut Butter Chip Cookie get's a double dose of peanut buttery goodness in the form of two heaping tbsp's of crunchy peanut butter and a generous 1/4 cup of peanut butter morsels. 

This is the recipe you reach for (after your yoga pants) when you come home at the end of a long work week and want a break from all the low-fat, sugar free desserts you've been sticking to. If you're like me and currently trying to shed some pounds, you're not going to be making these every day. It's a treat, cuddle up with one of these huge sweet, salty cookies with a hot cup of coffee or an equally giant glass of milk, because...seriously, how are you gonna dunk it? It's as big as a plate! 

We played with different flavors from classic chocolate chip, to cinnamon chip oatmeal raisin, but the peanut butter cookie was my favorite. That is saying a lot because typically I don't even recognize a cookie as a cookie unless it has chocolate in it! Do you blame me? I encourage you to try some of the other flavors as well, and also to try your own variations- limit your mix in's to about a 1/4 cup. I added a little too much to my cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies and they turned into an expansive gooey mess. Delicious...but a mess.
For a softer cookie take a minute or so off of the baking time and let the cookie cool a little before
attempting to move. Enjoy!

Giant Cheat Day Cookie: Double Peanut Butter Chip


2 tbsp crunchy all natural, salt free peanut butter
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp egg  (scramble an egg in a cup really well take your 2tbsp of egg from here, reserve the remainder for another cookie or for egg wash on another baking project)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup peanut butter morsels
A pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl or a mug mix the sugar, peanut butter and egg until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet or silicone baking mat. I flattened out the dough, just a little was all it needed. I also dotted the top of the dough before baking so there was a morsel in every bite. In my oven it took about 10-12 minutes. Bake a little longer for a crisp cookie (what I prefer) and around 10 mins for a softer cookie (what basically the rest of the world perfers)

All the makings for one giant double chocolate chip cookie! 

Variations:

Giant Cheat Day Chocolate Chip Cookie

Replace the peanut butter with 2 tbsp room temp butter and the 1/4 cup peanut butter morsels with semi sweet morsels. Mix ingredients and bake the same way.

Giant Cheat Day Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Replace the peanut butter with 2 tbsp room temp butter and the 1/4 cup peanut butter morsels with equal parts cinnamon chips and raisins and add 2 tbsp uncooked oats. Mix and bake for 12-14 minutes. This cookie spreads out a bit more, and is SUPER soft!

Giant Cheat Day Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

Replace peanut butter with tbsp room temp butter and the 1/4 cup morsels with semi sweet chocolate chips, add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Got Milk? 

   

993 all time blog views! And a free cookie give-away!

I literally BLINKED and we were on the brink of crossing the 1000 views mark. Holy Moly you guys (and gals).

I cannot tell you enough how humbled I am, this is amazing! To show my gratitude I will be offering a FREE box of my all time favorite cookies from The Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucos,CA to the next 7 people who start following Her Name Is Ed. Let's get those blog views over 1000!

All you need to do to win, is hit "Join This Site", it's that little blue button just to the right of this post, then you'll need to leave a comment on your favorite post so far! The first 7 people to do this will receive a box of amazingly delicious cookies from The Brown Butter Cookie Company. I will post up the winners next Thursday when I post the newest blog from guest blogger Sumi Kato.

Hmm, giving away free cookies on the same day our guest blogger will talk to us about diet and fitness? Oh dear..well, everything in moderation, right?

Mike and I fell in love with these salted brown butter morsels a few years ago, right around the time we moved to the Central Coast. Back then they only had their original flavor, mocha, chocolate chip, peanut butter and lemon sugar cookie. Since then they have added  espresso, bourbon, chocolate mint, key lime coconut (which were in Mikes stocking last Christmas!) citrus brown butter,  and many many more. Be careful though, if you do win, because these things are capital "A" Addictive! Now, I have tried and tried and tried to make these at home and in time I will likely share some of those recipes with you, but they have never come out like BBCC. I don't know what I am doing wrong and no matter how much I beg ask they will not tell me their secrets. They are delightfully crisp, a subtle crunch really, and they are the perfect balance of sweet and savory. That little sprinkling of sea salt over the top takes them, well...over the top. There is that warm nuttiness from the brown butter that is unlike any other flavor and I think that is the real secret, how they brown the butter. (Did I mention they SHIP?)

I cannot wait to see where you all leave your comments, I am curious to see which post has been your favorite! Alright ladies and gent's let the games begin!

Welcome Angela, from Sing Dance Play Learn, to H.N.E!

**Here she is ladies and gentlemen. Allow Angela to share with you, this great gluten free muffin recipe that is perfect for baking with the kiddos! This is a recipe I am particularly fond of because I have a real sensitivity to gluten but I looove baked goods, especially with cream cheese frosting! I'd never tried a frosting like this without at least a pound of powered sugar, but I was both surprised and delighted with the results. It has a rich tanginess that works exceptionally well with the slightly sweet, nutty flavors of the muffin. We enjoyed them with tea and fruit for breakfast, but I bet they would go just as well with a nice cup of coffee as well. Even Mike, with his super sweet tooth didn't miss any of the added processed sugar!** 

When Eva invited me to be a guest on Her Name is Ed I knew this recipe was what I wanted to share.

Eva and I met through a mutual friend some years ago. We have a background in child development and a love of food in common. While cooking and working with children are very different interests, they do compliment each other quite well.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was one of my favorite treats growing up. My mom’s recipe was wholesome and delicious. Whole-wheat flour, honey, crunchy, sweet carrots… Today, it’s one of the few things I really miss since going gluten-free.

Needless to say, I was super excited when I stumbled across a gluten-free carrot cupcake recipe. I thought about the changes I would make and decided to turn my carrot cake craving into a baking activity with my daycare kids. 

With Easter on the way, the timing was perfect. The kids eventually dubbed the cupcakes “Easter Bunny Cupcakes,” but they are in no way limited to Easter time. I see this recipe as a great choice for holidays, birthdays or  tea time.

I love this particular recipe because it has simple, real ingredients and is free of processed sugar. It’s a treat that doesn’t send the kids bouncing off the walls and is more carb-friendly than traditional cupcakes. 

Preparing food can teach kids so much. Besides the concept of how food is made and where it comes from, they learn about measurement, math and literacy. Pouring and stirring develop motor skills. The process can be (almost) as exciting as the feasting afterwards.

As luck would have it, it started to rain the day I planned to make the cupcakes. What a perfect time for baking! I assembled the ingredients and everyone washed their hands before coming to the table. The kids took turns measuring the ingredients and stirring it all together. Then we popped them in the oven and went off to play.

The house soon smelled amazing and we were all getting hungry. We decided to make the frosting while the cupcakes cooled.

Next, I set out a butter knife, a bowl of frosting, a bowl of coconut, and a cupcake for each child. I decided to give each child her own assembly materials rather than use communal bowls as we did when we made bee-bim bop. The main reason I did this was to limit germ sharing – a lot of finger licking has to be expected when frosting is involved.

Spreading the frosting just right was hard work. Sprinkling the coconut on at the end was just plain fun. There was some experimentation to see how much coconut would stick on the cupcake.

Once the cupcakes were just right we all dug in. They were both tasty and beautiful.

Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes (adapted from the Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe on Elana’s Pantry.)

Makes about 10 cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°

Ingredients:

1 ½ c blanched almond flour or meal

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

2 Tbls safflower oil

¼ c honey

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ c grated carrots

Instructions:

1. Combine almond four, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, oil, honey and vanilla.

3. Stir the carrots into the wet ingredients.

4. Combine the carrot mixture with the dry ingredients.

5. Scoop a heaping ¼ c. of batter into each cup of a lined muffin tin.

6. Pop in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes.

Mom’s Cream Cheese Frosting  

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese

¼ c honey

 ½ tsp vanilla extract

shredded coconut to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

1. Mix the cream cheese, honey and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth.

2. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.

3. Sprinkle coconut on top.

Enjoy!

Our First Guest Blogger and A Mothers Day Muffin Recipe

MAY! Oh, boy...that was fast.


Really? I need to check the calendar, gimme a sec....

Yeah, um...it's May.

I have no idea how that happened. I am trying to remember the last time the months have crept up on me quite like they have this year. Maybe it's because we've had such an incredible whirlwind of a year so far. Between Europe, the restaurant, Mikes new assignment at work and fertility craziness, I think this is the first lull in activity we've had (and it's going to be short lived because we have some BIG news coming soon, NO, it's not a baby...yet).

So, for all these reasons I have decided to take a small break. A few weeks to get some stuff in order around here. "Here," meaning around our home and around this blog. I have so many ideas, new blog posts, recipes, crafts and so on, that I want to share with you all. I just need a minute or two to get it all worked out, you deserve my best, don't you know.

I will be leaving you in the very capable hands of four wonderful ladies who will share with you, their very individual passions and know how. Every Thursday this month you will meet one of them and the first up to bat is Angela.

Chris and Angela posing for the camera on our most recent camping trip in the Big Sur area. 

Angela owns a family day care center in Santa Cruz. I met her, and her husband Chris a few years ago through a mutual friend on a camping trip in Yosemite. It's apparent, pretty much immediately, when you meet Angela that she is one of the sweetest people you will ever know. She is incredibly patient (wrangling a dozen "grown ups" for our various camping trips over the years, she HAS to be patient), nurturing and maternal. I love being around her because I instantly feel calm and taken care of. It's an invaluable skill set for dealing with adults and even more so for dealing with children.

Heading out for Half Dome back in 2008, our first camping trip together was a blast! 

The fact that Angela can COOK with a center full of children in the way that she does is amazing. As a former nanny I can tell you, it is so hard not to want to control the children. Reminding yourself that cooking with kids, like most art related activities, is about the process and not the product...well...it's not something that comes very naturally to me. However, cooking touches on so many different developmental areas for children, so it makes perfect sense that Angela would incorporate it into the daily activities of her center. And I am glad she did, because that makes her the perfect person to share this delicious gluten free muffin recipe with us, that you must can make with your kids. Perhaps the husbands and sons out there reading this will be inspired to bake some of these delicious muffins and treat the mothers in their lives to a wonderful breakfast in bed? Eh?

Here's Angela!!

Culinary School Adventures

Well I managed to make it through the first semester at the Paso  Robles Culinary Academy!

It has been a very fun, crazy, stressful, challenging experience. And it has definitely validated my desires to work in the Culinary field. I am not 100% positive that a restaurant kitchen is the place for me, all that running around and screaming in a hot kitchen just doesn't sound like fun at all. I may stick to catering and just try to expand that a bit when the program is over.

The gang and I from Culinary, taking a break from class for a Christmas exchange and lunch @ Pappy McGregors in Paso Robles

Baking Finals, 2 tiered nut cake, cheese danishes,  and petit fours.  I chose a pink theme!

Baking Finals. Lemon tartlets, checkerboard cookies, meringue hearts and eclairs.

The beautiful and talented Amber, with her Baking Finals display

"Putting up Plates" Salmon and potatoes Anna with asparagus and a lemon burre blanc, salad and soup to complete the meal. 

Advanced Pastry Finals display. Tiramisu, grown up "pop tarts", carrot cake, apple tartatine, creme brulee and black berry pana cotta.

This semester I've decided I will compete in something called SkillsUsa in the Culinary Arts section. I don't plan on advancing to far my first year, but I think it sounds fun and it will help me with my timing and handling the stress of cooking on the line. 

Wish me luck!