Peanut Butter Tassies

One of my favorite cookies and my mom's good friend surprised us with a batch!  I think my favorite part is the sweet, salty combination.  The peanut butter cups are just salty enough to offset the sweet cookie crust.  These are so much fun to make and eat.  They go fast since they are mini sized so don't even try to keep track of how many you've consumed.  These are fabulous served warm with ice cream, frozen with whipped cream, or at room temperature with a tall glass of milk.  I have eaten these every way possible...can you tell?!

Peanut Butter Tassies
Source: My mom's good friend

1/2 C softened butter
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 T baking soda
1/2 t salt
48 mini Reese Cups candies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, and cream with the butter mixture.  Roll into small balls about the size of a walnut.  Place in tassie (mini muffin) pan.  Don't flatten.  Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Immediately place small peanut butter cup in each cup.  Let cool in pans.  Makes about 48.  Can substitute candy kisses.  Invert kisses when putting in each cup.      

Oatmeal Mondays and Avocado Continuation

My weekly Monday blog posts normally feature oatmeal based recipes.  But I made these mini chocolate avocado muffins yesterday, and I couldn't wait to talk about them!  I am also out of creative, interesting oatmeal recipes at the moment :(

So these muffins come together in a snap and contain zero butter, zero oil.  The avocado flavor is masked by the cocoa powder and chocolate chips.  Those healthy fats are in there but you can't even taste them!  Perfect for the pickiest of eaters, like my children.  They won't eat an avocado, but they'll scarf down these muffins.

These muffins travel well too.  They are firm, super sturdy treats that won't disintegrate when you bite into them.  No crumbly mess here.  Oh, wait a minute, these will create a mess on the littlest of hands with those gooey chocolate chips though.  Just be sure to pack extra wipes that day :)

FYI: I made 24 standard sized muffins, added water instead of milk, measured out 2/3 C sugar instead of 1 C sugar, and stirred in regular sized semisweet morsels.  The first batch baked for 20 minutes, and the second batch took 23 minutes.  Enjoy!   

   

Sunday Dressing

With an overabundance of avocados from my trip to Costco, what better way to use one up than in the form of a homemade, fresh, all-purpose dressing.  

The almighty avocado

  
Creamy Avocado Dressing
Source: Redbook magazine

1 large ripe avocado
2 scallions, white and light green parts only
1 large garlic clove
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
3/4 t salt
pinch cayenne pepper

Place avocado, scallions, and garlic in food processor.  Process to rough puree.  Add oil, lemon juice, salt, cayenne and 3 T cold water.  Process until dressing is smooth and creamy.

This would be prefect drizzled on your favorite salad, spread on a hamburger bun (think mayonnaise alternative), poked with carrot and celery sticks, or anyway you like it!  The possibilities are endless :)

Cake Fridays

To continue the debate of whether or not something baked in a loaf pan can be called a cake, I asked my husband what he thought.  He agreed with me.  If something is baked as a quick bread how can it be called a cake?  So I "surfed" Google and found tons of recipes for loaf cakes.  I came to the conclusion that people do call them cakes and it doesn't really matter what pan you use, especially if you add frosting to it like this whole wheat applesauce loaf cake.  So it all depends if you like your cakes round, square, rectangular, or in bundt form.  Anyway you slice it, it's still cake! 

Head on over to my new favorite blog where you'll find this recipe and many more delicious creations: http://www.eatliverun.com/

FYI: I baked my loaf cake uncovered for 35 minutes, then covered it for 10 more minutes, for a total baking time of 45 minutes.  The bottom picture has lines on the finished product because it stuck to the pan so I had to let it cool upside down :(  The frosting would be a good cover-up, although I did not go that route.  Overall, it smells and tastes absolutely fabulous.  

Before

After

This One Will Knock 'em Dead!

Yes, that's a toy gun in the background and no, we are not a violent family.  My son just cherishes the hand-me-down guns from his dad, which repeatedly end up on the kitchen counter! 

I've been sick all week and completely forgot to post this recipe.  I'm glad I realized that before I ate the last piece, which is what you see above.  This loaf cake went fast, like lickety split.  Everyday after lunch I would have my 2 slivers of chocolate loaf cake with some Greek yogurt on top and it was complete heaven.  I was hoping this miracle bread/cake would knock my germs dead and I'd be feeling better by now, but that has not been the case.  At least I felt good in the time it took me to eat those moist, rich, dark slices.

It cuts and eats like a cake but since it is baked in a loaf pan, I might have to say it's more of a quick bread than an actual cake.  Nick Malgieri calls it a loaf cake though so you be the judge.  I've made a lot of chocolate breads in the past 5 years, and I have to say, this one is my favorite, hands down.  The flavors are balanced perfectly and the texture is outstanding.  I'm just sorry I've kept it a secret all this week :)      

FYI, I halved the recipe and kept it in the oven for the full 35 minutes.

See recipe here.    

If you liked Monday's post,

you'll love today's post.  Move over flourless chocolate peanut butter oatmeal muffins, here come no-bake chocolate peanut butter granola bites.  Yum :)

See recipe here. 

Oatmeal Mondays

 

I love the base of these muffins.  Sometimes I would rather just use rolled oats and not have to bother with adding flour.  These have cocoa powder, peanut butter, Greek yogurt and plenty of eggs to bind them together.  Chocolatey and delicious, these muffins are a win win for everyone at the breakfast table :)

From start...

To finish...

See recipe here.