Peanut Butter and Nature

My father is a big fan of nature. He cross-country skiis, he organizes and leads senior hikes, and his idea of the perfect weekend is to spend it up to his hips in a freezing cold river, catch and release fly fishing. I don't know how he ended up with me.

My idea of a perfect weekend involves a book, a blanket, a fire place, a mug of hot tea, and a plate of cookies. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like nature, it's just that nature has its place - outdoors. And mine is indoors, where it's warm and there aren't creepy, crawly or slithery things.

My dad really tried to indoctrinate me into the joys of nature. He'd point out fabulous vistas of snow-capped mountains and rushing rivers. Yawn. He'd take a big lungful of fresh, frosty air and say, "Isn't this exhilarating?" Um, yeah, that's one way to describe the feeling of putting on clothes that have spent the night at sub-zero temperatures.

When all else failed, he bribed with food. For long car trips we got hard candies. Maybe it was a treat, maybe it was because he thought that there was less likelihood of bloodshed if our mouths were welded shut with toffees. Either way, I'll always associate a particular brand of toffees with car trips. And I never buy them.

On one especially hot hike, my dad hiked ahead and then rejoined us, telling us some story about spotting kindly nature fairies up ahead. When we came upon a small, burbling stream, with cries of amazement, he showed us the kindly fairies had left candy bars for us in the stream. That trip was almost bearable. Chocolate was involved.

Of course, happy campers cannot live on sugar alone. Main meals must be brought along, too. What does one bring along for a picky eater who will only eat peanut butter and jam sandwiches? Well, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, of course. But my father's too smart to pack in a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly. He had plastic tubes that looked like large toothpaste tubes with a screw-top cap and a removable crimper at the bottom and he'd fill one with peanut butter and one with jam. Then he had the brilliant idea to put both in the same tube, taking up even less space.

The resulting smear looked disgusting, but I fell in love with it. The peanut butter and jam were homogenous, so that no bite was too dry (too much peanut butter) or too slippery (too much jam). It's the way I've made my pb&j's ever since.

When I tried these cookies, I thought they'd be a peanut cookie with jam in between. Instead, it's just like my beloved pb&j. A paste of peanut butter and jam sandwiched between two cookie layers. What could be better? Just so long as they're served indoors by the fire, with the book and the tea.

PB&J Squares
- adapted from Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter; softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup favorite jam or jelly
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1- Preheat oven to 325 deg F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

2- In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Whisk to blend and set aside.

3- In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the butter and sugar to form a grainy paste. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl. Then add flour mixture and blend at low speed until thoroughly combined. Dough will be firm.

4- Divide dough into 2 pieces; form disks and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

5- Remove one disk from the refrigerator. On a floured board roll out the disk to 9 by 13 inches, about 1/4-inch thick. Place it in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking pan. Place the pan back in the refrigerator.

6- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter and jam, mixing to a smooth consistency. Set aside.

7- Remove the second dough disk from the refrigerator and roll it out to 9 by 13 inches.

8- Remove the pan from the refrigerator and spread the peanut butter and jam mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Place the second dough rectangle on top of the peanut butter layer. Pinch down side edges all around the pan.

9- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch in the center. Cool in pan, then cut into squares.

High Maintenance By Choice

I think I was one of the last people on the planet to see the movie When Harry Met Sally. I didn't see it in theaters. I didn't rush to rent it when it came out on video. I didn't even request it from the library. I think I taped it when it aired late night on TV. And then I laughed. A lot. Because I finally got the joke.

Several years ago, when my sister got married, she had a lovely chocolate wedding cake, with a large tureen of chocolate sauce on the side. Not knowing I hadn't seen the movie, she didn't understand why it didn't make me laugh. In case you've never seen the movie, with the scene of Meg Ryan ordering a chef salad and pie in a restaurant, the sauce on the side signified that my sister was high maintenance.

In my own way, I'm high maintenance, too. I order my salad with the blue cheese on the side. It makes me gag, but my husband loves it. I bring my own hot water along because I use filtered water and the nasty chlorine taste of tap water spoils my tea. If the toast is brown at all, it's overdone. And don't even get me started on bad cookies- I can't bear to waste the calories on yucky baked goods.



Those are all matters of taste, though. There are some people who are high maintenance and just can't help it. Allergies and medical conditions make it necessary for them to politely, sometimes apologetically, ask for special treatment. One of my favorite people to bake for, my chiropractor, is one such person. He's on a restricted diet and can't have gluten. Does that mean that he's a second class citizen, restricted to nasty, cardboardy baked goods? Not if I can help it!

I wanted to try to make a gluten-free version of a cupcake and since he's a huge peanut butter fan, I remade a recipe from Cupcakes to fit the bill. I substituted Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Flour for the all-purpose flour. I hadn't worked with it before and was surprised at how different the batter tasted. It was strongly bean-flavored and I was afraid the whole batch would have to go into the garbage can. Surprisingly, though, baking dissipated the bean flavor, and any that lingered was covered up by the delicious peanut butter frosting. All in all, I would call them a success.

Sadly, though, I can't make them again for the good doctor. He's been put on a no yeast, no sugar regimen. Sigh. If you have a yummy recipe that's gluten, yeast, dairy, and sugar-free, let me know. Because otherwise he's on his own!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes
- adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

for the cupcakes:
1-3/4 cups Bob's Redmill Gluten-free Flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp xantham gum
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

for the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter

1- Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (about 20).

2- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xantham gum.

3- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Beat in peanut butter until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Beat in sour cream.

4- Fill each lined cup about 2/3 full. Bake until pale golden and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 13 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before removing the cupcakes.

5- With a mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and butter until pale and fluffy. Stir in peanut butter by hand.

6- Spread 1 to 2 Tbsp frosting onto each cupcake. Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 10 minutes. Using a fork dipped in confectioners' sugar, make a crosshatch pattern in the top of the frosting.

Store cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Axes, Roses, or Chocolate

In preparation for school this year my daughter rearranged her room furniture. Again. I didn't have a problem with that as I remember I did the same thing about four times a year when I was her age.

The problem with rearranging the furniture is that there really are a limited number of configurations your can achieve, what with windows, the closet, the length and width of the bed, and the immutable fact that the head of the bed must always, ALWAYS have a clear view of the door and the closet.

Back then, before going to bed I'd check the closet and then shut the door securely. My rational mind knew that there was no way anything could come out of the closet, but the more primitive part of my mind knew without a shadow of a doubt that unless you kept a watchful eye on the door at all times, ANYTHING could come out of it.

My rational side and my primitive side would have discussions at night as I dozed off to sleep.

"How on earth could anything come out of the closet? I just checked in there!"

"Then why did we just hear a creak?"

"Because it's an old house! Old houses creak."

"But what if it's not the house? What if it's a blood-thirsty axe murderer who hid in the shadows of the closet and is going to pop out and slaughter me as soon as my eyes close?"

"Oh for Pete's sake! What are the odds of that happening? I think there are better odds that it's a really handsome guy who's waiting to pop out and surprise you with flowers and chocolates."

Eventually, worn out from all the arguing, I'd go to sleep. I'm happy to report that I never had either the axe wielder or the rose toter sneak out of my closet. But just to be on the safe side, when we bought our house, I removed all the closet doors. Now we're safe from axe murderers, but we're on our own for the flowers and chocolates.



I buy flowers at the store when the urge strikes, and when I have a chocolate craving, I make brownies.

The only thing scary about these is having a 9 x 13 pan of deliciousness lurking in the refrigerator. Be prepared to share, or else they might leap out onto your thighs the next time you open the refrigerator door.

Salted Peanut Brownies
- adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe in Bon Appetite

BROWNIES
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

FROSTING AND GANACHE

1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

(* I didn't have chunky peanut butter on hand, so I chopped up about 1/4 cup of peanuts and put them in a 1 cup measure and filled the rest of the cup with smooth peanut butter.)

1- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving 3 inches of overhang; butter foil.

2- Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.

3- Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan.

4- Bake about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Place pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

5- To make the peanut butter layer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl with an electric mixer.. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread over brownies.

6- In heavy small saucepan, stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; using a flexible spatula, spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours.

7- Using foil overhang as handles, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

TDF Brownies

I once heard a motivational speaker who was a former beauty pageant queen and she was from the deep South. Every word she said had honey-coated twang. It might just have been that accent that made such an impression, but I can still hear her saying, "Y'all talk death too much!" (Phonetically, that would be, "Yahl tahk dayeth tew muuch.")

You hear death all the time in every day expressions. "These shoes are killing me." "I was so embarrassed I wanted to die." "She was dressed to kill." "I was worried to death." "I could have died laughing." Why are we so obsessed with death? Why not celebrate life?

With that bit of background, you can understand that I approached a new cookbook a bit tentatively. Brownies to Die For . Really? Would you trade the rest of your life for a brownie? I doubt it unless your life was unbelievably horrific or the brownie was astonishingly good. Even then, I doubt it.

But the brownies I made from this book were really good. Really, really good. So, if you like peanut butter and chocolate together, give them a try. And if you feel like your life is a scene from a horror movie, try the brownies. They might give you something to live for and help you to hang in there one more day.

Brownies Worth Living For
(aka Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies)

adapted from Brownies to Die For - Bev Shaffer
Yield: 2-1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

---- Brownie Base ----

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour, all-purpose
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-5 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

---- Peanut Butter Marble Base -----

3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter*
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tbsp. unbleached white flour, all-purpose
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. milk, whole or 2 percent
2 large egg, lightly beaten

---- Chocolate Frosting ----

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 tsbsp milk, whole or 2 percent

(* I didn't have crunchy peanut butter, so I chopped about 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, put them in a 3/4 cup measure, and filled the rest of the measuring cup with smooth peanut butter)

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9 baking pan

2) For the Brownie Base: In a med saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring to blend. Remove pan from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently stir in chocolate pieces. Spread half of the Brownie Base into prepared pan.

3) For the Peanut Butter Marble Base: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and flour, blending well. Mix in vanilla, milk, and eggs—blending until smooth. Spread Peanut Butter Marble Base over Brownie Base. Spoon remaining Brownie Base evenly over Peanut Butter Marble Base. Pull a knife through the layers in a zigzag motion to create marbling. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool pan completely on a wire rack.

4) For the Chocolate Frosting: Melt chocolates and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often until mixture is combined. remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in sugar, salt, vanilla, and enough milk to make a soft, spreadable frosting.

Frost cooled brownies. Cut into bars. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Makin' Whoopie

When my big son was quite small, I brought home a can of Crisco from the grocery store. To my puzzlement he was very excited about it and wanted to open it right away. Then when I did open it, he was quite disappointed. Unlike the enticing picture on the label, it contained no fried chicken at all!

I feel that way about shortening, too. It's deceitful. Going by looks alone, it should be creamy and delicious, but it's just grease. So why is it a major component in so many frostings? Because it makes them look creamy and delicious, although they're actually disgusting. If you're unfortunate enough to have to choke down a piece of "happy special occasion" cake from the grocery store, you'll know that it makes you feel wretched, too.

That's why I've put off making Whoopie Pies for so long. I love the idea of a big cookie, cakey in texture, filled with frosting. Basically, it's a piece of chocolate cake, to go. But if the frosting part is nasty, why bother? And all the recipes that I'd seen called for a lot of shortening in the filling.



But then, I saw a recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookies for Whoopie Pies with peanut butter frosting. Yes! Peanut butter deliciousness, and zero shortening! I dove face first into that one and came up with these delicious beauties. Can you resist?

(If you're a purist and really must have your black and white Whoopie Pie, check out this recipe for amazing, shortening-free Whoopie Pies. They're in my "to bake" queue.)

Peanut butter Whoopie Pies
- adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

1-1/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Coarse salt

1- Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. with shelves dividing the oven into thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

2- Sift together the flour, cocoas powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients; mix until combined.

4- Drop batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, 1-1/2 Tbsp at a time, 2-inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway though. The cookie is done when it feels soft on the top, but not wet. Cool completely on a wire rack.

5- To make the filling, place the peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low . Add confectioners' sugar and mix until combined. On high speed, mix until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, if desired.

6- To assemble the cookies, spread 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of 1 cookie. Top with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in an airtight container up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

In Trouble Again

Usually I'm pretty good about the things I bake. I can taste, have a piece or two, then be done. I might even have baked goods go stale and be tossed, just because there's such a glut of baked goods in my kitchen.

Every once in a while, though, I stumble upon something that's treacherous, something that's addictive, something I just can't walk away from. Then I know I'm in trouble. I know I need to get it out of the house pronto, before I gobble the entire batch!

Recently I found another such recipe. It seemed innocuous enough. Peanut butter cookies. With peanut butter chips. What could be so evil about that? Why do they sing to me from the cookie jar, like a siren luring my diet to its ruin?

These are deceptively simple. A rich, moist cookie base, studded with hits of extra peanut butter, with a crunchy, sugary shell. Horrible, horrible combination. Trust me. You want nothing to do with these cookies! But if you don't trust me and go ahead and bake them, don't say I didn't warn you. And if you need help getting rid of the rest of the cookies, call me.

Siren Peanut Butter Cookies
- adapted from The Hasketeers

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
granulated sugar for dipping

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. with racks dividing the oven into thirds.

2- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter, brown sugar, peanut butter and egg together. Beat until creamy.

3- In a small bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and blend together. Stir in the peanut butter chips.

4- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll them in granulated sugar and place on ungreased baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookie.

5- Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.

In a Baking Frenzy

What is it about the holidays that morphs ordinary women into Martha wanna-be's? Normally sane, calm women find themselves doing crazed things like spraying twigs and pinecones with gold spray paint, writing two page Christmas letters that read like great works of fiction (take that either of the two ways), and going nuts in the kitchen. When there are only 24 pre-Christmas days in December, why should the baking list be longer than the list for Santa?

I steadfastly refuse to gilt my garden, or send a chatty newsletter. I figure with all the time I save there, I can bake even more cookies! I know I'm not posting much this month. I'm spending all my time poring over cookbooks, mixing dough, and baking treats. That would theoretically mean that I'd have tons to post in January, except the table where I take pictures has been taken over by boxes waiting to be mailed, packages waiting to be wrapped, and cards waiting to be addressed and mailed. Yes, all that is taking a back seat to the mad baking fever that has gripped me.



Who could possibly eat all these cookies? Don't know. Don't care. I just have to go with the fever and roll, shape, drop, and glaze as many of the items on my list as possible before Christmas. On Christmas day we'll roll out of bed in a sugar stupor, gaze listlessly at the presents, then waddle back to bed. So be it. Small price to pay for having such fun with cookies.

Any volunteers to come take some off my hands?

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars
- adapted from Fine Cooking Cookies

Shortbread Crust:

7 oz (14 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Generous 1/2 tsp kosher salt
9-1/2 oz. ( 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

Filling:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (like Jif)
3 oz (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter at room temperature
6 oz (1-1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Ganache:

5 oz good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( about 1 heaping cup)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp heavy cream


1- Line a straight-sided 13x9-inch metal baking pan with foil, letting the ends create an overhanging edge for easy removal.

2- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, and salt. Stir in the flour and peanuts to make a stiff dough. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 7 minutes), until the dough is firm.

3- Meanwhile, position a rack near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

4- Bake the dough for 20 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 300°F and bake until the crust is golden-brown all over and completely set, 20 to 25 more minutes. Let the crust cool completely before topping.

5- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment put the peanut butter and butter and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add about half of the confectioners’ sugar to the mixer along with the vanilla extract and 1 Tbs. hot water. Beat on low speed until combined, then on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 more minute. Beat in the remaining sugar and mix, about 1 more minute, until the mixture is smooth and thick, like frosting. If the filling seems too stiff, add another 1 Tbs. hot water and beat for another minute.

6- With a knife or metal offset spatula, spread the filling over the fully cooled crust. The filling may not spread smoothly and evenly, but don’t worry; the ganache will cover it.

7- Put the chocolate in a small heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until combined and smooth.

8- Spread the ganache over the peanut-butter filling with a metal offset spatula to coat evenly. Let the bars sit at least 3 hours to allow the ganache to set before cutting (or refrigerate for 1 hour).

9- Carefully lift the bars from the pan using the foil sides and transfer them to a cutting board. Separate the foil from the bars by sliding a spatula between them. Cut the bars into 1-1/2-inch squares.

The bars will keep at room temperature for 1 week.

In Which I Get Creative and Learn About Pans

When I received my copy of You Made That Dessert? I went through and put in sticky notes to mark all the stuff I wanted to make. Then my husband did the same thing. And my daughter. The poor book looks like it got ambushed in a Post-it note war!

When I had a pile of bananas going south on my counter I remembered the promising recipe in there for Peanut Butter Banana bread. Except I didn't want to make bread. I wanted to make muffins. I love how muffins are just hand-sized; perfect for grabbing on the way out the door, sitting by a mug of tea at breakfast time, or as a snack for a child who's knife skills don't extend to non-massacre of a loaf.

As I understand it, basically any quick bread loaf can be converted to muffins. I was unsure, though, about how many muffins the recipe would yield and how long cooking time should be. I greased up my trusty standard muffin tin that my mother-in-law gave me years and years ago and filled the wells two-thirds full. It yielded 17 muffins. Odd number. Which got me to thinking. I've made muffins before and the numbers didn't quite match up. So I went to the source - Martha. According to Cupcakes, a standard-sized muffin tin should hold 4 oz. of batter. Assuming this meant 4 fluid oz (which is the stupidest unit of measure EVER) I poured 1/2 a cup of water into my tin. Well, I tried. My tin would only hold about 2/3 to 3/4 of that amount. What???

Apparently at some time in the last 20 years, the size of standard muffins, not unlike the size of standard Americans, has been revised upward. I've been baking with insufficient muffin tins! That would explain why some muffin recipes work and some come out dry and overbaked, or spill over the tin. Rats. Now I need a new tin to bake new recipes, but I also have to hold onto my old tins for my old recipes? And remember which is which? Way too much brain space to devote to muffins, people.

But some muffins are worth it. Like the ones that I made with the bananas. Banana bread with peanut butter stirred in. With chocolate chips. And nuts. Incredibly moist, amazingly delicious. I promise these will be a new favorite, whatever size you make them.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- adapted from You Made That Dessert?

1-1/4 cups (5.35 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (not "natural")
2/3 cup sugar
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used regular chips and chopped them up a bit)

1- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Spray the wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2- In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3- In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the peanut butter and sugar together until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the mashed bananas and eggs and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4- Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon, mixing just until combined. Stir in the chopped nuts and the chocolate chips.

5- Divide the batter between the muffin tin wells, filling the wells 2/3 full. Depending on the size of your tins, you will get between 12 and 17 muffins.

6- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

7- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Once cooled, the muffins can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also tightly wrap the individual muffins in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Ultimate Answer Brownies

I don't know why so many people are consumed with worry over the national debt, global warming, and assorted international crises. The answer to all these problems is evident - peanut butter and chocolate. Who isn't happier when eating peanut butter and chocolate? Well, my sister, but she can take care of her problems with chips and onion dip.

Seriously, if we could convince people around the world to just have one of these brownies per day - ta da - world peace and prosperity! Well, maybe not. But at least we'd have had the brownies to fortify us to face the bad news du jour. Dense, fudgy, deliciously topped with peanut butter cheesecake. What, me worry?



Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
- adapted from Bon Appetite

Brownie layer:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake layer:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter (made with only peanuts and salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

For brownie layer:
1- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Spray 9-inch square metal baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray; line bottom with parchment paper.

2- In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir chocolate and butter until smooth; set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

3- Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed, then beat in flour and salt. Spread batter in pan.

For cheesecake layer:
4- In a medium bowl, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in cream, then flour. Transfer 1/3 cup cheesecake batter to small bowl and reserve. Spread remaining cheesecake batter over brownie layer.

5- Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low power in 10-second intervals until chocolate begins to melt, then stir until smooth. Mix chocolate into reserved 1/3 cup cheesecake batter. Drop chocolate batter by heaping teaspoonfuls atop cheesecake layer. Using chopstick or wooden skewer, swirl chocolate batter in figure-eight pattern through white cheesecake layer.

6- Bake brownies until edges of cheesecake layer are puffed and center is set, about 36 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on rack. Cover; chill at least 1 hour.

Cut brownies into 25 squares. Serve cold.

It's Pay Day!

I know I have a problem. Sometimes I think it might be time to seek help when I hit the 1-click order button on Amazon for a cookbook. Again. Or when the King Arthur Flour order arrives and I have to find place to store yet more flour. Or when I'm too embarrassed to admit the number of places I have chocolate squirreled away in my home.

But I realized my food blogging problem was over the top when I made some cookies, in order to destroy them. I took the time to even imprint cute little peanut grids on them, all the while knowing their true destiny was to be crushed up to make a base for another cookie.

A freebie magazine came to my door a little while ago, one of those "you know you want it" bits of bait they dangle in order to get you to subscribe. The magazine looked pretty good, but what really caught my eye was the bars on the back cover. Salted-Nut-Roll-Bars. Yum. I love PayDay candy bars. Salty, crunchy nuts and gooey, sweet filling. What's not to love?


In looking at the ingredient list I had most of it, but not the peanut butter sandwich cookies. So I made them. Would a normal person really do that? Probably not. So I'll give you the recipe both as I made it and as suggested, just in case you're a normal person with a life.

The original recipe called for 1 stick of butter for the base. That seemed like an awful lot of butter. I halved it. My base was a bit crumbly, but I preferred that to greasy. Just be sure to press the crumbs down firmly into the pan.

PayDay Bars
- adapted from Cuisine At Home

Makes 28 bars. Takes about 45 minutes + cooling time, much more if you make your own peanut butter sandwich cookies

Base;

1 lb. peanut butter sandwich cookies, or about 16 homemade p.b. sandwich cookies
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Topping;

1-2/3 cup peanut butter chips (1 package)
2/3 cup light corn syrup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
2 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)

1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2- Place the p.b. cookies in a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and process until crumbs clump together. Press the crumbs firmly into the prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden.

3- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the peanut butter chips, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth, about 5 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup of the peanut butter mixture over crumb base.

4- Sprinkle the marshmallows over the top and return the pan to the oven. Bake until marshmallows puff, about 2 minutes, then remove from the oven. Don't let the marshmallows brown.

5- Toss the peanuts and cereal with the remaining peanut butter mixture. Drop spoonfuls of the topping over the marshmallows, then spread with a spatula or greased fingertips. Cool the bars before cutting. For clean cuts, use a knife coated with cooking spray or butter.

Mind Control

It's terrible. I went to school and studied hard and got good grades. I went on to college. I attended lectures, took notes, read the texts, and learned the fine art of cramming for tests. So what pops into my head when I'm in the shower? Is it the periodic table? No. Is it the names of all the cranial nerves in order? No. Is it Sonnets from the Portuguese? No.

"Have another Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich cookie. From Banisco!"



Yes, lame TV theme songs and commercial jingles have so crowded my brain that there's no room there for useful information. Like where my glasses and the car keys might be.

But, as long as I have advertising jingles from the 70's controlling my brain, I might as well roll with it. If my brain thinks I need Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies, that's what I'll give it. But I'll make them myself. That'll show them who's boss!



You can make these as simple round sandwich cookies, but how much more fun to make them in the peanut shape? And, if you're feeling totally Martha, you can imprint a grid on the cookies before baking, to simulate peanut texture. I tried a plastic grid, the kind used for stitchery, on a few of the cookies with OK results.

Homemade Nutter Butters
- adapted from Top Secret Recipes

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp fine graham cracker crumbs (from about 1 cracker)

1- Preheat oven to 325 deg. with oven racks dividing the oven into thirds.

2- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar with an electric mixer.

3- Add the egg, salt, and peanut butter and beat until well blended, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

4- Put the oats in a food processor and pulse until it's almost as finely ground as flour. A blender on medium speed will work as well.

5- Add the oats and flour to the butter mixture and blend well.

6- Cover the dough and chill well (for at least an hour) for easier handling.

7- Roll small portions of the dough into 1-inch balls. Press these flat on ungreased cookie sheets so that they form 2-inch circles. Pinch in the sides to make a peanut shape. Flatten and press with a grid, if desired.

8- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown around the edges.

9-Let cool briefly on the cookie sheet then remove to a cooling rack while still warm.

10- Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl. It will make a stiff paste, similar to putty in texture.

11- When the cookies are cooled, pair up cookies so they'll match in size and shape. Divide the filling into 24 small portions. Working with your hands, take a portion of filling and press it flat, pressing it onto one half of a cookie pair. Top firmly with the other cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Makes 24 cookies

February Cake

Have you ever been in a restaurant, chatting in a leisurely way with your dinner companions, occasionally forking up a bite of your dinner, and the helpful waiter whisks your plate away without even asking if you're done with your meal? I feel that way about February. What happened? Where did it go? I wasn't done with it!

I had a long list of things to make and bake in February and I don't think I got to half of them. I'll blame it on the silly, short nature of February. The poor truncated month is missing three days, so I guess I should have lowered expectations for February.

Two of the things I managed to get done in February were birthday cakes. I'll tell you about one today and one next post. The first one was for my son-in-law. My daughter met him when they were in high school and she had a very good feeling about this boy when she learned that he, too, felt the best way to eat Oreos was dipped in peanut butter. Yes, he's a peanut butter and chocolate man, through and through.

In our house the birthday tradition is the birthday boy or girl gets to pick their own cake and I'll make it. Well, now the son-in-law is included. Bonus marriage perk! Of course we went with peanut butter and chocolate. A yellow cake with peanut butter frosting between the layers and on top, chocolate frosting around the sides, and Reese's peanut butter cups crumbled on top. A very good cake to share, as it serves 12.

(My decorating skills are meager at best, but I had fun doing that piped border!)



PB & C Birthday Cake

Yellow Cake
- adapted from The Perfect Cake

3 cups (360 g) sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks; 230 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
(6-.75 oz. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)

1- Grease two 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and grease the paper. Flour the pans and tap off the excess. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F with a rack in the center of the oven.

2- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3- In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.

4- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the vanilla.

5-Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Smooth the batter and using a small, off-set spatula, spread the batter slightly from the center toward the edges of the pan so it will rise evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or just until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake tops are lightly springy to the touch.

6- Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Top with a wire rack and invert. Peel off the parchment paper. Cool the layers completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups powdered sugar
7-8 Tbsp milk

1-Cream together the peanut butter and butter until lightened.

2- Blend in the vanilla and salt.

3- Stir in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time. It will form clumps. Don't worry.

4- Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the proper consistency is reached.

Chocolate Frosting
- adapted from The Perfect Cake

(if you make the whole recipe, you'll have leftovers to spread on graham crackers. You can halve the recipe, but it might make the outer frosting a bit skimpy. I would choose to go with leftovers. Which is why I currently have 3 containers of leftover frostings in my refrigerator.)

1/2 cup (1 stick; 110 g) unsalted butter, softened but not melted
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-4-1/2 cups (16 oz; 454 g) sifted confectioners' sugar
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
4-6 Tbsp heavy cream

With an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft, then beat in the salt and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat till smooth. Beat in the chocolate. Alternately add cream and remaining sugar, blending smooth between additions. Scrape down sides of bowl. Use only as much cream as necessary to reach spreading consistency.

To assemble:

1- Slice the cooled cake layers in half horizontally.

2- Place the first layer half on your serving plate. (To keep the plate clean, you can place strips of parchment paper beneath the edges of the cake. Pull these out after the cake is frosted.) Spread about 1/4 of the peanut butter frosting on the layer with an off-set spatula.

3- Place the second layer half on top. Repeat with the frosting. Repeat for the remaining layers.

4- Carefully spread the chocolate frosting around the side of the cake. Pipe frosting around the top edge.

5- Coarsely chop up the peanut butter cups and sprinkle them over the top of the cake.

Let It Snow, My Oven Is Warm

Sometimes people just don't get me. Am I that different? Is it that abnormal to plan your day around what you bake? Am I the only one who thinks, "It's cold and snowing. What can I bake to warm up the kitchen?" I may be abnormal, but that's the way I am and my family is OK with that.

My latest excuse to turn on the oven is another addition to my embarrassingly long list of peanut butter and chocolate combinations. When I saw these in the Cookies edition of Fine Cooking I knew they were going to be in top five of cookies baked from the magazine. Surprisingly easy to put together, they have a delicate texture and adult flavor that would fool any lucky recipient into thinking you put major effort into these cookies.

So, if you're buried in a snow drift and still have power, embrace the excuse and turn on the oven. So many cookies to bake, so little time!



Peanut Butter and Chocolate Sandwiches
- adapted from Cookies from Fine Cooking

for the cookies:
2-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
All-purpose flour for shaping

for the filling:
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
1/4 lb (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 deg. F. Line four cookies sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

2- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, and baking soda on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until just blended, about 25 seconds.

3- Shape level Tbsp of the dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange the balls 1-1/2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet.

4- Using a lightly floured glass or measuring cup, press down lightly on the balls. (I forgot this step and my cookies ended up with a crackly rather than smooth surface. Not much difference other than that, though.)

5- Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are puffed and crackled but still moist looking, about 11 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a rack to cool about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, move the cookies to the rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

6- Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring in between till chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and cool, stirring occasionally, until cool and slightly thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.

7- To assemble the sandwiches, turn half of the cooled cookies over so they're flat side up. Spoon 2 tsp of the chocolate filling onto the center of each cookie. Top with the remaining cookies, flat side down. Press gently on each cookie to spread the filling almost to the edge. Set on the rack until the filling is firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

Frozen Birthday Bliss

Another birthday come and gone. It was a good one as my birthday stretched into a birthday week. It started off with a surprise package from my almost-twin in England, who sent me a gorgeous necklace. Thank you, Melinda! I get so many compliments when I wear it, which is most of the time.

Then another friend took me out for lunch, French pastries, antique shopping, and visiting Fran's chocolates. Can a day get any better than that? Merci, Erin!

My actual birthday I got hugs and presents (cookbooks) from my family, plus a Happy Birthday balloon that my son enjoys using as a punching bag. Another bonus.

Then we wrapped up the week having friends over to help taste test some treats (stay tuned for that post) and to help me eat up my birthday cake.

Usually I'm all over a rich chocolate cake with mounds of chocolate frosting for my birthday. I'm not sure why, but this year it didn't appeal to me. Maybe it's the heat or all the cakes I've made in the past few months with mounds of buttercream frosting, but I couldn't muster up the enthusiasm to make a traditional cake loaded with frosting.

Also, there was the side issue of the the mini-bundt cake pan. It's stoneware. And I'd made dainty lemon cakes in it, and they would have graced the blog, except they refused to come out of the pan. My kids enjoyed eating the pile of cake morsels, but it made me cross. The pan needed more seasoning. What's my greasiest recipe that I could make in that pan to help season it? Peanut butter cookies. I made the dough and then carefully pressed it into all the tiny nooks and crannies of the pan. I baked it and it seemed to work beautifully. The pan was seasoned and I had a mound of peanut butter cookie crumbs to deal with.

They sat in a sealed container on the counter as I pondered what to do with them. Finally I hit upon the perfect solution to both what to do with the cookies and what to do for my birthday cake.


I lined a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving extra hanging over the edges, and pressed the cookie crumbs into the bottom of it. I made a quart of vanilla ice cream, Philadelphia-stye, from The Perfect Scoop and scooped it straight from the ice cream maker into the pan, spreading it over the crumbs and smoothing out the top. The pan went into the freezer for several hours. When the ice cream was firm I took the pan out and spread peanut butter over the ice cream. I didn't measure - it was about a cup - enough to cover the whole surface. Then the pan went back into the freezer.

I made a batch of chocolate ice cream, again from The Perfect Scoop. The custard base for this was so rich and voluptuous I had a hard time restraining myself from diving into it face first. After chilling it was thick and beautiful, like a dessert cart's dream pudding. It was so thick that it broke the handle on my Donvier. The plastic snapped off at the lid. Aaaahhhh! I grabbed a spatula and tried scooping and folding to get the right consistency. Because it didn't have as much air added into it as machine done ice cream, it ended up being dense, but I like that in a chocolate product.


The chocolate ice cream, when as close to being frozen as it was going to get, was smoothed over the peanut butter layer, then the dish was popped back into the freezer. While it chilled I made a recipe of The World's Best Hot Fudge Sauce and let it cool. When all the way cooled, I spread it over the top of the chocolate layer and (you guessed it) put it back in the freezer.

About 10 minutes before serving, I took the pan out and, using the foil as handles, lifted the whole brick out of the baking dish. After softening on the counter for about 10 minutes, I cut the "cake" into squares (small, as it's incredibly rich) and put each square on a cake, topped it with whipped cream and garnished it with butter brickle chips. Chopped peanuts would also be good.

It was tremendously good and got thumbs up of appreciation from the guests (their mouths were too full to politely give commentary). I send them home with pieces for later, but still have some in my freezer to take out and savor as the summer heat lingers.

Obviously you could make this entire recipe with store-bought ingredients. I just prefer to have it all homemade. I'm weird that way. If you want to make it, you can also change up the flavors to suit your tastes. If you don't care for peanut butter (strange sister of mine), you could do a layer of caramel sauce there and substitute butter brickle ice cream for the chocolate. Play with it and have fun, but remember to share because it makes enough for a party!

Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from the Cookie book

1/2 cup (4 oz) butter at room temperature, diced
3/4 cup (4-1/2 oz) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz) smooth or crunchy peanut butter
1 cup (8 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

1- With an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2- In a separate bowl, stir together the egg and vanilla, then gradually beat into the butter mixture.

3- Add the peanut butter and blend thoroughly. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir into the mixture to form a soft dough. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, until firm.

4- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.

5- Spoon out rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough and roll into balls.

6- Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press flat with a fork into round shapes about 2-1/2 inches in diameter, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, or until lightly colored. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Or, to season a stoneware pan, press the dough into it, bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, then find a delicious use for the crumbs.

Celebration Cake

Just before Christmas. a friend was rushed to the hospital. It was a sudden emergency and there was a much anxiety and many prayers before we heard that he was getting better and coming home. To celebrate I wanted to make him a welcome home cake, but obviously a standard, boring cake would not suffice for an occasion of this magnitude. This had to be a champagne corks popping, fireworks going off in the sky kind of cake. I knew peanut butter and chocolate rocked his world, so I had an excuse to make this wonderful, extravagant cake I'd had in my files for a couple of years. It's got a brownie base, creamy peanut butter filling, and decadent dark ganache covering it all. What's not to love?

It's actually not that difficult to make and the steps can be stretched out over a couple of days, so I made it again for a bridal shower party for my daughter. It was a huge hit and many of the guests asked, "Is this on your blog?" Well, it is now, ladies. So get out your mixers, loosen your belts and get ready for:

Peanut Butter Celebration Cake!
adapted from a recipe on the Nestle website

Brownie base-
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 oz bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate
2 large eggs
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

PB layer-
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Ganache-
12 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate*, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp peanut butter chips
3 Tbsp milk chocolate chips

1- Click here to get into the proper mood.

2- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease.

3- Put butter and 3 oz chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute on high and stir to melt. Set aside to cool.

4 - Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, melted butter and chocolate, vanilla extract and salt. Stir till smooth and pour into prepared pan.



5 - Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake; cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment; cool completely.

6- For peanut butter layer beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in medium bowl until combined, either by hand or with an electric mixer. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

7 - For the ganache, heat cream in small saucepan to boiling; remove from heat. Add semi-sweet morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Stir; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake. It will seem like a lot, but pile it on and smooth it out. It'll work.

8 - Melt peanut butter and milk chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on high in intervals of 30 seconds, stirring after each interval. When the chips are melted and combined, spoon the mixture into a zip-loc plastic bag, close the bag, and snip off a tiny piece from one corner. Drizzle this mixture over the cake in a decorative pattern.

* I used bittersweet chocolate. The peanut butter layer is sweet and I liked the bittersweet and sweet playing off each other. If you're not a fan of bittersweet, use semi-sweet.




This is my entry for the Death By Chocolate Contest. If you like it, please vote for me!

Fluffernutter Cake

My husband has an addiction. He has a compulsion to look at certain kinds of pictures on the computer. No, not that kind of picture!! His favorite leisure time activity is trolling the internet for interesting tech factoids, cool videos of jet engine flame-outs, and gossip about the newest Macintosh products. He will even cover up the scantily clad, buxom women in the side bar advertisements so he can better focus on the latest PIXAR movie trailer.

The other day he sheepishly turned the laptop around to me and said, "Look what I found. Don't you have some bananas on the counter?" He showed me a totally drool-worthy cake on Slashfood, the Elvis cake from Foodaphilia. "Would you make me this, please, honey?"

Well, how can I turn down such a nice guy?

I made the cake and as I was putting it together I thought about Elvis. Amazing music, jumpsuits, and hey, wasn't he a big fan of fluffernutter sandwiches? With this brain spark, I added marshmallow fluff to the frosting in between the layers. Wow, it tastes just like my Killer Crack Peanut Butter Fudge! The cake is super moist with gooey filling and mounds of frosting, and it tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld. Perfect for banana lovers, peanut butter addicts, and Elvis fans alike!

Elvis Fluffernutter Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 mashed bananas, about 1 cup
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on the cake

1- Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Grease the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans. Fit the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Grease and flour the whole pan.

2- In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating just to combine. Stir in vanilla and mashed bananas.

4- Pour batter evenly between the two cake pans. Sprinkle the mini chips over the top of the batter. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

5- Let pans cool for 10 minutes on a rack. Carefully invert layers onto a plate, peel off the parchment paper, then carefully put back on the rack to finish cooling. If the cake cracks at all, don't fret as there will be plenty of gooey frosting to fill in the gaps.

Frosting

2 sticks of butter at room temperature
1 cup of smooth peanut butter
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup marshmallow fluff

With an electric mixer cream together the butter and peanut butter until it's smooth. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time. Add as much of the milk as you need to achieve the consistency you want.

Place 1/3 of the frosting into a separate bowl and fold in the marshmallow fluff till completely incorporated.

Frost the top of the first layer with the marshmallow frosting. Top with the second layer. Frost with the rest of the frosting and sprinkle mini chips over the top, pressing them into the frosting slightly.