Peanut Butter Munchies

Peanut Butter Munchies

Today in the Lehigh Valley we started out hot and humid, but after a much-needed thunderstorm, things cooled off quite nicely to a very comfortable 70 degrees and for me that means cooking. More specifically today, it was baking.

On our last trip to Philadelphia, I came across a Better Homes and Gardens magazine in the waiting room of a doctor's office. With the only other choices being The Economist and Field & Stream, I chose wisely and read it through twice during the 3 hour waiting time.

This recipe was in there, and as I had extra time on my hands, I copied it down. I made them this evening, in honor of the cooler weather, and the kids are devouring them as I write. Oh, and the storage instructions at the bottom are clearly for people not living on this planet - there's not going to be anything to store in this house.

Peanut Butter Munchies

Makes: 32 cookies
Printable Recipe

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

3. For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.

4. On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. [NOTE: I rolled mine in powdered sugar before flattening slightly]

6. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they're just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. Makes 32 cookies.

To Store: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Ile de France Cheese of the Month: St. Albray

Cheese of the month for August at Ile de France is St. Albray - another soft-ripened cheese that has, so far, been my favorite of the edible rind variety. This cheese is equally delicious served cold, at room temperature or even melted.

Each section of cheese is an 8 ounce portion of a larger wheel that looks like a flower when intact. The presentation of a full wheel would be stunning at a large gathering.

I had in mind a stacked salad of the panzanella variety, but once I knew this cheese was on its way, I decided to do a French version of that, and this is the delicious result. The St. Albray was the perfect complement to the intense flavor of the tapenade and red peppers.

French Bread Stacked Salad with St. Albray Cheese
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

12 1/2-inch thick slices of day-old French bread
8 slices plum tomato
4 ounces bottled roasted red peppers
8 slices St. Albray cheese - rind on
1 cup prepared tapenade (my recipe is HERE)
4 basil leaves for garnish
olive oil for garnish

Lay out 8 bread slices, setting 4 aside
Layer each slice of bread with tapenade, red pepper, cheese and tomato.
Stack 2 slices of prepared bread together and top with a plain slice of bread.
Top each stack with a basil leaf and drizzle with olive oil.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

Blueberry Corn Muffins

This recipe is adapted from the Raspberry Corn Muffins in the Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook, Food to Live By. Please purchase the book to see that and other wonderful recipes by Myra Goodman.

This makes a moist muffin that is not quite as moist the second day. Either way, they are delicious!

Blueberry Corn Muffins
Makes 18 regular size muffins or 9 larger
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal - I like regular grind for texture
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup sour milk (1 Tablespoon lemon juice and enough milk to make 1 cup)
1 pint fresh blueberries - washed and dried

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place cupcake liners in 18 muffin cups.
Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Blend well. Make a well in the center and add eggs, oil and milk. Stir until there are no more lumps. Add blueberries and fold in. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops of muffins spring back when touched.

Ian (5), Lara (2) and Katie (8)

What is it about Popsicles (which is a brand name, by the way) that is so perfectly Summer? I've written about them before, at Family.com (click for the full article), and my children's love for them is as strong as ever.

Somehow today the only flavor left in the box was orange and the 3 youngest sitting on the stoop, barefoot and enjoying them was too rich to pass up. I haven't had a freeze-pop for a long time, but today when Lara wasn't able to finish hers, rather than tell her the usual, "Drop it in the sink", I took it from her chubby, sticky little hand and finished it. I'm not sure an orange popsicle has ever tasted so good.

More Fried Squash Blossoms

I shared these last year - and you can see that post here: http://cookingwithanne.blogspot.com/2008/07/fried-squash-blossoms.html , but here are a few photos from the ones made today.