Peanut Butter Blossoms

If peanut butter and chocolate got married, this would be their baby.  That's weird.....and probably wrong.  A chocolate peanut butter cup would probably be a better baby analogy.  Then again, you can't see the peanut butter until you take a bite of the chocolate peanut butter cup, so maybe the peanut butter blossom would make a better baby.  Does it really matter?  No.  What does matter is that these cookies are soooooo goooooooooood!!!!!

I know we've all probably seen these before, especially around Christmas, so I know I'm not breaking new ground in any way whatsoever.  Not that I ever really do.  But these cookies are a cinch to make and once batch makes a lot of cookies, so they are really good for a crowd.  I have also frozen the dough after I shape it into balls so I can make as little or as many as I would like at one time.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients
48 Milk Chocolate Hershey's Kisses (wrappers removed)
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup additional granulated sugar for rolling

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening and peanut butter until well blended. Add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and brown sugar, and continue to beat until fluffy.  Then, add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix to combine.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add it to peanut butter mixture, while continuing to stir until thoroughly combined.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place the dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Once the cookies are out of the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into center of each cookie.  The cookie will crack around edges. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Peanut Butter Pie

What good is making your own peanut butter if you don't have a fabulous peanut butter pie recipe to go with it?  I have been making my own peanut butter for about three years, and I love to make this pie every once in a while.  I say 'every once in a while' because this pie is so rich; a little bit goes a long way.  That said, I usually take this pie to parties because it would be too much for my family to eat by ourselves in a reasonable amount of time.

If you are going to make this pie, I would recommend using AB's peanut butter recipe that can be found on Food Network's website.  If you click the 'printable recipe' link below, the peanut butter recipe will be included.  Also included in the link is AB's roasted peanut application.  I have never roasted my own peanuts for this pie, mainly because I can't find raw in-shell Spanish peanuts anywhere.  I buy roasted salted Spanish peanuts from The Sunspot, and they never fail to produce a scrumptious peanut butter.

This peanut butter pie recipe is fairly straightforward.  There are a lot of steps, but the end result is well worth it.  The hardest part is waiting for the pie to cool, which you have to do a couple times during the process of making it.  The wait is well worth it as the reward is a smooth pie, that's not too sweet, where the peanut butter is actually the star.

Peanut Butter Pie

Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
6 1/2 ounces chocolate wafers
1 tablespoon sugar
5 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1 batch homemade peanut butter
3 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the wafers and 1 tablespoon sugar. Process until the wafers are fine crumbs. Melt 3 ounces of the butter and drizzle into the crumb mixture. Pulse to combine. Press this mixture into the bottom, up the sides and just over the lip of a 9-inch metal pie pan. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

After the crust has cooled, place the peanut butter and remaining 2 ounces of butter into the bowl of the food processor. Process for 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and process for another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Carefully spread the mixture into the pie shell and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while preparing the topping.

Place the heavy cream into a heat-proof bowl and microwave on high just until simmering, approximately 30 seconds. Remove the cream from the microwave and add the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is completely submersed in the cream. Allow to sit for 2 minutes. Gently whisk until the chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread the chocolate mixture over the pie and chill in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Madness!

One of my oldest and most crowd pleasing recipes is what we refer to as the 'atom bomb.'  This sweet concoction is composed of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch, marshmallows, peanut butter, and M&M's.  It's quite a treat.

The first time I tried it is when Valerie worked as a teller.  One of her co-workers made it and I got to try a piece.  It was so good I asked her for the recipe on the spot and she was nice enough to give it to me.  I asked the co-worker what it was called, and she told me that her family called it an 'atom bomb', so the name stuck. Here's the recipe for all you peanut butter-marshmallow-chocolate lovers out there.

Atom Bomb
Printable Recipe

2 oz. butter
1 lb. of marshmallows
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 14 oz. box of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch
2 cups M&M's (frozen)

Melt the butter over low heat in a large saucepan.  Once the butter is completely melted, add the marshmallows and stir constantly until completely melted.  To the melted marshmallows add the peanut butter and stir until combined, then add the vanilla extract and salt.  Remove mixture from the heat and add the Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch and gently stir to combine.  Pour mixture onto a buttered sheet pan and add frozen M&M's.  Using your hands or some buttered wax paper, fold the M&M's into the cereal mixture and press into the pan.  Let cool before serving.

---

There are several ways to serve this tasty treat.  For a more sophisticated appearance it can be cut into squares.  For a more primitive approach, the whole thing could be left as a mound of peanut buttery goodness, and potential eaters could tear off chunks of it as they wish.  I personally prefer the 'mound' approach, but for more formal affairs, I cut it into squares.  It may not be one of my more nutritious recipes, but it sure does taste good!

One side note, I've never really been a fan of the name 'atom bomb.'  I've looked for variations of the recipe in the internet to see what others call it, and most people name it something like 'Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch Treats.'  That's a little too boring and mundane for me.  I've been trying to come up with a new fun name, but the perfect label escapes me.  'Peanut Butter Blast' is my best attempt.  I like it, but I think it could be better.  If anyone has any name suggestions, I'd love to hear them!  I know a lot of you are much better with words than I am.

Peanut butter bliss

So, I've been making my own peanut butter for a while now and I recently ate some of a national brand that I used to buy religiously. The result? I liked my peanut butter so much better! I was nervous, because when I first started making peanut butter, it was good, but not what I was used to. I liked my homemade variety better than the all natural peanut butter we bought, but it was still different than that classic peanut butter taste I grew up with. Now, I don't think I could go back. Homemade peanut butter provides a richness and a depth of flavor lacking in that national brand. Plus, with all the unsanitary conditions at some of the peanut factories around the country, this is a much safer option as well; and I know exactly what is in my peanut butter.

My journey into the realm of the peanut butter began when I saw an episode of Good Eats; which is where many a food fascination starts for me. The episode focused on peanuts and Alton Brown made a peanut butter pie with homemade peanut butter. I read some reviews online about the pie and many people used store-bought peanut butter and said it turned out fine, but the people who made their own peanut butter raved about the results. Always up for a new culinary challenge, I decided to make my own peanut butter for the pie. The pie turned out so deliciously wonderful and we were hooked on the new peanut butter, too. I now make several jars at a time and have made many batches for family and friends. I also just made my first batch of chunky peanut butter and gave it to Michael since he prefers the chunky variety.

I have thought about selling my peanut butter at the retail level, and Eva and Katie helped me come up with a brand name, Cousin Luke's Fundamental Peanut Butter. I met with The Sunspot last summer to discuss selling it there, but I got discouraged when I found out I had to get my own separate permit to make my peanut butter in the back room. Aunt Joan has since said that she doesn't mind having an inspector come out so I can get my permit, so now the ball is in my court. I think it would be a rewarding experience to be able to make a quality product for people to enjoy and discover what real peanut butter tastes like. Who knows?