Peanut Butter Everything Cookies

 

When I lived in Canada I used to love watching the cooking shows on Saturday afternoons . . .  well, anytime really. It was my guilty pleasure.  I used to watch Julia Child, and The Frugal Gourmet, Cooking from Quilt Country, Lidia's Italian Kitchen, and Martha Stewart of course (to name a few).  Another show I enjoyed was one starring Caprial Pence. I can't remember what it was called.  I've always been a fan of cooking television. It started with Take Thirty when I was still a teen at home and Madame Benoit, Wok with Yan and the Galloping Gourmet.

 

Nothing has changed, except at the start the cooking hosts were older and I was younger and now I am old and the cooking hosts are young!  How did that happen???  Somehow it did it without me noticing!

 

I actually don't want a lot of food television these days really . . .  I like the GBBO, and on Netflix those shows like Chef's Table and Chef's Table.  My guilty pleasure is the Pioneer Woman, but I have to watch that when Todd's not home. He can't stand her voice.  He says she sounds like a Duck quacking when she talks.  He has a point  . . .

 

So what does any of this have to do with peanut butter cookies???  Nothing really except that this recipe I am sharing is adapted from one I found in a cookbook I own by Caprial Pence. 

 

I picked it up when I was working at the Manor.  I always needed good desserts to cook for the dinner parties and luncheons.  I could justify buying cookbooks as a working expense.  😏 Not so much now.  Now they are just an addiction passion. 

 

Actually I don't buy as many as I used to . . .  there really is such a thing as having too many, and with the resources available on line that we have today, there is no need to own as many.  I don't buy cooking magazines much anymore either.   I only buy books that I know are filled with recipes I think I am going to want to cook and it is the same with magazines.  Yes, I am that annoying person who reads through cooking magazines before I buy them.

 

Anyways, this is a cookie recipe I have had flagged in Caprial's book for some 14 1/2 years now.  The book is filled with lovely dessert recipes from just about every dessert genre, but also adaptations for variations on the original theme.

 

I like that really  . . .  variations.  That is the way I like to cook  . . .  switching up and changing bits here and there.  Its more fun and works well.

 

The original recipe was for Mother's Peanut Butter Cookies, with this variation for Peanut Butter Everything Cookies.

 

The variation includes the addition of oats, orange zest, chocolate chips and  shredded coconut . . . all things that I love.

 

I actually cut the recipe in half as there are only two of us . . .  and I didn't want that much temptation hanging around my kitchen.

 

Smart move on my part because these are very incredibly MOREISH!!!!

  

They are delicious. If you bake them for the longer time you get crisper cookies.  Just saying. If crisp is your thing . . .  do bake for a tad bit longer.  I baked some at the shorter time and some at the longer time.  Both were very good, but I thought the crisper ones the best!

Peanut Butter Everything Cookies

Yield: Makes about 48 cookies

Author: Marie Rayner

Moreish peanut butter cookies that are stogged full of chocolate chips, oats and orange zest.  An unbeatable combination!  Crisp and buttery!

ingredients:

• 240g cold unsalted butter, diced (1 cup)
• 190g granulated sugar (1 cup)
• 200g soft light brown sugar (1 cup, firmly packed)
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 180g peanut butter (1 cup) (you can use either smooth or crunchy)
• 245g flour (1 3/4 cups)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 120g old fashioned oats (1 1/2 cups)
• 180g bittersweet chocolate chopped (1 cup)
• the finely grated zest of one orange
• 75g shredded sweetened coconut (1 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Peanut Butter Everything Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Line a couple of baking sheets with some baking paper.  Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and both sugars in a bowl of a mixer and beat on high speed  until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides.  Beat in the eggs, orange zest and vanilla. Add the peanut butter, mixing it in well.  Sift together the flour, soda and salt.  Stir into the creamed mixture until smooth.  Stir in the oats, chocolate  and coconut.
3. Shape TBS into 1/2 inch balls and place on the baking sheets leaving plenty of space in between for spreading.  Press down lightly with a fork.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for  10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and set.  Let sit on the baking sheets for  5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Repeat until all the batter has been used.
5. Store in an airtight container.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

These fabulous cookies are like a combination of all your favourite cookies in one . . .  oatmeal and coconut cookies, chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies.  You can't go wrong.  Do use the orange zest. It really adds a wonderful layer of additional flavour! 

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Peanut Butter Bread

 

This is a recipe that I have had my eye on for a long time.  I adore peanut butter in any way shape or form.  I do like the creamy style slightly more than the crunchy, but if it's peanut butter I am all for it!

 

The original recipe comes from a baking book I have had for a while, entitled Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, by Kathleen King.  I have had it since before we moved back here to Chester and I am ashamed to say this is the first time I have used it!

 

As a part of my efforts to downsize around here I have been going through all of my cookery books and trying to decide which ones to keep and which ones not to keep.  If they are books I have used a lot, they stay  . . . . naturally.

 

But if they are not books which I have used, I am having to do some serious thinking as to whether it is worth keeping them or not.  I want to have at least 10 recipes per book, if not more, that I have cooked or am interested in cooking.

 

This one looks somewhat promising, especially after baking this loaf and seeing how lovely it turned out.

 

A simple quick bread with lovely rich peanut butter flavours.  Easy to make.  It did take me sightly longer to bake, but I am not sure if that is because of where I live, or because my oven isn't working properly.  (Yes, still!)

 

She recommended serving it toasted and spread with jam.  I decided to try it first as little sandwiches  . . .  one with strawberry jam, and another with a sugar free chocolate spread I have here in the house.

 

Both looked very good . . . .

 

I also cut a thin slice and toasted it in the toaster  . . .  until the edges were crisp and golden . . .

 

That slice I spread lightly with salted butter  . . . . 

 

Then I sat down with a finger of each and a cup of Peanut Hottie Hot Chocolate to try them out . . .

  

I know . . .  its a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

Peanut Butter Bread

Yield: 1 9-inch loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

Lovely loaf with a rich peanut butter flavour.  Eat it plain, toasted, as little jam  or nutella sandwiches or for dessert with ice cream and chocolate sauce!

ingredients:

• 280g plain flour (2 cups)
• 1 TBS Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 65g butter softened (1/4 cup)
• 95g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
• 50g soft dark brown sugar (1/4 cup, firmly packed)
• 180g smooth peanut butter (1 cup)
• 1 large free range egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 240ml milk (1 cup milk)

instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 9 X 5 X 3 inch loaf tin.  Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and both sugars together until combined.  Add the peanut butter and mix well together.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions.  Spoon into the prepared loaf tin.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  The top should spring back when lightly touched.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes prior to tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.  Store in an airtight container. 

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

The results were  . . .  I liked the toasted one, but it was not my favourite . . .  the sugar free chocolate spread was very good. My very favourite however  . . . . was the one with strawberry jam!  Yes, you can take the North American out of North America, but you can't take the North America out of the North American.  My veins flow with peanut butter and jam!  Yummity yummity yum yum yum! 

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