Brown Butter Blondies with White Chocolate

I've been using my underdeveloped photography skills as a recent excuse for not blogging. I'll make a new recipe I just love or tweak an old recipe and be dying to share it with all of you, and then I'll look at the photographs and pause.

Sometimes it's the light that's all wrong. I often blame the only window in my apartment, far from my kitchen and on street level so the blinds are too often kept closed.

Other times, I'll have photos of the process all along the way, but I'll somehow have forgotten to photograph the finished product.

Or, like with this recipe, I'll only have a picture of the finished product (and an Instagram photo at that!). Look closely, and you can just see the blondies below that massive label.

Perhaps it's that I secretly never choose to cook recipes without photographs, so I feel guilty sharing them with you or nervous that you feel the same way and won't look any further.

Maybe I'll update this recipe with a better photograph later on, or maybe I won't. Either way, these blondies are delicious! The brown butter adds a delightful nuttiness, and the white chocolate ensures that each bit is just loaded with goodness. These bars are dense, something you can really sink your teeth into.

So make the blondies, despite the picture.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

A student told me today he had four brothers and another one on the way. I looked at him and said, "That's half a year of entries in your writing notebook!" 

That line, tweeted from an elementary school teacher, lingered with me last night. For that little boy, growing up as one of six brothers will provide him with endless inspiration for writing. Even a simple car ride gains significance, showing him the value of compromise when he makes a deal with Brother #3, trading his place in the front seat of the car for a pack of baseball cards. 

Writers return to their favorite writing territories again and again, lingering with them, revisiting them in entirely new ways and ways that feel utterly familiar. These territories draw us back to our favorite authors, knowing we'll find a bit of something familiar in each new book they publish.

Right now, peanut butter is my territory. It's where I'm lingering. It focuses my recipe searches and my grocery store purchases. Recently, I've been experimenting with chocolate chip peanut butter oatmeal cookies, trying out countless variations to find one worthy of sharing with all of you. 

This is definitely it. They're almost too large, but you won't hear anyone complaining. They're soft and chewy,  loaded with extra oatmeal. They're a little light on the sugar which really lets the peanut butter shine through.

Make a batch to share, and freeze a few to have when the urge hits in the future. This is one territory you'll certainly want to return to again and again.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse

Rough gems.

That's how Ralph Fletcher, a fabulous teacher of teachers and young writers, described rough drafts.

Isn't that language just beautiful? I love the idea of seeing our drafts, our first/second/third tries at writing something, as these gems, not totally polished yet full of incredible potential.

I'm trying to see my writing that way. These past two months, I've started post after post, jotted a few paragraphs and then stopped. I've questioned my words, doubted the power of my stories, hit discard when I felt like I could go no further.

Fletcher's words gave me that permission I needed today to write something messy, something far from perfect, and then to step back, reflect and see the beauty waiting in it.

I'm grateful for those words, and I'm glad to be back here. Writing. Blogging.

Luckily, these past two months have brought no shortage of time in the kitchen.

Here's one of my favorites from our time apart. This is a rich and creamy dessert, nothing rough about it, save for the peanut butter cups crumbled on top. Each bite is layered, loaded with chocolate, peanut butter and more chocolate and peanut butter.

Dark Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies

In just a few short hours, New York City food bloggers are scheduled to descend on the Brooklyn Flea to raise money for No Kid Hungry. The list of food being brought looks incredible.

Mini flourless chocolate cakes.

Coconut lime shortbread.

Smoked bourbon chocolate.

Lemon bars with a lavender shortbread crust.

S'mores brownies.

The list continues on, and I'm delighted to be contributing these dark chocolate chip pistachio cookies. They're overflowing with pistachios and dark chocolate chunks (the quantities of those included almost mirror the quantities of all other ingredients, combined).

Anything with four minutes of butter and sugar mingling has to be delicious, and these cookies are no exception. They've got layers of flavor, and they make the typical chocolate chip cookie far more exciting.

We'll be at the Flea from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., unless we sell out before then! Stop by!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are all about flexibility.

You see, I ran out of brown sugar about a week ago, and I forgot to pick some up at the store last weekend.

Disclaimer: I could have solved my problem. Easily. Within a five-minute walk from my apartment, there are at least two 24-hour grocery stores and bodegas that would definitely have brown sugar. Also, it was the middle of the day. And it was beautiful out. I could have left the house and enjoyed it.

Needless to say, I didn't. I proceeded to make cookies with no brown sugar, substituting molasses and white sugar instead.

I was nervous at first. The dough had that distinctive molasses taste at first, and I worried it would show its face in the final product. It seemed too strong.

I persevered. I kept eating cookie dough. All of a sudden, I didn't mind the molasses at all.

Then I let the dough chill for a few hours and baked it up.

I bit into the first one before it cooled.

Delicious. No molasses taste at all. Chewy, with a bit of a crunch on the outside. Just loaded with chocolate chunks. 

I made these cookies for my mom to celebrate her birthday, loaded with oatmeal just like she likes them. I shipped them off this weekend in hopes they'll be to her today. 

Happy birthday to you, Mom! Sending lots of love your way. Like the molasses, I hope these cookies will substitue a bit for my absence. Wish I could be there with you today!

Chocolate Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

These only exist because I found a bag of Iddy Biddy Bunnies at the grocery store.

They're so tiny. And adorable.

Sixty fit inside one little bag.

I passed on them several times at the store, and yesterday I just couldn't resist anymore.

Because of these bunnies, I made chocolate carrot cake. Only because of these bunnies.

I now have a ridiculous amount of chocolate carrot cake frosted with cream cheese icing only because I wanted to put these bunnies on top.

This is a really, really good problem to have. It's moist and delicious, and the cocoa and chocolate chunks add something a bit different to your typical carrot cake.

I would recommend you do the same and whip yourself up a batch of these. Quickly, because Easter is just around the corner.

P.S. If you're looking for other tasty Easter treats, look at these tasty Chocolate Peanut Butter nests!

Perfect Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Do you have plans tonight?

Cancel them.

Or at the very least, postpone them by the ten minutes it will take to get out the ingredients for these cookies, whip up the dough, stick it in the fridge to chill, and do the dishes.

Trust me, those ten minutes will be well worth it.

I lived far too many years of my life not knowing cookies like these existed, and I would just hate for someone else to make the same mistake.

I know what you're saying. Katie, isn't this the eleventh chocolate peanut butter recipe you've blogged about in the past two years?

Yes, it is, and I'm not ashamed.

Because this one is different. All the previous recipes were good. Some were really incredible. But they were all complicated. Like this chocolate peanut butter mousse cake, for instance. It's ridiculous decadent, and not overly complicated to assemble, but it will certainly require lots of planning ahead and a special trip to the grocery store.

That's not the case for these little treats.

I bet you have all the ingredients in your pantry right not. Creamy peanut butter. Dark brown sugar. One egg. A little vanilla. A touch of baking soda.

Throw the ingredients in your stand mixer, whisk up for three minutes, and then pack away for at least four hours, or until chilled.

Avoid cracking the fridge open every few minutes as you walk by, or there will be very little dough left when you're ready to bake the cookies.

Eat them warmed up for a few seconds or at room temperature. Just make sure the chocolate is a little soft when you bite in.

I better go.

There are only two of these bad boys left on my counter, and they're calling to me.

Peanut Butter, Oatmeal and M&M Cookies

My cookie sheet doesn't fit in my new oven.

It turns out the oven in my new apartment is smaller than I thought. At least the fridge is full-sized. You wouldn't believe how many over-priced Brooklyn apartments have mini-fridges, the kind it's really only appropriate to have in a college dorm or next to your desk at your office.

This would not have been a problem had I noticed in advance or had I decided to make cookies when cooking stores were still open. But no, I only noticed when I was trying to shove a cookie sheet full of cookie dough (that had already been chilling for 5 hours, as per Matt and Renato's instructions) into the oven. It didn't fit. Either direction. It wasn't even close.

Yes, I could have given up and decided to just eat the raw cookie dough.

I won't lie.

I did do a bit of that.

But instead, I decided to get creative.

I used my toaster oven's baking try. It holds two cookies at a time for 12 minutes of baking and 8 minutes of cooling on the pan immediately after. I made about 20 cookies before I gave up and decided to freeze the remaining dough.

I'm glad I went ahead with baking. These cookies are incredible. They're moist and chewy, a fantastic combination of chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal cookies loaded with chocolate.

These are not your mama's cookies. One cookie is about the equivalent of two normal-sized cookies, but I won't tell if you decide to have more than one.

Raspberry-Chocolate Macaroons

I, sadly, am a cook without a food processor. Living with roommates for years allowed me to avoid getting some of those tools that you really don't want to go without in the kitchen.

Several of them I replaced quickly. I had to have a saute pan and a pot large enough to cook noodles. A surprise housewarming party provided other essentials: a tea kettle, a lemon juicer, an ice cube tray and even a can opener (yes, moving to my own apartment left me short one of those as well).

At my old apartment, I used my roommate's food processor for everything. It made pizza and pasta dough making a snap. Pestos ground up in a matter of minutes. I no longer needed to chop chocolate for hours to make chocolate babkas. Hit "on" and the chocolate was chopped in seconds.

Though I've certainly adjusted to life without a food processor, there are just some recipes I can't make without it. I've had Deb's raspberry coconut macaroons bookmarked for months in anticipation of a visit home and access to my parents' food processor.

The wait was certainly worth it.

These macaroons are sweet and tangy at the same time, and you get a little bit of bittersweet chocolate in each bite. The simple coconut base allows all the flavors to shine through.

I can usually successfully keep my distance from cookies after I bake them, but I brought these on the airplane with me over the Christmas break and found myself cracking open the lid to the container again and again.

Happy 2013!

Hot Fudge Sauce

One jar of hot fudge sauce.

Oh, so many uses.


1. Heat it up just a bit, and spoon it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream after Christmas dinner because you really haven't had enough to eat yet.

2. Eat it straight from the fridge, straight from the jar, with a spoon. It's the most delightful cross between a warm hot fudge and a rich, dense square of fudge. Repeat regularly, each time you walk into your kitchen, until the jar is empty.

3. Add it to the top of your favorite, already rich dessert that could benefit from just a little bit more chocolate: cupcakes, cookies, pie or cheesecake!

4. Drizzle a little over your pancakes for breakfast. Divine.

5. Stir a little into warmed milk or hot coffee to make a delicious chocolatey drink.

6. Add it into your next batch of brownies after you've poured the batter into the pan, pouring a little in and then swirling it with a knife. Bake as usual.

7. Unroll a croissant, spread a little warmed hot fudge sauce in the middle, and re-seal. Eat, and smile.

8. Spread on the bottom of a graham cracker, top with a toasted marshmallow and enjoy a decadent s'more.

9. Thin it a little with half-and-half, and while still warm, use it as fondu. Dip sweet bread, fruits, marshmallows and nuts in it.

10. Spread a generous amount between two sandwich cookies: delicious homemade chocolate Oreos.

 

I'm sure the list goes on, but I have to stop. I just realized, sadly, that the single jar of hot fudge sauce I made will be nowhere near enough to bring all my hot fudge dreams to life.

It's back into the kitchen for me!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I haven't blogged about a peanut butter and chocolate dessert since June 27.

I know. I'm sorry for making you wait so long. It was unintentional, really.

Knowing that I'd be biting into this mousse cake later in the day, I decided to make the whole experience into a bit of a workout. I beat the cream by hand for several long minutes, and I creamed the remaining ingredients together as well.

My arm ached a little as I cut slices from the dessert for a friend's dinner party potluck.

It was worth it.

Similar to the chocolate peanut butter brownie cheesecake from the spring, here's a ridiculously decadent dessert that you'll only need a tiny slice of. The Oreo cookie crust on the bottom provides a textural contrast next to the creamy peanut butter mousse. The mousse is studded with mini chocolate chips and chopped, salted peanuts. A layer of bittersweet chocolate and an additional sprinkle of peanuts top the dessert off perfectly.

It's like a giant peanut butter cup, but better.

Enjoy!

Carmelitas

I'm not quite ready for fall to be over.

It seems like the fall season had just flown by, complete with a tropical hurricane and then a dreadful winter storm where snow ACTUALLY stuck to the ground for more than a few minutes and leaves were ripped from trees. Store windows are already filling with Christmas decorations, and yes, we did play Christmas songs on Friday night.

What I want are the days like Sunday. Days where it's in the 60s and sunny. Days where you leave in the morning thinking you'll need your jacket but take it off while you're at the playground with adorable kids or going on a long stroll with a good friend.  Days where the farmers' market is still overflowing with fresh produce.

These carmelitas combine everything I love into one perfect fall dessert bar. There's a buttery, oat-filled crust that's not too hard. There's an gooey layer of caramel that's still soft in the middle of the bar. Each bite is filled with bittersweet chocolate.

I cut these small because it's hard to have just one. And I'll savor these for awhile because they help me extend that fall feeling a little longer.

S'mores Bars

It's summer. Growing up, summer meant lots of bonfires. We'd sit around the fire pit for hours, whether we were out camping with the family or in a friend's backyard.

We'd have hot dogs and hobo dinners, those classic meals wrapped in tin foil and filled with any veggies or meats we had on hand. We'd have to sit close to the fire to cook. We'd get hot and impatient. Sometimes we'd eat our food lukewarm (we were lucky it was generally pre-cooked), but nice smoky flavor from the fire still made it's way into each of our dishes.

With dinner done, we'd move on to my favorite course. Dessert.

It was almost always s'mores.

Gooey. Loaded with chocolate. Stuffed with two marshmallows (for good measure) that were golden and puffed. Layered in between graham crackers.

Delicious.

Living in the city really limits my access to authentic s'mores, cooked over the fire and enjoyed outdoors.

I miss them. I can't help it.

So I decided to bring s'mores inside, in handy bar form, so I could enjoy them more often. They're not quite the same, they've got all the same flavors as that classic outdoor s'more, and they are much, much less messy. And, I added in bittersweet chocolate. Plus a brownie layer for good measure.

Take one bite, and I promise, you'll want s'more. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with a Pretzel Crust

Remember when I blogged about how Justin's peanut butter cups were maybe the best peanut butter cups ever?

I know. You're probably rolling your eyes right now.

Really Katie, you're saying to yourself. You're blogging about chocolate and peanut butter AGAIN? What about it? 

Well... I just had a Nectar Nugget Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, and I think I'm in love.

Really?

Yes. Really. And they inspired this delicious dessert that's in my freezer right now.

More chocolate peanut butter? Is that even healthy?

Of course. It's filled with protein. I'm not sure what it is I love about it, but I just can't help myself.

But Katie, the farmers' markets are filled with beautiful fresh fruit right now. This week there were raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and grapes will be back soon. 

I should be cooking with all of those while I can, I know.

You can have chocolate peanut butter anytime. 

But it's all I want! It's the sweet I crave above all others. 

Another chocolate peanut butter recipe? Is it any different than the COUNTLESS others you've already posted? 

It is! It is! This one has very little chocolate, a huge layer of creamy peanut butter, a crunchy and salty pretzel crust and it's chilled. Perfect for summer.

Ok, ok Katie, I get it, you're saying. Is there a slice for me?

Yes, yes there is. Come over soon and you can have some.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie Bars

I've been winning contests since I was a kid. I'm not talking about the kind of contest where you need to have real skill and talent to win.

I'm talking about the contests where you enter your name and can randomly have your name drawn out of a hat as the winner.

I don't know what it is. Maybe since I won young, I've been more tempted to enter since then, increasing my chances over those who just walk by and think they don't have a chance.

Just a theory. 

As a kid, I won the huge Christmas stocking at the grocery store. It was taller than me. Taller than my dad, even. It was stuffed with cheap grocery store toys, and I loved it.

From the library's summer reading program, I won an awesome pair of roller skates. With whatever color wheels I wanted. :) 

I won a free library worth of books for my classroom (200 new Scholastic books), and a free library of books to give to another classroom in my school.

Most recently, it was The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook, published by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil. I won it from a delightful blog giveaway she hosted.

It's amazing. I am nothing if not a cookie dough lover, and the cookbook, which features her egg-free cookie dough, shows you how to bring cookie dough into every baked good you can think of.

Since I've been on a chocolate and peanut butter kick since I was born, I had to bring peanut butter into her chocolate chip cookie dough brownie bars.

It was the right choice. As we've been over, peanut butter makes almost everything with chocolate in it even better.

And I made them in muffin tins to create individual cakes. Just to be cute.

They come together in a snap because you can whip up the cookie dough while the brownies are baking. When you top them with a scoop of ice cream, they get even more fantastic.