Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Man Mountain is a Reese's PB cup man. For Valentine's Day. For Easter. For Christmas. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. We've tried the fancy schmancy handmade by Swiss elves, etc., but he always goes back to his tried and true originals. So when I stumbled upon this recipe, I knew that I had hit the jackpot.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies 
Recipe by Jen from Picky Palate
Adjusted for Snack Size PB Cups (.75 oz. each)

18 Snack Size Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (.75 oz.) each
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350.
Blitz PB cups and egg in food processor until smooth.
Use medium scoop, or rounded teaspoon, and place on ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Flatten into 1/2 inch high circles.
Sprinkle with sea salt. (Technically, this step is optional, but I mean, really....)
Bake for 15 minutes.

Eat.

I sprinkled them with sea salt after they baked.

Seriously. Peanut Butter cups cookies dusted with sea salt?!

There is a special place in heaven for people who think up this stuff.

What's next, sandwiching some Haagen-Dasz vanilla ice cream between two of them?

Ah....the possibilities....

Madeleines

"I raised to my lips a spoonful of the cake . . . a shudder ran through my whole body and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place." - Marcel Proust




All I've ever read by Proust is his famous quote about Madeleines. Which in and of itself makes me want to read more Proust. Or eat more Madeleines. And in almost any form these delicious, not-too-sweet, tender-crumbed cakes are delicious. And EASY to make.

Buy a Madeleine pan, they are not expensive, and can make the most pedestrian things seem a little fancier. You can use them to make little shell-shaped mini-muffins or cupcakes. You can tint some white chocolate with edible gold dust, pour into the pan molds and voila - chocolate sea shells, perfect for a sea theme birthday party! You can even make gougeres (french cheese puffs - recipe coming, I promise) look lovely for a luncheon.  Madeleine pans are so versatile that I can slip on pearls and an ironed apron and call myself Martha when I use them!

And there are lots of easy recipes out there for them.

David Lebovitz
smitten kitchen
Francois Payard



But I used Ina's. Of course.

Ina's Madeleines

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, to grease the pans, plus 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon double-acting or aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Thoroughly butter and flour the madeleine pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light yellow and fluffy. Add 1/4 pound of butter and mix. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Stir in the coconut.

With a soup spoon, drop the batter into the pans, filling each shell almost full. Bake the madeleines for 10 to 12 minutes, until they spring back when pressed. Tap the madeleines out onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool.

P.S. Although they are technically a "sweet" cake, they go amazingly well with creme fraiche dolloped, fresh chive dusted and garam masala scented pumpkin soup.

Spiced Pumpkin Apple Soup

Very slightly adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 cups chicken stock (you can substitute vegetable stock)

• 1 1/2 cups solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• Creme fraiche and chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a medium-size soup pot. Stir in the onion, celery, and apple. Partially cover the pot and sauté the ingredients over medium-high heat until the onion is clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala, and sauté the mixture for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of chicken stock and cook it for 1 minute more.
2. Pour the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, add the pumpkin, and puree the soup until it's smooth.
3. Pour it all back into the pot, then stir in the remaining chicken stock, the salt, and the bay leaf. Set the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. After 5 minutes, stir in the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of honey. Taste the soup, adding more salt or honey if necessary to get the desired balance of sweet and savory. Simmer it for 2 minutes more, remove the soup from the heat, and serve it hot. For a pretty -- and tasty -- touch, garnish each bowl with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Makes 6 servings.

Why I love school vacations...

It snowed again today. And yes, I thought I would be so over the snow by now.  Yes, all the shoveling, the endless dressing and undressing of Little Bitefuls in copious amounts of hooded batting, the wet boots, the "I'm COLD, Mom!"'s. But when I awoke this morning and saw the new white coating outside, I just smiled and enjoyed its pristine beauty. I padded downstairs in my pj's and took my hot cup of coffee (yup, I'm back on the Joe), back up to bed, not worried at all about shoveling, or school bus delays, because... it's SCHOOL VACATION time!

Yes, we have something called "Winter Break" here in Connecticut, and I love it! Here's why:

1. No morning rush. No alarm clocks. No cold cereal for the girls.

2. Hot breakfasts for the girls! French Toast made from Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Star Wars Pancakes.  Mary Kitchen Corned Beef Hash with a dollop of Heinz ketchup on top ('cuz that's how they roll).

3. No school = no after school activities = late dinners = YAY!

4. Late dinners = NEW RECIPES = even better!!!

5. Having time to make homemade egg nog.

6. Having time to drink homemade egg nog! (And as Papa says "Made with a little bit o' egg and a whole lotta NOG!")

7. Having time to drink homemade egg nog brings us back to #1 - no alarm clocks! :)

8. Morning rush = Drive-thru Starbucks = Grande Iced Coffee and Packaged Madeleines for Little Bitefuls. No morning rush = homemade Blue Bottle coffee and Homemade Madeleines!

9. Having 30 little additional fingers to help me knead dough, lick bowls, scoop batter and eat goodies!

10. Winter Break = Home bound joy.

Blackberry Crostata

I love blackberries. They have a complex, rich, winy flavor, that is not too sweet. They have bite, not like blueberries or raspberries, which, while delicious, are always soft when ripe. 


Blackberries are like the Godfather of berries - they keep their integrity when cooked!


I have a new boyfriend and his name is Mister Cuisinart and we like to cook together. So we made Ina's crostata. Easy and delicious, no tweaks necessary for the crust. It is just perfect. 

Place blackberries on center of crust

Fold over crust to make a pocket

Voila! Oozing blackberry goodness!

What happened to my New Year's Resolution about no sugar........???


Blackberry Crostata
Crust is all Ina. 
Filling is lovingly adapted from Ina Garten's Summer Fruit Crostata

Ingredients

• For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ice water

For the filling (makes 1 crostata):

• 1 pint blackberries, washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/8 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons limeade
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

For the pastry:

Directions

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you only need 1 disk of dough, the other disk of dough can be frozen. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle of parchment paper that has been lightly floured. Transfer it to the baking sheet.

For the filling:

Wash and spread out the blackberries on a clean, dry dish towel, so that they can easily dry. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the limeade. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 20 - 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.