Recipe: Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

Peanut butter? Love.  Nutella? Love.  Cookies? Love.  I came across this recipe on Erica's Sweet Tooth and I knew I had to give it a go.  The end result was absolute perfection though if you are looking for a distinct Nutella taste I would suggest adding a little extra.  These cookies tasted like my favorite peanut butter cookies with the faintest taste of chocolate, YUM.  I've been baking like a fiend lately so I decided to half this recipe, I have a feeling that if I made the whole recipe they'd all be gone within a few days.  Just trying to save my family a few calories ;) 

*The recipe shown below is one that Erica adapted from another blog, my tweaks are shown in {}.  

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Cookies

Recipe adapted from Delightful Bitefuls

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter {spoonful extra} 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract {doubled}

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup Nutella {added an extra 1/4 of what is called for}

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.

- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.

- Microwave Nutella for 20 seconds and then drizzle over the dough. Fold in Nutella with a spatula until well-distributed throughout the dough.

- Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes and then roll small balls by hand.

- Place about an inch apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and use a fork to press down the balls slightly.

- Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.

- Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites

My mom needed me to make some sort of dessert for her to take to a work function so I took the opportunity to try out this red velvet cheesecake bite recipe.  Let me warn you, this recipe makes a TON, so if you don't have a big function coming up I'd suggest cutting it in half.  The outcome is beautiful to look at, the marbling result of the cake and cream cheese layers is great.  I would also suggest baking this a day or two before you want to eat it, I thought it was a bit dry at first when I ate a piece right after I baked it, but the next day I couldn't stop eating them!  Not too sure why, but I think a day or so gives the cream cheese a little more time to settle in.  Nevertheless a great recipe, so enjoy!

{click to zoom}

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Layer: 

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

2 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1/4 t. salt

1 T. red food coloring

2 t. vinegar

4 eggs 

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Layer:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/4 t. vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, and set aside. Add melted butter to a large bowl then add the following ingredients, in this order, stirring after each addition: sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring and vinegar. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and then stir into the cocoa mixture. Fold in the flour just until combined. (Don’t overmix!) Set aside at least 1/2 cup of the batter for the top; pour the rest of the batter in the baking pan, spreading evenly across the bottom.

For the cheesecake layer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter in the pan, then plop spoonfuls of the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cream cheese to create swirls. Bake for 30 minutes or just until the center of the cheesecake part is set. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.  

Source: 

http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2011/02/21/dessert-buffet-red-velvet-cheesecake-bites/