Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

The kids are out of school and we are just enjoying the weather. I can't believe that it has been over 2 weeks since I have posted last, but sometimes life just happens.

I found these cookies from Amanda's Cookin' and knew that I had to make them. Peanut butter cookies, or if I am being honest, anything with peanut butter is my all time favorite. These were quick to mix together with a short bake of 8 minutes and they were perfect. Soft and chewy, just what I needed!

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
From: Amanda's Cookin'

1/2 cup shortening (or butter flavored shortening)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.

Strawberry Turnovers

Spring has arrived here and the weather has been beautiful. We are having a blast just being outside and enjoying it. With that said, there hasn't been alot of activity in the kitchen. I have had this craving for a strawberry fried pied, but seeing how that really isn't the healthiest thing, I opted for this strawberry turnover. These turned out tasty and low sugar, which helps with the blood sugar levels. This recipe could be adapted to any fruit or filling of your liking.


Strawberry Turnovers
From: Cooking Light Desserts

1 lb strawberries, lightly chopped
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar, or regular sugar

4 (14x9 inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Butter-flavored cooking spray

1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp water
1/8 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the strawberries and sugar into a bowl, and mix until combined.
Place 1 phyllo sheet on a damp towel (cover remaining dough to keep from drying out). Lightly coat with cooking spray. Place second phyllo sheet over first sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray. Cut stacked sheets lenghtwise into 3 equal strips (each about 4 1/2 inches wide).
Working with 1 strip at a time (cover remaining strips), place 2 Tbsp strawberry mixture at base of strip. Fold the corner over strawberry mixture to form a triangle. Continue folding triangle back and forth to end of strip. Place triangle, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining 1 phyllo sheets and strawberry mixture. Coat triangles with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan, and cool 5 minutes on a wire rack.

Combine powdered sugar, water, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Drizzle sugar mixture evenly over turnovers.

Our first garden!

This year will be our first year planting a garden. I am enjoying watching the excitement in my kids! I didn't think that they would care at all about it, but to my surprise, they are just as excited as I am! Now, let's just pray that it all grows!!

No Bake PB/Chocolate Bars

You know those famous little no bake cookies?? These kind of taste like those...only deconstructed. I found these over at Buns in my Oven, and no it's not that kind of bun! There are tons of great looking recipes on her site, so go and check her out if you haven't already. The one thing that caught my eye with these is the small amount of sugar that you add to the mix.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and oats. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Press half of mixture in to the bottom of a buttered 8 x 8 dish.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and blended. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the crust, reserving a couple of spoonfuls to drizzle over the top.

3. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate and peanut butter, pressing gently to form a crust. Drizzle the remaining chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars.

4. Refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting and serving.

Banana Bread

To be completely honest, there is nothing special about this banana bread. It is simple, moist, flavorful but nothing that just screams "make me". I did cut the sugar and added in some peanut butter and chocolate chips to the mix and it turned out great. So, here's the thing..if you have some bananas laying around that need to be used, make this bread. You won't be sorry.

Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup PB and chocolate chips, or chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash up bananas and mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until combined. Mix in the melted butter. Fold in PB and chocolate chips or nuts, if using.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

I am currently addicted to Cooking Light Magazine. There are so many great looking recipes and all that I have tried have come out tasty. I have tried a couple of dinner recipes and they have turned out as well. This is another great one that will be made over again. You really can't go wrong with a slightly crunchy top with moist cake in the middle and as the base a warm pool of chocolate lava. Top it off with some no sugar added vanilla bean ice cream and you are still within the limits of still being a little bit better for you.

I should mention that this recipe was originally Mocha Pudding cake, but since the hubby and kids are very fond of mocha, I left that part out. :)

Chocolate Pudding Cake
From: Cooking Light

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk--I used fat free milk
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking Spray
1 Cup boiling water
Vanilla love fat ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, coffee granules, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Combine milk, oil, and vanilla in a bowl; add to flour mixture, and stir well. Spoon batter into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp cocoa. Sprinkle over batter. Pour 1 cup boiling water over batter (do not stir). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly in the center (cake will not test clean when a wooden pick is inserted in center). Do not over bake. Serve warm with ice cream.

Note: This recipe is easy to double. Spoon into a 9x13 inch baking dish; bake at the same temperature and time/

Triple Chocolate Cake

Can something this decadent be delish and still be not bad for you? The answer is YES!! I found some old Cooking Light magazines at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago for 25 cents, so I had to buy everyone they had. This recipe was in one of them. With trying to watch my blood sugar and eat healthier and getting my family eating healthier I knew that this one was one that I would have to try. Everyone in my little clan has a sweet tooth, so trying to find the balance between having the sweets and still being somewhat healthy has been some sort of a challenge. This cake was the perfect thing for the weekend. The texture is a little "spongy" as Blake my 12 year old described it, and the batter is a little thicker than a normal cake batter would be.

Triple Chocolate Cake

By: Cooking Light

1 (18.25 oz) package devil's food cake mix--I used a dark chocolate mix

1 cup fat free sour cream

1/3 cup fat free milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp almond extract

3 large egg whites

1 large egg

1 (3.9 oz) package sugar free/low calorie chocolate pudding mix

Cooking Spray

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

4 tsp fat free milk

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; beat at low speed for 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour the batter into a 12 cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar and 4 teaspoons of milk in a small bowl, and drizzle over cake. Let stand 10 minutes. Place chips in a small heavy duty zip top plastic bag; seal. Submerge bag in very hot water until chips melt, or microwave at medium high for 1 minutes. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag, and drizzle chocolate over cake.