Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cu creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
1 cu packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cu all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cu granulated sugar, for rolling dough
36 mini peanut butter cups, chilled & unwrapped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
3. Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.
4. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 lg eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
3oz bittersweet chocolate, in 1/2" chunks

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick foil, letting foil extend at two sides. Spray foil with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and, with mixer on low speed, beat until just blended. Stir in peanuts, peanut butter chips, and chocolate. Scrape dough into prepared pan and spread evenly.
4. Bake 35 minutes, or until a tooth-pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, lift blondie from pan, using foil. Cut into 12 bars.

Nutritional Info: (Makes: 12; Serving Size: 1 blondie)
Calories 363, Total Fat 20g, Saturated Fat--, Cholesterol--, Sodium--, Total Carbohydrate 39g, Dietary Fiber--, Sugars--, Protein 9g, Calcium-- 

Peanut Butter Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
4 tablespoon butter, melted
Filling:
4 pks 8-oz cream cheese softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter1 cup sugar
4 lg eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
6 regular size peanut butter cups, quartered

Directions:

1. To make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; tightly cover outside of pan with a double thickness of foil. Combine cookie crumbs and butter in a bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press into bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes; let cool on a wire rack.
2. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Reduce speed to medium and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a medium bowl; stir in chocolate. Add peanut butter to cream cheese mixture in large bowl and beat until smooth. Remove 1 3/4 cups of the peanut butter batter to a medium bowl and reserve.
3. Spoon the remaining peanut butter batter over crust in pan. Top evenly with peanut butter cups, gently pressing pieces into batter. Alternately drop reserved chocolate batter and reserved peanut butter batter on top of peanut butter cups to cover; swirl batters together with a skewer or a knife to marbleize.
4. Place cheesecake in a larger baking pan and place on oven rack. Carefully pour enough hot water into larger pan to reach 1 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake 1 hour, or until cake barely jiggles in the center.
5. Remove cheesecake from water bath; remove foil. Using a thin knife, carefully cut around top edge of cake where it meets the pan to release. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 6 hours or overnight.
6. To serve, run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen and remove side of pan.

Nutritional Info: (Serving size 1/16 of cake)
 Calories 497, Total Fat 39g, Saturated Fat--, Cholesterol--, Sodium--, Total Carbohydrate 31g, Dietary Fiber--, Sugars--, Protein12g, Calcium--

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (Don't use Natural)
2/3 cup sugar
3 large ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 lg eggs, at room temp, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt with a fork. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the peanut butter and sugar together until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in the mashed banana and eggs; mix well.
3. Using a wooden spoon or flexible spatula, stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter–banana mixture, mixing until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula if needed. Stir in the chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips, if using.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and gently smooth the top with the flexible spatula. Bake 45 minutes. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes in the pan.
5. Remove the bread by running a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen it, then inverting the pan to release the bread onto a wire rack. Carefully turn the bread right-side up and cool completely. Slice and serve. Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and foil; keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Makes: 12 Pancakes
Serves: 4 people


Ingredients:
1 cup multigrain pancake mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter



Directions:
Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Stir the pancake mix, egg, peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl. Melt about 1 teaspoon butter in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour three to four 1/4-cupfuls of batter on the heated skillet to form pancakes and cook until the tops bubble and the edges begin to crisp. Turn and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Transfer pancakes to a baking pan and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining batter. 



Nutritional Info: (Serving Size: 3 pancakes)
Calories 164, Total Fat 11g, Saturated Fat--, Cholesterol 23mg, Sodium 48mg, Total Carbohydrate 13g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars--, Protein 4g, Calcium-- 

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 small ripe banana, cut in half
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon creamy peanut butter
3 ice cubes

Directions:

In blender, combine banana, milk, peanut butter, and ice cubes; blend until mixture is smooth and frothy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Black Bean Soup with Jalapeno Salsa

Black Bean Soup with Jalapeno Salsa
Morning Girl Blog Post

Note: I modified this a bit when I tried it.  The recipe below is my modified version.  I changed a couple ingredients, and I added all of the salsa ingredients directly into the soup.  It was delicious.  Personally I would always serve this with cornbread, but the day I made it I served it with Garlic Butter Ciabatta Bread 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large poblano or green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, or 1 heaping cup dried black beans, soaked and cooked
• 12-ounce Quality Chicken Stock
• 3 to 4 jalapeños, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the poblano, garlic, all but ⅓ cup of the onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin.
3. Add the beans, stock, and ½ cup water (I used more stock instead). Mash some of the beans with a fork or potato masher. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat broiler. Place the jalapeños on a broilerproof baking sheet and broil until charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Slice crosswise.
6. In a small bowl, toss the jalapeños with the cilantro, lime juice, remaining ⅓ cup onion and 2 teaspoons oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the soup.

Enjoy!