Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

I am an Influenster Blogger and as one of my FREE products I received a jar of Reese's new Peanut Butter Chocolate spread.  If you love peanut butter, then you will love this spread.  It is great as a spread on bread/toast or as a dip.  My jar quickly disappeared, and in fact when I went to make these cookies there wasn't enough so I had to improvise by using some regular peanut butter too! Silly kids ate it all :) Anyway, I guess I will have to go buy more.

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate spread (or 1/2 peanut butter, 1/2 spread)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream the butter, peanut butter chocolate spread, sugar, and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until the mixture is light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and soda.  

*Note: I went to make these cookies and realized I didn't have enough spread... I had to use 1/2 regular peanut butter and 1/2 of the peanut butter chocolate spread. 

In two additions add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and stir just until the flour is fully incorporated.  Use a medium scoop to transfer the cookie dough onto an baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a glass or two forks to flatten the cookies.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until set and the bottom is brown.  

Let cookies cool on the pan 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Fans watch out!

8th Day of Bloggy Christmas

On the 8th Day of Bloggy Christmas Miss Krista from A Handful of Everything gave to me,

Grandma Sue's Famous Sugar Cookies!

Brought to you by:

   

Good morning! It's Krista again from A Handful of Everything. Today I am sharing with you one of my family's absolute favorite recipes. This is yet another fabulous recipe given to me by my Mother-in-law Sue.  My kids love these cookies and we make them several times a year but they are a tradition to make every Christmas.

These soft and fluffy old fashioned cookies are so good you can't just eat one.  These are great sprinkled with colored sugars or my favorite homemade buttercream frosting! Regardless what you put on top of these they are sure to please.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup milk

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  

With a pastry blender, cut in the butter and shortening as you would for pie crust until the mixture is a coarse meal.  The temperature of the butter when you make these cookies is really important.  If you use cold butter your cookies will taste like pie dough, really flat and flaky.  You want light and fluffy.  Don't use melted butter, you want nice soft room temperature butter and shortening.

In a separate bowl (Kitchen Aid) mix the sugar, vanilla, baking soda, eggs, and milk.  Mix until combined well.  

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in three batches a little at a time on low speed, mixing just until combined and all the flour is incorporated into the dough.

Chill the dough for an hour.

Roll out to 1/8-1/4" inch thickness.  It's better to air on the side of too thick than too thin and just bake a little longer.  Cut with favorite cookie cutters.  Arrange 2" apart on a baking sheet.

Bake at 375 F for 7-10 minutes or until the tops are evenly puffed and the bottoms are just bearly starting to brown. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Frost with your favorite icing or my homemade buttercream, and enjoy!

Santa will be sure to stop by for a plate of these!

Krista @ A Handful of Everything

      

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3rd Day of Bloggy Christmas

On the 3rd Day of Bloggy Christmas Miss Heather gave to me   White Chocolate Dipped Cranberry Cookies!

Hello, it's Heather from My Sweet Mission and today I'm bringing you a delicious and pretty recipe for my White Chocolate Dipped Cranberry Cookies! I usually make these cookies with the white chocolate chips blended into the dough. But, the other day I thought I would dress them up for the holidays by dipping them in white chocolate and putting a dried cranberry on top - and they turned out great! These holiday cookies are buttery sweet with a little tartness - a perfectly dreamy flavor combination in my cookie world!

12 Days of Bloggy Christmas!

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Make the cookie dough and shape into small balls using an one (1) ounce cookie scooper.

Place the dough balls on an un-greased nonstick baking sheet about 1" - 1 1/2" apart. Put the cookie sheet in a preheated 360 degrees F oven and bake for 7-9 minutes, or until the cookies are a pale golden color on top. You can actually eat these delicious little cranberry gems right like this, but dipping them in white chocolate takes them over the top!

Carefully melt the white chocolate after the cookies are cooled. Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate and place on wax or parchment paper. While the chocolate is still wet place a dried cranberry on top. Just look at those scrumptious little Christmas cookies all lined up and ready for dessert platters! My original Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are our son-in-law, Kenny's favorite cookie but he said dipping them in white chocolate makes them even better and he loved them. As a matter of fact, everyone loved them this way!

If you love these cookies make sure you stop by My Sweet Mission and give Heather some love!

White Chocolate Dipped Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, large
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup ground oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour, unbleached or all-purpose
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Ingredients for dipping:

• 3/4 - 1 pound quality white chocolate

Instructions for the cookies: Preheat oven to 360 degrees F, I prefer this temperature for most gourmet cookies.

1. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, sugar and salt. Mix on low speed for about 45 seconds, then medium for an additional 45 seconds.
2. Add the eggs & vanilla extract. Mix on low until the eggs are blended in, then mix on medium for 45 seconds and then on high for another 45 seconds. The mixture should be a pale yellow color and very fluffy.
3. Add the ground oats, the first cup of flour, along with the baking powder and baking soda and blend on low or stir speed. This will insure the baking powder and baking soda are incorporated well and eliminates sifting. Continuing on low or stir speed, add the remaining flour and blend until the flour is incorporated. Then stir in the chopped dried cranberries.
4. Using an one (1) ounce cookie scooper, place the dough on un-greased nonstick baking sheets about 1" - 1 1/2" apart. Place in a preheated 360 degrees F oven and bake for 7-9 minutes, or until the cookies are a pale golden color on top. Cool completely before dipping in chocolate.

Instructions for the white chocolate dipping:

1. Carefully melt the white chocolate in a microwavable safe bowl, cooking at one (1) minute intervals at 50% power and stirring after each minute.
2. Dip each cooled cookie in the melted chocolate, tap the excess off gently and place on wax or parchment paper. While the chocolate is still wet place a dried cranberry on top.

Makes approximately 32 (1 ounce) cookies Heather's Notes & Tips:

• TIP: For perfect cookies every time, check out my top 10 tips for perfect cookies.
• TIP: Easily chop the dried cranberries with a food processor.
• Note: If you want your cookies a little less sweet, decrease the sugar by 2 tablespoons.
• TIP: When melting the chocolate, check and stir often to avoid burning it. 
• Note: Allow the chocolate to set up before storing in an airtight container.

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2nd Day of Bloggy Christmas: Fickle's Shortbread

hey everyone!

it's that time of the year again for:

   
for the next 12 days +1 you will get a wonderful post about christmas goodies and such brought to you courtesy of all 4 blogs above thanks to the efforts of 
KRISTA from A Handful of Everything!

so hear we go with a christmas fave of mine...

do you collect christmas cookie cookbooks 

and magazines like i do?

do you read over them, dog leaf the recipe page, put a sticky tab on the page, tell yourself "oh my gosh i GOTTA make these!" 

and then forget all about them and just make the same ole recipes you've made for the past like, 100 years? 

yeah, me too.

here's a recipe i have in my ole recipe box that will stay with me for the next 100 years or so of christmas baking.

it's quick, delicious and pretty.

what more do you want?

click HERE to print the recipe

make sure you do the last part of step 4 

cuz that's the most important part.

happy baking!

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and follow these boards for lots more fun!

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