Vessy's day » peanut butter

Chocolate peanut butter bars

Vessy — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 20:38:04 +0000

This recipe is easy to make, no-bake and basically ready in 10 minutes. If you love peanut butter and chocolate, then you have to try these delicious peanut butter bars.

They are great pretty sweet, so they would go perfectly with a cup of coffee, or you can pack them for a day at the park. They are a great after dinner dessert, that you can make a day or two ahead, believe me, they will taste as good as if just made.

The best of all is that you can store them in the fridge up to 2 weeks, although I am sure they will be eaten pretty much the day you make them.

I would recommend to use dark chocolate for this recipe. The base is very sweet, so dark chocolate balances the sweetness perfectly. I used chocolate with 60% cocoa.

If you are not totally convinced about the peanut butter and chocolate, you can check out one of my favorite recipes for no-bake bars – Coconut dulce de leche bars.

In case you don’t mind turning the oven on, then you could as well try these beautiful and delicious strawberry bars.

Ingredients:
115 grams (4 oz) butter
190 grams (7 oz) creamy peanut butter
200 grams (7 oz) graham cracker or your favorite biscuits, finely crumbled
100 grams (3.5 oz) powdered sugar
200 grams (7 oz) dark chocolate
3 teaspoons butter

In a small bowl combine butter and peanut butter. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and peanut butter softens. Stir to combine.
In another bowl add cracker crumbs or biscuits and sugar, pour peanut butter mixture and stir to combine or until it resembles moist sand.
Cover a small baking dish or a deeper tray with baking paper (8×8 inch/20x20cm).
Pour the biscuit mixture and even out with a spoon by pressing it tightly to the sides and bottom of the tray.
Melt chocolate and butter together, then pour over the biscuit base and even out with a spoon.
Sprinkle some caramelized peanuts on top or shredded chocolate.
Place in the fridge for a few hours to firm.

Chocolate peanut butter cake

Vessy — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:50:23 +0000

This casual, family cake, as I call it, is so delicious and quick. I am sure you are going to love this recipe. All you need is an hour – for preparation, baking, assembling, all of it, and then about 2 minutes for the whole thing to disappear.
As we are family of three, but baby Victor can’t eat chocolate cake, yet, so we are actually 2 “chocolate and everything else” eaters around here, I am exploring a new way of cooking – family size cooking, which means that I do my best to cook for 2, so that we don’t end up eating the same cake or roast all week long (sounds so unhealthy).
This rule applies here as well, this cake is small, but so rich, would be perfect for a family of 4.
We had to eat it 2 days in a row, but that’s ok, cause it’s one of my favorites.

Ingredients for the cake:
130 grams butter, softened
130 grams sugar
2 large eggs
2 table spoons honey
100 ml. freshly brewed coffee, at room temperature
150 grams flour
1 tea spoon baking powder
50 grams cocoa powder
For the chocolate peanut butter frosting:
100 ml. sweetened heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
100 grams dark cooking chocolate
80 ml. sweetened heavy whipping cream
400 grams peanut butter
3 table spoons honey or maple syrup
For the coffee syrup:
100 ml. freshly brewed coffee
1 table spoon honey

To make the cake layers:
Preheat your oven to 170C fan-forced (340F). Grease 2x6inch (16cm) springforms and line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and honey and beat to combine.
Add coffee and beat to incorporate.
In another bowl mix flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir with a rubber spatula just to form a glossy and smooth batter, but don’t over-mix it.
Distribute the batter evenly between both springforms and bake 30 minutes.
Let both cake layers cool to room temperature (or pop in the fridge for quick cooling).
In the meantime prepare the frosting:
In a large bowl combine chocolate and 80ml. cream. Heat in a microwave oven until cream is hot and chocolate starts to melt. Stir until chocolate melts completely. Let it cool a bit and then add peanut butter and honey and beat with an electric mixer until nice and smooth.
Gently fold in the whipped cream.
To assemble the cake:
Combine coffee and honey and stir to dissolve. Let is cool to room temperature.
Place the first chocolate layer on a cake platter. Using a spoon, moisten the cake layer by gently pouring little bit of the coffee syrup all over the surface, letting it to absorb completely before you spread the frosting.
Spread one layer of the frosting, then place the second cake layer on top. Moisten that one with the coffee as well, and cover the cake with the rest of the frosting.

Oat peanut butter cookies

Vessy — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:14:28 +0000

Healthy oat cookies for breakfast! Could be eaten at home with a glass of coffee or tea, on the go while driving to work, or packed for an afternoon snack at the office.

These cookies are rich in flavor and ingredients, but they are on the healthier side – bananas, honey, peanut butter, oats and just a little bit of flour, but please, a wholewheat flour! So, don’t hesitate to make a bunch of cookies for a delicious breakfast!

Ingredients:
220 grams (8 oz) old fashioned oats
50 grams (2 oz) fine oats
70 grams (2,5 oz) dry red blueberries
120 grams (4 oz) whole wheat flour
125 grams (4 oz) butter, softened
2 medium eggs
110 grams (3,5 oz) honey
100 grams (3,5 oz) peanut butter
1 tea spoon vanilla extract
2 bananas, mashed
120 grams (4 oz) sour cream
1 tea spoon soda bicarbonate

Preheat your oven to 160C fan-forced (320F, fan-forced).
In a medium bowl combine old fashioned oats, fine oats, dry blueberries, flour and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl mix sour cream with the soda bicarbonate. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat soften butter until fluffy, Add eggs, one by one, beating after every egg. Add honey, peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat for another minute.
Add sour cream and mashed bananas and mix well with a rubber spatula until all combines.
Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula.
Line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop the batter on the baking sheet into medium dough balls, as you leave a little bit of space between each cookie.
Bake 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Serve immediately. These cookies are best on the day when baked, but you could also store them in a box at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Chocolate cookies with salted peanuts

Vessy — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 16:19:11 +0000

I have told you before that peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations, and today I want to share with you another great recipe for cookies with peanut butter.
These are absolutely delicious and soft.
I stored my cookies for 3 days (that’s how long they lasted before we ate them all) and surprisingly they were still soft on the third day. Of course they are most delicious when just taken out of the oven, but still you can keep them for a few days, covered with plastic wrap.

You may add different kinds of nuts or chocolate chips if you prefer.

I kind of liked the sweet taste of the cookie, mixed with a few peaces of salted peanuts!

And before I forget… these cookies are super easy to make, so don’t hesitate to make them, the sooner the better!

Also, here is another one of my recipes which is a bit healthier and super delicious as well – banana peanut butter cookies.

Ingredients (makes about 30 medium size cookies):

180 grams chocolate

65 grams butter

120 grams peanut butter

100 grams salted peanuts (crushed)

180 grams sugar

2 eggs

200 grams flour

1 tea spoon vanilla extract

5 grams baking powder

In a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar.

In a small bowl melt the chocolate, peanut butter and butter.

Add the butter mixture to the egg mixture.

Add the peanuts.

In another bowl mix the flour and baking powder.

Slowly add the flour to the wet mixture as you mix it with rubber spatula.

Cover the batter with plastic wrap and place int he fridge for about an hour.

In the meantime heat your oven to 180C (350 F).

Once the batter is chilled, take a small spoon or an ice-cream spoon and make small bowls out of the batter.

Place them on a baking sheet, covered with baking paper.

Make sure you leave room between each cookie, since they will spread a bit from the heat.

Bake 11 minutes.

Cook on a wire rack!

Banana peanut butter cookies

Vessy — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 09:38:34 +0000

The idea for this recipe came up, when I, at some point, turned up with a few kilograms of bananas in my kitchen. How all these bananas got to my kitchen is another story, but I had them and needed to cook them somehow, since we couldn’t eat them all.
I had some peanut butter on my hands, so I decided to make cookies with peanut butter and bananas, which is a combination of flavors I love!

A few months ago I prepared french toast with peanut butter and bananas, which was absolutely delicious breakfast and was gone for less than an hour.

Now I wanted to cook something quicker and easier than french toast. This recipe is great because you need only one mixing bowl, where you add all ingredients at once and mix, then bake for 10 minutes and you are ready! How can you not love this recipe?

Ingredients:
5 bananas (mashed)
100 grams (3.5. oz) flour
2 eggs
350 grams (12 oz) peanut butter
5 grams baking powder
100 grams (3.5. oz) peanut crisps (crushed caramelized peanuts)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using your hands form small balls and place on your baking sheet. Make sure to leave a bit room between each cookie, since they are going to expand from the baking. If you have an ice-cream scoop you may use it to create equal by size cookies.
Bake about 10-11 minutes.

French toast with bananas and peanut butter

Vessy — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:50:11 +0000

As we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Years ago I was not used to having breakfast, just a cup of coffee, warm milk or tea was enough to start the day. For quite some time now, I somehow managed to learn to eat breakfast, and as time passed I realized that my day is much better and positive, if I have spent 15 minutes to eat something in the morning.
Even if you combine your breakfast with your morning newspaper, online news, make up or reading your urgent emails, it is still nice to spent 15 minutes, not rushing, getting ready for the day!
If you think of it, preparing a breakfast does not take more that 5-8 minutes (depending on what you are having), besides eggs Benedict, which will take may be an hour , plus there are many recipes, that could be prepared a day ahead, and still be delicious.
My recipe for french toast is good to have for 2 days, and it is still delicious, tender and flavorful.
The french toast does not need to be deep fried, oily, greasy and heavy in order to be delicious. I usually prepare it in a non-sticky skillet, with as fewer as possible oil. This way the bread has a crispy crust, tender center and you are guilt free while enjoying your breakfast.

Ingredients:
Sliced bread (better to be 2-3 days old)
2 eggs
400 ml. milk
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 table spoons powder sugar
1 tea spoon vanilla extract
2 table spoons vegetable oil/butter

For garnish:
Bananas
Pears
Peanut butter
Any of your favorite jam

In a large bowl beat the eggs, add the milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. beat until well combined.
Heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet. I suggest you to use non-sticky pan (such as Teflon).
Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture for 4-5 seconds. The more you keep the bread in the mixture, the more the bread will soak up of the mixture and it is most likely to fall apart, so I usually keep it not more that 5 seconds, which is absolutely enough to become tender and nice.
Add soaked slices of bread to the skillet, as many as it could fit at the same time.
Cook on both sides until lightly golden brown.

You can serve the french toast with any jam, chocolate, fresh fruits or maple syrup. I love the combination of peanut butter and bananas, so this is what I usually have with the french toast.

Grandma’s chocolate with peanut butter crème

Vessy — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:39:34 +0000

A couple of days ago I read about this “Dessert in a cup” contest …and as soon as I read the article, my grandma’s home-made chocolate pops up in my mind…..so delicious, creamy and sweet.

I can’t even explain all the feelings that overpowered me…. feelings of nostalgia, a childhood – so missed, the memory of endless summers, the sweet taste of just picked from the garden fruits, a peace of fresh baked country bread, coated with home-made chocolate! When I was little, I used to spent every summer with my grandparents… they would spoil me and treat me as if this would be our last summer together…

I took out the recipe, and started to think for additions to the chocolate. I knew it needs to be something to contrast the dark color of the chocolate – may be white crème, or pink… I saw the recipe for the peanut butter crème at this amazing food blog (http://www.citrusandcandy.com/), and I knew that was it. And of course I wanted to add some fruit taste, it is summer after all! I really love the combination of chocolate and bananas, but this time I wanted to try something different… Peaches!

So….make some chocolate, taste the “past”… and enjoy you best childhood memories!

The chocolate

400 grams full fat powdered milk

250 grams soft butter

300 ml. water

100 grams cocoa

300 grams granulated white sugar

1 tea s. pure vanilla extract

Place the water, butter and sugar in a double broiler, the heat set on medium-low. If you don’t have one, get a pot with a little water (1 inch). Place a heatproof/fireproof glass bowl over the pot. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the bottom of the pot, neither the water. Mix well until the sugar and the butter melt.

In another bowl mix the powdered milk with the cocoa.

Add the milk mixture to the melted sugar and butter, spoon by spoon, until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

Cook a little bit more, while whisking in the double broiler, until the chocolate starts to thickens.

Take off the chocolate from the heat and let it cool for half an hour.

Then pour into your serving glasses and refrigerate until cold and thickened.

The peanut butter crème

200ml heavy cream

60g peanut butter

100g white chocolate, chopped

Combine the cream and the peanut butter in a pot and bring it gently to a simmer. When cream is ready, add the white chocolate. Leave to cool until it’s barely warm in temperature. Pour gently into your serving glasses on top of the chocolate layer.

Wash and dry the peaches. Cut them into thin slices and place on top of the peanut butter layer.