Peanut Butter Bars

This weekend we had friends over, and when I asked if they had any dessert requests they suggested something with peanut butter.  I absolutely love peanut butter, so I was really excited to try a new recipe that incorporated one of my favorite baking ingredients.  Having recently eaten my one and only box of Tagalongs in one sitting I was anxious to make something that combined the peanut butter, shortbread, and chocolate elements of that cookie.

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Brownie Bites

I have a bit of an obsession with bite sized desserts.  For someone like me who can’t make fewer than three desserts when we’re having friends over it’s the best way to ensure that guests can taste everything I baked.  Making minis can be a little time consuming, but I think it’s worth the extra effort since they are so cute and can be eaten with (slightly) less guilt.

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Peanut Butter Blondies

This is a recipe that I decided to make at the last minute when I found out I was having lunch with a vegan friend.  I chose it because I had all of the ingredients on hand, it was a bar cookie which is less work than scooping out individual portions, and it was described as appealing to people who like really peanut buttery desserts.  I had no expectations and just hoped they would turn out reasonably good.  I ended up getting such a huge reaction from my friends and actually had several people describe these as one of the best desserts they’ve ever had.

This recipe got me excited about Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar again.  When I first got the book I had really high hopes since I’m such a fan of the authors’ cupcake cookbook.  The first cookie recipe I tried from it was great, but the second really wasn’t very good.  After my success with this recipe I’m going to put the cookbook back in more regular rotation.

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Grasshopper Brownies

If you like Andes candies you’ll love these brownies.  They capture the flavor of an Andes perfectly, but they’re so much more decadent.  They’re great for a holiday party, not only because they’re appropriately seasonal, but also because the recipe makes over 50 brownies so you’ll have plenty to feed a large group.

This recipe isn’t difficult, but there are three components and each of them need time to chill.  It’s a good idea to make them a day before you plan on serving them.

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars – Mini Post #5

Not the prettiest picture, but trust me – these bars are so good.   They perfectly capture the flavor of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and have been a huge hit whenever I’ve made them.

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Ooey Gooey Lemon Bars

It’s been rainy and dreary here in New York.  I know I shouldn’t complain since we haven’t had any rain all summer, but it’s still disappointing when you have three days off from work and were hoping to go to a water park.  The upside is that baking is much more pleasant when it’s 70º instead of 90º degrees.  And what better way to brighten a cloudy day than lemon bars.  These bars are both very tart and very sweet, and the vibrant yellow color brings some cheer to a damp day. Read the rest of this entry »

My favorite brownies

Brownies are not my favorite dessert.  If I had to make a top ten list of sweets I love they probably wouldn’t make the list.  But despite that, sometimes I really, really want a brownie.  And whenever that craving hits it’s nice to have this simple, delicious recipe handy.  I’ve tried lots of brownie recipes, but I always come back to this one.  None of the others have been better, and they are frequently more work.  As I’ve mentioned before my boyfriend’s all time favorite dessert is chocolate chip cookies.  In his eyes the only dessert that comes close is these brownies.

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Chocolate Caramel Slices & PB Banana Oatmeal Cookies @ the Food Bloggers Bake Sale

On Saturday Joanna and I participated in the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength, a charity that fights to end childhood hunger.  The New York sale took place at the Brooklyn Flea and was organized by the lovely Jacquie at the JHL Life.   The bake sale raised over $1100 dollars!

Joanna made her gorgeous Heart Shaped Linzer Tarts.  One woman was so impressed by the tarts that she bought five.  I made Chocolate Caramel Slices and Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies.  I chose the caramel slices because they are by far the most popular thing I’ve ever made.  I really wished I’d made a triple batch.  They were gone in half an hour.

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