Dark Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Mix-ins

These cookies deserve a better name, I know. But here's the story, so you'll know where the name comes from. Lately at the grocery store I've been browsing a bit more, grabbing things that I might want when they're on the shelves, instead of counting on the store being fully stocked all the time. Once, when I couldn't find the mini chocolate chips I was looking for, I grabbed a bag of peanut butter chips, thinking they would be good in a chocolate cookie. After researching my options, and waiting for a price-gouged bag of dark Reese's peanut butter cups to be delivered, I tried and enjoyed the inspiration recipe. But I wanted something with a bit more dark chocolate flavor, so I used a tried-and-true chocolate cookie recipe and added some of the peanut butter mix-ins. In a side-by-side taste test, I found the cookies from the inspiration recipe a bit crumbly, and their chocolate flavor paled in comparison. So while these cookies have both dark chocolate and peanut butter flavors, there isn't any peanut butter in the cookie so I can't call them chocolate and peanut butter cookies, because I didn't like the cookies that actually had chocolate and peanut butter both! Semantics? Probably. Delicious anyway? You bet. 

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Dark Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Mix-ins

Adapted from https://www.lovefromtheoven.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies/ and http://www.piecrustcookies.com/2015/12/chocolate-peppermint-cookies.html

Yields about 3 dozen

To bake at altitudes around 5000 feet, make these changes:

add 2 T flour

remove 2 T granulated sugar

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

3/4 c Dutch-processed cocoa

1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 c granulated sugar

1 c light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teas vanilla 

1 c dark chocolate chips

1 c peanut butter chips

10 Reese's dark chocolate peanut butter cups, frozen and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugars in a mixer until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate everything. Add the eggs and the vanilla, and mix until combined. Then add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa and mix briefly until almost combined. Finally, add the both types of chips and the candy. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are set but still soft in the center. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a glass of milk! 

Turkish Flatbread

The only thing to say about this recipe is that it is the main reason I recently bought an overpriced block of yeast from a specialty store online. 

After reading about conserving yeast here, I tried halving the yeast and the dough still doubled in an hour. That might be a high altitude issue, but next time I'm going to reduce the yeast even more and see what happens. Can't burn through that overpriced brick too fast! 

Note that this stack is a portion of a doubled recipe

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Turkish Flatbread

Yields 6 flatbreads

Adapted slightly from https://gfycat.com/circularlegalindigowingedparrot-turkish-bread-bazlama-pita

250 g all purpose flour

250 g white whole wheat flour (or just another 250 g or all purpose, if you prefer)

5 fl. oz. warm milk

5 fl. oz. warm water

1 teas salt

2 T dry yeast

3 T olive oil, plus more for brushing on 

In a mixer bowl  fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour, salt, and yeast for 10 seconds or so, until combined. Then add the warm milk and water and process just until the liquids are incorporated. Add the olive oil and run the mixer for 5 minutes or so. 

Form the dough into a ball, and place in a large bowl. Spread a light layer of vegetable oil over the top of the dough, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 1 hour or until doubled in size. 

Place a cast iron pan over medium heat. Cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin, then cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Brush each hot flatbread with more olive oil, and enjoy.

Pantry Crumb Cake

Like many other across the country, I'm baking more than normal these days. It's more for comfort and less out of boredom in my case; the current situation is providing a new test of my limits. I'm working from home, overseeing schooling for two older boys, caring for a toddler and a preschooler, and helping everyone deal with their emotions while also feeling quite a few emotions myself. So every comforting banana muffin helps.

Among the multiple recent batches of banana muffins are almond joy rice krispy treats, rice krispy treats with peppermint marshmallows, chocolate bread pudding, and this new-to-me pantry cake. A commenter on the original recipe suggested renaming it Covid Comfort Cake, so I'm not the only one who has enjoyed it. I hope it's comforting to you!

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Pantry Crumb Cake

1  8 or 9-inch round or square cake
Source: New York Times Cooking https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020946-pantry-crumb-cake

To bake at altitudes around 5000 feet make these changes to the cake amounts:
add 1 1/2 T flour
remove 1/2 T sugar

For the topping:

1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c oats
1 teas spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, or nutmeg in any combination; I used 3/4 teas cinnamon and 1/4 teas cardamom)
1/2 teas salt

For the cake:

1 1/2 c flour
1 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 teas vanilla
2/3 c sour cream, yogurt or nondairy yogurt, buttermilk, crème fraîche, or milk acidified with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest (optional)
½ cup fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned fruit, such as blueberries, raspberries, cherries, grated apple or pear, chopped pineapple (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F and butter your cake pan. This will work in an 8- or 9-inch round or square pan.

Mix all the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

The original recipe was fiddly about combining ingredients. Here's my lazy version: beat the butter and sugar in a mixer for several minutes until fluffy and light. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat again, scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl a couple of times. Mix in the sour cream fully, then add the flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix until just combined. If using, fold in the zest and/or fruit by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Stir the topping mixture so it breaks up into crumbs and then sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the batter. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, and let the cake cool in the pan. 

Pumpkin, Cranberry, Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

A couple of weeks ago I made this for breakfast on our first morning of social distancing. It's healthy and it's comfort food, although chopping the oatmeal and stirring in chocolate chips makes it seem quite like a dessert. Maybe that's not a bad thing at the moment.

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Pumpkin, Cranberry, Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

Source: Food52
Serves: 6-8

2 c rolled oats
1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 T unsalted butter
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas ground ginger
1/2 teas salt
1 teas baking powder
3/4 c pumpkin puree
1 T grated orange zest
1 T lemon juice
1 teas grated fresh ginger
1 c milk, (any variety)
1 teas vanilla
1 egg
3/4-1 c coarsely chopped fresh cranberries (or dried, see note below)
1/2 c chocolate chips, semi-sweet, dark, or white
1/2 c toasted pecans or walnuts
cream, or milk for serving

Heat the oven to 375F. Butter or spray a 9-inch pie plate or round cake pan.

Place the oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a processor and run it for a few seconds until blended. Drop the butter in the processor and run it until it is completely mixed into the oat mixture.

Add the pumpkin puree, orange zest, lemon juice, fresh ginger, milk, vanilla, and egg and pulse a few times until well blended.

By hand stir in the cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts. Place the mixture into the prepared pan and move to the preheated oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the oatmeal begins to brown on top and a testing toothpick comes out with no liquid.

While hot, cut into wedges or serve with a large spoon and pour milk or cream over each serving. It's also tasty with yogurt.

Notes:

The use of the food processor to chop up the oatmeal results in texture more like a shorter sweetbread. The next time I baked it I used only half the oatmeal in the food processor and added the rest when I stirred in the cranberries, etc.

This recipe originally called for soaking dried cranberries in brandy but I couldn't bring myself to ignore the fresh berries I still had in the fridge. If you want to bake this when cranberries aren't in season take a look at the original post on Food52. Or if you don't have or want to use brandy, use a bit of boiling water to re-hydrate the dried cranberries.

Coconut Cream Pie

This pie is a dream come true for this coconut-lover. And not just for me--it was the first of three pies to disappear at Thanksgiving. Each layer has coconut in it, so the coconut flavor is strong (but not overpowering). And it comes together fairly quickly, with the cookie crust.

Recently I was reminded of my great-grandmother Lydia Savage Peterson and her pie making. At age 51 in 1943, she was widowed and had four sons (ages 9-16) to care for. She commuted from Snowflake, Arizona to Flagstaff during the work week, leaving her sons while she prepared to become a teacher. The boys' adult half-siblings were nearby in town, so they weren't entirely on their own, but Lydia would bake 9 pies every weekend for her boys to eat during the week. Usually fruit pies. My grandfather had a lifelong love of apple pie, probably from this period in his life. When I make pies, I often feel connected to my pie-baking predecessors, on both sides of my family, though I have to admit I feel a special connection to Lydia, who also raised a bunch of boys. 

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Coconut Cream Pie

Source: slightly modified from Cook's Country 

Yield: one 9-inch pie

Crust:

2 c ( 4 1/2 oz) Nilla Wafer cookies (34 cookies)

1/2 c sweetened, shredded coconut

2 T sugar

1 T all purpose flour

1/4 teas salt

4 T unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3 c whole milk (separated)

5 large egg yolks

5 T cornstarch

1/4 teas salt

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c sweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teas vanilla extract

Topping:

1 1/2 c heavy cream, chilled

2 T sugar

1 teas vanilla extract

1/4 c coconut, toasted (either sweetened, shredded or unsweetened flakes will work)

Planning: cool the crust for at least 30 minutes before you start the filling. And the filling needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours before you add the cream and serve.

To make the crust: Heat oven to 325F. Add cookies, coconut, sugar, flour, and salt to a food processor, and run until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and pulse about 6 times, until the mixture is combined. Then add the crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate; use your fingers or the bottom of a dry measuring cup. Bake until fragrant and set, 18-22 minutes. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling: whisk 1/4 c milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. Add sugar and remaining 2 3/4 c milk to a large saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.

Next, temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly whisking in half of the hot milk mixture. This brings the eggs up to temperature without forming yucky clumps.

Add milk-yolk mixture back to the remaining milk in the saucepan. Whisk constantly and cook over medium heat until custard is thickened and registers 180 degrees. This may take only a minute or two, or a few minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and vanilla. Pour the filling into the crust and spread into an even layer.

Spray a piece of parchment paper with vegetable oil spray and press it down onto the surface of the custard. It should be covered completely. This will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold and set, 3-24 hours.

To make the topping: whip cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-low speed for a minute or so, until foamy. Then increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream evenly over the pie. Sprinkle coconut over the top, and enjoy.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Brussels Sprouts

This is one of those recipes that hits all of the dietary needs in our family: low carb options, deconstructable for picky eaters, a healthy meat, and delicious on top of it all. If you shred the sprouts in a food processor, it's not bad on time, either.

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Sheet Pan Salmon and Brussels Sprouts

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019900-roasted-salmon-and-brussels-sprouts-with-citrus-soy-sauce

1 pd (or more) brussels sprouts, trimmed

3-4 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced (about 1/2 c), optional

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (about 1/4 c), optional or to taste

2 T toasted sesame or extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

4 (6-oz) skin-on salmon fillets, about 1-inch thick

1/4 freshly squeezed lemon, lime or tangerine juice

2 T rice vinegar

2 T soy sauce

Honey, to taste, optional

Prepare your sprouts. You can either slice them thinly (which is about 4 1/2 c) or you can shred them in the food processor. Though I prefer the slices for eating, I'm going to use the processor in the future for time's sake.

Heat oven to 400F. On a large sheet pan, mix the sprouts, scallions, jalapeno, and oil, then spread over entire pan.

Pat the salmon dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place them on the sheet pan amongst the brussels sprouts. Roast until the salmon measures at least 120F on an instant read thermometer, about 12-15 minutes.

While the fish and brussels sprouts are roasting, mix together the juice, vinegar, and soy sauce, along with 2 T water.

Drizzle the sauce on your own serving of fish and brussels sprouts, according to preferences. Serve with a side of basmati rice and enjoy. 

Chili

This is simply a basic meat and bean chili and the recipe served me well for many years.

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Chili                                 

Adapted from an old recipe shared decades ago by a friend named Joyce from our first Air Force assignment
Yields a Dutch oven full of chili.

For the beans:

2 cups pinto beans, sorted and brined overnight in 2 quarts of water and 1 1/2 T salt
1/2 onion
1 carrot cut into 2 inch chunks
1 stick of celery cut into 2 inch chunks
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
Water

Before cooking, drain the beans from the brine and rinse in a colander. In a large saucepan (I used a 4 quart pot) place the beans and the vegetable aromatics (onion half, carrot and celery chunks, garlic) and bay leaf. Cover generously with water (an inch or two above the level of the beans) and bring to a boil, watching so you avoid a boil-over. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for several hours until beans are done (the amount of time this will take depends on the age of the beans but mine took about three hours).

The rest of the ingredients:

1/2-1 pound of ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 teas salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teas pepper
2 T chili powder
1 can tomato paste
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
1 (4-oz) can of diced green chiles or 1/2 c frozen chopped chiles, or to taste
1 cup water.

In a Dutch oven cook the ground beef, onions, and salt together until browned. Add the garlic and cook for half a minute or so until fragrant. Move the mixture to the edges of the pan and place the spices in the center of the pan and toast for a minute. Stir the spices into the meat and add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes until the paste has darkened. Pour in the liquid from the whole tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in the blender or food processor and place in the skillet. Stir in the green chiles and water. Bring to to strong simmer and then lower the heat and simmer for a couple hours stirring occasionally. If it gets too thick add some more water or some of the bean broth.

Note: To streamline this process you can worry less about building flavor. Add the garlic, spices, and tomato paste together. Then stir in a can of crushed tomatoes and the green chile. Continue with the recipe.

When the beans are done and are beginning to break apart remove some of the bean broth (hold a generous amount in reserve) and all the spent aromatics. Drain most of the remaining liquid, if needed. Pour the beans into the meat mixture in the Dutch oven. Stir well. Add some of the reserved bean broth until the chili is the consistency you prefer. Stir again and cook together for an hour at a low simmer. Check the consistency again and add more bean broth if needed. Taste for seasonings and add salt. If you like spicier chili add more chiles or stir in a bit of powdered cayenne. Serve with warm cornbread.