Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe *
From the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook adapted by Smitten Kitchen

The brilliance of these cookies is that they have included two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (I prefer chunky no sugar added peanut butters, but lots of people use regular smooth)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients
2-3 Full Cloves of Garlic*
1 TBL Spoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Per clove

Directions
Cut top off the garlic so that most of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle the olive oil over the cloves. Bake in an oven at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

The garlic cloves will pop out of their skin easily with a butter knife. Spread across Bagels, crackers, pita bread, etc. Or use in other recipes.

*Less if using Elephant Garlic. The purple varieties of garlic tend to work really well in this recipe

Cheese Soup Recipes

Cheese Soup Recipes

No clue where I got the basic recipe from. The Internet surely, but it’s been heavily modified so would be hard to find.

“Basic” Cheese Soup

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup thinly diced celery
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup thinly diced carrots
1/2 cup thinly diced onion
2 tablespoons Parmesan Romano Cheese
5 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
6 Ounces Cheddar Cheese

Melt butter; saute vegetables until done but not browned. Blend in flour. Slowly add chicken or vegetable stock, bring to a boil; cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Blend in cheddar cheese, Parmesan-Romano cheese. Add Salt and Pepper to taste

Beer Cheddar variation
As above, add 1 bottle of beer (Dark Ales are best,) along with the cheese

Meat Variation
Add 1 cup chopped ham (Serrano or other salty thin sliced hams work best,) or 8-12 chopped pieces of Bacon, or 4 chopped Sausages, or one chopped Kielbasa

Extra Cheesy Variation
Add 1/2 Cup White Cheddar, 2 Ounces Blue Cheese, 6 ounces Pepper Jack

Mexican Variation
Add 4-6 chopped Jalapenos or Habaneros – Do NOT Saute and remove seeds to decrease the heat. You can bake them in the oven for 4-6 minutes at 400 to give them a crispy “fire roasted” texture/flavor.

Quick Variation
1 Can of Campbell’s Cheddar Soup prepared as on can
4 Ounces Grated Cheddar Cheese (a large handful)
2 Ounces Grated Jack or Mozzarella

Rick’s Variation
Add 1/2 Cup White Cheddar, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, six cloves of crushed garlic, Tabasco or Dave’s Insanity Sauce to taste