Manises x dos

Today we have another installment in my 2-for-1 peanut butter recipe saga. For someone who´s just starting to cook with peanut butter, I´m certainly making up for the lost time lately.

But it couldn´t be helped. You see, I checked the peanut butter jar I had bought a few months ago, and its best by date was just around the corner, so I listened to the devil angel on my shoulder, and set about disposing of that jar in the most honorable way…

Which, needless to say, leads us to cookies, and brownies. For the cookies, I turned to the almighty Dorie, and she delivered since these cookies have three delicious elements which are combined to give life to some seriously heavenly morsels: chocolate, oats, and peanut butter.

And for the brownies, I simply created a recipe using my typical brownie recipe as a starting point. Basically, I substituted peanut butter for the butter and added an extra tablespoon of regular butter just in case, and altered the cocoa amount slightly to get the right consistency.

The result was wonderful, and even served as a kick-ass dessert when I took some brownies I had left in the freezer and served them along this ridiculously-easy banana ice cream with a drizzle of dulce de leche sauce on top (no pictures though because it was around midnight and the girls devoured it.)

And you tell me if Phoebe isn´t the best-behaved dog ever… just look at her pondering about life´s mysteries while there are brownies right next to her!

Oh, and speaking of peanut butter recipes, I came across this other peanut butter brownie recipe today by Dorie which looks very promising.

So now you certainly know what to do with a jar of peanut butter… it´s so good to be THIS useful, now I finally feel like I´m saving the world, one crisis at a time.

Easy peanut butter brownies

(by Marcela O., also know as Pip… in the city)

Melted butter (25 grams or 2 tablespoons)
Peanut butter (1/2 cup)
Granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)
Eggs (4)
All-purpose flour (1 cup)
Baking powder (1 teaspoon)
Cocoa (1 1/4 cups, I use semi-sweet cocoa, Nesquick, to be more precise)
Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F

2. Melt the butter in the microwave at 60% for 30 seconds or so. Mix with softened peanut butter and the sugar using a metal whisk, and then add the eggs one by one.

3. Mix the flour with the baking powder and the cocoa, and mix with the batter.

4. Pour in buttered and floured rectangular or round pan (I generally use a PAM-like spray called Fritolim).

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes (it depends on your oven, I usually bake them for just 20 minutes because I like them quite moist). Check after 15 minutes just in case. Don´t open the oven before that because the mix would fall if air gets in while it´s rising.

Chunky peanut butter and oatmeal chocolate chipsters

(from Baking: From my home to yours, by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I omitted this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preparation
Adjust the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, Silpat baking mats, or foil. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, spices, baking soda, and salt just to blend.

With an electric mixer (preferably a stand mixer fitted with a paddle), beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients slowly, beating only until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. (At this point, the dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

If the dough is at room temperature, drop rounded tablespoonsful two inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. If the dough has been refrigerated, scoop it out by rounded teaspoonfuls and roll the balls between your palms. Place them 2″ apart on the sheets. Press the balls gently with the heal of your hand until they are about 1/2″ thick. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden and just firm around the edges.

Lift the cookies onto wire racks with a wide metal spatula – they will firm as they cool. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

Makes about 60 cookies.