If You Amore S’mores – Try Peanut Butter S’more Bar Cookies

Sorry for the horrible twist on words in this title. I couldn’t help myself! But seriously, these cookies are outrageous. You may not want to tell your dentist or dietician you’ve eaten Peanut Butter S’more Bars because the sugar content is off the charts. Just sayin’!

I want to give credit to the bloggers who led me to these wonderful cookies.

I follow Six Sisters’ Stuff. Their roundup posts on baked goods always include some keepers. I’ve struck gold many times and last week was no exception. They linked to a recipe by Melanie who writes The Sweet Life. Her recipe is wonderful just as it and I encourage you to visit her site and try the original recipe. I made a few small tweaks to Melanie’s recipe and this was my end result.

Buon appetito!

Peanut Butter S’more Bars

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 1 1/2 packs)
2 large bars Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup bars
1 small jar marshmallow fluff

Directions

Using paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and continue beating until incorporated. Add salt, baking powder, flour, and graham crackers crumbs. Mix until incorporated.

Press 1/2 of dough into the bottom of a buttered 8×8 baking dish. Lay individual squares, evenly placed in four rows on top of dough. Press in slightly to keep them from shifting.

Spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over the peanut butter squares.

Scoop remaining dough onto the top of the fluff layer and carefully spread out to cover entire layer. Tip: An offset knife works great for spreading!

Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center of the top layer is cooked. Cool and cut into squares.

I have no clue on the calorie content for these bad boys. Make sure you have a glass of milk handy! If these are too sweet for your liking, try my Chocolate Pillows which use a spritz dough and are not quite as sweet!

Chocolate Pillows – The Best Cookies You Will Ever Eat

It is not Christmas if there is not a batch of Chocolate Pillows on the cookie plate in my family. It has been a family favorite since my grandmother tore the recipe out of her Pillsbury’s 15th Bake-Off in 1964. Second Grand Prize Winner Gemma Jane of Olympia, wherever you are – God Bless You!

The Chocolate Pillow is brilliant in its simplicity. It is never the prettiest cookie on the platter, but is always the first one gone. It was my father’s favorite, my favorite, and now the favorite of countless friends who put in their orders every year!

You will need a cookie press to make these. Buy one today.

Chocolate Pillows

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 full size Hershey bars, broken into sections

Directions

Cream softened butter with sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix until dough comes together.

Using cookie press with sawtooth disk, lay long, straight strips of dough (ridge side facing up) onto cookie sheet. Place chocolate sections end to end along each strip of dough. Press a second strip of dough over each row, covering the chocolate pieces.

Using your finger to find the space between each chocolate bar, make a slice with a sharp floured knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until some of the edges start to brown. Cool slightly before breaking apart. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

I would love to hear whether any other families out there have been baking these cookies since the ’60s! Buon appetito!

Cinnamon Roll Cookies Are Too Good To Be True!

Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite breakfast items. This year I decided to find a new Christmas cookie to share with friends. I set my sights on a cinnamon roll cookie.

This one is delicious. I used the recipe from http://www.melskitchencafe.com, but made a few minor alterations. It still needs a bit of tweaking, but my taste testers agree this one is a keeper!

Bake 350 degrees 9-11 minutes

Ingredients

Cookie dough
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla (get the good stuff!)
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Filling
3-4 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
ground cardamom
fresh ground nutmeg

Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs milk

Sprinkles or toasted chopped nuts.

Directions

Using paddle attachment to mixer (or beaters) cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix only until incorporated. Dough should be smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or longer.
While dough is chilling, mix the filling. Should be crumbly like streusel topping.
Remove dough and separate into two halves. Work each into a log and flatten with rolling pin to 15″ x 4″. Tip: draw two 15″ x 4″ rectangles on a large piece of parchment and flip it over. Roll your cookie sections on the parchment using the lines as a guide.

Spread thin later of butter over each section all the way to the edges. Sprinkle streusel filling over each section, end to end. Sprinkle cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg over each section. Press topping down lightly.
Tightly roll into logs, leaving seams on the bottom. Re-chill dough for 15 minutes. This is a good time to preheat your oven. Slice logs into equal disks about 1/4″ wide. Place each disk on cookie sheet (using parchment) about 2 inches apart. Bake 9-11 minutes. Cool.
While baking, beat the frosting until smooth. Spread onto cooled cookies. Top with sprinkles or nuts.

Enjoy!

Brad Nierenberg the Home Chef

brad | the | gourmand

Tag: Christmas cookies

If You Amore S’mores – Try Peanut Butter S’more Bar Cookies

Peanut Butter S’more Bars

Chocolate Pillows – The Best Cookies You Will Ever Eat