Edible Peanut Buter Cookie Dough

As a follow up to my recent chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream recipe, I’m sharing a version of edible cookie dough for non-chocolate lovers (they do exist). 

You’ll need:

2 tbsp your favorite peanut butter

5 tbsp flour

4 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp milk

1 small splash vanilla 

I’d recommend microwaving your peanut butter for 20 seconds before adding the rest of your ingredients to soften up the peanut butter and make it easier to mix, but you don’t have to. You can throw all 5 ingredients in a bowl at the same time and mix them together with the same fork you then use to consume it immediately. It’s entirely up to you. 

You can add this cookie dough to my classic vanilla ice cream (same link as above). I was thinking of doing a vanilla ice cream base, tossing in scoops of this cookie dough and a handful of chocolate chips, and drizzling the whole thing with melted peanut butter. But that isn’t going to happen tonight because I’ve eaten most of it while typing this post for you. 

Homemade Cookie Dough Ice Cream

WARNING: This recipe is dangerous. Once you know how easy and how damn amazing it is, you'll want to make it over and over and over. Don't say I didn't tell you.

I make my cookie dough first and throw it in the fridge while I get the ice cream started. This recipe is awesome and makes the perfect amount for mixing in to the perfect amount of ice cream for my favorite ice cream maker. 

Now for the ice cream. Stir 1/2 cup sugar and a generous splash of vanilla into 2 cups whole milk until dissolved. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour in milk mixture. Once it starts to freeze but before it’s all the way frozen, pour in a handful of chocolate chips and spoonfuls of chilled cookie dough. Keep mixing another five minutes until it’s mostly frozen. You may need to stir your cookie dough around so it’s not all clumped together. Eat as much as you want and freeze the rest for later. Or eat it all. I won't judge you.

It’s always a good time for pumpkin muffins

I’ve been on a muffin kick lately. It’s been cold and wintery, (it’s actually snowing today, boo) and a nice warm muffin and a cup of hot coffee is just what I need to get the day started. Over the course of several trials, I have perfected these pumpkin muffins, and I’d like to share them with you. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup quick oats

1 cup white or brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder 

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup pumpkin 

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients. Whisk in wet ingredients. Spoon into greased (with cooking spray) muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Perfected from Cookie Madness https://www.cookiemadness.net/2009/12/jumbo-pumpkin-streusel-muffins/

Tidying is magical

Last month, I confessed something to my mom: part of me wouldn't be sad if our house burned down and all of my stuff was gone. She told me that she used to have the same secret. Then she moved and left behind 90% of her stuff, only that's not how she thought of it. She focused on the 10% of her stuff that she decided to take with her. I was sold. 

As soon as I got home, I ordered The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up on Amazon. Even with a one year old, I finished reading it in two days. It was the first book I've stayed up late to finish in years. It was exactly what I needed. 

The gist of it is that you go through everything you own, one category at a time, and only keep the things that make you happy. And don't keep anything just because you feel like you should, either because you haven't used it or because someone gave it to you. And then find a home for all the things you're keeping. 

So far, I've gone through all of my clothes, all of my books, all of my bedding, all of my holiday decorations, and most of my paperwork. I donated 5 bags of clothes to a women's shelter. I donated 5 boxes of books to the library. I donated 4 bags of bedding and 3 boxes of holiday decorations. 

I've also learned things. Like how good it feels to let things go that no longer make me happy. And how relaxing it is to not be surrounded by so much clutter. And that there are so many categories left to go! 

Happy tidying!

Pizza, pizza

Pizza is one of my go-to meals. It's quick and easy to throw together with ingredients I almost always have. Except when I don't. Tonight, I'd already decided that we were having pizza when I realized I didn't have yeast. This yeast-free pizza dough from House of Yumm saved me. I thought the dough turned out a little more biscuit-y than pizza-y, not that there's anything wrong with that. Hubby thought it was delish. It made a pretty pepperoni pizza, right? 

And I love that the dough doesn't have to be pre-cooked, you just layer the toppings on the raw dough (sauce, cheese, pepperoni, cheese, pepperoni, cheese... in case you were wondering).

And half the recipe made a perfect sized pizza for the two of us. 

And I realize that if I'm going to share food pictures on the Internet, I should probably invest in a shiny new baking sheet. Probably.

Magical Blackberry Turnovers

I used to think I didn't like cooked fruit. Or maybe I somehow knew that it was safer for me to not like cooked fruit. And then someone gave me a dutch apple pie and it was super tasty. And then my honey made strawberry tarts with leftover phyllo dough (probably the only time I'll use the words 'leftover phyllo dough') and they were super tasty, too. So it turns out, I do like cooked fruit. That's a wonderful and dangerous thing to know, and also how I ended up making these magical blackberry turnovers.

Like, they're literally magical. You make the dough in a food processor and somehow it turns into these beautiful flaky layers in the oven. I will definitely be making more of these, and more variations, at harvest time.

Ingredients
6 oz cold butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup flour
a pinch of salt
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour

Directions
Blend first four ingredients in food processor until well mixed. Smoosh together into a ball, then roll on a floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into rectangles.
Lightly smash blackberries, sugar, and 2 tbsp flour until incorporated. Add more  sugar if you want sweeter turnovers, or less if you want to really capture the essence of the berries. Spoon berry mixture onto half of each dough rectangle, then fold dough over itself and pinch down the edges to seal in the berry goodness. 
Bake (on parchment paper so they won't stick) at 375° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Admire and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Back when I had more free time (i.e. no Baby), I used to get all fancy about potlucks. Nowadays, I consider it a win to leave the house wearing pants. But I still go to kind of a lot of potlucks. 

When Hubby and I went to the super secret preppers' club meeting, it was a potluck. When Baby and I go to the old biddy book club, it's a potluck. Community events are pretty much all potlucks. 

So I decided I need to have a go-to recipe for potlucks that's easy, yummy, and made with ingredients I usually have in the house. These peanut butter cookies are perfect. Except they came out kind of messy because I rolled them into balls with one hand because I was holding Baby with the other. Yay multitasking!

Ingredients 

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter 

1 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

How-to:

Beat brown sugar, peanut butter, and butter in a stand mixer until combined. Add vanilla and egg and beat again. Add flour and baking soda and beat again. 

Roll dough into meatball-sized balls and spread out on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Use a fork to smoosh an X into each cookie. This is crucial, otherwise no one will know they're peanut butter cookies. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. They're done when they're puffy and just a little squishy. You'll probably have to eat one to make sure they're done. Just try to wait long enough so that you don't burn the inside of your mouth like I may or may not have. 

Happy potlucking!