Peanut Butter Banana Cookies {recipe review}

It's officially summer, but my children are still in school for another week or so and it's all a go with plays and projects and school visits. Then they will be off and it will be the juggle of work and keeping them entertained. 

Although it sounds as if I am complaining I'm not. I enjoy my time with my children and can't wait to spend time with them! I recently made them these cookies and they have requested them again so I have it on the list to make them over the summer holidays. 

Recipe was adapted from Eric Lanlard's Afternoon Tea book - which weirdly I have never reviewed here on my blog. Eric Lanlard has several books and I own all of them because he is one of my absolute favorites and if you ever come across one of his books you should get it! 

These cookies were amazing. I changed a few things so the recipe below reflects how I made them! 

Peanut butter Banana Cookies 

125g mashed ripe banana (approx 2 small bananas or 1 large banana)

100g crunchy peanut butter

70g butter, melted

50g dark brown sugar

85g golden caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200g self-rising flour

2 tsp baking powder

30g dark chocolate chips 

20g peanut butter chips 

- 50g dark chocolate chips & 50g peanut butter chips

Gently beat the banana, peanut butter, and butter together until combined. Then mix in both sugars and the vanilla bean paste until just combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the peanut butter mixture. Then fold in the chocolate and peanut butter chips. Form a dough and cover in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or over night. 

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas mark 4 - Line your baking sheets with baking paper. Using an ice cream scoop out the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets, leave space between the cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes, I know my oven has a hot spot so about half way though I rotated my baking sheets and swamped one from the top shelf to the bottom shelf. 

(Makes about 9 cookies using the ice cream scoop, you can make them smaller the baking time is roughly the same but check on them at about 10 minutes.)

Leave the cookies to cool, while cooling gently melt the dark chocolate chips and peanut butter chips together, us using your preferred method. Some people put a bowl on to a swimming pan of water, some use a microwave, I just pop them into my heavy bottom pan and melt it on a low heat. Then place the melted chocolate into a piping bag or a sandwich bag snip the tip and drizzle across the cookies. 

Bananas go off so quickly this recipe is a great way to use them up and they taste amazing!! Did you know you can also freeze your ripe bananas? If you are using frozen bananas just let them defrost slightly and drain off any liquid before using them in the recipe. 

If you make them let me know via twitter or instagram - I love sharing everyone's photos! 

Peanut Butter Cookies (recipe)

Every thing has a national or international day these days.

Not only is social media a headache to keep up with how are we meant to keep up with all these celebrations of literally everything. I mean today (June 22nd, 2018) alone is National Take your Dog to Work day and National Onion Rings Day and don't forget National Chocolate Eclair Day.  

Now don't get me wrong I have used national days to my advantage. Like the 12th of June is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day so naturally on social media I am that annoying person going 

"Hey Everyone!! It's National Peanut Butter Cookie Day didn't ya know? Why not check out these Peanut Butter Cookies I made and if you want to make them too check the recipe out on my blog now!"

But I forgot all about National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. I was going to share these with you. However that never happened, the day just passed me by. So, here ten days later I am sharing with you some peanut butter cookies.

They are still good cookies even if they weren't eaten nor blogged about on 'their' day. The worst part is I can't shamelessly promote it by claiming its National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

160g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

114g unsalted butter, room temp

150g light brown sugar

50g sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

125g peanut butter, smooth/crunchy

50g-75g salted peanuts

50g peanut butter chips (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. 

Beat the butter, and both sugars together until creamy and light. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until combined. Add the peanut butter and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients in three batches mixing until just combined in-between each addition. Fold the peanuts and peanut butter chips if using into the cookie dough. 

Cover the cookie dough and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 3 days. 

When ready to bake remove from the fridge while you heat the oven to 170C/350F and line the baking trays with grease proof baking paper. 

Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into a ball and place on the prepared baking tray. Once you've used all the dough, gently press down on each one with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. 

Bake for 10-13 minutes depending on your oven. The less you bake the softer the are and the longer the more crispy they are. Because cookies can look under-baked when they come out trust your timer and oven especially if you want softer cookies. 

Leave to cool and enjoy with a glass of cold milk! 

Brown Sugar Cookies

In a world where only over the top food things reign, for example the trending freak shake and anything rainbow, I think basic, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth treats get over looked just because they aren't loud and in your face.

Don't get me wrong I am the first to hit that like button on something loud, big, and amazing because they are amazing. Drooling over food pictures is a daily occurrence for me. Food is a form of art and I am always impressed with the creativity of chefs and home bakers.

For some bakes there is only so much you can do to it. Cookies for example can be sandwiched or iced or be 'overloaded' with add-ins, but they will always be a cookie. And sometimes there is nothing better then a good old plain sugar cookie.

And sometimes there is something better .... a brown sugar cookie.

Brown Sugar Cookies

340g plain flour
2 tsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
228g butter
300g dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsps vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 170C/350F and line your cookie sheet(s) with grease proof paper.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together and leave aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time and mix well between each addition.
Scoop out with a large scoop and leave each mound of cookie dough about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. They don't spread much, but they will spread.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Once out of the oven leave to cool on the sheet for a couple minutes before leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

Although these cookies may not be something to look at they are delicious and it is very hard to just have one! It is always fun experimenting with different sugars when baking because the results will always be different. The dark brown sugar gives these cookies a deeper flavor then regular sugar cookies.

Easy Choc Dip and Drizzle Cookies from Dr Oetker {recipe/product review}

I don't have a microwave. Some people find that weird and others don't have them either and so can relate. It really hasn't affected my kitchen life. 

Until I agree to try out a recipe from the Dr. Oetker website and even picked the recipe I thought looked great, only to find out that the White Easy Choc pot suggests it to be microwaved. It was at this point I was annoyed with myself for not paying attention to all the details. 

However, as I re-read I was excited to see I didn't need a microwave at all because I could just put the pot in a bowl and then pour hot water around it just like a bain marie aka water bath aka double boiler type situation. Perfect! 

This recipe is one of the easiest cookie recipes I have tried and would be a great one to make with kids, once the cookies are dipped you could easily let them decorate them with all sorts of sprinkles! I kept mine plain because I was lacking in sprinkles... I should really stock back up..... 

Back to what I was saying these are easy cookies to make and what I haven't said yet is that they are soft and chocolatey! They would make a perfect treat after school or dinner or bake sale! As Dr. Oetker are the proud sponsors of the Great British Bake Off I think I can safely say .... 

Get ready, set, bake! 

Easy Choc Dip and Drizzle Cookies

100g unsalted butter

75g dark brown sugar 

1 medium egg yolk 

100g plain flour

25g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 pot of Dr. Oetker White Easy Choc

Heat the oven to 190˚C (170˚C fan oven, 375˚F, gas 5). Line 1-2 baking trays with baking parchment. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and well blended. Beat in the egg yolk.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Divide the mixture into 16 rounds approx. 4cm (1 ½ inches) in diameter and place on the baking trays, spaced slightly apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until just firm and lightly cracked on top. Cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the Easy Choc as directed on the pot, and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Arrange the cookies on a board lined with baking parchment. And, using a teaspoon, thickly drizzle half of them with the melted Easy Choc. Half dip the remaining cookies and place back on the parchment to set.

*Dr. Oetker got in touch with me and sent me a few of the products mentioned above to bake these cookies from their website, the recipe can be found here  link no longer available. There was no other compensation given - all opinions are my own for more information please see my contact/policy page above. 

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

I have a very fuzzy memory of having mini cheesecakes like this when I was a kid. Maybe not Oreo's, but with a Vanilla Wafer or Nilla Wafers as the crust and a raspberry or strawberry topping. Either way when requested to have cheesecake for dessert I obliged.

Cheesecake is great! But, and there is a but, it is super rich and sometimes a bit much to take on as a dessert. Therefore these "cupcake" cheesecakes are a great way to serve it without having to try and cut the perfect slice. Plus, one whole cookie acts as the base and saves loads of time and effort! Gotta love short cuts! 

Since Kraft have taken over Cadbury they have made Oreo Cadbury chocolate bars and at Easter we get Oreo Eggs - since it's that time of year I added these on top as a decoration! If it's not Easter add on a mini Oreo! Remember any sandwich cookie/biscuit would do as a base and the cheesecake flavors are endless! So, be creative and bake your favorite mini cheesecake, but to start this is how I made these! 

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

makes 15

21 Chocolate Creme Cookies

455g full fat cream cheese

200g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temp

250ml sour cream

pinch of salt 

Heat the oven to 135C/275F and line a muffin tin with liners and place a whole cookie at the bottom of each liner. Beat the cream cheese until soft before gradually adding the sugar. Once combined add the vanilla and mix. Gently beat the eggs together in a bowl before gradually adding to the cream cheese mixture, scraping down the bowl as needed. Then add the sour cream and salt and beat. Chop up the remaining cookies, which should be 6 cookies, fold into the cream cheese mixture. Using a medium sized ice cream scoop fill the muffin liners with the cheesecake mixture. Bake for 22 minutes rotating the tins half way through baking. Filling will still be a bit wobbly, but should be slightly firm and colored on top. Leave to cool completely before placing in the fridge over night or for a minimum of 4 hours. 

Chocolate Glaze (optional)

170g of chocolate, mix of milk and dark or one or the other, broken up 

140ml double cream 

In a double broiler melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is almost melted remove from the heat and slowly add the double cream mixing in quick small circles with a whisk, until the mixture comes together and is smooth and shiny.

To Finish: Top the chilled cheesecakes with a tablespoon of the glaze and gently spread with the back of the spoon. Top with chocolate eggs or cookie or nothing and serve! 

Cookies and Cream is not just an ice cream flavor! These mini cheesecakes are just the right portion size and the cookie gives a nice texture to the creamy cheesecake, great for dessert or afternoon treat! 

* This is NOT a sponsored post. All views and opinions are my own. Please see my contact/policy page above for more information. Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart. 

* I linked this post up with Treat Petite hosted by The Baking Explorer and Cakeyboi 

New Look and M&M Cookies

It's no secret that my blogging days have been waning. I haven't been baking as much as I used too with life and other activities taking up my time. It was a debate, after the last couple of years, if I was going to continue blogging.

It is a lot of work to keep a blog up and running - all the writing, editing of text and photos, and of course self promotion. It's all about balancing it all and I think it's about time to get back to blogging, with a new look and a new outlook on life!

I thought I'd start with something fun and easy - M&M cookies! I was doing my weekly food shop and they had the bags of M&M's hanging in in the middle of the isle and I was like I want those. More specifically I want those in cookies. So, I made it happen. About a month later, but I still made it happen!

M&M Cookies

150g soft unsalted butter
125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, fridge cold
1 egg yolk, fridge cold
300g flour
½ tsp bicarb of soda
100g milk/dark chocolate chunks
165g M&M's plain or peanut!

Heat the oven to 170*C/gas mark 3 and line your baking sheet. Melt butter and let cool a little bit, put both sugars in a bowl and then beat in melted butter. Then beat in vanilla, the cold egg and cold egg yolk until light and creamy. Slowly mix in the flour and bicarb until just blended (I mixed it in a couple of batches) fold in chocolate chunks and M&M's. Use a medium ice cream scoop or a 1/4 measuring cup to divide the cookie dough into a dozen cookie dough balls. Keep cookie dough in the fridge between baking. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.
*adapted from Nigella's recipe in Kitchen

I can't tell you how much of the cookie dough was consumed before being put on the baking tray or I might have to kill you - as the saying goes. Although I can hint that it was more then a little. Cookie dough is so good.... I know you're not suppose to eat it with raw eggs and flour and stuff....but it's so good!!

Cookies fresh out of the oven are irroestiable! This cookie recipe is my go to cookie recipe. I have used it over and over again and I just add whatever I want to it! M&M's today white chocolate and macadamia nuts tomorrow and Revel's the next day! 

Hey! So, what do you think of the new look? A big thank you to Anna at Designer Blogs for giving my blog an awesome makeover! 

Mini Chocolate Egg Cookies

Easter candy here in the UK is boring. I’m not saying this to pick a fight or be rude. It’s just all chocolate. Jelly beans aren’t a thing so no big bags of Brach’s jelly beans or Starburst of Jolly Rancher flavoured jelly beans.

Peeps aren’t a thing, I mean I understand why because Peeps are pretty gross. Unless they are like a couple days old and a bit chewy. Even though they aren’t my favorite they are at least something different! The American in me needs variety!

All the UK has is chocolate. Numerous different variations on a plain hollow chocolate egg. Boring. I lie there are hollow chocolate bunnies too. Don’t even get me started on how over hyped and sickly Cadbury Creme Eggs are.

Now that I got that all out of my system I can confess that my one secret Easter indulgence is the mini egg. A solid chocolate egg covered in a candy shell.

It was when I was browsing the seasonal shelfs at my local grocery store chain that I came across micro chocolate eggs. Of course I bought two bags to put into cookies. If you can’t find micro mini eggs then I’d buy the regular ones and bust them up. Busting them up might help take the edge off of the disappointment in the lack of variety of Easter treats.

With added white chocolate chunks, I thought it would complement the pastel colors of the candy coating on the chocolate eggs.

Mini Chocolate Egg Cookies
150g soft unsalted butter
125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, fridge cold
1 egg yolk, fridge cold
300g flour
½ tsp bicarb of soda
100g white chocolate chunks
200g mini/micro chocolate eggs

Heat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3 and line a baking sheet. Melt the butter and leave to cool while you weigh out the sugars in a big mixing bowl. Then add the melted butter and beat until combined, followed by the vanilla, egg and egg yolk, beat until light and creamy. Add the bicarb to the flour before gently mix in the flour in 3 or 4 parts until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chunks and mini/micro eggs.
Using an medium ice cream scoop or 1/4 measuring cup scoop out the cookie batter and place on the baking sheet a few inches apart. (keep the batter in the fridge between batches) Bake for 15-17 minutes depending on how chewy you want them to be! They should be a very light brown on top! Cool for a few minutes before eating!

notes: recipe adapted from Nigella’s Kitchen - I entered these cookies into the monthly blogger challenge Treat Petite hosted by The Baking Explorer and Cakeyboi.

Rice Krispie Heart Treats {Easy Valentine's Day Treats}

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be all about the showy lovey dovey stuff, it can be about the simple things that make you or the person that you are with happy! 

Rice Krispie Treats make me happy. They might not be something new or flashy, but they are made out of a crispy rice cereal, melted marshmallows, butter and everything good in this world. They have been made for years - since like 1939 or something? That’s a long time. 

The other reason these are great is because they can be shaped and manipulated into pretty much anything you want! I use my heart shaped donut pan and my heart cookie cutter to make these into hearts for Valentine’s Day! 

Then decorated them with red candy melts, I also used the candy melts to make heart candies from a random heart tray I had acquired from who knows where? It worked well though! If you rather not use candy melts, melted chocolate and/or sprinkles of varying colors and shapes would work well too! 

Rice Krispie Treats: 

50g unsalted butter

280g marshmallows

180g crispy rice cereal 

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract (optional) 

1 bag of red candy melts (optional) 

Butter heart shaped donut tin or line a tray bake tin with grease proof paper (make sure the paper over hangs the tin). 

Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until completely melted. Add the vanilla extract if using. Then add half the cereal and stir to coat before adding the rest and mixing until completely mixed. Wear latex gloves or butter your hands a little so you can handle the mixture. Beware it will be hot/warm and hot sugar can burn. Shape to fit your donut and press down and/or in your baking tin do the same using the over hang of greaseproof paper to press down and even out the cereal/marshmallow mixture. Leave to set for at least 30 minutes to an hour, then gently release from donut tin or cut into hearts with a heart cookie cutter! Melt the candy melts according to the instructions on the package and drizzle over them how ever you’d like! Then eat them!! 

It is in my opinion that Valentine’s Day is the best day to indulge in things you love to eat and/or to make the things your loved one(s) like to eat too! If Rice Krispie Treats aren’t your thing here are a few other Valentine’s Day Treats you could try: 

Cherry Heart Pies via The Botanical Kitchen

Mini Chocolate Valentine’s Cakes via Tin and Thyme 

Chocolate Valentines Cookies {Dairy Free} via The Hedge Combers 

Raspberry-Rose & Pink Peppercorn Love Bites via Food to Glow 

A few of my past Valentine's Treats: 

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Pops

Cinnamon Roll Hearts (one of my most popular Pinterest pins ever!)

Baked Doughnuts (heart shaped) 

and another Rice Krispie recipe Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats (also heart shaped)

note: all images are used with the blogger(s) permission 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cream Pie

January is always grey and depressing. So is November, December, and February but January always gets the grief for being so. It’s not it’s fault it has to come after the glitzy over the top month of December.

We should ease off on January. If it weren’t for us telling January it’s grey and depressing then maybe it wouldn’t be.

From now on I think we should give January an ego boost by telling it it’s great no matter how cloudy or cold it is. Because like who needs the sun all year long anyway?

And why would you need the sun to comfort you when you can make a no-bake peanut butter cream pie and eat it? One cannot not like this pie. It asks very little of you. No one likes an over assuming pie and this pie is not assuming .... assuming you like peanut butter that is.

The pie itself is great! Not too peanut buttery and the creamy filling compliments the cookie base really well!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cream Pie 

Pie Crust 

462g (3 packages) chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies
150g unsalted butter, melted

Lightly butter a 9 inch pie dish. Blitz the chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs add the melted butter and mix until combined. Press down in the prepared pie dish, use a spoon and your hand to push it up the sides. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge while you get on with the filling.

Peanut Butter Cream Filling 

226g cream cheese
120g icing sugar
150g peanut butter
1 tablespoon milk
500ml double cream
231g (1/2 package) chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies

Beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, peanut butter, and milk together until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk the double cream until thick and smooth.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until just combined. Spoon into the set pie crust and smooth down. 
Bash the cookies in a bag with a rolling pin or hammer whatever is to hand and sprinkle the crumbs on the top!
Leave to set for 1 hour or more as it probably should be stored in the fridge! Enjoy!

notes: Inspired by a recipe from Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking by Emeril’s Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Could have possibly done with a peanut butter glaze/drizzle - for next time!

Captain America Shield Sugar Cookies & Trailer

Today I saw the new Captain American Civil War trailer and I have to say I haven’t been this excited to see a movie in a while. It looks amazing!!

Watch it below.

Anyway it’s interesting because last week I borrowed my friends star cookie cutter and made these cookies:

I just used my tried and trusted sugar cookie recipe and followed this videos instructions!

Mine weren't as round because I might have been a bit squishy when cutting it. Also I don't think I divided my dough very well as I ended up with some cookies missing layers and stuff. I also maybe made too many stars. But over all they turned out well and were tasty - chewy in the middle and crunchy on the outside.