Nutella + Peanut Butter = Yum

That's my kind of math.

Original recipe and photos from:  http://delightfulbitefuls.blogspot.com/2011/02/peanut-butter-nutella-swirl-cookies.html


Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies
Adapted from: Sweetest Kitchen

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Approx. 1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

Add flour, baking soda and salt. Drizzle Nutella on top of the dough then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.

Chill dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll into balls by hand. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down the balls to flatten slightly. Bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 10 minutes).

Allow to rest 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.

Avalanche Bars

I love pinterest.  I do.  Where else would I be able to find recipes from a million different websites and be able to narrow them down by how delicious they look?!  Here's another find for Fun Friday.  I stole that idea from my friend Abbie who never blogs anymore so I won't even link to her blog even though it would probably take as long as it has taken me to write this run on sentence.  Anyway, she makes a special treat every Friday for her kiddos - I love that!  It makes it so I can feed them healthy every other day and they can't complain because, hey, Fun Friday!  Nice, right?

So, here's today's treat.  Original recipe, commentary, and photos from:  http://cookiesandcups.com/avalanche-anyone/

Avalanche Bars

12 oz bag of White Chocolate Chips

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups Rice Krispies, or “Puffed Rice” if you’re buying generic

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp for garnish.

Lightly grease a 9×9 pan (or 8×8 if you prefer thicker bars)

1.  In microwave-safe bowl dump in white chips and heat on med power for 1 minute.  Stir and continue in 30 second increments until chips are melted.

2.  Combine the peanut butter with the melted chips

3.  Add the krispies.

4.  Let cool approx 15 – 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so to help cool.

5.  Add the marshmallows and the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

6.  Dump mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing lightly with the back of your spoon, but do not compact too much, otherwise they will get hard.

7.  Press the remaining chocolate chips into the top for garnish.

When the bars are completely cooled cut into squares and enjoy!

These will be the only avalanche that I will ever love

Samoas Cookie Bars

I saw these on Pinterest and knew we were a match made in heaven.  And the recipe is super simple.  Yum.  Thank goodness it's my good friend's birthday today or I would be in trouble.

Original recipe at: http://bakingbites.com/2009/02/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-samoas-bars/

Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes 30 bar cookies.
Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.