Sunday Supper - Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies

 O. M. G!

photo courtesy of zenandspice.com

My husband was out running errands yesterday morning and I called him up, told him I was craving donuts and he needed to bring some home.

He didn't follow my instructions.  But, it turned out okay because he made these cookies instead.  

Oh my goodness!  These peanut butter s'mores cookies from zenandspice.com are delicious!

Candy Cane Hell

Yikes!  Ever since Thanksgiving, I've been thinking Christmas fell on a Saturday this year.  I've been counting on Christmas falling on a Saturday.  Imagine my total surprise/freak out/nervous breakdown yesterday when I looked a little closer at the calendar and realized it falls on a Friday. BAM!  In an instant, 24 hours of preparation time gone.  Just gone.  24 hours, gone.  Holy Moly.

So, I'm stepping up, doing everything in double time & basically being a complete be-otch to anyone who crosses my path.  I suggest you stay far, far away.

Unwrapping Candy Canes

Besides being in total be-otch panic mode, it's also Christmas Hell day.  The day I have to take the sticky, staticy cellophane off six boxes of candy canes & grind them up to make candy cane sugar.  In other words, Christmas Hell day.

Candy Cane Static Cling

Unwrapping the candy canes is a nightmare of a job because the static in the cellophane makes the wrappers stick to you, it's impossible to see the wrapper when on the candy cane so you're never positive you've gotten it all off and after unwrapping the third or fourth candy cane, your fingers are sticky and you are head to toe static cling bits of cellophane but you can't wipe your fingers on a damp cloth to de-sticky them because you don't want the candy canes to get wet.  It's a pure Christmas Hell nightmare.  But, it's so worth it!

If you are up for having your own Christmas Hell day, I highly recommend it.  After you've unwrapped the candy canes, grind them up until they are powdery in the blender or food processor.  Putting a coffee filter over the lid of which ever machine you use helps to keep the candy cane dust from escaping.  I know that sounds weird, but just trust me.  If you try it, use a coffee filter!  Once you have powdered candy cane, you replace half the white sugar in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with the ground up candy cane.  The result is Amazing!  Amazing with a capital A!  You not only get peppermint chocolate chip cookies with a slight festive pink tint, but the candy cane sugar does something to the dough to make the cookies softer & chewier.  They are freaking delicious!

As a word of caution, if you want the peppermint chocolate chip cookies without the fun of Christmas Hell day, you can use peppermint extract but the flavor isn't quite as good and the texture is no where near the same.  You must experience Christmas Hell in order to experience the deliciousness of a real candy cane chocolate chip cookie.

Marvelous Monday - Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

It's Marvelous Monday & today we are celebrating my daughter's Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookies.  Chocolate chips mixed with peanut butter.  Need I say more?  My husband calls them heroine cookies because they are so highly addictive.

These cookies very rarely make it into the cookie jar.  Normally, we eat the entire batch straight off the cooling racks.  Here's what you need to know to make your own:

Sarah's Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Cookies:

1 cup of peanut butter 

1 cup sugar + a tiny bit more for sprinkling over baked cookies

1 egg

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a large baking sheet or use parchment paper.  Combine peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, egg & Vanilla and mix well with spoon.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls & place on pan.  Flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake 12 minutes.  Remove from oven & sprinkle slightly with more sugar.  Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Yields 15 - 20 cookies.

In knitting news, after reading E. L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey series, I was inspired to knit a 50 Shades of Grey & Red shawl.

Here's a close up of the colors:

I listed the shawl in the shop and I may have to knit another one for myself.  I hope the yarn is still available.   The colors are a bit masculine, but I absolutely love the shawl.  I think it would look great with jeans & a white shirt.  Of course, I think everything looks great with jeans & a white shirt.

Now, I'm working on another shawl of the same style but in shades of purple & gray.

Doesn't look like much yet and the color is not showing up well there.  The yarn is Pagewood Farm's Yukon in the JF's Folly colorway.  This is another one that I love and may have to keep for myself rather than putting it in the Etsy shop.  Because the yarn is hand dyed in small batches, I probably won't be able to get more of this exact color.  Plus, I think it would look great with the jeans and white shirt.  I even have gray boots to match.  Yeah, I'll probably be keeping this one!