Peanut Butter Surprises

I don't know about everyone else around here, but I'm ready for all this cold rain to take a hike! Is it really too much to ask for a little summer?!

I tried to brighten up my day by making these delicious little treats (it worked!).

Peanut Butter Surprises (from http://backtothecuttingboard.com)

Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar, plus more for dipping
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Filling:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, blend together the powdered sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Chill while making the dough.
• In another medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda.
• In a larger bowl, beat together both sugars, butter, and 1/2 cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until combined.
• Line up dough, then peanut butter filling, then sheet pan (similar to an assembly line). Fill a shallow dish with sugar and grease the bottom of a glass large enough to flatten cookies.
• Take about one tablespoon of dough and using your palms, roll it into a ball and then flatten. Take about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of the peanut butter filling and place in the middle of the flattened dough. Fold the chocolate dough around the peanut butter and roll back into a ball.
• Place on cookie sheet. Dip bottom of glass into sugar and then flatten each cookie.
• Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. When done, they should be set and slightly cracked around the edges.

Sweet Honey Cornbread

On Sunday I was having one of those days where I really wanted a little something sweet but had nothing in the cupboards and didn't really feel like baking anything too exciting ...

So what was a girl to do?

Well, I opened my notebook and started flipping through to find the easiest and fastest recipe I could find! I decided on Sweet Honey Cornbread; it was perfectly baked, served warm with a little butter and a drizzle of molasses.

Sweet Honey Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly grease a 9x9inch pan
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients; Add cream, oil, honey, and eggs, stir to combine. Pour batter into pan.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

It's so easy and delicious ... There's no reason why you can't make it!

Torta alle Pere

I've always had a love for Italian food, everything from delicious pastas to decedent desserts, but it wasn't until I started working at a delicious Italian restaurant in downtown Halifax that I started to truly appreciate it.
Learning how to work with beautiful good quality ingredients; You can add a little love, a dash of this, and a pinch of that and the result are flavors that marry together and create mouthwatering plates.

On Monday, I decided to take a break from staring out the window wishing for sun and bake! I might cook all day at work (and love every minute of it) but when I'm at home I turn to the flour and parchment paper before the onions and chicken stock!
To satisfy my baking needs, I pulled out one of my favorite Italian cook books 'Passione' written by Gennaro Contaldo. There were two recipes that caught my eye, the first a Torta al Cioccolato e Vino Rosso (chocolate and red wine cake) and the second being the Torta alle Pere. The chocolate cake seemed like a good choice, however in my house chocolate doesn't last long and wine? Well that goes even faster! And so I starting whipping up the Torta alle Pere.

Torta alle Pere

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small chunks
1 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp full-fat milk
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 pears
4 tbsp apricot jam (for glaze)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch round shallow cake tin with butter and line the base with a circle piece of parchment paper.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, butter, and honey together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the milk, beating well. Then sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the top and fold in with a metal spoon, adding vanilla extract too. Core and dice 3 of the pears and mix them in.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Core and thinly slice the 2 remaining pears and arrange them on the top. Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake has risen and is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
• If you want to glaze the cake, make up the apricot glaze by diluting the apricot jam with a little water and then heating it gently, stir until smooth. Sieve the warm glaze and brush it immediately over the top of the cake.

                        

This cake turned out wonderfully, it was so moist and delicious, I highly recommend that you try it!