Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

There is a deli in Oklahoma City that made THE best peanut butter cookies I've ever had. City Bitees *shout out*. I've tried lots of peanut butter cookie recipes over the years and I never found one that came close to City Bites'.... until now.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
makes 12 large cookies

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. bread flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 honey-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

NOTE:

* I only had unsalted peanuts in my pantry, so that's what I used in the cookie. I firmly believe honey-roasted peanuts would be INSANELY good in this recipe. Next time I make these I will be using honey-roasted peanuts.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cream the butter and peanut butter on medium high for 1 minute.

2. Add sugars and beat at med-high for another minute. Add egg, ,and mix until smooth.

3. Add flour, baking soda and salt on low speed until thoroughly combined. Mix in peanuts (the dough will be quite soft). Chill dough for 15-20 minutes.

 4. Drop the dough onto a lined baking sheet (whatever method you prefer to keep cookies from sticking is fine). I used my 2 oz. cookie scoop. Slighty flatten the cookie on the sheet (they spread quite a bit) and sprinkle a few peanuts on top (optional).

5. Bake for 8-11 minutes until edges are barely golden brown. For a crispier cookie, allow the entire cookie to brown. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

It's Birthday Season!!

Worked on a few birthday cakes this months. A cowboy themed cake for my friend Jordan's 28th birthday. It is, by far, my favorite cake. Ever. I have never seen a grown man so excited about a cake. I have also never laughed so hard as I did the night of his birthday party. This guy is a hot mess and one of the funniest, happiest people I've ever met. Very glad to call him my friend!

A sweet friend of mine from high school asked me to make her husband's cake for his surprise 30th birthday party. It's a blue ombre cake on the inside with green roses on the outside. She wanted to match some napkins she is using. I can't wait to see a picture of the inside once they've cut it!!



Big plans for another birthday cake for next weekend for another sweet friend's birthday. "Kate Spade" inspired!! Stay tuned....

Chicken Enchilada Soup

If you've looked at this blog before, you know about 98% of the recipes on here are desserts. Why? Because I really like rules and in baking you have to follow the rules for something to turn out correctly. Cooking is..... too subjective. You can add things, leave them out, whatever tickles your fancy.  All that is really to say: cooking savory food is not my favorite thing to do. HOWEVER, if I find a recipe that I like, I will make it over and over and over. This is one of those recipes. It really is up for interpretation, but I think my recipe as listed below is the best ;)

This makes a large pot of soup, so it's perfect for me to take to work for lunch for at least a week!

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Adapted from: Six Sister's Stuff

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken stock
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder (add more if you like it hotter)
2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced (I only used about 3/4 of a large pepper)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups frozen corn
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
8 oz. block pepperjack cheese, shredded
Cilantro, optional (I do not like cilantro so I didn't use any, but if you like it... toss some in!)
Tortilla chips

Directions:

In a large stockpot, add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add chicken breasts, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Simmer about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside to cool.

Add tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pot. Simmer about 30 minutes, covered until tomatoes have begun to break down.

While the tomatoes are simmering, shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Add black beans, corn, and tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add cheese and stir to melt. Return chicken to soup and cook for a couple more minutes until desired you reach your desired consistency.
If you want thicker soup, add strips of flour tortilla. They will dissolve into the soup to thicken the broth. Add cilantro (if using), reserving some to top individual bowls if desired.

Ladle into serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, leftover pepperjack cheese and more cilantro if desired.


Notes:

I like spice, however I don't want to sweat when I'm eating (unless we're talking Hot Tamales candy, then I'll sweat like a _____ in church with no complaints). So, I only used a portion of a jalapeno and I scraped out all the seeds and membranes (white line thingys) before I added the pepper to the soup. If you want to sweat, add more. Or less.

Simple French Bread

Who isn't addicted to Pinterest these days? I definitely am and I am not ashamed! You should follow me on Pinterest (hint hint). I was scrolling through my favorite boards and I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it. Summer diet starts tomorrow, so why not make a loaf of delicious bread? Thank god I have tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese in my fridge :) This was so, so easy. I swear (or will try really hard) I will never buy a loaf of French bread at the grocery store again!!

This recipe is very simple/basic. I considered adding herbs to the dough but wanted to see how the test batch came out first. It is, um, awesome! Next time I will add some dried rosemary and serve with spaghetti!!!

Simple French Bread
(this amount makes 3 small loaves or 2 large):

2 1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
3 T. sugar
2 T. white vinegar
1 T. salt
1/3 c. canola oil
6-7 c. bread flour (or a little more if it's too soft)

 Combine the warm water, yeast, sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl and whisk to combing. Let sit until proofed (aka bubbly) (about 5-10 minutes).  In another bowl combine salt and flour. (Tip: I put 6 c. of flour in the bowl and added the last cup or so of flour to the dough after it had come together and I could tell how much more it required.) Measure out the oil.

Once the yeast mixture has proofed pour the oil and the flour mixture into the mixing bowl. Using a mixer fitted with a dough hook, slowly combine the ingredients until a soft dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead (I use "4" on my Kitchen Aid) for 2-5 minutes.  If the dough is still sticky add more flour, a few tablespoons at a time until it no longer sticks to your fingers.

Put the mixing bowl in the oven with a small pot of boiling water. The water will keep the dough moist. Watch the dough and punch it down twice when it gets to the top of the mixing bowl (about every 30-40 minutes).

Put the dough on a greased countertop and divide into 2-3 sections. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough balls into rectangle/long French bread shapes. Slash tops of bread diagonally 3-5 times and cover with a beaten egg. Let rise 30 minutes (or until doubled in size) on the counter, or you can put them in your oven at 170 and wait until they are the size you want to be once baked.

Once they have risen to the right size, turn your stove to 375 (without opening the door!) and let them bake until done (about 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven). Or, just raise on the counter and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Bake and serve warm out of the oven!