Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

EASIEST candy-like treats to make?   COULD BE!

The addition of Rice Krispies makes 

these lighter and more crunchy 

than some other recipes 

for Peanut Butter Balls.

INGREDIENTS:  (This recipe makes close to 100 "candies"-- if they are small.)

• 3/4 cup butter (this is 1 and 1/2 sticks)
• 2 cups chunky peanut butter (this equals a 16-oz. jar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 1 pound of powdered sugar.
• 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal (some people crush it a little bit before adding, but I did not).

CHOCOLATE DIP:

• 2 ounces shortening (you could substitute 2 oz. paraffin wax for this, but I did not).
• 1 of 24 ounce bag of chocolate chips (semi-sweet chocolate OR milk chocolate OR a combination of both).
• Decorative sprinkles, optional.

DIRECTIONS:

• Melt butter and, while hot, stir in the chunky peanut butter.
• Mix well.
• Add vanilla, powdered sugar and Rice Krispies.
• Work in with hands until it will form small balls (balls that are about 1" in diameter).
• NOTE:  If the mixture seems too dry, even like in the photo below, it will still be okay. Just gather it up, give it a squeeze or two and work into "ball shape".  Continue on with the rest of the directions...

• Chill the shaped balls on waxed or parchment paper for about thirty minutes so that they are easier to handle when dipping.  (In the cold months, our winter-cold porch makes this so quick 'n easy.)
• Add the 2 oz. of shortening to a microwave-safe bowl with the chocolate chips.
• Microwave for only one minute at a time-- stirring in between.  DO NOT let these BURN!
• When totally melted and smooth, you are ready to start dipping.
• Stick a long very thin wooden skewer into the side of a chilled peanut butter ball and roll in the chocolate, or spoon the chocolate over the ball with a spoon.
• Let excess chocolate drip off before placing them back onto the waxed paper.  (If you want any sprinkles on top, do it immediately while the chocolate is soft.)
• Set aside until chocolate coating hardens...  
• I don't know if it's necessary or not, but I store them in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes before serving.  

Next time, I am going to use a very small
"cookie scoop" when making these-- that way,
the balls will be more uniform in size.
(It's all about the "looks", you know! ☺ ) 

If you just want to send a little "thank you"
to someone for no special reason, sprinkle
little "♥" decorations on their tops... like this:

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
The End!

Peanut Butter - Kiss Cookies

This cookie's recipe is almost "everywhere"!

When I googled "peanut butter blossom cookies", ONLY 450 THOUSAND sites popped up!!!!!   So, according to the amount of ingredients you have on hand, or the look you like, take your pick from the many recipes others have already posted. For example, check this out (copy/paste this link if necessary):  https://www.google.com/search?q=peanut+butter+blossom+cookies&espv=2&biw=1164&bih=570&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=L4SVVNnWK4KdyASvnYCgAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg

The particular recipe I 

chose to make these can be found at: http://americanheritagecooking.com/2014/12/peanut-butter-blossoms/

Because I made these larger than the 

"2 tablespoon-sized" dough balls, I added

almost two minutes to the baking time 

that was suggested in the recipe I used.

As with any recipe, you know your oven

best and you know how you'd like your

cookie to end up--  dryer, or more moist.

Bake according to your oven, your likes!

Yellow "Lard" Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This recipe came from the same source as my blog post 

for yesterday...from a compilation of recipes put 

out by the folks at Farm Journal, Inc. way back in 1973.

"This is a 2-egg cake with an old-time 

country taste made in a new way."

(See my personal comments about using 
lard in the blog post I entered yesterday.)

Like the recipe I posted yesterday, this was another recipe with directions that seemed very different to me.   This must have been the "way to go" in those days before we began opening boxes of cake mix and containers of "stir 'n spread" frosting. 

I will say that I am impressed with how "light" 

this cake turned out.  Light, but still not dry!  (I wonder if gently folding the egg whites into the batter at the 
end is what made it so light.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup lard, softened to room temperature
• 2 and 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 additional cup of sugar
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat only the egg WHITES until frothy.  G-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y beat into them the first 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue beating until very stiff and glossy.  Set aside.
2. In another bowl, stir softened lard.  Add the sifted-together dry ingredients (cake flour, the last 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt).  Stir in the vanilla and only 3/4 cup of the milk.  Beat 1 minute at medium speed on mixer.  Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl frequently.
3. Add remaining milk and the two egg yolks.  Beat for 1 more minute, scraping the bowl frequently.
4. With wide spatula or wooden spoon, g-e-n-t-l-y fold the beaten egg white/sugar mixture into the batter.
5. Pour into a 9x13x2" baking pan/dish that has been greased and floured-- bake at 350-degrees for about 30-35 minutes or only until toothpick comes out clean.  OPTIONAL: Pour batter into two greased and floured 9" round layer cake pans and bake at 350-degrees for about 25-30 minutes or only until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool baked cake(s) on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing them from pans.
6. Frost with Peanut Butter Frosting.  The recipe for that is below.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:

Whip just 3/4 cup of chunky peanut butter until smooth.  Slowly add 3/4 cup of  cold "Basic Sugar Syrup*".  Continue beating until the frosting looks very creamy and smooth.  Put it on cake.

The recipe for this sugar syrup is also on the posting 

I entered yesterday.  If you don't want to 

look for it there, here it is:

*BASIC SUGAR SYRUP:

Ingredients:  2 cups sugar, and 1 cup water.

Boil sugar and water together.  After it reaches boiling stage, continue for only ONE minute. Remove from heat. Pour into a jar.  Cool, cover and keep refrigerated.  Makes about 2 cups.  

(If you don't think you will be making any more things that call for this, make just a smaller batch of this.) 

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies*

These cookies DID turn out to be chewier than 

those made from my other favorite 

Peanut Butter Cookie recipe...

Personally, for next time, I think I will cut 

back on the "sweetness" ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

• l egg
• 1 cup peanut butter (I used a "natural" chunky variety.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup honey roasted or dry roasted peanuts, chopped (not needed IF you use chunky peanut butter as I did).

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350-degrees.
2. BEAT egg in large mixing bowl with mixer until foamy.
3. ADD the peanut butter, sugar and honey.  Mix well.
4. ADD the flour and stir just until combined/smooth.
5. Using my 1.5 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, I put 15 "little balls of dough" on my 15x10" parchment-lined cookie sheet.  
6. Flatten each dough ball, in crisscross pattern, with fork (slightly wet the fork tines if they get sticky).
7. BAKE 11 to 12 minutes (in my oven, it was 11.5 minutes).  Cool on baking sheet for at least 1 minute.  Remove to wire racks, cool completely.  

Below:

This 5-quart enameled cast iron "kettle" is my

most favorite "cookie jar" around here... 

its lid is heavy enough to keep cookies in 

good condition for quite a while.

Based on recipe from Kraft's Food & Family / Fall 2014 / Page 38

Special CEREAL Bars

I think I first had these at some R.S. doing many, MANY years ago, but they remind me most of our daughter Paula and the 'maker/baker' she is when visiting here, or the other way around. ♥

Heat until mixture begins to boil:
1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)  I like the corn syrup that is NOT the "high fructose" variety.
1 cup white granulated sugar

Remove from heat, and stir in:
1 and 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter (I like the 'natural' kind)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Add the above mixture to:
6 cups of Rice Krispie (or Special K) cereal, and stir carefully so as NOT to break the cereal into "crumbs".

Pat this into a buttered 9x13" pan.  Cool. 
Enjoy them 'as is', or top with the following:

CHOCOLATE 'FROSTING' (optional):
Melt together 1/2 bag of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips and 1/2 bag of butterscotch chips.  Mix well and spread onto bars.  Let chocolate frosting cool/harden BEFORE cutting.