Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies/Des Blondies à cacahuètes doubles

Inspired from my most recent trip back in October to Jody's while were were visiting Ashcombe's Nursery, I found a very nice recipe for a Blondie. A blondie is the name used in much of America for a Brownie that is made with peanut-butter instead of chocolate.

I am not a big fan of brownies to tell the truth, but Blondies, I love.

While this particular recipe is no where near as delicious as the one I bought at Ashcombe's it is very nice none the less. The original recipe take from Hersey's Holiday Favorites cookbook 2007 page 16.

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies
Des Blondies à cacahuètes doubles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick butter or margarine, softened)
• 1/4 cup Reese's Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 cup (10oz pkg.) Reese's peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup Hershey's syrup or Special dark syrup

My version

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  
• 1/4 cup Reese's Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups bread flour
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 cup (10oz pkg.) milk chocolate chips
• 3/4 to 1 cup raw peanuts
  
• 1/2 cup Hershey's syrup

Directions

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan. *
  
• Beat Peanut butter in large bowl. Add Granulated Sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in Vanilla.
• Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; mix into peanut butter mixture, blend well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread half of the batter in prepared pan; spoon syrup over top. Carefully spread the remaining batter; swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Notes:

• I use bread flour to make my cookie-esque dessert. Bread-flour gives you a fluffy chewy cookie.
• I use unsalted butter especially if there is salt added in the recipe by itself.
• I adjust the ratio of baking powder by 25% and replace subtracted with baking soda. I could explain but it would take too long.
• If using imitation vanilla, I have found it good policy to increase the quantity by 50%.
• I like nuts, so I added raw, fresh, organic peanuts to this recipe.
• I replaced the peanut butter chips with chocolate chips since there was already so much peanut in the original recipe.

*When cooking in glass, reduce heat by 25ºF and allow for a longer cooking time.
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Double Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies/Les biscuits à la farine d'avoine avec noix de coco et chocolat double

Trixie and I have been doing some cooking recently. She introduced me to a few cook books she had found at the local grocery store. There was one that I bought for myself because it had so many great recipes in it. It lead me to make the best cookie I have made in quite some time. It has superseded the 7 layer cookie. Original Recipe take from Hersey's Holiday Favorites cookbook 2007 page 12.

Double Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Les biscuits à la farine d'avoine avec noix de coco et chocolat double

Ingredients

• 1 cup of shortening
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups of rolled oats
• 2 cups chocolate chips (your choice)
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup coarsely copped nuts

My Version

• 1 1/2 cups regular mayonnaise
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups of bread flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups of rolled oats
• 2 cups chocolate chips (your choice)
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup coarsely copped nuts

Directions

• Beat the Mayo, brown sugar and vanilla in a bowl until well blended.
• Sift and stir in the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda, and salt).
• Add water.
• At this point you might think you've made a horrible, HORRIBLE mistake by the consistency of the batter, but no. When you add the oats, it will all be fine.
• Stir in the chocolate chips, the coconut and nuts.
• Blend well.
• Refrigerate for two hours

• Heat over to 325 degrees.
• Using an 1/4 cup ice-cream scoop, drop scoups of dough onto a greased cookies sheet about 3 inches apart.
• Smash down the dough a bit for quicker cooking, add additional nuts, coconut and chips to the tops if desired.
• Bake 10-12 minutes or until dough is set (don't over bake).
• Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Note:

• You can divided the coconut using one cup in the dough and saving one cup to sprinkle over the tops of the dough. I just add both cups of coconut in the mixing stage.
• Cool cookies sheet bottom with cool water before placing new dough on the sheet. This is a source of bottom burning.
• The original cooking temp is 350. This has always burned my cookies, so I reduce temp to 325 and cook slightly longer. It works for me.
  

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