35 Calorie Banana Oat Cookies

WOW! These cookies took no-time at all, it only takes two ingredients and they are healthy. One cookies is only 35 calories (without chocolate chips)or 60 calories (with chocolate chips.) I was pleasantly suprised when I took a bite of these, they actually tasted pretty good. 

I was on pinterest one night and I saw these cookies, they popped out to me, I thought "healthy cookies? there's no such thing!" but when you do the math these are like the equivalent of about 2 saltine cracker. Pretty helpful when you are trying to cut back on sweets. Since I started this blog I have been making a lot of desserts and even hough I work-out a couple times a week, I still find it hard sometimes to stay fit. This recipe was a gift sent from the food gods and when ever I get those pesky cookie craving I will make these instead. 

Yields: 12 cookies
Prep time: 5 minutes
total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
1 cup oats
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional) 

Directions
1. preheat oven to 350F and line 1 cookies sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl mash together all of the ingredients with a fork.

3. Roll into 12 medium sized cookies and bake for 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy.

NOTE: These are good cookies to freeze and grab 2 when your in a hurry.  

Adapted from http://pinterest.com/pin/30399366207289117/

Blondies

Blondies are an interesting treat, they are almost like brownies but blonde. You would think that at first the chocolate element is what makes these bars taste good, but when you try these it will change you opinion completly. Blondies are like very, very chewy cookies that are made into bars and cut into squares. They are probably just as good as any brownie recipe, if anything better. 

I have been making these for the longest time. I was first introduced to the idea of blondies from watching the Nancy Drew movie. This was one of my favourite movies growing up. In one part of the movie Nancy talked about lemon bars and blondies that her friend Hannah had made for her. (How cool that I share a name with this character!) I first experimented with blondies was when I was hanging out with my cousin Olivia. We always have so much fun together in the kitchen, and being a fellow fan of Nancy Drew we made blondies. From then on I love making blondies, as it always reminds me of one of my favourite movies.

Yields: 24 bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes 


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 300F and spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. In bowl of electric stand mixer, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir on medium for 1 minute. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low for 15 seconds. Add in chocolate chip and continue stirring until the ingredients are well combine.

3. Press dough into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan before removing. Cut into 24 squares.

Adapted from KitchenAid Best-Loved Recipes by Lou Weber

Super Moist Brownies

Many times, we see pictures of these moist and fudgy looking brownies and it can be hard to sometimes find that recipe that fulfills your idea of a good brownie. This recipe did it for me. It doesn't get any better than this. I hope you enjoy these chocolatey treats as much as me and my friends do.

In the original recipe it asked for 1 1/2 cups of flour but I decided to put only a cup, so that they would be more chewy and moist. Lowering the flour defiantly did the trick, along with the chocolate chips I added in, the changes made them more delicious and very moist.

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper.

2. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Set aside.

4. To the butter,stir in the sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix until it is just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve warm. 

Adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/super-moist-brownies-460903

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

Everybody loves blueberry muffins, and also apple crumble. This recipe is like a blueberry muffin with a tasty crumble on top. The browned butter gives the muffin a great buttery flavor. Great for breakfast or with tea.

At first I was somewhat discouraged because the original recipe ask for the melted butter to cool before you add the milk, eggs and vanilla. When I did this, the butter seemed to congeal and get lumpy and I was sure I had ruined them. But don't get discouraged because they all will turn out lovely. I like to freeze these muffins and eat them later when I am feeling for a quick snack.

Yields: 12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
For the Muffins
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cups fresh or frozen (don’t thaw them) blueberries

For the Crumble
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar


Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 375F and line 1 muffin pan with muffin liners.

2. In a saucepan melt butter on medium heat. Wait until the butter starts foaming and turns an orangy brown. Turn off the heat and put in a medium bowl to cool. Whisk in milk, eggs and vanilla. When you mix the butter with the milk, eggs and vanilla, there may be lumps of butter that have clumped together, this is fine.

3. In a seperate bowl combine all the dry muffin ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixture and mix well.Stir in the frozen (unthawed) blueberries with a spoon.

4. Pour the batter into the muffin liners. Divide it evenly between the 12 muffin cups. In a new bowl combine all the crumble ingredients. Mix with a fork or the tips of your fingers until it looks crumbly like bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the un-baked mufins. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tins.  

Adapted from http://www.tworecipesblog.com/2012/04/brown-butter-blueberry-muffins.html

Chocolate Fruit Dip

Greek yogurt sort of seems to be the new hip thing. It is low fat, high in nutrients and also a good source of protein. The only downfall to plain greek yogurt is that I don't personally find the taste to be very appealing. So this is a way to get in the perks of Greek yogurt as well as satisfying your sweet tooth. Pair with some nice chopped fruit and you are good to go!

 On a warm summer's day, I love to snack on this. A healthy twist on fondue. I can just inhale this dip. Sometimes I like to also include apples and bananas. If you wanted to make it even more healthy, you could use fat-free yogurt. I used 2% just because it is important that you still have a healthy amount of the right kinds of fat.

 I don't know if it is because of stress with end of term assignments or just the time of year, but I have been craving chocolate like never before. So now I know what to do to put my chocolate cravings in their place.

Yields: 1 small bowl of dip

Total time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 2% plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine yogurt and Nutella. Stir well until combined completely. 

2. Transfer into serving bowl with a spatula and enjoy with fresh fruit like strawberries or bananas or apple. 

Cinnamon Rolls

Oh...My... Goodness... Cinnamon buns are possibly one of the best treats EVER! I have never met someone who has ever turned down one of these. It is usually the deal breaker to anyone's new diet plans but let me tell you, this is so worth it! 

 I have serious problems when it comes to cinnamon buns. I think it has something to do with the fact that there is a Cinnabon store in the subway station that I have to walk by twice day. It is pure torture. Thinking about them just makes my mouth water. so I shall cut this post short or else I might find myself at Cinnabon instead of working on my endless piles of homework. This recipe allows you to create your own cinnabon store in the comfort of your home. They taste great (especially warm) and are so worth the time it takes to roll the dough and make them perfect.

Yields: 16 rolls 

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients 

For the Filling:
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt 
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
3/4 cup 2% milk 
1 large egg beaten

For the Frosting:

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine all the filling ingredients with a fork or your fingers until crumbly and well mixed. Set aside.

3. Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Transfer the dry ingredients into the bowl of electric stand mixer and using the pastry attachment, work the butter into the flour mixture. Add the milk and the eggs and then stir until combined.

4. Roll the dough out on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 1/4-inch thick) sprinkle the filling evenly over the rolled out dough. Make sure that you leave a 1/2 inch border all the way around. 

5. Once you have finished sprinkling the filling on the dough roll it up and then cut with a sharp knife into 12-16 pieces. Place each roll in a muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.

6. While the rolls are in the oven you can start on the frosting. In a medium bowl, mix together all the frosting ingredients with an electric hand mixer on low.

7. Remove rolls from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the muffin pan. To ice the buns you can either smear it on top with a spatula or you can put the icing in a plastic bag and cut a small hole at the bottom corner to use as a piping bag. 

Adapted from http://looplane.com/articles/posts/the-best-homemade-cinnamon-rolls-without-yeast-2473

 

Pavlova

This interesting dessert originated in Australia and was made to celebrate the visit from a Russian ballerina called Anna Pavlova. It is basically a twist on the classic meringue but instead of tiny bites sized meringues this is a giant meringue, topped with whipping cream and fresh fruit.

The first time I tried to make this recipe it was a total disaster. Mistake number one was that I tried to beat the egg whites with the paddle attachment instead of the whisk on my Kitchen Aid mixer. My next mistake was that I added the cornstarch before the eggs whites had been mixed well enough. Then it went from bad to worse. Discouraged that my recipe wasn't working, I decided to try and salvage my cornstarch and egg whites by getting creative. I tried to add flour and turn the batter into cookies. I used the wrong temperature clearly because after 10 minutes, the kitchen was filled with smoke and the fire alarm was ringing. What can I say? Sleep deprived teenagers and Mondays don't mix well!

When I tried this recipe again it turned out great and was easier then I had thought it would be. This really taught me that it is completely healthy to make mistakes and the results are often worth it. Like one of my favorite childhood television shows always says, "Take chances, make mistakes and get messy".

Yields: 1 cake

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 kiwis, sliced (or your choice of fresh fruit)
1 cup whipping cream (or Cool Whip, thawed)

Directions

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 9-inch circle with a pencil on the paper. This will act as your guide lines for the meringue.

2. In the bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat egg whites until they are well mixed. Add in cornstarch and the mix until white and foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks start to form. Quickly add in lemon juice and vanilla. 

3. Spread the meringue inside the circle you have drawn and build up the edges of the pavlova to form a rim. Bake for 40 minutes or until crispy. Important - Turn off the oven and open he door, letting the pavlova completely cool before you take it out of the oven. This keeps the meringue from cracking from the change in temperature. When cooled remove from oven and top with the whipping cream that has been whipped with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks have formed. For some reason this would not work for me so in the end I used some thawed Cool Whip. 

4. Peel and slice the kiwis into thin slices and arrange in a pretty pattern on top of the cake. Let it sit for 10 minutes before you serve it to let the centre soften a bit. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve and keep cool.   

Adapted from William Sanoma The Best of Kitchen Library: Desserts

Apple Crumble

Apple crumble is a dish usually served in the fall to celebrate the harvest. Every great dessert expert needs a good apple crumble recipe. Apple crumble is also sometimes known as apple crisp. It can be eaten year round, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's hard to turn down a warm piece of apple crumble topped with your favorite vanilla ice cream. This one happens to be simply delicious!

I have taken a break from blogging for the past week, I have been so busy working on my cookbook, and other homework that I haven't been able to blog about all the lovely things I have made! So what a great way to get back into the groove of things by sharing with you this lovely apple crumble recipe. This is the first  time I have made this one but I honestly couldn't get enough of it!

Yields: 1 dish (serves about 6)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

For the Crumble:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

For the Filling:
1 1/2 pounds (about 6) macintosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple or orange juice 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an oven safe casserole dish. It should be about 8 x 11 inches and at least 3 inches deep. The size is not that important as you can make an extra dish with any left over filling and crumble. 

2.  Sift flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the softened butter into the flour and cinnamon mixture, and stir well. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until the flour has completely absorbed the butter and I looks like bread crumbs. Then stir in brown sugar.

3. Wash and peel your apples using a potato peeler. Slice the apples into small wedges, or cube them up. Either way is fine. Put the chopped apples in a separate bowl and sprinkle sugar over them, mix well. Spoon the apples into your dish and pour the juice over them. Cover with crumble and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

4. Let cool for 10 minutes and them serve with ice cream or on its own. Enjoy!

Study Time Smartie Cookies

These will bring out the smarty pants in you! Chewy cookies really hit the spot when you are studying. As a student myself, I would like to dedicate this recipe to all the students who stay up late studying. These cookies might as well be called energy bars cause they definitely have the power to get you through those draining study sessions.   

   

This recipe made about five dozen cookies and to be honest... between me and my mom, they were finished in about one and a half days. That is just how good they were. These are the cookies that one dreams about floating alongside sugar plums on Christmas Eve! So congratulations on finding this recipe, I will warn you though... they won't last long!

Yields: 5 dozen
Prep time: 10 minutes 
Bake time: 8 minutes

Ingredients 

• ⅔ cup melted butter
• 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 package of smarties (about 200 grams)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line two sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, hot water and vanilla until very smooth (2-3 minutes).

3. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add all the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, eggs, water and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the smarties and roll 1 inch balls of dough with 12 cookies per sheet.

4. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Happy studying! 

Inspired by: http://hiddenponies.com/2011/02/cookie-monsters/

Homemade Peanut Butter Bites

These little peanut butter bites are super easy and they taste just like the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. These little guys are a no-brainer!

 I made these one day while I had a cheesecake was in the oven. They were pure experimentation but they turned out pretty awesome. You might recognize the melted chocolate recipe from an earlier post on chocolate covered almonds.


Yields: 12 small bites 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter (no additives)
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tablespoon canola oil

Directions

1. Prepare a plate with a sheet of wax paper on top for the peanut butter bites to be rested on.

2. In a small bowl mix together peanut butter, confectioners sugar and flour. Mix until combined and set aside.

3. In a microwave safe bowl, put the chocolate chips and canola oil in the microwave and heat for 20 seconds. Stir and heat for another 20 seconds. Stir again and then give it another 20 seconds if needed.

4. Roll the peanut butter mixture into small 3/4 inch balls and dip in chocolate using a spatula or spoon. Rest each one on the wax paper.

5. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon poppy seed muffins are delicious. They are easy and perfect for winding down after a long day. 

 I just love these, especially the glaze on top. I made these for my aunt who just had a baby boy and she really liked them! They make a great snack with tea or for breakfast.

Yields: 12 standard muffins / 24 mini muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes

Ingredients
For the Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed
• 1/2 cup milk

For the Glaze

• 1/3 cup powder sugar
• 1 1/4 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line muffin pan with muffin liners.

2. In bowl of electric mixer combine butter eggs and sugar, stir until creamy. Add lemon juice and lemon zest stir until combined. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and stir on low until combined. Be careful that you don't over mix!

3. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners or greased pan.  Bake for 18-25 minutes. 

4. While the muffins are I the oven you can start on the glaze. In a small bowl mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice until combine.

5. Let the muffins completely cool before you pour the glaze on.

This recipe was inspired by: http://www.missinthekitchen.com/2013/01/19/meyer-lemon-poppy-seed-muffins/

Classic Cheesecake

Cheesecake is loved all around the world for its sweet and creamy taste. This dessert dates all the way back to Ancient Greece, in 2,000 BC. It was served to athletes of the first Olympics and it was commonly served at weddings. Now cheesecake is known worldwide and there are many different variations. This recipe is the best cheesecake I have every made and I hope that you enjoy it too.

 Every now and then my Dad will go away on business trips for his work. This time he got to go to sunny Arizona for a week. How awesome is that, while Ma and the rest of my family where stuck in the cold March weather, he got to be tanning in Arizona! I wanted to make him a welcome home cake and he loves cheesecake so I decided to try this one out! He loved it. We all did!

Yields: 1 cake
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes

Ingredients
For the Filling
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Crust
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. 

2. In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs and butter. Combine until the crumbs have absorbed all of the butter. Press the crumbs onto the bottom of a 9 inch glass pie dish with the bottom of a cup.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared pie dish and bake for 30 minutes.

5. When the pie is done, let it cool completely before you add any topping. 

6. For the toppings you can cut up fresh fruit or you can keep it simple with canned cherries that I used here.

Inspired by: http://www.ehow.com/way_5285248_easy-cheesecake-recipe-cream-cheese.html 

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Smoothies are so yummy and this will definitely hit the spot when you are hungry after a long day or when you have finished a workout. It is my go to snack between meals or on a hot summer day.

I have been making these smoothies for ever, when ever I go out for a run I always whip up one of these when I come back. They make you feel like you just have eaten a big slice of banana bread. And not only is this a heathy treat, but it is super simple as well!

Yields: 2 servings

Prep time: 1 minute

Total time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1  cup milk
• 6 ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients in the blender.

2. Shut the lid on top and blend for 1 minute. 

3. Serve into 2 glasses and enjoy!

The Perfect Banana Bread

To find a good banana bread recipe is like finding a diamond in a hay stack. It takes a lot of experimenting to find the perfect one. This is by far the best banana bread I have ever made.

For me banana bread is a summer thing. I would eat it a lot when my family would go to our cottage in the summer and in the morning we would have this for breakfast. But I think that banana bread should be a year round thing. Especially after I tried this recipe! 

Yields: 1 loaf

Prep time: 8 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas crushed
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.  

2. Cream together butter and sugar with your electric mixer. Use a blender to mash the banana if it isn't fully ripe yet. Add eggs, vanilla and banana. Mix until combined.

3. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Turn mixer to low and gradually mix in dry ingredients. Try not to over mix or it will make the loaf tough.

4. Pour into lined loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes or until a knife or skewer comes out dry. Cool completely and serve.  

Originally from food.com 

Simply Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is just one of those things that every dessert expert need to know inside and out! This is a fool proof recipe. Chocolate was first introduced into the world of food in 1500 BC  and ever since then it as been a major dessert staple across the world.

 My mother has been making this cake for as long as I can remember. I asked her why this is her favourite chocolate cake recipe and she told me it was because it's the easiest thing, she likes it because she never has to worry about melting the chocolate as it uses cocoa powder. It use oil instead of stressing about melting the butter right. I thought I would share this with you because it not only is one of the easiest cakes but one of the tastiest ones as well.

Serves: 12
prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with non-stick spray.

2. With the flat paddle attachment, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. On the stir speed add the boiling water. This will make the batter very thin and runny. 

3. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, top with icing sugar (optional). 

Peanut Butter Cookies

If you are looking for a fast cookie that never fails to impress then you have found it. Peanut butter cookies can sometimes be too hard but these ones are just right! 

 This weekend I didn't have as much homework as I usually do, so I planned to meet up with two friends to go to the art gallery! I woke up late and only had an hour to get ready, but I still really wanted to bake something to take along for the drive. Since I only had an hour before they came to pick me up, I decided to try these cookies out. They were super fast and both of my friends ended up asking me for the recipe because they both liked them so much. I am not sure which was better, the cookies or the art show. 

Yields: 4 dozen

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Put the peanut butter and butter in the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat until smooth on medium for about 1 Minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add the sugars, egg and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for 1 minute. Stop and scrap bowl.

3. Turn the mixer on to stir and add the rest of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Turn back to medium-low and mix for 30 seconds.

4. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place 12 balls on a sheet at a time. Press down the cookies with your thumb or a fork. (I used a fork.)

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the sheet immediately and let them cool.

This recipe is originally from the KitchenAid Best-Loved Recipes cookbook.