Baking – Simone and Her Books

Stuffed Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Over the weekend, I wanted to make a yummy Valentine’s Day treat. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make, but my friend gave me a recipe for these very special rice krispie treats stuffed with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and drizzled with chocolate.

Rice Krispie treats are one of recipes I love making when I’m on a time crunch or not in the mood to take out all the measuring cups. The recipe is very customizable and you can use a variety of ingredients. In the past, I’ve made mint chocolate krispies. I’ve even experimented with browned butter. I’ve decorated with sprinkles for sugary crunch and even replaced the krispies with Fruity Pebbles, which is a sugar bomb FYI.

But peanut butter and chocolate krispies is something I’ve never made and this recipe is sweet, salty, crispy, and decadent. Each piece of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup you get is so rich while set against the crispy rice.

On top of that, this is one of my first dessert recipes I used from social media. I’ve tried recipes from influencer chefs before, but never a dessert. I’m glad I picked this one because some of these dessert hacks make me wonder if it’ll actually taste good. This, my friends, actually tastes good. Coupled with a little afternoon oolong and a good book and you’ll find yourself eating way more than you should have eaten.

You can find the recipe at @dessertbae on Instagram.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies – Fall Edition

I’m so thankful that the weather is finally subsiding and I can bake. I try not to bake too much because my husband has a sweet tooth and that usually means that baked goods last less than a day in my house. But I love filling the house with scent of spices and that warm and toasty feeling you get when you’re biting into a warm chocolate chip cookie. I’m so glad baking is finally returning.

Recently, I went to my local Trader Joe’s to stock up on all the fun fall goodies. It’s pumpkin season! But contrary to many of the pumpkin lovers out there, I’m more of an apple person. So I picked up a jar of my favorite peanut butter (crunchy and without sugar) and a little jar of Apple Cider Fruit Spread and decided to make a batch of my favorite peanut butter and jelly cookies.

When I opened the fruit spread, omg. It was heavenly. The spread itself tastes and smells like the inside of an apple pie. Take away that crust and that’s basically what this stuff is. I knew this would taste so good with the cookies and the added crunchy texture from the peanut butter gave the cookies a bit more crunch! I was so excited about the lovely and bubbly results that I went ahead and wrote the recipe down.

This recipe is originally written for Food Network, but I made the change of jam to make these a fun fall time treat. It takes seconds to put together with things inside your pantry and bake up in about 20 minutes. My favorite part is watching the gooey fruit spread centers bubble right after pulling them from the oven.

Fall time is most definitely here and my future is bright with cookies.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

(Original recipe from FoodNetwork.com)

3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup of natural peanut butter (I use peanut butter without sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
A jam of your choice

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper
Combine the granulated sugar and egg together in a medium sized bowl. Whisk it until egg turns a pale yellow color.
Add your peanut butter and vanilla extract.
Whisk all the ingredients together until it becomes thick enough you can’t mix anymore.
Dollop scant tablespoons of the mixture on a baking tray about one inch apart from each other.
Using the back of a teaspoon, make a divot in the middle of each cookie.
Use the same teaspoon to add a scant teaspoon of fruit jam to the center divot.
Once your oven is preheated, add your cookies and bake for about 15-18 minutes.
Cool completely before eating (the jam will burn your tongue!)