Monday, October 24, 2011

So Yummy It’s Scary!

hallo-peanut-cup_300

Photo by John Kernick

Because peanut butter-cup cookies are so delicious and I can eat them all myself in one sitting, I limit myself to baking these once a year around Halloween. The original recipe is from Real Simple, but I have tweaked it for my liking by adding crunchy peanut butter, whole wheat flour and kosher salt. Here’s the recipe:

Peanut Butter-cup Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 12-ounce package small peanut butter-cups, coarsely chopped
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the peanut butter-cups.
  3. Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with more kosher salt. Bake until light brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Makes 48 cookies

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Cornbelly's



I'm a cheapo and don't like paying for activities for my kids, especially when I think they would have more fun at a free city park. But I think Cornbelly's is TOTALLY worth the price. We went last year for the first time and I was so impressed I dubbed it a new family fall tradition. The place is PACKED with creative active entertainment we can all enjoy. We spent over 4 hours (we could have gone longer if it wasn't a school night) playing on the haystacks, slipping down the slides, riding the tractor train, watching the pig races.... If you live in the area, and you have kids, you must go. You won't be disappointed. This place is definitely made for family fun!!!

She's a Beauty

What can I say? She's gorgeous!

Fiji Time: No Hurry No Worry

With Aubri living with us and being able to watch our girls we thought it was the perfect time to sneak away for a couple's vacation to...