Reese's Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

I know. I know. I need to find another baking blog. But, you guys, I love this lady's recipes. They are so scrumptious. Plus, I love how she incorporates candy into her cookies. I mean how can you go wrong with Peanut Butter Cups stuffed inside a cookie. Seriously? You can't! I've definitely been on a baking kick for a while, but it's since slowed down. I might have one or two more baking recipes to post, but that's all for awhile. I promise. Anyway, I'm excited for the warm weather and the longer daylight. I'll definitely try some new recipes soon that aren't cookies, brownies, etc. In the mean time; please get yourself in the kitchen and try these cookies. And, take some to your friends or co-workers. They will love you forever if you do! I promise!

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (103g) dark brown sugar (or light brown)
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature*
3/4 cup (185g) creamy peanut butter*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
18 Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped

First take out a medium sized bowl, and add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside for later.

In a large standing mixer bowl; add in the butter and sugars and cream until well combined. Set your speed to low, and add in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Next, carefully add in the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap, and place in your fridge for at least an hour (or up to 3 days). According to Sally, chilling the dough is mandatory. So, be sure you don't omit this step.

Once the dough has chilled thoroughly, remove from the fridge and go ahead and preheat your oven to 350. Take out a small melon scooper and scoop out a tablespoon of the dough. Roll into a ball. Stick a peanut butter cup onto the dough, and press down so it has a "cradle" effect. Then, roll out another tablespoon sized dough into a ball and place on top of the peanut butter cup. Kind of spread the dough around, so it completely covers the peanut butter cup. Repeat these steps with the remaining dough. When you're ready to bake, place in the oven and bake for about 10-11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. After about 10 minutes, go ahead and bite into one of these cookies. Mmm. Heaven!

Pineapple Chicken

It’s been forever since I posted a new recipe and you guys, I am really sorry. Bad food blogger! Bad! But let me make it up to you with a new recipe that is actually pretty good. In spite of the great reviews it got on Food52, I was worried when I made the marinade. Pineapple and ketchup? Molasses and soy sauce? Malt vinegar? I mean, it sounds like something I would have mixed up as a child born with no tastebuds. But it did turn out really flavorful. Sweet and a little sour, with an Asian flair and a tiny bit of spice. My only regret is that we had a hard time getting it to carmelize and I think that would have made it even better. Next time I think I will try this on grilled chicken to get that tasty char. The only sub I made was to use sambal olek instead of sriracha because the Hubs doesn’t like it (I KNOW, right?).

8 oz pineapple

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup molasses

3 Tbsps malt vinegar

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp Sriracha (or Sambal Olek to taste)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tsp grated ginger

2 pounds chicken, cut into one inch cubes

2 Tbsps vegetable oil

I used a fresh pineapple and didn’t know how much would be 8 ounces, so I used about a quarter of a large one. Puree the pineapple in your food processor before adding in the soy sauce, molasses, malt vinegar, ketchup, Sriracha, garlic and ginger. Pulse it until it’s mixed well. You may want to stir the bottom to get all the molasses up. Put your chicken in a large Ziploc bag or a bowl and pour the marinade over, making sure it all gets covered. The recipe called for 6 hours in the marinade, and we only did 5, but I think when I make this again I may go even less (3 or maybe 2 hours). Acid breaks down the meat and this went a touch too far for me.

Heat your oil in a skillet over high heat and cook the chicken until it’s cooked through and the marinade carmelizes a bit on the outside. Set it aside and deglaze the pan with the rest of the marinade, letting it reduce and thicken for 5 or 6 minutes before pouring it over the chicken. You definitely want to cook it long enough to cook up any raw chicken bits left in the marinade. Then serve over steamed rice. You can also add in some broccoli, which might round out the meal a little bit more.