salted peanut butter brownies

hands down this is the nicest summer the pacific northwest has ever seen. never do i remember it being HOT at 10am, or being able to stay out past 9pm without a light jacket. past summers were bearable with no AC - hitting temps that only made my apartment unbearable about three days each summer. this summer has broken record after record for heat and sunshine in seattle. ridiculous. ridiculously amazing. i'm having a blast soaking it all in.

my only complaints are some challenges i've had baking in the kitchen. not only was the indoor temp at my house registering 90 degrees this past weekend, but add an afternoon of cooking and baking and i started wondering if it was possible for a person to melt!

needless to say, it probably wasn't the best day to bake my favorite brownies. but hello! when you're craving peanut butter + chocolate, i'm convinced there isn't a better combination than these brownies.

they are so incredibly decadent. rich and thick and gooey. 

you only need a small bite to satisfy the largest sweet tooth.

best brownie recipe around.

recipe from date night in

brownie ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan

3oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

i don't think i've ever included this in these brownies. fyi.

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup flour

frosting ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon flake salt

directions

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. grease 8 inch square pan. line the pan with parchment paper so that 

a couple of inches hang over the edge. then, grease the parchment paper.

i've made this recipe multiple times, and trust me, these brownies are so gooey you'll definitely be glad you greased AND used the parchment paper. not doing so just makes for a huge mess!

also, i think i used my 9 inch square pan this time, 

but an 8 inch would produce a slightly thicker brownie.

3. place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium-high heat. 

allow the butter to cook until the milk solids bubble up and settle into the pan and caramelize. 

swirl the butter in the pan in order to see the color of the little bits on the bottom. as soon as 

the milk solids are folder and the butter smells nutty, 2-5 minutes, remove the pan from heat.

4. pour the browned butter into a medium bowl and add the hopped chocolate. 

let stand for 1 minute to melt and then whisk together.

5. whisk in the sugar and vanilla while the butter mixture is still warm. 

stir in the eggs, salt and espresso powder, if using, until well blended.

6. over the bowl with the chocolate mixture, sift cocoa powder and flour. 

fold the ingredients together until just combined using a spatula.

note: i've sifted my cocoa and flour 75% of the time i've made the recipe, 

and then sometimes i'm too lazy and skip this part all together. cocoa does clump easily, 

so if you're going to be lazy, just be sure no large clumps get in your brownies. 

i don't think there is a noticeable different in the outcome of the brownies.

7. pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until 

a toothpick inserted in the middle pulls out clean. let cool to room temp.

8. now for the frosting... with an electric mixer, whip together butter, peanut butter, 

and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. continue to mix until everything is 

well combined and the frosting has lightened in color.

9. frost the cooled brownies and finish with the flake salt.

if the brownies are too fudgy, feel free to pop them in the fridge for a while.

this was necessary on my 90 degree day!

my selection of cocoa powder

gingered peaches & cream

this time of year i love dessert that feels light, refreshing, 

and capitalizes on bright summer fruits. 

i've made this recipe twice now, and both times it was a hit.

the original recipe calls for whipped cream, but i couldn't resist the urge 

to serve it with my favorite slow-churned vanilla bean ice cream.

also, do not skip the graham crackers,

those really put this dessert over the top.

recipe via date night in

serves 2

ingredients

1 peach, sliced

3/4 teaspoon fresh ginger

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, divided

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 graham crackers, roughly ground into small to medium crumbs

flake salt

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
your favorite vanilla ice cream

directions

1. in a medium bowl, combine the sliced peach, ginger, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar 

and let sit for 15 minutes to a couple of hours so the juices begin to release.

note: you can use slightly less than ripe peaches, 
because the ginger and the brown sugar soften them up. 
also, the longer you let this mixture sit, the more the ginger flavors will come out. 
i think this was perfect after a couple hours.

2. in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter 

and let it brown until it foams and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. 

stir in the graham cracker crumbs and cook for 2 minutes. 

remove pan from heat and set the crumbs aside to cool. 

finish the crumbs with a pinch of lake salt. 

you can make the buttery graham cracker crumbs three days in advance 

and store them in a well-sealed container. if they get soft, just toast them in a hot pan.

3. when almost ready to serve, whip the cream with the remaining 2 teaspoons 

brown sugar to form soft peaks. this can also be made in advance if desired!

4. divide the peaches between two small bowls and top 

with whipped cream and/or ice cream and graham cracker crumbs.

strawberry shortcake

at girl's night a couple weeks back one of my friends shared 

that her current pregnancy craving is strawberry shortcake. 

and that just sounded amazing. pregnant or not!

i'm usually a bit intimidated by anything that calls for a dough of sorts. 

not only was this recipe relatively simple, it came together exactly 

as the recipe suggested. and, most importantly, it was DELICIOUS.

the shortcakes were just perfection.

with the perfect amount of softness and chewiness. 

just sweet enough, but not too sweet. 

i decreased the amount of sugar in the strawberries, 

as good ripe strawberries don't need much!

perfect dessert for summer. i plan to make this again this coming weekend.

also: YES i made this from my new fave cooking blog

(see other recipes here and here)

and YES i totally cheated and DOUBLED the recipe.

ENJOY!

recipe below is doubled and serves four

shortcake ingredients

1 cup flour

4 teaspoons sugar, plus extra for topping

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 pinches of salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

1/2 cup heavy cream, plus extra for topping

filling & topping ingredients

2+ cups small diced strawberries

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. line a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. in a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. pulse once to combine.

4. add frozen butter diced into small pieces. 

pulse 10-12 times, until the butter is the size of small peas.

5. add all the cream through the top and continue pulsing. 

the dough will not come together entirely - do not fret!

6. dump dough on to a floured surface and knead a few times until a dough forms. 

pat the dough into four evenly sized 1/4" thick circle or rectangle. 

move biscuits to prepared baking sheet and brush with extra cream and sprinkle with sugar.

7. bake 15-18 minutes until biscuits are lightly golden brown. 

let cool completely.

8. in a small bowl, stir together diced strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. 

allow to sit at least an hour, until he berries soften and red juice forms at the bottom of the bowl.

9. when ready to assemble, whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla.

10. slice each biscuit in half, spoon in whip cream and top with strawberries. 

serve immediately.

 not my best photos.
but seriously, these were amazing!

chocolate pecan pie (happy thanksgiving!)

happy thanksgiving friends!

what a JOY it has been to share my life 

and cooking adventures with you over this past year.

i have so many things to be thankful for.

a top ten list just wouldn't do! :)

as you are all basting your turkeys,

preparing your sides, and spending time with your loved ones,

i thought i would share a little twist on the classic pecan pie.

recipe via martha stewart

ingredients

4oz semisweet high quality chocolate chips

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecans

1 recipe of my new favorite pie crust

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in the lowest position.

2. in a microwave melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth

(about 2 to 3 minutes)

3. in a medium bowl, stir together (do not whisk) eggs, 

corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt. stirring constantly, add melted chocolate. 

pour filling into prepared crust. place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet.

arrange pecans in an even (and pretty) layer over the filling.

4. bake until just set (filling should jiggle slightly when pie plate is tapped)

about 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through.

5. let cool completely on a wire rack, 

at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving.

review

this pie was beautiful and super easy.

if anything it was TOO decadent.

but maybe a chocolate lovers dream? :)

dark chocolate tart with gingersnap crust

are you guys ready for thanksgiving? :)

i went to my THIRD thanksgiving last night.

(see the others here and here)

and can't wait for my fourth and final celebration

in dufur oregon later this week!

i decided to switch things up and bring not only a pecan pie 

(with a new and improved crust recipe that i will share tomorrow)

but also this dark chocolate tart.

it was delicious and a huge hit!

recipe via smitten kitchen (who else?)

ingredients

8oz gingersnap cookies (about 32), coarsely broken

1/4 cup butter, melted

12oz bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 large eggs yolks

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

whipped cream for serving (optional)

directions

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. for the crust: finely grind gingersnap cookies in a 

food processor until you have 1 1/2 - 1 2/3 cups. 

add melted butter and process until moistened. 

press crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides 

of a 9" tart pan. place pan on rimmed baking sheet.

3. for the filling: combine chocolate and heavy cream in a medium saucepan.

whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth.

remove from heat.

4. whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, black pepper, 

salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl to blend.

very gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture 

until smooth and blended.

pour chocolate filling into crust.

5. bake chocolate tart until filling puffs slightly at edges 

and center is softly set, about 30 minutes.

transfer to rack. cool tart in pan 20 minutes. 

gently remove tart pan sides and cool tart completely.

6. cut, serve & enjoy!