Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Do you guys remember when I made that soooper delicious gluten free cookie cake? And I said the one drawback was it was a little bit delicate? Well, I wanted to try the recipe again with a little xanthan gum to see if I could solve that problem. But then it was the holidays and I had a ton of Christmas baking to do. Except, I'm a problem solver.

My mom gives me a list of things to bake every year to give to her coworkers. This year it consisted of Browned Butter Maple Blondies, Zucchini Brownies, and my sort-of famous Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies. She puts together a little selection of treats for everyone and I assume it pleases them since she still asks me to do it. But one of her coworkers is gluten free and she only gets the cookies. Don't get me wrong, everyone loves those cookies, but it's gotta be a little sucky when everyone else has all sorts of choices and you've only got the one.

"What about my cookie cake?" I asked. "I want to try making it again and it's gluten free."

My mother had reservations. "But it's a pie. How would I give it out?"

"I could make it into cookie cups." She agreed that sounded like a good idea.

I had all the ingredients to make the cookie cake in my pantry already, I just bought some Reese's to stuff the cookie cups with when I was picking up the ingredients for everything else on my list.

Then I made them with just a couple adjustments, and I had to keep from stuffing all of them in my face they were so good. I managed to keep from eating them all so my mother could give them away as presents, but I made them again to share on ze blog and these are mine-all-mine

These don't taste gluten free at all. In fact, the coconut flour helps make the outside crisp while the inside stays soft and gooey, giving it the ideal cookie cup texture. These aren't delicate the way the cookie cake was, plus they don't have grainy edges like the cookie cake did.

The Reese's on top then gets all melty and biting into it is like an explosion of peanut buttery chocolatey goodness. And just like the cookie cake, these are beyond simple to make. One bowl, one whisk, stuff it with a seasonal Reese's, and you've got a simple and adorable treat perfect for sharing.

Or hoarding. Which is what I plan on doing.

*EDIT: it's been brought to my attention that the seasonal Reese's are not gluten free. However, Reese's cups are GF and actually fit better into the cookie cups. I was just trying to be cute and seasonal. Please always make sure to read the packaging*

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 3 dozen cookie cups

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp. xanthan gum

1 cup chocolate chips

36 chocolate covered peanut butter candies (like these Reese's hearts), unwrapped and frozen

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Add 1 tablespoon of dough to each cavity of the prepared muffin tin, pressing it in lightly with your finger. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the edges start to brown and set. Immediately press the candies into the middle of each cup.

Place the tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing the cookies to cool completely. If you want the candies to keep their shape, chill the tin in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before removing the cookie cups.

Note: Seasonal shaped Reese' s candies are not gluten free. See more on the Hershey' s website here

Recipe by Kim

 *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links*

Peanut Butter Banana Brownies

Who watched last week's Arrow? Show of hands.

I got a question to ask you. Is Tatsu secretly Miracle Max? Or maybe his protege or something? Because as Maseo was dragging Ollie's body through the snow to the lonely mountain cabin, the only thing going through my head was:

It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is still slightly alive.

 And let's face it, Ollie "died" almost the exact way that Sara did, except he was run through with a scimitar instead of a couple arrows, fell off a mountain instead of a building, and was beat up a whole bunch by Ra's al Ghul beforehand. So basically, the only way he could have survived (since it's been confirmed that he wasn't revived by the Lazarus pit), is if he was given one of Miracle Max's pills before he was all dead. Otherwise WHY DON'T I HAVE SARA BACK BECAUSE I LOVE SARA AND LAUREL IS A TERRIBLE CHOICE FOR THE BLACK CANARY. 

*ahem*

I hoped they remembered the chocolate coating to make it go down easier.

These brownies have absolutely nothing to do with Arrow, I just had to get that off of my chest. Of course, I'd totally share these brownies with the denizens of the Arrow cave. Especially my bff Felicity.

I've been working on a recipe for eggless brownies because I only had 4 eggs left, I had two recipes I wanted to make that used two eggs each, and I didn't want to do battle with all the snowmaggedon preppers stocking up on eggs, milk, and bread. And I totally succeeded. The brownies I came up with were fudgy, chocolatey, everything you've ever wanted in a brownie.

These are not those brownies. There are reasons I can't share those brownies with you yet, and they're really good reasons, but I can't tell you those either. (I feel like I'm in that scene from Legally Blonde. Oh she's got an alibi, and it's a really good one. What is it? I can't tell you.)

Luckily for you, I wanted to test the brownies in a larger pan, but was out of unsweetened applesauce (that I had used to replace the eggs), so I decided to mix it up a little bit, using mashed banana instead, and replacing the oil and some of the butter with peanut butter. So these are almost those brownies. Am I forgiven?

 These brownies are still dense and fudgy and chocolatey while adding the delicious flavor combination of peanut butter and banana. They're rich, unexpected, and soooo good. Plus, super simple to make. No chopping up and melting chocolate (always my least favorite part), these use cocoa powder instead. You do need to melt the butter and sugar together, which helps to give it that shiny, crackly crust in the absence of eggs, but if you don't care about the crust, you can always dump the sugar in with the dry ingredients, and melt the butter in the microwave. One bowl, one pan, one whisk, all you need to make these suckers

I'm going to watch Arrow tonight with a plate full of these guys and probably quote The Princess Bride every time Tatsu comes on screen. "Bye bye boys, have fun storming the castle!"

Peanut Butter Banana Brownies

Yield: About 20 brownies

Ingredients

1¼ cup flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/2 cup regular and 1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder)

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

1¼ cup sugar

⅔ cup mashed, ripe banana

½ cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. It will be thick and syrupy.

Add the butter mixture, mashed banana, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla extract to the flour mixture, and stir until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips, then spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the brownies are set, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. 

Tip: to keep the chocolate chips from melting into the batter, let it cool for 10-20 minutes before adding them. You can use this time to preheat the oven

Recipe by Kim

 

*Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links*

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

So that name's a bit of a mouthful, but you won't really care too much about the name when you get a mouthful of this cake, because it is the bomb diggity.

Do people still say that? Bomb diggity? Is it still common knowledge that that refers to a thing that is very good? I was never really all that up on hip lingo. Which should be evident by my use of the words "hip lingo." But I digress.

This cookie cake is so good that we need to come up with a new word to describe it. Something fantastic. How about something like... phantasmagorical!

No, wait, that's a word that already exists and means something completely different. I'll do some brainstorming and get back to you.

Here's the skinny on this cake--or not-so-skinny as it were (Get it? Because it's a cookie cake? And it makes you not-so-skinny? I made a funny) (Laugh, dammit) . Coconut flour keeps us all in the gluten free territory, and it's high protein content helps make us full faster so we don't over indulge. Which is good, because I could have totally seen myself eating the entire thing in one sitting. Thanks coconut flour! (Thumbs up! Big smile! Tooth twinkle!)

The last time I worked with coconut flour, I noticed that it had a bit of a grittiness to it, and I wasn't the hugest fan of that. But this cookie cake is so moist and gooey in the middle that you don't get any of that gritty texture (well, you get it a bit around the edges which are drier, but for the most part, zero grittiness.)

And let's talk about that gooey, peanut buttery, chocolatey center of goodness. It's almost like eating raw cookie dough, except it's totally cooked through, so you've got the best of both worlds. Plus, it's a one-bowl, no mixer necessary recipe, so it's an easy dessert to throw together last minute if you've got unexpected guests, or maybe just forgot about them.

The one downfall of this cake is that it is a little delicate. If you try to cut a slice still warm from the oven, it kind of falls apart. I actually found it easier to slice after it had been chilled. Then you can always warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave and serve it with a big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, you could not care about getting pretty slices. That's always an option.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or cake tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe by Kim

Peanut Butter Caramel Pie with a Chocolate Cake Crust

Do you remember when I made Black and White Mini Cupcakes and I told you that it makes a buttload of cake? Do you remember when I oh-so-subtly pondered on what one could do with all those leftover, frosting-less mini cupcakes? Yeah, they've been sitting in my freezer ever since.

See, I never know what to do with leftover cake. Usually, I just eat it, but this was a little much just for me. I stirred some chunks into some mocha ice cream, and that was good, but there was enough cake for about 25 gallons of ice cream. So I consulted the interwebz, like you do, and most of the results were predictable. Trifle (meh). Cake pops (ick). Put in ice cream (been there, done that).

Then I found a recipe where the cake was crumbled up, toasted in the oven, and then used like cookie crumbs for a pie crust. Now we were talking.

The only thing that remained was a filling to put in the pie. Something that would pair well with the dark chocolate cake, but was still easy to make (my free time has been taken up by NYCC and prep for the brother's wedding and I still got asthmatic kitty to worry about) and maybe didn't dirty too many pans.

Enter the crazy deliciousness that is this Peanut Butter Caramel Pie from the Cooking Actress. Not only is it peanut butter and caramel, but you make it in the microwave. Chill, top with whipped cream, et voila, vous etes finis. Plus, it makes your house smell amazeballs. Like, if Willy Wonka took over the Reese's factory good.

The toasted cake crumb crust is chewier than a traditional cookie crumb crust, less crisp, but not soggy or soft by any means, and it tastes like cake which is awesome. Plus, you can use any kind of cake you like. Are you gluten free? Use a gluten free cake. Got an egg allergy? Go with an egg free cake. And then there's the peanut butter caramel. Words cannot describe how much you need peanut butter caramel in your life. It's caramel, but with a rich, peanut buttery undertone. Neither flavor overpowers the other, but instead they meld into this amazing new flavor and it is necessary for living

I may or may not be eating this pie right now. For breakfast. Don't judge.

Peanut Butter Caramel Pie
Yield: 1 9" pie (8 servings)

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups toasted chocolate cake crumbs (instructions below)
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

For the caramel:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt

For the whipped cream:
1/4 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
To make the toasted cake crumbs: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Crumble chocolate cake onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about an hour, until the cake is dry. Once completely cooled, pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Store in an airtight bag or container.

Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Combine the cake crumbs and melted butter, and press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is set.

While the crust is cooling, prepare the caramel: In a large, microwave safe bowl, add the sugar, heavy cream, and peanut butter, and whisk until completely smooth. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Microwave on high for another 2 minutes, or until bubbly and thickened. Stir in the vanilla and salt and let cool until thickened, but still warm. Add to the prepared pie crust, cover, and chill in the refrigerator, minimum 4 hours or overnight.

Before serving, prepare the whipped cream: Add the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer). Mix on low until well combined, then gradually increase the speed to high. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly on top of the pie and serve.

Tip: Let the pie sit at room temperature for a bit so it's easier to cut

Crust recipe adapted from PastryJane.com*. Pie recipe adapted from The Cooking Actress
*The website where I found the pie crust recipe has since expired, so I can't link to the original

Cocoa Pebbles Grilled Bananas

I have a confession to make: I don't own a normal people grill. I would have no where to put it if I did. (I have a balcony, but the HOA says only an electric grill can go there, and I don't grill enough to really worry about it) I do own a George Foreman grill, however. That's right, the lean, mean, fat-busting machine. (It's a cheapo one, though, so I'm a little leery of trying to cook meat on it-- mostly I use it as a panini press)

Bananas made on a George Foreman grill are still grilled bananas, right? Even if the marshmallows didn't get toasty?

I don't know about where you are, but here in NJ, it's been hot. And not just hot, but muggy and humid. Turning the oven on is not recommended. These bananas, stuffed with peanut butter chips, Cocoa Pebbles, and mini marshmallows, are a great warm weather dessert, especially if you've already got the grill going for dinner. Something magical happens to bananas when they start to cook-- I mean, you know how much I love bananas in my baked goods-- then the peanut butter chips get all melty, and you know peanut butter and banana is a rockin' combo. But what else goes with peanut butter and banana? That's right, chocolate. That's where the Cocoa Pebbles come in, giving it a sweet, chocolatey crunch. And if that's not enough, the whole thing is topped with gooey marshmallows, and if you have a normal person grill, they'll get all toasty too.

I was going to tell you how filling these were, and that you can probably eat them instead of a meal, because I was a little uncomfortably full after eating one for dessert. But that wasn't the banana's fault, I soon realized. I forget I'm not supposed to eat blue things, and when you use multicolored marshmallows, there are bound to be a few blue ones. (This weirdo blue food coloring intolerance of mine is very inconvenient, mostly because I don't eat blue things that often, so I forget about it) But I will still back you if you want to make these for breakfast. It's fruit and cereal, right? Totally okay for breakfast.

Cocoa Pebbles Grilled Bananas

4 large bananas

1/4 cup Cocoa Pebbles Cereal

1/4 cup Peanut Butter Chips

1/3 cup miniature marshmallows

Cut each banana lengthwise about 1/2 inch deep, leaving 1/2 inch uncut at both ends.  Gently pull each banana open, forming a pocket.  Fill each pocket with Cocoa Pebbles cereal, peanut butter chips and marshmallows, evenly divided among the four bananas.  

Wrap each banana in foil and grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until marshmallows are melted. 

Serves 4. One banana per serving.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Photo courtesy of Post

*Disclaimer: I was provided with free samples of Post Cocoa Pebbles so I could feature this recipe. I receive no other compensation for this post. All opinions remain, as always, my own*

PB&J (with Bananas) Smoothie

Hey guys! So, the floor guy is coming to refinish the floors tomorrow, and that'll take 3 or 4 days, so after that, I can finally move in. I still got painting to do, but that can wait until I'm actually in the house. In the meantime, I'm in a kind of limbo. Half my stuff is packed away, half of it still needs to be packed. I have a maze of boxes. I want to buy things but I can't really buy things until I can put them in the house and I can't do that until the floors are done.

I did buy a rug and some pyrex at an estate sale, so there's that. (Except the rug cleaning place hasn't called me back. Seriously. Do you not want my business?)

Anyway, the long and short of it is, I kind of unpacked my blender just to make this smoothie.

To be fair, it wasn't premeditated. I already had some frozen banana in the freezer. We already had a big tub of strawberry yogurt in the refrigerator that didn't really look like it was getting eaten. So I was like, oh, I'll make a strawberry banana smoothie. And then I added peanut butter to it because peanut butter. So it became a peanut butter and jelly (with banana, because bananas are cool) smoothie.

And I liked it, because really, what's not to like? So I made it again, this time taking measurements instead of dumping things willy-nilly into the blender so I could blog it, and here we are

The peanut butter and strawberry flavors are definitely the most prominent; though you can taste the banana, it's there mainly for texture. And between the banana, the peanut butter, and the yogurt, this sucker is filling, which makes it a great option for breakfast. It's probably the healthiest thing I've ever put on this blog, and I-- butter and sugar and cream loving I-- made it for dessert. O.o

This smoothie, make it. Dessert, breakfast, snack, anytime. It's thick and creamy and sweet and cold and has peanut butter. It's exactly what every smoothie should be.

PB&J Smoothie
Yield: 1 smoothie

Ingredients
1 small banana, chopped and frozen
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farm Smooth & Creamy)
1/4 cup lowfat (skim) milk
1-2 heaping tbsp. peanut butter (I used White Chocolate Wonderful)*
Splash of vanilla extract (optional)**

Directions
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

*I didn't really measure the peanut butter. I just took a big spoonful and plopped it in there. You can never have too much peanut butter
**Or replace the skim milk with vanilla soy or almond milk

Recipe by Kim

Peanut Butter and Cocoa Pebbles Whoopie Pies

I... am not moving today.

Ugh, that's so not how I expected today's post to go. I thought I'd be all bubbling with excitement after closing at my attorney's office yesterday, doing the final walkthrough with my realtor, waiting for the seller's closing so I could finally have my house, promising you a virtual tour on Friday's Stuff and Things post.

Nope. I have to wait two more weeks. Silver lining? I had planned to take a week off so I could move and paint and do all the things I have to do while it's still empty. Now I'm taking off the week before Memorial Day, so I get an extra day on my vacation for free. Woohoo. -.-

I've decided I will bring some form of baked good to the closing, since apparently my house buying experience has not been typical (why am I not surprised?) and all my various peoples have been super helpful and patient with me, and I've yet to meet most of them in person. So yeah, that calls for cupcakes.

Or maybe whoopie pies, since whoopie pies are one of my favorite desserts of all time, and many New Jerseyans don't really know what a whoopie pie is. (Every time someone slaps some frosting between too cookies and calls it a whoopie pie, a little piece of me dies).

This is a pretty standard whoopie pie recipe: fluffy, dark chocolate cakes; marshmallow fluff filling. Add some Cocoa Pebbles and some peanut butter and I'm sold.

The cakes themselves are a little flat in the flavor department-- not bad by any means, but I don't usually go all shortening in my whoopie pies, and I could really taste that difference. But when combined with the filling, it's not something you really notice. And I took the filling up a notch by using White Chocolate Wonderful instead of regular peanut butter. It adds that extra note of flavor that I was missing in the cakes, and the light sweetness of the white chocolate contrasts really well with the dark chocolate cakes without taking over.

This is most definitely a solid whoopie pie recipe, great for introducing to people who think 2 cookies and some frosting are a real whoopie pie. Plus, Cocoa Pebbles and peanut butter? That totally makes it breakfast food.

Peanut Butter and Cocoa Pebbles Whoopie Pies
Yield: 18 whoopie pies

Ingredients
For the cakes:
2 cups all purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup ground Cocoa Pebbles cereal
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
⅛ tsp. salt
1¼ buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used White Chocolate Wonderful)
½ cup Fluff (or other marshmallow creme)
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and ground Cocoa Pebbles. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat the shortening at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop tablespoons of the batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, about 2½ inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the edges are firm. Cool completely on wire racks.

For the filling: beat the butter, peanut butter, and marshmallow Fluff together until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Sandwich generously between two cooled cakes.

Recipe by Kristina Vanni

 

*Disclaimer: I was provided with free samples of Post Cocoa Pebbles Cereal so that I could feature this recipe. I received no other compensation for this post. All opinions are, as always, my own.*

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Waffles

I've been in a sort of waffle state of mind lately. I keep thinking about waffles and making them. I keep wondering, "would this be a good flavor combination for a waffle? Would this work if I added it to waffle batter? I wonder if I can put these in the waffle iron."

So when the insomnia monster hit, it was no surprise that I decided to use my not-sleeping time to make waffles.

The only question was what kind? I'd been playing around with the idea of a pizza waffle, but that just seemed too complicated for my no-sleep addled mind. Then the idea came to me: peanut butter. You don't really see peanut butter waffles that often, and it sounded really good to me at the time. I decided to use whole wheat flour to help give it that crispness and heartiness, buttermilk for a good rise, and chocolate chips because, well, duh.

The waffles came out just as I had imagined: crisp, chock-full of peanut butter and chocolate chips. The waffle itself isn't overly sweet, so syrup, powdered sugar, or honey is a must on these puppies. Or you can eat it like I did, with strawberries, extra chocolate chips, and a chocolate peanut butter drizzle (a spoonful of peanut butter and a few chocolate chips melted together in the microwave). I used fruit so that's the healthy way to eat it, right?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Waffles
Yield: 4 waffles

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until a batter forms (some lumps are fine). Fold in the chocolate chips. Cook in a waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Recipe by Kim

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

You know the downside of wanting something made into a movie? If it does become a movie, and it sucks, it feels like it's partly your fault. You willed it into being, right? That means you're to blame.

A current topic of conversation between my brother and me has been the possibility of a Deadpool movie. I think we're pretty much in agreement that it could be awesome, but only if it's done right. We've seen that superhero movies can very easily go wrong, and a movie about a tragically flawed anti-hero assassin with a love of pancakes that regularly breaks the forth wall, well... I don't know much about movies, but I do know that doesn't sound like an easy task.

And then I read on Wikipedia that the character my brother said sorta seemed Deadpool-ish from one of the X-Men movies (Wolverine Origins, I think), except, you know, wrong, well, he's actually supposed to be Deadpool, and they might be making a movie about him. Played by Ryan Reynolds. You know, Ryan Reynolds who kind of sucked as one of my favorite DC superheroes, the Green Lantern? Yeah, he's supposed to be Deadpool.

This is all my fault because I wanted a Deadpool movie. I'm just going to drown my sorrows in these bars, mmkay?

These were originally meant to be an experiment to see if I could make brownies with white chocolate the same way you make them with regular chocolate. But of course, I wasn't following a recipe, and I added peanut butter, and I ended up with these firm, cakey bars. Not the white chocolate brownies I'd been trying to make, but too delicious not to share.

These are not overly sweet. The peanut butter is the most prominent flavor, but with the light sweetness of the white chocolate coming in behind it. The texture is a cross between a cookie bar and a cake. It's light but firm. It's a thoroughly unfussy dessert, great for the lunchbox, or for stuffing in your face while trying to psychically will Joss Whedon to take over the Deadpool movie.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends this Sunday, tell your friends.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients
4 oz. white baking chocolate, chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1¼ cups flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup white chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 7x11 inch baking dish with parchment paper. In the microwave, or in the top of a double boiler, melt together the baking chocolate, butter, and peanut butter. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and mix well. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the peanut butter and white chocolate chips, reserving about 1/4 cup.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan (the batter will be thick). Sprinkle the reserved chips on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned, and the top bounces back when lightly pressed. Cool completely before cutting.

Tip: For the drizzle, I just melted a spoonful of peanut butter with some white chocolate chips together in the microwave. You don't need much.

Recipe by Kim