Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chippers

The. World’s. Greatest. Cookies. Period. I mean, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal? Can it get any better than that? Didn’t think so. The secret ingredient in these yummy cookies is definitely the honey. It keeps the cookies moist and sweet. I recommend doubling this recipe, as these cookies won’t last long! :)

Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chippers

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned chunky peanut butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Mix flour, oats, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, honey, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture in 2 additions. Stir in chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm and no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. With hands, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough for each cookie into 1 3/4-inch-diameter ball. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies until puffed, beginning to brown on top and still very soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Mocha Buttercream Cake

If you want a delicious cake, this is it. We made a massive one of these for my sister’s graduation this past week, did 4x the recipe. Enough cake for you? If you’re not a coffee lover, you can leave out the espresso in the cake and the frosting, though you’ll be missing out on one of the best parts of this cake. :)

Mocha Buttercream Cake

Makes 1 9-inch layer cake.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
dash salt
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 1/3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 oz semisweet chocolate
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ËšF.

Cream together sugar and margarine. Add eggs, cocoa, milk, and flour. Mix baking soda and hot water; add to mixture. Add salt, then vanilla. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Pour mixture in pans. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool on rack for ten minutes then remove from pans.

For filling, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa. Cream butter and add to sugar mixture slowly. Add salt, and coffee. Beat 2 minutes. When cool, add vanilla and mix.

To assemble, split cake layers and spread buttercream filling between layers. Save extra for optional decoration on top of chocolate frosting.

For frosting, melt chocolate in double boiler with whipping cream and vanilla. Whisk until melted and smotth. Remove from heat. Spread over cake.

Summer Fruit Salad

This is a simple, yet incredibly delicious fruit salad. Secret ingredient? Balsamic vinegar. Just a dash of it really brings out the sweetness and flavor of the fruit. Not to mention it is quite pretty to look at.

Summer Fruit Salad

Ingredients
Mixed fruit (we used strawberries, blackberries, mango, and melon).
1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
1-2 cups vanilla yogurt
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions
Cut and prepare fruit into bite size pieces. Toss with yogurt, and add mint and balsamic to taste. Enjoy!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

These are delicious blueberry muffins. I substituted the sour cream with some plain yogurt, and they turned out just fantastic. A definite make if you’re a blueberry muffin fan!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa. Makes 16-24 muffins.

Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.