Dayrecipe Food Community

Remember the commercial that re-created the invention of Reese’s Peanut
Butter cups? A woman is walking down the street eating a chocolate bar, and a
man is walking the other way eating a tub of peanut butter. They bump into
each other, causing the chocolate and peanut butter to mix. Overcome by the
new taste sensation, they immediately check into a motel (I may be
misremembering that last part). I’ve never cared for the chocolate-peanut
butter combo, so if that idiot had ruined my chocolate bar, I would have
pushed him into oncoming traffic. But my mom, who says she’s going to have
chocolate with peanut butter for her last meal, swears by these cookies. She
thinks they’re even better than Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Makes 40-50 cookies

INGREDIENTS

• preparation time: 20 minutes
• baking time: 30 minutes (10 minutes per batch)
• rating: easy1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, plus more for
  greasing
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12-ounce package) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly rub two cookies sheets with butter, or use nonstick baking
sheets. Set aside.

Put the butter, peanut butter and the sugars in a large bowl. Beat with an
electric mixer or a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and
vanilla and beat again. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt,
and beat on low speed until well blended. Add the chocolate chips (see Mom
Tip), peanut butter chips and peanuts and mix thoroughly.

Using a teaspoon as a guide, scoop a portion of the dough and, with your
hands, roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls on each cookie sheet, 3
cookies per row in 5 rows. Flatten the balls with the heel of your hand or
the tines of a fork so that they spread to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake each batch, one cookie sheet at a time, for about 10 minutes. The
cookies will be firm to the touch and just beginning to brown.

Remove from the oven and cool on the sheet for about 3 minutes. Then transfer them with a
spatula to a cooling rack. Let the cookie sheet cool for 1 or 2 minutes more
before reusing so the dough doesn’t melt. Store in an airtight container.

Mom Tip: If you want chocolate coating on the top of each cookie, reserve 1/2
cup chocolate chips when mixing the batter. After the cookies are formed and
placed on the cookie sheets, lightly press 5 chocolate chips into the top of
each cookie. When the cookies come out of the oven, gently spread those
partly melted chocolate chips over the top of each cookie with a knife to
make a thin chocoalte layer. Cool as directed.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2to 1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo plus 2 teaspoonsadobo sauce (from can)
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 4red snapper fillets with skin (1 1/2 lb total)
• 1/3cup all-purpose flour
• 3tablespoons vegetable oilaccompaniment:lime wedges

DIRECTIONS Mash together butter, chipotles to taste, adobo sauce, and salt with afork until blended.

Pat fish dry and cut each fillet inhalf crosswise, then season with salt and pepper. Spread flour on a plate and dredge fish, knocking off excess.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then panfry fish, skin sides up first, in batches, turning over once, until browned and just cooked through,4 to 6 minutes. Transfer as cooked with a slotted spatula to plates and add more oil to skillet as needed. Top fish with dollops of chipotle butter.

You also can use this sauce with small ravioli or crescent-shaped agnolotti filled with pumpkin, cheese, or meat.

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bunches fresh sage
• 1 pound good-quality tortellini
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS Wash sage and dry well. Remove 6 leaves and cut into very fine julienne. Coarsely chop enough sage to get 1/2 packed cup.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add chopped sage, a pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Cook over medium heat until butter just begins to brown and bubble; the sage should get crispy.

Drain tortellini in a colander, saving 1/4 cup cooking water. Immediately put pasta in a large warm bowl, adding remaining butter. Toss with melted butter-sage mixture and add enough cooking water to make a smooth sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with julienned sage. Divide immediately among warm pasta bowls.

This dough can also be formed into crescent shapes and coated with confectioners’ sugar while still warm, as is done in many eastern European countries.

Makes about 11 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 2/3 cups blanched almonds (about 3/4 pound)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 prepared basic butter cookie dough at room temperature
• 2 egg whites, beaten lightly

DIRECTIONS Halve 1 cup almonds and reserve.

In a food processor grind almonds with sugar and salt until fine. In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat almond mixture and almond extract into basic dough until just combined well. Pat dough into a rectangle. Chill dough, wrapped in wax paper, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Working with one third of dough at a time, roll out each piece of dough between two sheet of wax paper into a 12- by 9-inch rectangle, slightly more than 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough into 1 1/2- to 2-inch almond shapes (or any other shape preferred), arranging cookies about 1/2 inch apart of baking sheets. If dough becomes too soft to work with, freeze or chill uncut dough on baking sheet until firm.

Brush cookies lightly with egg whites and gently press a reserved almond half in center of each cookie.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 10 minutes, and cool on racks. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4cup finely chopped shallot
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4lb haricots verts or other thin green beans, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3cups corn (from about 6 ears)
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
• 1/2teaspoon fresh lime juice,or to taste

DIRECTIONS Cook shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beans, corn, and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime zest and lime juice.