Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cheesecake

I can't really take credit for this recipe. At all. I didn't make a single part of it. It wasn't even my idea. I'm pretty sure my only contribution was taking pictures. And eating. But it's so good that whether I had a hand in it or not, I've got to share it.

So my friends and I like the show Supernatural on the CW. And by like I mean completely and utterly obsessed. Show quoting, marathon watching, convention going (DallasCon!) obsessed. When Kelli suggested that we have a Supernatural Marathon weekend, I was totally game. Especially when we decided that dessert was most definitely involved. My vote was for pie (if you watch the show, you understand), while Tommy voted for cheesecake. So, of course, we made both. Sorry Sam and Dean (and Cas. And pie.), you might be the stars of the show, but this cheesecake was the star of the weekend.

Since Kelli doesn't do much in the way of baking, Tommy and I packed up half our kitchens (mixers, waffle irons, ingredients, and all), and took our baking and cooking shows on the road. Pretty sure the neighbors thought I was moving out with the amount of stuff I was hauling to the car. But it was so worth it. We fired up the mixer and the DVR and set off on a Supernatural baking adventure, with Tommy leading the charge, Kelli as sous chef, and me just playing paparazzi.

Layer upon layer of deliciousness. We're talking 8 layers here. EIGHT! In all their peanut butter and chocolate glory. 

Mountains of peanut butter cups. And surprisingly we only sacrificed 3. For quality control purposes only, of course. 

Oh the unveiling anticipation! Pretty sure we opened the fridge to check on it about 85 times in the 4 hours it took to chill.

Brownies + hot fudge + peanut butter cheesecake + brownies + peanut butter cheesecake + whipped cream + peanut butter cups + hot fudge = HOLY MOTHER OF YUM. And don't even try to calculate how many calories are in this. It's probably about a week's worth of the recommended daily amount. So we just won't talk about that.

We ate our slices standing at the counter. If no one was watching, I might not have even bothered with slices. I probably would have just taken a fork and dove in. But I'm a bit more civilized in the presence of company. (Well, that is if you can overlook me standing on a chair like a crazy person taking pictures.. That's just what happens when you invite a food blogger to a party.)

So, whether you're reveling in your fandom with good friends, or celebrating the upcoming Valentine's Day (with company or alone--either way works), this cheesecake is not to be missed! It's easy to throw together, practically no-bake, and honestly, we're probably not still going on that whole New Year's resolution thing, so what are you waiting for? You NEED this cheesecake.

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

I can’t be trusted with real snacks in my house. Potato chips, cookies, crackers, candy—they barely survive the trip home from the grocery store. Which is why I rarely even put them in my shopping cart to begin with. But sometimes you just need a snack. Something to tide you over for a bit. One of my favorites is peanut butter toast drizzled with honey. It’s the perfect balance of salty/sweet and just enough snack to keep me satisfied so I don’t end up binge eating a box of Wheat Thins. (Which happens more often than I care to admit..)

But you can’t serve peanut butter toast at your holiday parties. You can’t pack it up and ship it with your cookie care packages. Why not turn a simple snack into an amazing one? Honey Peanut Butter Cookies are definitely a snack worth binging on.

Slightly crunchy around the outside and chewy in the center, perfectly sweetened, and totally delicious. They’re the perfect addition to any cookie plate or package. Got a peanut lover around? Throw in some chopped honey roasted peanuts to give them some crunch and up the peanuty goodness. Who needs chips when you’ve got cookies?

We're only on #2 of 12 Cookies of Christmas, so keep checking back for more delicious holiday cookie goodness!

Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes Revisited

January 21, 2009: a cold winter day 4 short years ago that will live on in our hearts and our minds forever. Wait, you're telling me you don't remember that fateful day? It was a day that changed the course of history! A day school children will be learning about for centuries to come! That was the day I hit "Publish" on my very first blog post--Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes. Okay, okay. So posting my first recipe didn't really rewrite history. It's not exactly life changing or earth shattering. Heck, I have to look it up every year because I can't even remember when my Blogiversary is. But looking back on that first post, we've come a long way in those 4 years.

Back in 2009, I knew nothing about this blogging thing. Honestly, I'm not even sure I really knew what a blog was. But suddenly there I was jumping head first into this world. 4 years later, I still can't tell you much about some parts of blogging like SEO and hosting (which is why at this very moment I'm currently reading Food Blogging For Dummies), but I can't even begin to imagine what I'd be doing if I weren't right here right now, doing this whole deal.

Every now and then when I'm bored I go back and read through some of my old posts. Talk about cringe worthy! Wow. Just wow. Some of those.. *sigh* Not only were the posts a ramblefest but the pictures! Oh the pictures. It's like looking through your middle school yearbook. You just want to forget it ever happened. So, in honor of this little blog's 4th birthday, I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane and show you the good, the bad, but mostly the ugly of the last few years!

There was an unfortunate slant phase. I don't know why.. but it lasted for well over a year--much like my permed hair phase.

I'm ready for my closeup.

Are we at the pool? Why do I feel like swimming?

What is this? That's it. I'm firing my food stylist.

Well that's appetizing..

Oh. Oh wow.. That's just.. sad.

Talk about a wall of shame. But instead of hanging my head (which I should definitely be doing), I'm taking what I've learned about baking and photography and making over my very first recipe! May I present the all new Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes!

The original recipe was marbled peanut butter and chocolate cake--neither of which had much flavor. The underwhelming cake was topped with an overwhelming peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Blegh. It was definitely time for a flavor upgrade.

Using my tried and true chocolate cake recipe, I topped it with a swirl of peanut butter and chocolate frosting. The peanut butter was a bit softer than the chocolate, so it didn't swirl quite as well as I'd envisioned, but one bite, and you'll forgive all its aesthetic imperfections. No tangy cream cheese flavor here--it's nothing but peanut buttery goodness.

After looking at all the terrible pictures that litter my little slice of internet life, I think I might have to revamp quite a few of my recipes and reclaim a bit of my dignity. And here's to hoping that I don't cringe at these pictures 4 years from now.