There is a “treat” that I love to eat daily; crunchy peanut butter with crackers or rice cakes. I eat this almost daily in mid-afternoon, with a cup of ginger and lemon tea. It’s silly but it gives me a sense of a break in the afternoon from my super busy schedule. Since I love peanut butter, many years ago I found a peanut butter cups recipe and began to make them as holiday gifts. However, through the years, I changed it to make it my own and today, I want to share my recipe with you. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes plus time for the chocolate to set. Approximate Cost: $7.10 or .32 cents per piece Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 22 INGREDIENTS 9-ounce semisweet chocolate ($2.45) ¾ cup crunchy salted natural peanut butter (from Trader Joe’s) ($1.00) ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (.35) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ($1.00) ½ teaspoon Amaretto Liquor ($1.00) 18 to 20 mini paper baking cups set on a baking sheet. ($1.00) 22 Butterscotch morsels to garnish (.30) DIRECTIONS Melt 4 ounces of the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave. Spoon 1 teaspoon (or less) of melted chocolate into each cup. Use a small spoon to spread the chocolate slightly around the sides of each baking cup. When done, you should have an even chocolate base at the bottom of each cup. Let them cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes until solid. (It takes time to get solid) In a medium bowl, stir together peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and Amaretto. (before adding the peanut butter and sugar, stir it well in the jar to make sure the oil is not on top but well combined.) Transfer the peanut butter mixture to a Ziploc bag and seal it tightly. Cut one corner of the plastic bag and pipe about 1 to 2 teaspoons of peanut butter mixture into the center of each cup. (It will all depend on the size of your mini muffing baking cup, the mini’s varies in sizes) Then, moistened your finger lightly, press down the peanut butter mixture to flatten it, leaving a bit of space between the peanut butter and the edge of the paper cup Melt the remaining 5 ounces of chocolate. Spoon 1 teaspoon of chocolate onto the top of each cup. Use a small spoon to spread the chocolate evenly over the top and down the sides of the cup. Refrigerate until solid, about 30 minutes or just leave them in a cool place until the chocolate set real hard.
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I hard boil 6 eggs for the week (or you can add more eggs if you prefer). When they are cooked and totally cold, I place them in an air tight container with paper towel inside to absorb any moisture, then I refrigerate them. That gives me the advantage to have cooked eggs during the week to use in salads, or breakfasts without having to cook them at the time I need them. And trust them, they stay fresh for that length of time, about 5 days. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 7 MINUTES Approximate Cost: .96 CENTS Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 6 Ingredients 6 eggs (@ .16 cents each =) (.96) Tap water to cover the eggs (.0) Directions Fill the saucepan with fresh, not hot water. Add the eggs and bring to a boil. Time to cook in boiling water is 7 minutes. Turn off the stove and leave the eggs in the pan for about 4 minutes. Remove most of the water and carefully, start bouncing the eggs in the saucepan up and down until the shells crack completely. To peel the eggs, submerge in a little warm water and the eggshell should come off easily in few pieces, as you can see in my photos. Now, go to your kitchen, boil some eggs and use them in any recipe you wish. |
ABOUT THE AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Categories |