Dipped in chocolatey deliciousness

This summer some time I saw someone coating the bottom of classic peanut butter cookies in semisweet chocolate... how could that be wrong? Bronwyn made these cookies for the fair this year and won a First Place and Best in Show ribbon, not only is it a good recipe - but she's a great baker. I used this recipe, and she agreed that when I made them, they looked weird, but still tasted right... I did the Jacque Torres method of coating the bottom in chocolate - it's really a winning combo. I'm not usually a peanut butter fan, but these are hard to put down! I think we should be dipping more things in chocolate.... just saying...

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional: 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, for rolling

Instructions
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and mix on high until combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, toss the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be thick, yet very sticky. Cover dough tightly and chill for at least 3 hours (and up to 2 days) in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Roll balls of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and roll into granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Press fork into the tops to create the criss-cross pattern. Bake for 11 minutes or until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and undone. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to “set” on the baking sheet during this time.

Not easy, but worth it.

We have new neighbors, not right next to us, but completely diagonal on the same block on the complete other side - so kitty corner, but way on the other side of our actual block. Does that makes sense? We'll go with that for now. Also kitty corner or katty corner? I never know. Let's get even more real, they aren't even that new. They have lived there a year and for a year they walk their dog past and we talk and chat and they are wonderful people! Those wonderful people decided we needed to have a neighborhood BBQ - Yes!! Dang it! We had another party that night too! We decided to double book it! We walked over to chat with them and meet a few people then headed to a birthday party we had to get to too. I made these Mud Pie Bars thinking somehow it wouldn't be too hard to make. Look at all these layers and steps? Are they worth it? Yes! For sure! But oof! On an already busy day, it sure made things interesting. We had a lovely 45 minutes at the neighbors meeting other neighbors and trying to figure out who belonged to what house, then off to the next place. Hopefully next time we won't have to race off and we'll get a chance to hang out more. Hopefully they enjoyed the bars, we had a few left over at home and they sure tasted great to us!

Mud Pie Bars
Crust
200g chocolate wafer cookies or oreos with the filling taken out
70g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Cake
225g semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
170g unsalted butter
2 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
250g granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
36g all-purpose flour

Chocolate Mousse
600g heavy cream
5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
50g granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
225g semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Whipped Cream
360g heavy cream
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
pinch of salt

CHOCOLATE CRUST
Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c.
Grease a 9" x 13" (23 x 33cm) pan and line it with a parchment sling.
Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until broken down into fine crumbs. Move the crumbs to a medium bowl, and pour the melted butter over the top. Use a spatula to stir together until combined.
Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
Keep the oven temperature at 350°f / 180°c.
In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Add the flour and mix again until combined. Add the warm chocolate and whisk into the batter until combined. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.
Pour the cake batter over the cooled, baked crust and use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
Bake the cake until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Heat 240g of the heavy cream in a small, heavy saucepan until hot.
In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk the egg yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly add the sugar to the egg yolks, then the salt, and then slowly pour in the warmed heavy cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture registers 160°f. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth. Whisk the chocolate into the custard until smooth, then let cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or just using a mixing bowl and whisk), beat the remaining 360g heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate custard to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Transfer the mousse to a large bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
WHIPPED CREAM
Ten minutes before whipping the cream, place the bowl and whisk from a stand mixer (or a hand whisk) in the freezer and let chill. In the chilled bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt for 30 to 45 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 to 45 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat until the cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume, 30 to 60 seconds. The whipped cream can be made 2 hours ahead and stored in the fridge.
ASSEMBLY
Transfer the chilled chocolate mousse onto the top of the baked, cooled cake. Use an offset spatula to even the top. return the bars to the fridge and let chill for 1 hour.
When ready to serve, cover the bars with the whipped cream. Coat the top with grated chocolate, if desired. Use the parchment sling to remove the cake from the pan, and cut into slices. Bars can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Thanking my weekend self for meal prep

ChatGPT has become my friend. I ask it things that I just can't seem to wrap my brain around and it helps me come up with answers... I tell it some weird issue I'm having medically, and it oddly enough accurately tells me what it thinks is wrong, and more often than not, it's right. So, when we were having dinner guests with picky kids and I just didn't know what to make, I asked it... I told it I needed to make it ahead because my schedule was shot to crap due to over scheduling... and it suggested Baked Mostaccioli. Now, I can't spell that word to save my life but it sure is delicious. I was able to make this a few days ahead and used all sausage instead of ground beef. I added the mozzarella cheese before I baked it because well, I'd run out and had to buy more between making it and baking it, so if you have all of it in hand, good on you for grocery shopping way better than me. This baked up great and was enjoyed by all. Thankful for an easy dinner night for sure! Easy because I did the work to meal prep. I never regret meal prep. I know some people who hate on it, but the early me knows the later me will always appreciate it.

Classic Baked Mostaccioli
48 Oz Perfect Marinara Sauce or 2 jars of your favorite red pasta sauce
½ lb Mild Italian Sausage or Ground Pork
½ lb Ground Beef
1 Yellow Onion Chopped
2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese Grated
1 Cup Asiago Cheese Shredded
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
16 Oz Dried Rigatoni or Mostaccioli Pasta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine Italian sausage, ground beef and chopped onion in a large, deep skillet and mash it into smaller pieces. Cook over medium-low heat until the meat is fully cooked through and no pink remains. About 5-7 minutes.
Add marinara sauce, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, garlic, grated Parmesan cheese and basil to the same skillet along with the cooked meat. Stir to combine and cover and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, cook your dried pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Be careful not to overcook the pasta.
Combine meat sauce, cooked pasta and half of the shredded cheese in a large bowl and stir until combined. Add to a 13x9 inch baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Cook on the middle rack until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. About 20 minutes.

Once again a not reading the recipe...

Somehow, we managed to pack in a weeknight so tight from end to end that there was almost no time to actually make the food we'd offered to our dinner guests between piano lessons, orthodontist appointment and a homecoming dance nail appointment. I figured if I premade everything, we'd be in good shape. What wasn't in good shape? These rolls. I made a double recipe and did not pay attention at all to the size of the pan they were suggesting. I also did not have the fridge space to do much more. I lined these babies up in a 9 x 13 pan like a non-reading fool... What I ended up baking was more like French Bread Dinner Roll pull apart Bread. It was honestly? Great!! Next time would I give them the breathing room they likely needed? Sure, make it like it's supposed to be, that makes sense... but this worked out and seconds and thirds were enjoyed! I loved that could make these a few days ahead and then bake them the day of. That really helped me with my zero time buffer we did to ourselves. In the end we had a great time with friends for dinner, it was a nice time before we were back to running around like crazy people.

French Bread Dinner Rolls
1 cup Warm Water Under 110 Degrees
1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Honey
2 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt

Mix water, yeast, and honey in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow to sit for 8 minutes, until yeast becomes foamy.
Add all of the flour, sea salt, and knead on medium speed for about 8-10 minutes or until dough pulls away from the side of bowl, and becomes smooth.
Place dough into a well greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
Fold each side of dough over onto itself on all four sides in the bowl to make a square, and recover the dough.
Allow to rise another 45 minutes, and repeat folding the dough. This is realigning the gluten in the rolls.
Recover dough and rise 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.
Grease 2 (8" or 9") round cake pans, or 9x13 pan with butter.
On a lightly floured work surface divide dough in half. Divide each half into 5. For a total of 10 rolls.
To shape rolls tuck edges of the roll under until rolls become smooth on top and round. Place rolls seam side down into greased pan (5 in each pan if using cake pans), and cover.
Place shaped rolls into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees and remove rolls from the refrigerator while oven preheats. Allow rolls to double in size.
Right before placing rolls in the oven mist with water.
Bake in 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degree and bake 10-15 minutes more until rolls are brown on the outside and hollow sounding when top is tapped.
Remove from oven, and cool 5 minutes.

Spinning up frozen deliciousness

It's September and finally we are spinning things up in the Ninja Creami. It's been a wild summer and apparently, we haven't given much thought to making pints 24 hours ahead. That's the rub with the Creami.... thinking ahead. Yes I want delicious ice cream... but to think 24 hours ahead to make it? Yeah... wasn't happening for some reason... but we decided we wanted to try watermelon sorbet. We've tried it in the past and it was not great, but we tried a healthy recipe. This time I tried it with my normal sorbet plan... pound of fruit and quarter cup of sugar. I buzzed up that watermelon, added sugar and away it went in the freezer. We spun it up last night and decided it was delicious... maybe a little extra sweet but certainly a great treat on a hot night! Time to get more pints in the freezer!

Ninja Creami Watermelon Sorbet
16-ounce container of fresh watermelon
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Cut fresh watermelon. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
Add sugar to the bowl of the food processor. Puree until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a Ninja Creami pint container and secure the lid. Place on a level surface in the freezer and freeze for 24 hours.
Remove pint container from freezer and remove lid. Place pint into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and lock the outer bowl lid into place.
Secure the outer bowl into the Ninja Creami machine. Press the Sorbet button and let the cycle run (this should take about 2 minutes).
Remove outer bowl from machine and take off the lid. If the mixture appears crumbly, add a tablespoon of lemon juice, then return to the machine and press the Re-Spin button. If necessary, repeat re-spin cycle until desired texture is achieved.
Scoop and serve!