Hang on Sloopy!

I traveled for the holidays this year to my home state of Ohio.  For those that don't know, the state tree of Ohio is the Buckeye, and it is the mascot of "THE Ohio State University" where almost 65,000 students are enrolled.  The Buckeye is also a fantastic confection that supposedly originated in Ohio (makes sense) and is made and available all over the U.S.  It features one of my favorite flavor combinations, chocolate and peanut butter, and is very simple.  You can find a Buckeye recipe very easily by googling, and there are a lot of variations.  I prefer my buckeyes to not be too sweet so if you prefer more sugar, feel free to add it.

Buckeyes
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2-5 c. powder sugar
4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1.  In a large bowl, mix together mix together peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powder sugar.  The mixture is going to look really dry to you, but it isn't too dry.  Just roll the mixture into balls about 1" in size.

2.  Place the rolled balls on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Press a toothpick into the top of the balls (these will help in dipping the balls).  Chill in the freezer 30 minutes until firm.

3.  Melt the chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently until smooth.

4.  Dip the frozen Buckeyes into the chocolate until partially coated, leaving a small portion of the peanut butter mixture showing.

5.  Put the Buckeyes back onto the cookie sheet, remove the toothpick, (you can fudge over the hole if you want to) and into the refrigerator and chill until serving.

Pre-dipped Buckeye

Dipped Buckeye

A lot of folks usually smudge over the hole left by the toothpick  with a finger moistened with a bit of water

These are a great treat to share, and a lot of people enjoy them.  This recipe makes approximately 60-70 Buckeyes (depending on the size of the balls that you roll) and it can easily be doubled.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C!

I love cookies.  Anyone that knows me really well knows that not only do I enjoy eating them, I enjoy making them.  Out of the big three (cookies, cakes and pies) I would say, (and I think my husband would agree) that I am most proficient with cookies.  Because getting into gluten free baking can be really tough, I've decided to post a recipe that doesn't involve flour.  This way, there's no searching for a decent blend of flours, or a good all purpose mix that you're happy with.  This is just every day ingredients, and very simple.

Crackle cookies are one of my favorites.  I love how chewy they are.  I used to "cheat" and make them with boxed cake mix.  They're a wonderful cookie because they're a great vehicle for any flavor chip, nuts, and even chopped up fruits if one is so inclined.  But, I didn't make traditional crackle cookies.  These cookies certainly crackle, and they are fudgy, but they're quite like a meringue.  In this iteration of crackles, I used peanut butter chips, because several of my local supermarkets didn't carry the coveted dark chocolate/mint nestles morsels that sell out every holiday season.  I managed to get my hands on one bag this year, and apparently, that was all I was destined to have.  But chocolate and peanut butter is one of my most favorite flavor combinations, and they marry so nicely in this cookie.

Chocolate Crackles with Peanut Butter Chips
3 c. powdered sugar
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3-4 egg whites at room temperature**
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. peanut butter morsels (you can use whatever flavor you choose)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
3.  Whisk together powder sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
4.  Whisk in vanilla and egg whites. **I used 3 egg whites and a full egg.  I had to add a bit of extra powder sugar and cocoa powder to compensate.  Normally, one would just add 2-3 egg whites and then decide whether or not you need the fourth.  The last time I made these, I needed that extra egg.  This time I didn't but I preemptively added it.  Ah well, extra batter, what a shame!
5.  Beat until the batter is moistened.  It should look thick and fudgy!

This batter is not done.  It's shiny and beautiful, but still too runny.

This batter IS done. 

6.  Although the batter looks thick, it probably isn't TOO thick.  But, if for some reason, you feel like it's just far too thick, add another egg.  But, I promise, it's probably not too thick.  You'll note that as you continue scooping out cookies, the batter will get thicker.  That's fine.

My precious.

This is just how it should look.  Thick and shiny!

7.  Scoop by heaping teaspoon-full onto the parchment lined baking sheets.

I wanted to make these pretty small because it's a very sweet cookie.
I would recommend a slight bit more space between than these.

8.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.  The tops should be cracked in some places, and shiny in others.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet before removing to rack.

These cookies are delightfully crisp on the outside like a meringue, and fudgy on the inside like the best brownie you've ever had.  Any type of chip you use should work out very well in this recipe.  Tell me about your own experiences with these cookies in the comments!