Everything Cookies

Or, as my husband calls them, Monster Cookies.

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup Nutella
2 1/4 cups AP flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate M&Ms
1 tbsp AP flour

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350* F.
2. Mix butter, egg, vanilla, vinegar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and Nutella. I use an electric or standing mixer for this.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, oats, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. About 1/2 cup at a time, add dry mixture to wet mixture, stirring to combine with each addition.
4. Toss walnuts, chocolate chips, and M&Ms together with 1 tbsp AP flour.
5. Mix walnuts and chocolate into cookie dough. It may be easier to do this with a spoon, rather than with the mixer.
6. Put cookie mixture into the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Once it is chilled, scoop out spoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. You can do this with two teaspoons or by rolling the dough into balls by hand. The balls of dough should be about 1 inch in diameter.
7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350* F. The cookies don't spread out much at all, so you can put them closer together to bake (about a 1/2 inch apart). They won't spread out and it is hard to tell if they've browned as they bake, but they will start to crack on top.
8. Let cool on a wire cooling wrack. Store in an airtight container.

Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Bananas

Ingredients

3-4 bananas
1/2 cup dark chocolate 
1/2 cup milk chocolate
1 cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons butter
Optional Toppings: peanut pieces, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut

Unusual Tools

popsicle sticks or skewers
parchment paper
double boiler

Directions

1. Fill the bottom pot of the double boiler with water and set it to boil. Set the other pot or bowl on top of the water pot and use it as a lid. Make sure no water can get into the top pot or bowl.
2. Cut bananas in half and skewer them with the popsicle sticks or skewers. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer.
3. If you are using candy bars for the chocolate, chop them up. If you are using chocolate melts or chips, there is no need to chop them. 
4. Put the butter into the top pot or bowl to melt. Add the chocolate and stir as it begins to melt.
5. Add the peanut butter to the chocolate. Continue to stir as it melts.
6. Remove bananas from the freezer and dip them in the chocolate mix to coat. 
7. If desired, roll coated bananas in peanuts, sprinkles, chocolate chips, or coconut. 
8. Return bananas to the parchment paper. Once you've coated all the bananas, put them back in the freezer.
9. Allow bananas to freeze for at least 30 minutes. Store extras in the freezer and eat them cold!

Tips

1. If you don't have a double boiler, there are two easy alternatives: use two pots or a pot and a metal bowl. If you use two pots, makes sure that one either fits securely on top of the lower pot on its own or that you can hold it up in the other pot so that no water gets into the chocolate (or it will seize). If you use a pot and a bowl, make sure you use a metal bowl that sits securely on the pot.
2. Leave out the peanut butter for a non-nut version.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup Cool Whip, thawed
1/2 cup peanuts or crushed or powdered sugar

Directions

1. Melt chocolate chips in microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir at end until all chips are melted.
2. Mix in peanut butter and let cool.
3. Add Cool Whip.
4. Spread mixture into a baking dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Using a teaspoon, scoop out portions of the mix and role into balls.
6. Coat in nuts or sugar.
7. Store in fridge.

Peanut Brittle

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. GREASE a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
2. Mix corn syrup and sugar.
3. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, stir. Microwave for 4 more minutes, stir again.
4. Stir in peanuts, salt, vanilla, butter, and cinnamon.
5. Microwave entire mix on high for 2 minutes.
6. Stir in baking soda, allow to foam for a second, then spread on cookie sheet.
7. Let mix cool and firm up (after it cools initially, you can move it to the freezer for a while to speed this process up).
8. Break into pieces.