Truffle Stuffed Amaretto Peanut Butter Cookies

So...I was going to lay off the alcohol for awhile...to you know save calories and give my liver a good rest...

Then Monday came along...

I think they might have invented alcohol for Mondays just to make them worth being a day of the week. Plus it's blowing like 50 mph chilly winds today...no kidding...so what's better than a nice glass of red wine to warm your cockles. Oh and good for your heart! Right?

Anyway...lets talk cookies. These will make your Monday worth it too.

These cookies are chewy and amaretto-y and peanut buttery, and chocolatey, and positively scrumptious. I made these cookies with an amaretto peanut butter and stuffed them with an amaretto truffle. I love amaretto and my girlfriend, Randi, knows this and got me a few treats, including this amaretto peanut butter, she's the greatest!

And I just realized that I was supposed to save one for her...and I didn't...I forgot...and they're all gone...I'm a horrible friend.

Guess I'll be making another batch soon...must save one for Randi...must save one for Randi. :)

Truffle Stuffed Amaretto Peanut Butter Cookies

For the Amaretto Truffle
Ingredients:
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
3 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped
3 ounces milk chocolate coarsely chopped
1/4 cup amaretto

Directions:
1. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until scalding; it will just start to bubble around the sides.

2. Place the chopped chocolate into a heat proof bowl and pour the hot milk over the chocolate and add the amaretto, let sit for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for two hours or until set. Then form into balls. For the cookies I made them a little smaller and I left the truffles without any coating but I did roll a few extra in cocoa. Chill in fridge for another 30 minutes.

For the Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup amaretto peanut butter
1 egg
1 tbsp amaretto
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat liner.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the sugars and butter until lighter in color and fluffy.

3. Beat in egg and peanut butter until smooth and stir in amaretto.

4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until all ingredients are combined. Then chill dough in fridge for 30 mins.

5. Now to assemble the cookies I used a small cookie scoop I used two scoops and smashed one down with a fork to give it the traditional peanut butter cookie look and then I just smashed the other down with the palm of my hand and wrapped them around one of the amaretto truffles and pinched the sides together to seal.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes and then let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Scotcheroos

It’s that time of year again, the air is a little crisper, the days a little shorter. People are more open to sugary treats now that summer is over and don’t have to worry about fitting into that skimpy swimsuit. That’s right guys it’s the first day of fall! Yay! I LOVE all the holiday treats! Not only is it a great time for treats, but I can’t wait to start wearing all the cute cooler weather clothes again. (Oh no! I need to start Christmas shopping! Crap)

Chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch, OH MY! It’s a hybrid of a rice krispies treat without the marshmallow. I think I like these better than the plain old rice krispies treat. This recipe reminds me of those yummy treats my grandmother usually made around the holidays, like puppy chow, chinese chews, and divinity. Mmmm, can't wait to try my hand at those. These will give you the same feel good sensation too. Of course this is the original recipe, but there are many ways you can modernize it and dress it up. Use different cereals, add coconut or nuts, whatever you like. 

Happy Fall everyone!

Scotcheroos 

Ingredients

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cup crispy rice cereal

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

cooking spray 

Directions 

Measure corn syrup and sugar into a large saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to boil. 

Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. 

Add crispy rice cereal. Stir until well coated. Press into 9x13x2" pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. 

Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 1×2" bars to serve. 

This is an heirloom recipe I found while browsing the CNN site. I had never heard of these before, but they sure sounded good. 

Monster Cookies

These yummy cookies are a childhood favorite of mine. My grandmother used to make these for me when I was a little girl and she kept them in a tupperware container high up in a cabinet. I used to pull a chair over when she wasn’t looking and sneak a cookie. Not sure where my grandmother got her recipe, or why they call them monster cookies, but they are delicious. Hope you all enjoy.

This monster cookie recipe is from everyone’s favorite grandmother, Paula Dean.