Chocolate Chip & Peanuts Cookies

                                                                         

BIG, CHEWY, packed with goodness!

2/3 Cup Softened Butter

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

3 Eggs

2 TSP Vanilla

1 TSP Baking Powder

1 TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Salt

3 Cups Flour

2 Heaping Cups of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips

1 Heaping Cup of Granulated Peanuts, or chopped would be ok too!

Cream the butter, add the sugars & beat until fluffy. Now, add the eggs & vanilla & beat again. In a large bowl stir the flour, salt, baking powder, & baking soda until well combined. Now slowly beat into your butter mixture. Once well beaten stir in the chocolate chips & peanuts. Spoon out in large dollops onto your cookie sheets & bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from sheets & let cool if you can but they are always so tempting right out of the oven. These store very well & recipe makes 4 dozen 3 inch across cookies!

Cheddar Brussels Sprouts

                                                                           

Sauteed fresh Brussels Sprouts with gooey Cheddar Cheese, a very easy side dish & festive too!

1 Pound Fresh Sprouts washed, stem end cut off & then cut in 1/2

3 TBS Butter

1 to 2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Sea Salt to Taste

Course Fresh Cracked Blacked Pepper to taste

In a heavy sauce pan melt the butter. Add sprouts, season with salt & pepper& saute for about 15 minutes stirring often, until sprouts have changed to bright green in color with some outer leaves turn a nice brown. Now cover with as much cheese as you like, turn off the heat , cover with a lid until cheese is melted about 3 minutes. Plate up! 

Chocolate Fudge, Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

                                                                           

Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake with a Peanut Butter yummy filling, then topped with Chocolate Ganache & drizzled with more Peanut Butter! & best part yet, you cheat with this recipe!

1 Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

1 3.4 Ounce Box Chocolate Instant Pudding, I used Godiva.

4 Eggs

1 Cup Plain Yogurt

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips + 2 Tablespoons

In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, the pudding mix,eggs, yogurt, & oil beat until smooth. Fold in the 1/2 cup + 2 TBS chocolate chips. Pour 1/2 the batter into a well sprayed Bundt pan. Set aside the rest of the batter & now mix up that amazing filling.

FILLING: 

1/4 Cup Soft Butter

1/3 Cup Peanut Butter

4 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese

3 TBS Sugar

1 Large Egg beaten

1/2 Cup Flour

Dash of Salt

1/4 Cup Milk

1 TSP Vanilla
2 TBS Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Peanut Butter Chips

Cream the butter, peanut butter, & cheese together. Add sugar & egg & beat again. Add flour & salt & beat again . Add milk & vanilla & beat again. Now fold in the peanut butter chips & the remaining chocolate chips. Back to your bundt pan make a trench in the chocolate batter & spoon in the peanut butter batter. Cover the peanut butter batter with the rest of the chocolate batter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes test cake to be sure no wet batter comes out on your cake tester. Once baked set out to cool for 10 minutes then invert onto a plate, the cake slides right out! Cool cmpletely & now make that topping!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

8 OZ Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate broken up into pieces.

4 TBS Butter

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Heat over medium low heat in a heavy sauce pan the chocolate & the butter stirring the whole time. Once melted & smooth whisk in the heavy cream until you have thick chocolate heavenly gloss! Spoon liberally over the cooled cake.

PEANUT BUTTER DRIZZLE

1/3 Cup Peanut Butter heat in microwave on medium power for 45 seconds. Peanut Butter will be runny & just right to drizzle over that chocolate! Once drizzled I sprinkled chopped peanuts over the cake. You could sprinkle with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped up Reeses Peanut Butter Cups or let the toppings cool & sprinkle with chocolate curls. YUMMERS!