Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies/Whoopie Pies

 Made with honey, these are not your ordinary peanut butter cookies.  Soft and chewy, they are soooo good!   And you can really taste the honey! 

I used My Baking Addiction's recipe.  Then I turned them into whoopie pies!  Here is her recipe with my tips added.

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of sugar for rolling dough balls

 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat shortening, peanut butter and honey on medium speed until well combined and fluffy - about 3 minutes.  Don't beat too long or the batter separates.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined.

I used a cookie scoop to make uniform size balls

 Roll in sugar, and place on prepared baking sheets.

I flatten the balls with my hand, or the bottom of a glass.  They measured about 2 1/2 inches across.  Leave plenty of space cuz these babies really expand!

Flatten with a fork.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

They now are about 3 1/2 inches round.  Let set on cookie sheet about 5 minutes and then move to a rack.

I made up a batch of frosting and piped it onto half of the cookies.  Now place a cookie on top of each frosted cookie.  The frosting I made was delicious.  Take one egg white, 2 TBS milk and 2 tsp vanilla.  Beat well.  Add 1/4 cup of softened shortening, and 3 cups powdered sugar.  Beat until fluffy.  I used a few drops of white food coloring to brighten the frosting.  Then I added enough additional powdered sugar til the frosting held it shape.  I also added about 1/4 cup granulated sugar cuz I like that bit of texture.  I know some of you worry about raw eggs, so you might want to try meringue powder instead.  You will have to adjust it somehow to account for the missing moisture the egg white gives.  Call me crazy but I use raw eggs a lot and never have a problem. 

Diana

A Wee Break at the Cabin

Sunday night we packed up and headed to the cabin.  The weather was mild and cool, perfect for a impromptu camping trip.

The grass has begun to turn green and is in need of a mow.

Don't you love old fence post and dirt roads?

There are so many things at the cabin for which I am grateful and that make staying there so nice.  Number one is running water, great for doing dishes and even more important, flushing the toilet.

My grandmother's blanket and a creaky rocking chair.

A warm fire and S'mores.

A cozy loft to sleep in.  The air mattress is in the tub and someday we will finish the walls and floor, but for now it will do.



All the little signs of nature we get to enjoy!

Walks in the meadow fresh with the morning's dew.

A view to die for.

Signs of spring.

Reminders of summers past.

A swimming hole waiting for the warm weather that's just around the corner.

A morning spent turkey hunting and an afternoon spent mowing the front meadow.  All these things are simple pleasures we are often too busy to enjoy.  It is nice to slow down once in a while!  This trip we didn't tackle any projects, except for the mowing, we just had fun.  The projects can wait a few weeks........

 

Soccer Towels

I got the idea to make two of my grandchildren soccer towels!  I made each one to reflect their personalities.

This one is for my oldest granddaughter Abby who wants to be a "cat lady" when she grows up.  Strange, I know, but she and her little friend both have that goal!  They think they are hilarious......

I used "Letter It" from Amazing Designs to layout the fonts.

 

My grandson is obsessed with Grumpy Cat.  I have been looking for a design of the famous cat for months and finally found this one.

Again, I used Letter It for arranging the fonts. 

Diana

Bam!

Chocolately smooth with a kick!  That's how I would describe these chocolate suckers.  And did I mention they have "Pop Rocks" in them too?  Yum!

 One thing with chocolate, you have to use special flavor additives, otherwise the chocolate will clump and no one likes that!  I get all my supplies from Chocoley.  They have great no tempering chocolate that beats Wiltons candy coating hands down. 

I did get a little bloom on the surface but I'm OK with that.  Left them in the fridge too long.......

Diana

Baby Quilt Going To China!

When my husband got home from China this month, he asked me to make a baby quilt for one of the Chinese guys he works with whose wife is expecting a baby next month.  (That was a mouthful)   Into my stash I went to find gender neutral baby fabric.  This is what I came up with! 

 I love the monkeys and circus animals. 

This quilt was cut, pieced, sewn, quilted and bound all in one day, with time out for a couple of errands and chocolate making!  More on that later.

Diana

Circus Animal Cookies

I have made these before but have always given them away before  remembering to take a picture!

 Talk about easy!  Two colors of glace and some old fashion sprinkles and you are set to go!  Oh, and of course you need teeny tiny animal cookie cutters.  What's with the squirrel?  Never saw those in the classic animal cookie package! 

Just for a little bit of unexpected flavor, I added cherry candy flavor to the glace.  Don't go to far with that or you will end up with something similar to the taste of cough syrup.  Ugh! 

Diana

Glamping Quilt!

Check out my newest quilt using Moda's Glamping by Mary Jane Butters fabric line!  It is a miracle that this quilt is even on the blog........not because of the quilt or anything connected with making it, but because of my dog-gone internet!!!!!  HATE IT!!!!!!  OK now that I have gotten that off my chest I can talk about this adorable quilt.  I am super obsessed with vintage trailers right now.  And since I can't seem to get one of my own, I have been making do.  IF I HAD ONE I would decorate it all cute in aqua and pink with a little red thrown in for good luck.  Maybe a little like this quilt.  Made with two charm packages and a bit more fabric for the white border, backing and binding, it was easy to put together. 

 

Here is a close up of some of the fabrics.  You can barely make out the machine quilting I did myself with my regular Elna sewing machine.

Here is a little trick I have picked up along the way.  After the quilt is quilted but before I bind it, I run the edges through my serger!  Not only does it cut off all the extra batting and backing but it also makes a nice neat thin edge to attach the binding to. 

The design for the little trailers that bump down the road along the top of the quilt are available from this Etsy Shop.  I did do a few tweaks to simplify the design.

I used colors and fabrics from the quilt.

Love these little trailers!  I guess I will have to keep dreaming of another trailer that might someday find at home in my driveway.  Sigh!

Diana