peanut butter

May 19, 2010

Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

mel dessert, recipe, sides & bites banana, chocolate, cookie, nuts, peanut, peanut butter

Banana, <a href= stomatology Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies” />

There’s nothing better than a really good cookie. Usually when I want one I make Chocolate Chip. Because I love a classic cookie with bits of melty bittersweet chocolate, hepatitis crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. It’s the kind of thing that makes the world a better place and exactly what I wanted Sunday afternoon. So I raided the fridge and pantry to see if I had everything I needed. I didn’t.

After a few minutes of internet searching, stuff I found Smitten Kitchen’s Peanut Butter Cookies and – score! – I had almost all of the ingredients. The only thing I was missing was peanut butter chips. I was just going to use more chocolate chips, but then I spotted some dried banana chips in the pantry. Banana, peanut butter and chocolate can never be wrong together. I knew these would be good. Really good. Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie good.

Banana, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

And they were! The banana chips gave the cookies a slight crunch and subtle banana flavor. Not the overpowering taste of ripe bananas you get with banana bread, but even better with the crunchy/salty peanut butter. And of course, chocolate chips make everything better. These have got to be some of my favorite cookies of all time. I know they’ll be the ones I bring to the beach this summer. If you love peanut butter and banana, this is the cookie for you. I froze half the batter and am so glad I did. Otherwise I’d have to go buy some bigger pants.

January 15, 2010

Nutty Banana Power Bars

mel breakfast, dessert, recipe, sides & bites almonds, banana, granola, nuts, oats, peanut butter, pecans

Nutty Banana Power Bars

Tom and I are training for the A1A (Fort Lauderdale) Half Marathon next month and we’re getting to that point in our training where I get really, drugs really hungry in the afternoon. I’m not talking about your typical afternoon snack craving. I’m talking full-on hunger pangs with embarrassing stomach grumbling. The kind that always happens during a quiet lull in your meeting and makes your co-workers giggle. Like I said – embarrassing.

I needed to take action. I needed a snack. Something that was filling and nutritional, order but also tasty. These Nutty Power bars are it. They’re really similar to my homemade granola bars, but I added more nuts and peanut butter and omitted the brown rice cereal to keep them dense and nutritionally packed. I love how sticky salty and chewy these are. Just perfect for marathon training, regular snacking and keeping my tummy quiet during meetings.