Peanut Butter Deluxe Dessert Recipes

DELUXE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare sheets of foil for cookies to cool on.
• 2. Combine peanut butter, shortening, sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Add egg and beat just until blended (do not over beat, it makes cookies tough).
• 3. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Sift, or if you do not own a sifter, just whisk it really well, until you are sure it is well integrated.
• 4. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until well blended. Place round balls (about 2-2 1/2" in diameter for big cookies onto an un-geased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Try to make the balls uniform in size. Flatten with the tines of a fork, going vertical and crossing over horizontally (trademark of peanut butter cookies). Flatten each cookie to about 3/8" thick. Bake for 10-13 minutes until barely set and edges just almost brown. Remove from oven and allow to rest on sheets for about 2 minutes. Remove to foil sheets to continue cooling (cookies will continue to cook a little after being removed from the oven, on the cookie sheets and on the foil.
• 5. Frosting Filling: 1/2 cup butter, a little softened, but not a lot 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's) 1/2 cup evaporated milk (not condensed) pinch of salt
• 6. For Frosting: Beat butter until smooth. Whisk together thoroughly the baking cocoa, and salt with the powdered sugar. Add the cocoa mixture and beat, adding some milk alternately. End with dry mixture. Add a very little more milk if desired to preferred consistency. A little bit thick is best for sandwich cookies, to prevent dripping and oozing.
• 7. Make sandwich cookies, by frosting one cookie generously, but about 1/4 an inch from the edge all around. Place a similar sized cookie on top and press gently. Voila!

PEANUT BUTTER DELUXE DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375*
• Combine all the crust ingredients and press into a 9 x 12 glass baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray (I forgot the spray and it will stick, even with all the butter in the crust). I use a spoon to spread it evenly and try to smooth out as many of the cracks as possible. It won't matter if there are still cracks, just try to press it in as smooth as you can. Bake for 25 minutes. Crust should be lightly brown on the bottom. Let cool.
• When crust has cooled, mix the cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter together with a mixer. TIP: The best way to measure peanut butter is to get a large measuring cup (4 cups will work for this recipe). Put 2 cups of water in cup then add peanut butter until water level reaches 4 cups. Pour off water and you have 2 cups of peanut butter that isn't stuck to your cup.
• Using a mixer, mix the large container of cool whip (or 2 small ones) into the peanut butter mixture. Make sure it is mixed in well. Spread this mixture over cooled crust.
• Top with small container of Cool Whip. It is best to make this a day ahead so the sugar will have time to melt into the filling. If served after a few hours, the sugar can be a little crunchy. The crust may crumble a bit when cut, but that's okay.
• You can 1/2 this recipe easily and put into a 8 x 8 square pan or possibly a regular pie plate. I don't do the pie plate because I think it is easier to work with edges on a regular baking dish.