Feeling a Little Sweet and Nutty

 

Some foods I think of as grown-up foods (risotto, champagne (duh) and pate). Some foods I think of as kid foods (smashed peas, boiled hot dogs, fruit loops). Then, there are those foods that apply across a lifespan, the foods that remind us of the comfort of childhood without revoking or interfering with the independence of adulthood. These are the true comfort foods, including mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies and, my childhood favorite, peanut butter and jelly.

 

Really, peanut butter and jelly is quite a sophisticated childhood favorite. It is a delicate marriage of sweet and savory, nutty and light, that surpasses the simple sugar-obsessed kid palate.  Also, it allows for countless variations and interpretations. You can substitute almond butter for peanut butter, grape jelly for strawberry jelly, or whole wheat rolls for the classic white bread.  It's utterly simple to make (I was a pbj pro at age 7) yet tastefully complex, an on-the-go meal that never fails to satisfy.

 

Recently, I have been craving peanut butter. Maybe it's nostalgia because peanut butter was always one of my favorite snacks. Or maybe it's my increased activity and need for protein. Either way, all I really wanted was to grab a jar and a span and be left alone for a few delicious hours. Except, peanut butter by the spoonful is just a little bit to calorie dense for that kind of indulgence. Instead, I decided to get creative.

 

If it isn't already obvious, I LOVE to bake. A hot oven and some flour and sugar are the main ingredients of happiness. I especially love baking bread. The smell of working yeast and the pillowy softness of rising dough never fails to delight. So, I decided to combine my two loves and bake bread with a healthy dose of peanut butter. I even opted for a healthier loaf by using mostly whole wheat flour (which happened to enhance the nuttiness of the peanut butter). But as I kneaded the dough and placed it in the bowl to rise, I still felt like something was missing....

 

 

 

Then I remembered my elementary school lunch box. I recalled the days when I would unzip my container and see that marvelous creation, all wrapped snugly in a plastic wrap sheath, and my mouth would begin to water. There it was, a delicious PB&J made with love by my mom, ready to be enjoyed. Sure, I enjoyed the turkey sandwich days too, but the true delight came from the days when I could bite into the soft crust of a PB&J and feel the peanut butter stick to the roof of my mouth.

 

So, then and there, I knew that I needed to transform my simple peanut butter yeast bread into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich loaf. And boy, am I glad I did. With just a simply layer of jelly spread on the dough before placing it into the pan for its final rise, the wonderful and classic PB&J combination was recreated. The jelly moistened the bread around it creating a sweet, gooey texture while the rest of the peanut butter loaf maintained a hearty consistency due to the wheat flour. It's the perfect toasting bread and its a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the messy jars.

 

 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Yeast Bread

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

- 2 1/2 cups wheat flour

- 1 cup bread flour

- 1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter

- Enough jelly to spread a thin layer on the dough

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, yeast and water in a small bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy. Meanwhile, combine the flours and peanut butter so the peanut butter is well incorporated. (I used a pastry cutter but you can use a food processor or even your hands). When the yeast is foamy combine the water mixture with the flour mixture and allow it to form a smooth but not sticky dough. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is thick and smooth. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise for an hour to an hour and a half. Once the dough has risen, shape it into a rectangle about the width of your bread pan and about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Spread a generous layer of jelly on the dough, allowing a bare rim around the outside. Roll and seal the dough to create the jelly swirl. Place in a greased bread pan and allow to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes. Once risen to about an inch over the lip of the bread pan, bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pan, cool and Enjoy!



Pinterest and Pudding

 

I have spent way too much time on pinterest. In the amount of time that I have spent on pinterest, I could have learned a new language, taught myself how to knit then knitted an entire sweater, painted my entire house, cured diabetes and discovered a new solar system. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but, basically, I have logged more hours on pinterest than I probably should have. But hey, I'd say its better than facebook. Instead of feeling really creepy constantly looking at pictures and reading notifications about people I don't even really talk to anymore, at least I'm learning new tips and tricks regarding crafts, cooking and beauty products. (Isn't it amazing how people have pretty much learned how to make everything homemade... maybe we're reverting back to subsistence living)Some of the ideas recorded online and pinned on pinterest have spurred a creative epidemic, teaching even the shopaholic, dinner-out-every-night types to experiment with at home projects and epicurean adventures. I'd say, even if time spent on pinterest may be a little excessive for some, much good has come out of the vast sharing of photos and ideas on the site.

 



 

My personal favorite part of pinterest is the Food and Drink section. Even before I joined pinterest, I would search and peruse countless food blogs looking for exciting new recipes. When I found a recipe I liked, I would copy and paste the instructions onto a work document and save my disorganized findings for later. This became a bit cumbersome after awhile because I had a word document of about 40 pages of random recipes filling up space on my computer. When I found the Food and Drink section on pinterest, I was able to continue my search for creative recipes with an easier method of organization that included pictorial reminders of the dishes I had pinned. It also let me see other people's collections broadening my perspectives of food blogs and creative recipes.



One of those reoccurring recipe ideas I found during my countless hours on pinterest... (I'm going to refer to it as "research" from now on because it sounds better than "useless distraction" and makes me sound all scientific and such)  I mean, during my research was a recipe for pudding cookies. I am NOT a fan of pudding. Ice cream.. defininetly... Jello... sometimes... Pudding... NEVER. So, needless to say, I was skeptical. But blogger after blogger touted the chewy goodness of the resulting cookies after adding pudding to the batter. Despite my disdain for pudding, I am a huge fan of chewy cookies. The softer the better and if they stay soft for more than a day or two, that's fantastic. After enough drool-worthy pictures of pudding cookies on pinterest, my desire for chewiness surpassed my distaste for pudding and I decided to give them a try.

 

My family and I are glad I did. The cookies came out and stayed soft and chewy. The pudding only added a slight flavor, but, with 2 full cups of chocolate chips and other add-ins, the true chocolate chip cookie flavor dominated. My mom ate 2 (sometimes 3) for breakfast for many consecutive days and, once my dad found out about them, they disappeared exponentially faster. So, OK pudding, you win this one, but only because my "research" seamed to be whole-heartedly on your side. You can revel in your victory but I am the real winner because now I have a delicious recipe for SUPER CHEWY cookies.

 

Though I found countless recipes online I adapted mine from Picky Palate. I mean, just look at those pictures on her blog. Pretty convincing scientific evidence, right?

 

Oreo Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick/1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
• 3 tablespoons Oreo Pudding Mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I prefer Ghiradelli)
• 2 King sized bars of Cookies and Cream, cooled and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with  parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.