Sometimes I have no filter.  For example, in my mind, if chocolate cake is good, then chocolate cake with nuts inside, chocolate frosting on top and crushed up Heath Bars sprinkled over the top could only be better.  Peanut butter cookies are one of my all time favorite cookies.  I particularly like a thick (I’m talking at least an inch) cookie that is crispy on the outer edges and chewy in the middle with coarse sugar sprinkled over the top.  I think that it can be so difficult to replicate the style of a good bakery cookie at home.  When I decided to make a perfectly good thing even better by making these Oreo-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies, I knew that I wanted the peanut butter cookie to be able to stand on it’s own.  I wanted that thick and chewy bakery-style peanut butter cookie.

The base cookie that I used for these Oreo-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies are soft and chewy ad would be fantastic on their own.  But after making Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies a few months ago, I have been dying to try another cookie-inside-cookie combination!

I see many other stuffed cookie adventures in my future because I just cannot get enough of these over-the-top treats.  When you bake an Oreo inside a cookie, the Oreo itself gets slightly softer, but not at all soggy.  And the glorious, mysterious creamy filling in the Oreo melts slightly so that it is somewhat molten if you eat one of the stuffed cookies while they are still warm out of the oven.  With all of the creative Oreo flavors on the market these days, stay tuned for the next flavor combination that I present to you, because I know that it will not end with these Oreo-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies.

If you need even more Oreo-inspired treats in your life, let me remind you of these Cookies & Cream Brownies.

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Move over Nutella, Cookie Butter is taking the food world by storm it would seem!   Who doesn’t love the Biscoff cookies that you receive when you fly on certain airlines?  Even if I am drifting off for a nap, or really into a book, I will drop everything when the flight attendant comes by to ask if I “would like cookies, pretzels or peanuts?”  It’s a no brainer every time for me.  Biscoff cookies have flavors that remind me of gingerbread, but they are more buttery and so perfectly crunchy that I wish I could turn on my call light and ask the flight attendant for a refill on my cookies!  Now imagine the warm, comforting flavor of those popular cookies ground up into the creamy consistency of peanut butter and you have Cookie Butter.  Better yet, creamy cookie butter with tiny pieces of actual crushed up cookies for some added crunch!  Believe me this popular spread is so addictive you will be spreading it on everything you eat.  Let me introduce you to the homemade version with this Speculoos Cookies recipe.

Biscoff cookies are a brand of Speculoos Cookies and these spiced biscuit-like cookies are very popular in Europe.  Speculoos Cookies are flavored with cinnamon, brown sugar and honey and are only subtly sweet, but oh so comforting.

You can purchase the cookie butter that I mentioned above as Biscoff Spread at many grocery stores or it is called Speculoos Cookie Butter at Trader Joe’s stores.  I couldn’t resist sandwiching these Speculoos Cookies around some of the crunchy Speculoos Cookie Butter, but you could also eat the cookies on their own.

prepare dough

wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes

roll out and cut into desired shapes, refrigerate cut dough, then bake

cool cookies, then spread half with cookie butter and top with other cookies

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Some kitchen gadgets are so inventive yet so simple that it makes you wonder how you didn’t think of the invention it yourself!  For example, purchased these rolling pin rings because I wanted consistent thickness when I roll out cookie dough or pie crust.  These rings made for easy technique when making the Layered Mint Chocolate Cookies that I am sharing with you today.

The idea behind these rolling pin rings is simple:  you place different sized rubber bands on the two ends of your rolling pin so that as you roll the dough flat between the rings until the rubber bands both touch your work surface, you are creating a perfectly even thickness of dough.  This is such a simple material and concept, but really a pure stroke of genius and a huge help in the kitchen.

Once I had the dough for these Layered Mint Chocolate Cookies divided into 3 parts, I just slid the 1/8″ rings onto the ends of my rolling pin and in no time, I had 3 perfectly even layers laid on top of each other and ready to cut into cookies.

I absolutely love how pretty and delicate these cookies look, not to mention how good they taste.  You know those people who describe things as “too sweet”?  Yeah, I don’t understand what the meaning of this phrase is either, but these cookies are perfect for those people.  These Layered Chocolate Mint Cookies are simple butter cookies sandwiched between layers of subtle mint and chocolate layers.  They are so cute that you could place them into a plain cellophane bag, tie it with a ribbon and give them as a gift.

Because I think these rolling pin rings are so helpful, I want to make your life a bit easier too!  I am giving away a set of these rings to one lucky reader!  Please log onto the widget below using Facebook or your email address and enter for a few chances to win!  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Nothing is more comforting to me that a warm latte or cup of hot chocolate.  I especially love when I have something tasty to dip into my warm beverage such as these Almond Coconut Chocolate Chip Biscotti.  Some biscotti is so hard that dipping is absolutely necessary to soften the cookie before you eat it.  This Almond Coconut Chocolate Chip Biscotti on the other hand is still crunchy, but it is not so crispy that you risk a visit to the dentist if you don’t dip it into something before you eat it.

The toasted almonds provide a perfectly nutty aftertaste and the coconut and chocolate chips are just sweet enough to keep you wanting another piece of biscotti.  I love to dip my biscotti in melted chocolate one side because if you have learned anything about me it is that I am a super chocoholic, so more is always better in the chocolate department for me, but you could certainly skip this step if you prefer.

And don’t forget about my other favorite biscotti recipes:

Cherry Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

White Chocolate, Pistachio and Dried Berry Biscotti

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Do you have a morning ritual?  Maybe you eat the exact same breakfast every day.  Or maybe you get up early to walk your dog or exercise.  If one thing is ritualistic about my morning it is that I enjoy a latte that I make myself eacb day.  Whether I get to sip my latte at home while catching up on cooking shows or I bring it along to work with me, there is something about drinking a warm, comforting latte that makes me happy.  And as a bonus I feel good about drinking it knowing that it is giving me a daily dose of calcium.

When I received the book Pure Vanilla:  Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques by Shauna Sever, these soft vanilla sugar cookies immediately caught my eye.

Then, when I actually got around to making them, I was thrilled to notice a variation suggested in the recipe for Vanilla Latte Cookies.  Instant espresso powder is added into this cookie dough to create a soft and light cookie that is subtly flavored with the trace of espresso.  These cookies remind me of the thick, chewy sugar cookies that people love to buy at the grocery store.

If you are not a coffee fan, feel free to leave it out and you will still be left with a fantastic classic cookie.

*Baking Tip*  It drives me crazy if I forget to take my butter out of the refrigerator to let it soften before I bake.  To soften butter in a hurry, simply roll over the stick of butter with a rolling pin to flatten it slightly.  Flattening the butter, makes it thinner and softer and will allow you to use it immediately.

 cream together butter and sugar

add eggs and vanilla

mix in dry ingredients

refrigerate dough and then scoop onto prepared baking sheets

bake and cool completely

frost

The cookbook Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever is filled with recipes to satisfy the vanilla lover in all of us.  The book begins with an intriguing history of vanilla.  I find it interesting that vanilla has been sweetening desserts and things since the 1600s.  Shauna describes the different forms of vanilla as well as the taste variances in the different varieties of vanilla.

You can learn how to make your own vanilla extract or sugar which I think would be great hostess or holiday gifts.

And then come the recipes beginning with breakfasts such as Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding and Vanilla, Brown Sugar and Black Pepper Bacon.  Brunch anyone?

Then we move on to all of the likely dessert suspects such as cakes, pies, cookies and bars.  I cannot wait to make the Salted Vanilla Chip Oatmeal Cookies next.  Pure Vanilla has a full-sized photo for almost every recipe which I love and the detailed education on vanilla is such a bonus.

*Quirk Publishing provided me with a copy of Pure Vanilla, but all opinions are, as always, my own.

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