I hesitate to say that I have “mastered the art of French macarons”, but I have certainly found a method that works well for me.  I have enough confidence in my basic recipe and technique for making the shells that I felt brave enought to mix it up a little.  Generally, I use all almond flour for my shells, but for these Peanut Macarons with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream, I used half almond flour and half peanut flour.

The peanut flour did not make any difference in the form or texture of the macaron shells but just lended a subtle peanut flavor.  This peanut flavor paired delightfully well with the honey cinnamon buttercream that was sandwiched between the shells.  The flavor is reminiscent of a peanut butter and honey sandwich.

When making these Peanut Macarons with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream, or any macaron shells for that matter, I have a few tips that should help you learn how to make macarons easily.

• Plan ahead.  Aged egg whites whip into stiff peaks more reliably for me.  All that means is that you should separate your egg whites at least 2 days before you plan to make the macaron shells.  Store the egg whites in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.  This step seems to dry out the egg whites slightly which makes them perform better upon whipping.  I love to use my OXO egg separator to make sure I don’t get any yolks in my whites.
• DO NOT use egg whites from a carton.  They don’t seem to hold stiff peaks as well.
• Be organized.  Before you begin whipping your egg whites, have all of your other ingredients measured out in bowls and ready to go.  Then when you are ready to incorporate them into the egg whites, they are all ready.
• Parchment paper is a must when making macarons.  Your macarons will be very easy to peel off the paper if cooked properly.

mix egg whites on medium speed until frothy and mixer begins to leave marks, then slowly add granulated sugar

increase mixer speed to high and mix until stiff peaks form (you can turn the bowl upside down and the mixture does not move)

fold in dry ingredients in three increments

mix until no flour streaks remain

pipe onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake

bake

DID YOU KNOW?  Peanuts are a great snack because they can help keep you full and feeling satisfied.  Protein and fiber provide you with a feeling of being full longer and they also provide long-lasting energy because they have a low glycemic index which helps to maintain a stable blood sugar.

I hope you have enjoyed the peanut recipes that I have brought to you this week and that you have learned something new about how peanuts and peanut butter can contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.

*The Peanut Institute sponsored my trip to California, but all opinions expressed are, as always, my own.

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Last weekend I was fortunate to travel to Napa, California courtesy of The Peanut Institute.  The Peanut Institute “is a non-profit organization that supports nutrition research and develops educational programs to encourage healthful lifestyles that include peanuts and peanut products.”  The trip was incredible and I learned wonderful facts about the nutritional benefits of peanuts, got to spend time with one of my great friends Emily,

and we even got to cook at the Culinary Institute of America!  Check that one off my bucket list!

The trip inspired me in so many ways.  When I returned home, I was excited to share some fantastic peanutty recipes with you.  So sweet teeth, I am declaring it Peanut Week!  I will be sharing one fact that I learned about peanuts with each of these satisfying recipes.

What better way to kick of Peanut Week than with these Flourless Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies?

These Flourless Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies are so light and soft, you would never guess that a key ingredient like flour is missing!  With only six ingredients, these cookies are a great gluten-free treat option and you will be shocked how only SIX ingredients can create a cookie that tastes so delicious.

I was so happy when I calculated the nutrition facts for these Flourless Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies and found out that each cookie only has 13 grams of carbs!  That is pretty remarkable for a cookie that has chopped up candy bars in it!

DID YOU KNOW??  Eating 1 ounce of peanuts daily can cut your risk of heart disease in half.  The oil in peanuts is mostly monounsaturated which offers the same health benefits as other healthy fats such as olive oil.

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Remember when you were little and you would spin a globe around and put your finger on it and exclaim that wherever it landed is where you were going to live when you grew up? Well I have decided to incorporate that mentality into my “what to bake next” routine.  You see, everyday, I Pin recipes, I save recipes to my inbox recipe folder, I tear out recipes from magazines and I mark pages in cookbooks that have recipes that I must make.  However, I have all of these real and virtual piles of recipes, but rarely do I actually make any of them!  And it’s so silly because these recipes are where I find a lot of my inspiration for things I actually am baking in my kitchen each week, so why oh why have I not actually made more of these recipes that have inspired me in the first place?  We are changing that today with these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Truffles.

In this spirit of the “spin the globe” game, I am going to select a recipe from either my Pinterest boards or my inbox from other bloggers who have inspired me and put my own twist on the recipe and share it with you each month.  I may do this once or twice a month and I hope that it will inspire you the way that these recipes inspire me to try new things and to create adorable and scrumptious treats to share.

Last weekend I shared this Pretzel Toffee Fudge with you and suggested that it would be a great addition to a homemade chocolate box to give on Valentine’s Day.

Well, we all like a little variety and so why not add these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Truffles to that thoughtful gift of yours?

This recipe was adapted from Bakerella who is notorious as the cake pop lady but she also whips up some other sweets and treats that are worthy of recreating.

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Truffles could not be easier to make and again, will fool your sweetie into thinking that you have slaved all day in the kitchen to make him/her something special.  I rolled my truffles in crushed salted peanuts, but you could roll them in cocoa powder or toss them in some sprinkles as well.

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I am so excited to finally be a part of The Secret Recipe Club!  The Secret Recipe Club is a group that makes recipes from each other’s blogs, but you have no idea who had your blog or what they chose to make until the big reveal day, which this month, is today!

For my first month as a member of the club, I was assigned to make a recipe from Angela’s Kitchen.  Angela is a genius when it comes to gluten-free and dairy-free cooking and baking.  She is passionate about making recipes for those with food allergies just as tasty as the original dishes.  The recipe that I chose to make from Angela’s collection was these Homemade Cereal Bars which Angela describes as “Better than Nutrigrain Bars”.

I have to say that I agree with her! These bars are so soft and chewy and have the flavors of oats, cinnamon and strawberry baked in.  The ingredients are wholesome enough that you can truly feel good about eating one of these bars for breakfast!  You could also incorporate nuts, wheat germ, flax seeds or any other mix-ins that you like into these Homemade Cereal Bars.

For these Homemade Cereal Bars, I used regular rolled oats, but to make them gluten-free simply substitute gluten-free rolled oats.  You could use whatever fruit filling flavor you prefer and could also use regular butter, melted instead of the coconut oil.  No matter what substitutions you make, these Homemade Cereal Bars are sure to be one of your go-to weekly make-ahead breakfast items.

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When I posted this Peanut Butter Cup Fudge,

I shared some of my candy making conundrums with you and offered some tips that I have learned for how to resolve them.

I have had my fair share of caramel-making challenges as well, but the past few years, I have been able to make chewy caramels that are soft and so buttery.  This year, I decided to add some some vanilla bean paste and sea salt to my mom’s classic caramel recipe.  The sea salt really takes these over the top and balances the sweetness so perfectly.

I also attribute some of my recent candy making success to the use of the Thermapen.  This digital thermometer allows for precise accuracy down to the tenth of a degree which is so crucial for candy making.  Read my full-review of this helpful kitchen tool here.

To help  your candy-making courage and encourage you to try some new recipes, the kind people at Thermoworks have offered to give a Thermapen to one lucky Satisfy My Sweet Tooth reader!  Use the widget below to enter and good luck!

melt butter

add sugar, milk and corn syrup and bring to a boil

cook until mixture reaches 240 degrees (I am aware that the thermometer does not read the correct temperature in this picture, I had to snap a photo before the critical temperature was reached!)

pour into prepared pan and cool before cutting and wrapping

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*ThermoWorks provided me with a Thermapen to review however, all opinions are, as always, my own.

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