Toasted Marshmallow Brown Butter Krispie Treats

When it comes to Rice Krispie Treats....I'm usually a purist. Those recipes that put chocolate, peanut butter, etc. etc. in a krispie treat? Nope. Not for me. I prefer them the old fashioned way. However....when I saw that you could brown the butter and toast the marshmallows...I figured...it's like all the same stuff you put in a classic rice krispie treat....but elevated. Taken to another level. Made epic to the nth degree!

Rice Krispie treats were one of the things that my mom made best growing up. I can still smell the marshmallow and butter, I can still see her with a greased up ziploc bag on her hand (so she could smooth the treats in the pan), I can still taste them all gooey and perfect. Sometimes, if I was feeling impatient for her to make some, I would buy those pre-made rice krispie treats...but....they never tasted right. So I would spread a little butter on top, drizzle them with a bit of vanilla extract, and heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave. For some reason that made them a bit better. Weird.

But now I'm a grown up and can make my own treats. So I did.

You know...you may think rice krispie treats are just something you eat. The end. Buuuut-not true! They make great gifts (they're sturdy so they travel well), you can use them for chocolate fondue, serve them with/in hot chocolate, or...ok...just eat them. I like them when they're gooey so I like to reheat leftovers in a microwave for 5-10 seconds...it just makes them a little bit extra special.

Speaking of extra special-these krispie treats taste pretty standard. But the differences are such wonderful bits of subtle nuance....the browned butter you occasionally will get hit with when you take a bite and it's extra buttery and a bit nutty. The toasted marshmallows give you that campfire/s'moresy little twist, just giving these an extra bit of oomph.

Yeah. I think this is just how we should make Rice Krispie treats from now on.

CHANGE APPROVED!

Browned Butter Cookie Dough PB Cups-Guest Post at The Domestic Rebel

Hello my friends! Remember Hayley-that quirky, amazing, food genius also known as The Domestic Rebel?

Welllll-she's in NYC. WITHOUT ME. I know. I'm bummed.

Regardless, girlfriend needed some guest posts on her blog, and I was happy to oblige!

Only the tastiest will do for Hayley, and these Browned Butter Cookie Dough PB Cups fit the bill! Browned butter peanut butter cookie dough-super rich and completely addictive-is encased in our old friend, dark chocolate, and then topped with salt because...I mean...it's a good idea.

Michael and I ate these treats up in no time flat and I know you will fall in love with them too!

Head on over to The Domestic Rebel for the full post and the recipe!

Peanut Butter Caramel Pie

This recipe was supposed to be a copy cat recipe. But then I got a little too creative, and it sort of became it's whole, own, new thing. Which is totally awesome and delicious. And really...this just means I get to make another recipe to be the copy cat in the future.

Oh noooo not more caramel pie!  :P

In case you're curious, I was trying to copy cat the gooey caramel pie from O'Charley's restaurant (a place near our house that we frequent and which has the GENIUS promotion of Free Pie Wednesdays). I did want to add some oomph to the pie initially by making it a gooey salted caramel pie. But then I went a step further and, after seeing a recipe for peanut butter caramel and thinking OH MY YUM, made it a peanut butter caramel pie. And then I got lazy and saw a recipe for microwave caramel and...you get the idea. This is how we ended up with this pie.

Which is a couple steps too far removed to be a copy cat of the O'Charley's pie but...regardless...

still friggin delicious.

A delicious peanut butter graham cracker crust (my go-to graham cracker pie crust recipe, in fact) is topped with a layer of super easy to make (remember? lazy. Microwave caramel sauce. FORREAL) peanut butter caramel (which is super sweet but also rich and peanut buttery, and thusly has that delish salty element as well), some salted whipped cream (which I thought was genius but is actually kind of weird but, luckily, worked in this pie) and then some pecans because they're fun and tasty and were on that original pie.

PEANUT BUTTER FLAVOR TO THE MAX.

Sweet, salty, rich, gooey, crunchy, luscious....just....mmmm....ok?

And check back about that copy cat recipe....I'll get there (but in the meantime there's nothing wrong with creating a fun, entirely new thing, yeah? Yeah. No regrets about this pie. NONE.)

No-Churn Fluffernutter Ice Cream-Guest Post with The Spiffy Cookie

I know I know, you thought I was done with the guest posts! But...life got a little overwhelming so my wonderful friend Erin (AKA The Spiffy Cookie) stepped up and volunteered to share a little something with you guys. I've guest posted on her site before so I'm so happy to introduce this super fun, former Buckeye (she still loves chocolate and peanut butter, though!), wonderful blogger/cook/baker to you again! And look! Erin brought ice cream! With pb! and marshmallow! HOORAY!

Hello again Cooking Actress readers! Erin here from The Spiffy Cookie giving Kayle a break from blogging while she plans for her upcoming wedding. Kayle is such a wonderful person and I couldn't be happier for her. She and Michael are the cutest! I was lucky enough to meet her in NYC last year but now that she has moved back to Ohio I really need to pay her another visit, especially since she lives in the same town as some of my other friends.

Today I am sharing a recipe for my new obsession, no-churn ice cream. This recipe is so easy and delicious it almost makes ice cream makers obsolete. All you need for the base is 1 pint of heavy cream and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. The churning aspect of ice cream is substituted by whipping the heavy cream with an electric hand mixer. Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and any other flavor additions and it's ready for the freezer. But of course you already knew all of that since Kayle has shared an extensive list of easy no-churn ice cream flavors.

Normally the hardest part of making no-churn ice cream is deciding on a flavor. I did ponder whether or not a browned butter ice cream could be possible since Kayle is the browned butter queen but thankfully Kayle is as much of a peanut butter lover as I am which made the decision much easier. After discovering the magical results of adding marshmallow creme to no-churn ice cream I went with fluffernutter ice cream, complete with marshmallow bits and a magic peanut butter shell.

Healthier No Bake Cookies

 Low fat.

No added sugar.

Gluten free*.

These are not words I would normally associate with tasty, delicious, no-bake cookies.

But all of that has changed!

*gluten free if you use gluten free oats.

No-bake cookies have a special place in my heart from my childhood. I loooved 'em. Still do!

And really, you'd think...how unhealthy can they possibly be? It's just like chocolate, pb, and oats, right?

Um...I guess not?

It's ok all, THESE no bakes are pretty much just chocolate, pb and oats (and like...honey, a smidge of coconut oil, and vanilla. All pretty good stuff!)

You may notice that my cookies don't seem super coated: I've made an adjustment for that in the recipe. I had too many oats apparently. It's ok though, they were still super delish. A bit crumbly, but still full of that familiar chocolatey peanutbuttery flavor. 

Plus-they're an awesome way to avoid turning on the oven in the hot summer weather! Wins all around!

Grab a glass of milk and dig in!

Freezer Strawberry Jam for #StrawberryWeek

For once I just shut my mouth and followed directions. I made my mom's recipe. 

Which is the Sure-Jell (pectin) recipe. 

And you know what? It rocks!

I guess some things shouldn't be fiddled with.

My poor mom. Sometimes I'm a bit too hard on her. When she told my brother that we were going to make this jam he scoffed at her, saying, "Kayle probably won't want to make your jam, she'll want to make her own!"

Because I'm a snobby meanie pants.

But this time that was not going to happen! I trusted in my family and their time-honored tradition of making this recipe, and it was totally the right choice.

Mom and I made this jam together, as a team. So I'm pretty sure we put some magical mother-daughter bonding love in there. Which is probably why it tastes so amazing. Plus all the sugar. Yeah. It's probably both.

Michael took one bite of a piece of toast loaded up with this jam and he said, "THIS is what strawberry jam should taste like!"

Recipe could not be simpler. You just mash some gorgeous strawberries, add in some sugar, cook a little pectin, mix mix mix, let sit, then freeze! DONE. Super easy. My mom made like a triple batch so we ended up with a ton of jam! It got given to aunts, uncles, grandma, etc. So we spread the love via spreading the strawberry jam!

This was the first strawberry recipe I made and now it is my final post for #StrawberryWeek-how perfect! Ending it the way it began.

Mmmmm mmmm mmm.

Caramelized Pecan Banana "Ice Cream" with Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl

 

It's June. Which means it is wonderfully warm out. This means it is my favorite season. My favorite month. My favorite time of year (why do ya think I chose this time period to get married?)! It also means that soon we're gonna have some hot days. And, at the very least, we have some pretty warm ones! While some people may look at this as a downside, I'm all about it. There's a whole category for food that I don't really crave until the temperature goes up: including frozen bananas, popsicles, lots of fruit, and-of course-ICE CREAM!

But ya know, I can't go around eating oodles and oodles of ice cream (cue Michael probably yelling at the screen "But you'll eat oodles of cookies!" SHUSH!)-so, you wanna know a really cool trick?

BANANAS.

No, not as in this S*** is bananas (although it is), but as in-bananas. As ice cream.

WHAAAAA?

Technically, I sort of blogged about using bananas (and strawberries) as ice cream before. But I did not give it nearly enough attention.

So allow me to sum up and then expand upon:

Summary: you process some frozen bananas in a food processor or blender and it obtains an ice cream-like consistency.

Expansion: You can also add other stuff to take it to the NEXT LEVEL. Such as peanut butter. Or chocolate. Or bacon (WHAT? TELL ME YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT!). Or maybe caramelized pecans and a chocolate hazelnut swirl.

...no? Just me?

Not anymore! Now it's all of us!

Caramelized pecans....ohhh where have you BEEN all my life? And we already know about my love for choc-hazelnutty goodness. So adding them to this banana ice cream is just genius. It's creamy and crunchy and sweet and perfect. And a little less fatty than grabbing a pint of Haagen Dazs :P

Peanut Butter Pudding Pie

This pie is the second thing I ever baked in my new kitchen. This pie was me saying "I have leftover homemade graham crackers from the s'more cupcakes. I have peanut butter out the whazoo. I have peanuts....there's a recipe for pb pie I haven't tried yet....and I have all the ingredients already."

And then I made it. And then I said, "Mmmmmm..."

I've made a few different peanut butter pies in the past, and I have loved them. (Because....peanut butter. In pie.) But I'm always up for trying a different kind! 

(Except for kinds with cream cheese in 'em...I steer clear. I'm not a fan of cream cheese in my desserts. #sorryimnotsorry) 

What's cool about this recipe is that the filling is essentially peanut butter pudding. Which is freaking awesome. It's rich and thick and full of peanut butter flavor! Then, to contrast the pudding texture, the buttery graham cracker crust and the crunch of the peanuts on top are just perfect. I'm definitely a fan. As was evidenced by the empty pie plate some days later.

No shame.

Peanut Butter Oat Balls

I have an irrational fear (ok...I have many. But today we're just discussing one).

I am terrified of having a child with a peanut (or any nut) allergy. Because...um...would I have to give up peanut butter? I CAN'T DO IT GUYS! I CAN'T! I don't even know what I would feed my childrens. So...this is a very real fear that I think about a lot (because I'm neurotic.) And it's so sad because some kids can't even be NEAR peanuts. And it's like...how can they go out in the world? In Disney World, my brother and I were snacking on some peanuts before Fantasmic! when a mother asked us to please stop eating them because her son (who was in line near us) is allergic. Apparently she had an Epipen just in case but...still. Like....she has to try to make sure no one eats peanuts around her kid. That is rough. So..I'm scared.

(and I hope no one with nut allergies or children with nut allergies take offense to this, I'm merely recognizing the challenges I imagine you must face)

Anyway. Currently, there's nothing in my life impeding me from my beloved peanut butter. Which is good because...not only is it gosh darn delicious, it's pretty darned healthy (if you use the right kind any way). So with the assistance of that magical spread, you can make healthy little treats that taste like cookies or candy.

My kind of healthy eating.

This recipe is SO. GOOD! The perfect breakfast or snack: they're bite sized, chewy, full of filling fiberlicious things like oats and flaxseed, and they have tasty chocolate and peanut butter. WIN. They're miraculous little bites. You can take them on the go for an easy breakfast or quick treat. BUT WAIT-there's more!

It takes like....10 minutes to make these yummy little balls of goodness. And there's no baking. You just mix em up, roll them into balls, and eat or store them! THE END. It doesn't get any simpler. So. You're smart people. You're probably going to go make these now, yes?

Dark Chocolate Dreams Icebox Pie-31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams Cookbook Review

I'm feeling prettyyyy cool. Wanna know why? I got to check out an ADVANCE copy of Peanut Butter & Co's new cookbook "31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams" (written by Peanut Butter & Co. founder and president, Lee Zalben)!! The cookbook released on January 27th (but I received it a couple weeks before) and features a whole month's worth of delicious, crazy, fabulous recipes using PB&Co's most popular (and my FAVORITE) peanut butter: Dark Chocolate Dreams (remember when I did that full scale review, back in the day?)

When PB&Co approached me about the opportunity, I mean..it was a no brainer. I LOVE them. They have this amazing sandwich shop here in NYC and...I mean...their peanut butters...AHHMAZING. And Dark Chocolate Dreams is the best: chocolate + peanut butter=goodness. Duh. Bonus: it has no cholesterol, no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, and no high-fructose corn syrup. It is also gluten-free, certified vegan, and certified kosher pareve. Awesomeness, right? And a whole cookbook using this nectar from heaven...whoa!

There were so many delicious options, flipping through this cookbook, that I didn't know where to start!

Fortunately, Michael very succinctly made up my mind. He pointed to the icebox pie and said, "That one."

...ok then

My boy loves pie. So do I. And this, this is the embodiment of everything I want in a pie. After his first bite, Michael said, "Ohhh....this is so good...I take back what I said about the soup." He then proceeded to savor each bite, very slowly. And when the day came that he had to finish the last piece...he was a sad Michael.

Let's break it down: homemade, crunchy, buttery, chocolate cookie crust. Then a rich, thick, creamy, heavenly, dark chocolate peanut butter filling that will make you just want to let it sit on your tongue so you can just enjoy every moment. Then, on top, the perfect bit of texture is added by garnishing with peanuts and chocolate chips. Just....ahhh....so good you guys. I'm not even kidding. You need this pie in your life, NOW.

Just ask my poor, broken fiance', crying in the corner because there is no more pie*.

*this is a slight exaggeration. Slight.

((Keep on reading after the recipe for a GIVEAWAY!))

Nutella "Candy" Bars

Can you remember the first time you tried Nutella (or some kind of chocolate hazelnut spread)?

I can.

I was living in Brooklyn with my soon-to-be estranged roommates, but at this stage we were still getting along. One of these girls had a container of nutella and told me to try it, and I was hesitant. Like "umm...I don't think I like hazelnuts." (WHAT? I LOVE HAZELNUTS! Stupid past Kayle) But I tried it because...well...chocolate. And then I was like "Oh this pretty much just tastes like chocolate." (IS YOUR PALATE SO UNREFINED PAST KAYLE?! CAN'T YOU TASTE THE DIFFERENCE?!)

Anyway, so, I ate more of it over time, and my love grew and grew. The end.

Anyway. These bars. They've got a serious punch of chocolate hazelnutty flavor. 

But, for me anyway, they were meessssyyy. So ya know, keep that in mind. I was going to give a few of these to my aunt, but by the time I got them to her, they were so mushed she literally thought they WERE my homemade chocolate hazelnut butter. I had to inform her that they used to be candy bars. Oops.

Whatevs. Still tasty. Very sweet but very tasty and crunchy!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker!)-Stef's Virtual Baby Shower

EEEEE!! OMG...you guys...Stef, from Sarcastic Cooking, is gonna have a BABY BOY!!

yayyy!!!

I'm baby obsessed (seriously ask anyone, I ADORE babies. If I see your photos of your baby on facebook or instagram...that just like...makes my day. I fully intend to have a bunch of little ones myself someday and I just love em!) and Stef obsessed, for that matter, so when Stephie (my girl from Eat Your Heart Out) asked if I wanted to join in on a virtual baby shower for Stef, I immediately said YES!

Food bloggers (or maybe just bloggers in general) are weird creatures. I know that.

Nobody outside understands. I tell them I'm a part of a virtual baby shower and they're like "...so...they don't actually get to eat the food you're making for them?" and I'm like "well...no...but it's in spirit...just..ya know...ugh you don't get it." It's a thing though, ok? Just trust it is our way of saying WE LOVE YOU to our bloggy buds!

This is Stef and her husband Mike's first child, and I am just so psyched for them. I honestly can't even imagine how overwhelming and exciting this time must be for them! Stef seems totally cool as a cucumber though, and I know she's gonna make an amazing mom. When trying to brainstorm ideas for what to make for this post, I asked Stephie for any ideas, if Stef was craving anything in particular, etc. etc. and she mostly just said she's been a pickle fiend. Which of course made me think of the old pregnant woman stereotype of pickles and ice cream. And I figured well...if she's gonna eat her pickles, she might as well enjoy some spectacular ice cream as well, right? So I asked Stephie if she thought Stef would like the idea of salted caramel ice cream to which she responded, and I quote, "That's gonna get a resounding YES YUM ALL THE CARAMEL ICE CREAM THINGS response from her, haha!" So...there ya have it.

And, BONUS, since I'm sure Stef is busy preparing to be a mom, and will be even busier BEING a mom, this ice cream recipe is the no ice cream maker method. Which is the super easy, super quick way of making ice cream that I am addicted to! 

And we all remember that amazing salted caramel sauce recipe I shared on Monday? Yeah this ice cream tastes exactly like that...but in ice cream form (although feel free to use any caramel sauce you like). So prepare for incredibly rich, delicious, salted-caramel-flavor-packed ice cream! 

(and um...sorry for the not so inspiring photos. This particular ice cream recipe turned out rather soft so it didn't make for the most attractive pictures. Still looks delicious though, right? Right.)

So Stefanie, CONGRATULATIONS on your pregnancy, and your soon to be new little baby boy! I hope that all of us telling you you're amazing makes you smile, and that you want to eat your computer screen. Because of all the deliciousness we've made for you. <3!!!

Salted Caramel Sauce

I don't even know who I am anymore. 

I don't like caramel. I don't hate it but it's like eh...

or so I thought.

Turns out I freaking love caramel--salted caramel specifically, and especially if it is THIS salted caramel sauce. Where all other caramel seemed blah and so-so, this caramel is an explosion of heavenly rich and buttery and CARAMELIZED flavor! It's like...I never really had caramel before. We're starting over, caramel and I, turning over a new leaf and beginning a bigger. better, more amazing relationship.

I was definitely intimidated by the idea of making homemade caramel sauce, but was pleasantly surprised by what an easy time I had making this recipe! For one thing--this is the simplest recipe for caramel I've ever seen in terms of ingredients (gotta love a short ingredient list full of real things...like sugar...cream...butter), and really, once you're in it you just need to stay by the caramel on the stove and don't leave it and don't look away from it. Just follow the directions and be attentive, and make sure you already have all your ingredients ready. And use a saucepan that is deep enough that it doesn't splatter and burn you. Those are pretty much the rules of thumb and you should be good (that said um...I may have just gotten lucky...and everyone says this is really tricky so if at first you don't succeed, don't be discouraged! Just keep on trying! Get back on that caramel horse!) It's totally worth any and all effort. I meant to take step by step photos for you guys but....well...I was nervous to stray from the stove. If I ever get the courage and take those photos I will put them on here, I swear!

Also, side note: in these photos the sauce looks pretty thin, and it was--it was still pretty fresh. It will definitely thicken up as it cools (especially if/when you refrigerate it) so do not be worried about that at all. I worried about it at first, I was all "Uh...what did I do wrong?" and then a day later I was like "Yay! I did nothing wrong!"

I've used this salted caramel sauce in tons of things already (which you will be seeing on here) and I cannot wait to use it in more stuff (that I had previously always dismissed because uh...I didn't like caramel...supposedly?)! Honestly though, guys, I have to tell you...

I just ate this stuff with a spoon/my finger. Because...holy cannoli it is good. And addictive. And just like...when you taste it...you make a sound. You know the kind of sound I mean. Like just...mmmm so good! You know how I feel about the addition of salt with the sweet and this is the perfect marriage of those flavors. HOWEVER-if you're a crazy person (jk no judgsies here) and don't want the salt up in your caramel, go ahead and omit it. But you shouldn't. You should use the salt. Preferably something awesome like fleur de sel that is delicate and dissolves instantly. Because then you just have smooth smooth caramel and sweet sweet, almost burnt, just PERFECT flavor.

You know you want it.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie

I'm a mean old lady...

It's taken me over a month to share this recipe with you. And that's not cool, guys.

This pie was Michael's birthday dessert this year and it could not have been a better choice. First: it represents 2 of Michael's favorite flavors, dark chocolate and raspberry. Second: THIS PIE IS SO EASY IT'S INSANE! Oh hey, can you use a microwave and do you have a refrigerator? Yes? Fab. You can make this pie.

Now, I mean...I can never really make anything too easy for myself. So I made my own crust (although honestly, that's pretty simple too....although I did make my own cookies to make my own crust....#ihaveaproblem). But you can totes just buy one. No judging here. This is a safe space. But yeah, anyway, throw some stuff in a microwave, stir it, pour it in your crust, refrigerate, and you have yourself an amazing pie!

A pie that, I might add, prompted my friend Molly to call me a "goddess". So yeah. It's impressive.

And OF COURSE the birthday boy loooved it! He told me so, repeatedly. The ganache gives you the most amazing, silky, texture and then there's a beautiful raspberry glaze on top to give an extra punch of fruity flavor. And there's nothing more delicious (ok that's prob. a big statement but....it's up there) than a cookie crust!

You're gonna love this one.

Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

There's fancy, and then there's fancy. These truffles were pretty amped up to begin with but I maaay have taken them to the next level. Oh yeah.

But I'm getting ahead of myself (as I've been known to do).

Obviously, I love cookie dough. And I love cookie dough truffles. But THESE...are just like, in a league of their own.

First...you brown butter. And that butter is not alone. Oh no. While you're browning the butter, there are also vanilla beans in there. If you think brown butter smells amazing...I can't even begin to explain how PHENOMENAL browned butter and vanilla beans smell. It's like...the best smell ever. I wanna bottle it. And wear it....of course then I'd be hungry all day...hmmm.

Anyway, then you make a fairly classic, eggless, chocolate chip cookie dough with that browned butter (and there's some heavy cream in there too...in case it wasn't rich enough before). BUT I added the delicious twist of, instead of chocolate chips, I folded TCHO's chocolate covered cocoa nibs into the dough. This was Michael's favorite part.

And then you coat the little perfect dough balls in dark chocolate and sprinkle coarse sea salt on top.

Perfecto!

The first bite is....dare I say...foodgasmic (it's the best word to describe it).

Just like...the most rich, sweet, salty, flavor explosion.

I can't even get over how amazing these were. 

But, I was worried they'd be too much for Michael, that he wouldn't like them as much or something. But he totally fell in love too. His first bite, I could tell from his face, pretty much changed his life. And he loved the crunch from the cocoa nibs. And ever since, he hasn't been able to stop talking about them. Me either.

Just...stop. Stop reading. Run and make these. You simply must.