Fresh Approach Cooking

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When it comes to baking, I may be the worlds most stubborn girl, because no matter how many times I fail at making something that I have my heart set on, I keep returning to it. Case in point, the peanut butter cookie recipe from The Joy of Cooking, that my mother and I would make together when I was a little girl. With her gentle hand to guide us as we followed the instructions, they always came out perfect, yet as an adult no matter how many times I have tried, I could not get it to work for me. So bothersome. Especially because they bring back such warm memories.


Well, last week, I read somewhere about a dessert spot (I totally forget where) that serves peanut butter and chocolate mousse sandwich cookies, which sounded to me like a dream treat. With stars in my eyes (or were there just blinders?) I knew it was time to bust out that troublesome PB cookie recipe one more time. And it is with immense joy and a glad song in my heart that I can report I finally got it right (the trick for me seemed to be not using crazy-processed peanut butter and I instead tried it with the type of sugar free product we would have had at home when I was small) and then, with the addition of a simple chocolate mousse it became the decadant, yet homey treat I had anticipated. It is crunchy, creamy, sweet (but not cloying), satisfying, and very, very messy. The best course of action with these two recipes is to do the first step of the mousse (up until you need to chill it) and then bake the cookies. Then when the cookies are cooling, you can fold the cream in to the chocolate and then compose the entire dessert. Try it, and enjoy.

Chocolate Mousse:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 large eggs
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (not shown)
8 oz. best quality dark chocolate, melted (via double boiler or in the microwave)








In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and sugar.

Heat half the cream over a low flame until warm, remove from the heat and then slowly whip it into the bowl with the egg and sugar mixture. (You are tempering here so that the eggs will not cook from the shock of the heat) Strain that back into the pan (this is to remove any bits of egg that may have scrambled despite your best intentions) and heat over a medium flame, stirring constantly until thickened (about 3 minutes tops) then strain back into the bowl. Add the vanilla and stir. Then add the slightly cooled melted chocolate and stir to combine.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Right before you remove the mousse from the refrigerator, whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold that into the chocolate mixture and chill until ready to use.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350F

Blend the butter until soft. Cream with the sugars. Blend in the eggs, salt, then the vanilla, and then the rest of the ingredients.

Roll the dough into small balls and space out on a greased baking sheet. Using a fork, press down a cross-pattern into each cookie. (While I wonder if that is actually needed, it certainly is traditional)

Bake for 10 -12 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to rack to cool.

When the cookies are cooled, find sets of equal sized cookies, then spread some mousse on one and sandwich with its mate. Refrigerate in a container until ready to serve.

Makes about 50 cookies and 25 sandwiches.

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"The H.B. Reese Candy Company began manufacturing a product made with specially processed peanut butter and HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate in the 1920s. Introduced as simply peanut butter cups, the popular candy item is known today as REESE'S peanut butter cups. In 1963, the H.B. Reese Candy Company, Inc., was sold for $23.5 million to the Hershey Chocolate Company" -Hersheys.com

In the United States and Canada a cookie is a small, flat baked cake. In British English they are called biscuits. Its name comes from the Dutch word koekje which means "little cake".

Labels: Dessert