Scotcharoos are crispy rice treats fully loaded with peanut butter, butterscotch and chocolate flavors! They are SO addictive and delicious, and not your ordinary rice krispy treat!

So prior to this, I have to admit – I had never had a Scotcharoo.

Growing up, my parents did not bake. My grandparents did not bake. We did not have the family baking experience. Once in a blue moon, my mom would make my grandma’s coffee cake, but that was about it and we certainly didn’t have fun little treats like these.

Prepared snack cakes and packaged cookies were more our speed, and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that! But a lot of these classic childhood treats everyone requests from me are above my head because I just never grew up with them. But now I’m here as a professional to fix that and experience them as a thirty-something year old. You’re never too old!

The Low-Down on Scotcharoos

What are scotcharoos, exactly? Good question! They’re basically glorified rice krispy treats that get a fancier treatment. Instead of marshmallows and butter like a regular RKT, these have a boiled candy mixture of granulated sugar, peanut butter and corn syrup as the “sauce” mixed with the crispy rice cereal, and a butterscotch and milk chocolate layer as the topping.

In another word, they’re scrumptious. 

How to Make Scotcharoos

You’ll simply melt the granulated sugar, peanut butter and corn syrup together in a medium saucepan until the sugar has dissolved and everything has become melted and smooth. You won’t bring it to a boil, but you want it to be hot and no longer grainy from the sugar. Once it has reached this stage, you’ll pour it in a bowl with your crispy rice cereal and toss it to coat.

Press the coated cereal mixture into a greased pan and then make your topping. The topping is just melted butterscotch chips and melted milk chocolate chips stirred together. Pour it over the top and let the topping set before cutting into squares to serve.

These bars are sweet, salty, chewy and so decadent. They really taste like a gourmet rice krispy treat from a fancy bakery or candy shop, but are surprisingly simple to make!

Tips & Tricks

How do I make sure my scotcharoos stay soft and chewy? The key to ensuring your scotcharoos stay soft and chewy is to not boil the peanut butter mixture. You just want to make sure the sugar has dissolved but take it off the heat before the mixture boils.

How can I store completed scotcharoos? Finished scotcharoos can be kept at room temperature covered airtight up to a week.

These Scotcharoos are so delicious – you and your kids will love ’em!

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Scotcharoos

These Scotcharoos are seriously DIVINE! Combining peanut butter, butterscotch and chocolate, they elevate basic rice krispy treats into a gourmet childhood favorite!

Course Bars, Candy

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 24 bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 6 cups rice krispy cereal
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

• Liberally grease a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray, or line the pan with parchment paper or foil and then grease. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup and stir together over medium-high heat. Continue cooking and stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is melted and smooth, about 10 minutes. Do NOT allow the mixture to boil. If the mixture begins to bubble, pull it off of the heat. It shouldn't be super grainy from the sugar. While this cooks, add your cereal to a large bowl and set aside.
• Pour the peanut butter mixture into the bowl with the cereal and toss to coat completely. Pour the coated cereal into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Be careful, as the mixture may be hot.
• In a medium microwaveable bowl, combine the butterscotch and milk chocolate chips. Microwave on HIGH power for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave again in 30 second intervals, stopping to stir every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the bars and spread in an even layer.
• Allow the chocolate to set, about 1 hour, before cutting into squares.

If you love sweet and salty flavors, you’re going to fall in LOVE with these irresistible scotcharoos!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Scotcharoos first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

If you need an extra something for your holiday cookie tray, look no further than these Easy Peanut Butter Balls! Only a few pantry ingredients and SO tasty!

Before you know it, December will be here and I need to be planning my annual Christmas cookie trays for my neighbors and friends.

I usually have a couple different cookies, a candy or truffle, and maybe bar of some kind. This year I may scale it down some since I was diagnosed with my autoimmune illness, but overall I still want them to be spectacular, and one way to do that is to include these Peanut Butter Balls!

If you LOVE peanut butter, you’re going to want to bookmark this recipe!

Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter Balls have only a few simple pantry ingredients and they come together quickly, so this is officially one of the easiest recipes you’ll have on hand for holiday gatherings, parties or cookie trays. Plus, you can easily double it which makes it great for big events.

The ingredients you’ll need are:

• Peanut Butter! I recommend using a traditional no-stir kind, like the classic JIF or Skippy. Oily ones you have to stir to combine are too liquid-y and prone to separation which may cause the truffles to lose their shape and weep.
• Butter: I use unsalted, softened butter – it adds flavor and structure to the truffles.
• Vanilla extract: for flavor, of course!
• Powdered sugar: this is basically the binding ingredient that will hold everything together and turn it from a gloopy mess into a coherent truffle consistency!
• Chocolate candy coating: also known as almond bark, chocolate candy coating or chocolate melting wafers – this has a higher melting point and is less prone to seizing, so it is ideal for dipping things like truffles. You can find it at any grocer nowadays by brands like CandiQuik, Loghouse Foods, or Ghirardelli.

You’ll simply combine the peanut butter, softened butter, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer until nice and combined. Then add in your powdered sugar until the mixture gets some more structure. Using a cookie dough scoop, you’ll drop heaping Tablespoonfuls out into your palm and roll them into neat little balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze them for a hot sec to firm up, then dip them in the melted chocolate coating.

Et voila! The easiest Peanut Butter Balls like ever.

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Peanut Butter Balls

These Peanut Butter Balls taste SO amazing, but no one will know how seriously EASY they are to make! With only a few pantry ingredients, you can make these at home in under 1 hour.

Course Candy, Dessert, No-Bake Treats

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 30 balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy no-stir peanut butter (such as Skippy or JIF; see Note)
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
• 1 pkg (16oz) chocolate candy coating (such as Candiquik or chocolate almond bark)

Instructions

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract with the paddle attachment until just combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed until combined and a soft dough has come together.
• Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, portion out Tablespoon-size balls of dough. Roll them one at a time in your hands to smooth out and place on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 10-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the candy coating according to package directions or until smooth and melted. Dip a truffle into the chocolate candy coating one at a time and use a fork to lift it out of the chocolate mixture and allow excess chocolate to drip off. Return the truffle to the parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining truffles. If you have any leftover chocolate, spoon it into a small ziploc baggy, snip off a corner of the baggy and drizzle it over the truffles. Allow the chocolate coating to set before serving.

Notes

I recommend using a classic, no-stir peanut butter such as JIF or Skippy for this recipe. These are not as oily and are perfect for this recipe. A natural peanut butter that requires stirring is far too oily and will likely cause the truffles to weep or not hold their shape well.

Peanut buttery, chocolaty, and so delicious – you’re going to absolutely LOVE these!!

Craving more chocolate and peanut butter?! Check out this recipe…

The Best Muddy Buddies

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Easy Peanut Butter Balls first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

These Muddy Buddy Cookies are such a unique twist on the classic flavors of muddy buddies snack mix! Soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, chocolaty ganache frosting and topped with muddy buddies for added crunch and garnish! So fun!!

Boy, do I have a knockout recipe for you today. *rubs hands together evil plotting style*

I love muddy buddies, but I often forget about them because I am a single household of one and have no self-control around desserts I like. For instance, my Peppermint Muddy Buddies were something I inhaled the entirety of, so I never make them because they are a menace to me. And I do not need an whole dang bag of muddy buddies tempting me with their siren song.

Also, while they are great, they could use a little boost in the imagination department. I mean, they’re kinda boring to look at, ya know? So these cookies elevate their appearance from humble coated cereal into a gourmet cookie no one can resist.

Muddy Buddy Cookies

So first things first. If you’ve made it this far and are like, what even are muddy buddies? I’ve gotcha covered. Muddy Buddies themselves consist of Chex cereal that you traditionally coat in melted chocolate and peanut butter and then shake up with some powdered sugar. They’re peanut buttery, chocolaty and sweet with the powdered sugary coating. Now that we have that down, let’s talk about these COOKIES.

The cookies begin with THE world’s softest and chewiest peanut butter cookie recipe ever. I seriously cannot handle how unbelievably soft these cookies are. They’re made with a whopping 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, so the flavor is out of this world. They are so tender and delicious, but just sturdy enough to hold the toppings we’re going to load up on them.

No surprise ingredients here: just butter, brown and white sugar, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and soda, and flour. So easy.

Next up is our ganache layer! For this, I’m using semi-sweet chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter melted together and spread on top of the cookies. Even when it hardens, it remains soft and delicious, almost like a fudge. OMG, it’s heaven!

Last is the muddy buddy layer. You are SO welcome to make your own muddy buddies, butttt I went and took the shortcut and used the prepared muddy buddies made by the Chex Mix brand. I found them at Target on the chips aisle. It saves a step and you have something to snack on while the cookies bake.

Soft, chewy, creamy and rich with a crunchy cereal garnish – these Muddy Buddy Cookies will be THE star of your cookie tray!

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Muddy Buddy Cookies

These Muddy Buddy Cookies have all the elements of muddy buddies snack mix into a soft and chewy cookie! A soft and chewy peanut butter cookie topped with fudgy chocolate ganache and crunchy muddy buddy pieces for a delectable, gourmet cookie!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

For the Peanut Butter Cookies:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (like by Skippy or JIF brand)
• 1 cup granulated white sugar + 1/3 cup, divided
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour

For the Ganache Frosting & Topping:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1½ cups Muddy Buddies snack mix (like by Chex brand, prepared or homemade)

Instructions

• For the cookies: Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter, 1 cup of the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar together until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract. Lastly, add in the baking powder, baking soda, and flour and mix until a soft dough comes together. Meanwhile, add the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar to a separate small bowl and set aside.
• Using a 2-Tablespoon size cookie dough scoop, portion out 2 Tablespoon-size balls of cookie dough and roll them into a ball. Roll the ball into the granulated sugar and place 1-2" apart on the baking sheets.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cool for about 10-15 minutes on the pans before carefully transferring to wire racks to cool. Cookies will be very delicate. Cool completely.
• For the ganache: In a medium microwaveable bowl, add the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on HIGH power for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave on HIGH power for another 30 seconds, stirring until melted and smooth. Drop a heaping teaspoon or two of the melted ganache on top of each cookie and spread it out. Garnish with the muddy buddies while the ganache is still tacky. Allow the ganache to set, about 20 minutes, before serving or storing.

Notes

For an easier shortcut, I like to use prepared muddy buddies by the Chex brand. I found them in the chip aisle at Target. 

This recipe works best with regular peanut butter, not natural peanut butter which tends to be too oily.

If you love peanut butter and chocolate, you’ll go nuts for these cookies!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Muddy Buddy Cookies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

These Peanut Butter Cup-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are for serious PB and chocolate lovers only!! Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are stuffed with a full-size peanut butter cup for a tasty hidden surprise.

Sorry I’ve been MIA for the last two weeks! Things around here have been crazy.

Without going into too much detail, I’m having some medical mysteries happening at this time that I’ve been dealing with. The symptoms aren’t great and I’ve been trying to stay on top of tracking them, attending appointments, doing ALL the lab work, etc. Then this past weekend I went to Los Angeles for a wedding and a huge music festival. It was super hot but super fun, and I am super tired, ha. Let’s just say I don’t have the same energy for concerts as I did as a teenager!

Anyway, now I am back and it’s approximately 2348623875 degrees and I am dreaming up all the no-bake things because I am already miserable. However, before my disappearance I happened to make these cookies and I’m sharing them with you today because I couldn’t put them off any longer!

The Cookies

The cookies are a classic chocolate chip pudding cookie. What’s a pudding cookie, you ask? It’s just like a regular chocolate chip cookie but with a box of instant pudding mix added to the cookie dough.

Instant dry pudding mix gives the cookies an insanely delicious light, tender and SUPER soft and chewy texture. It’s really magic! All you have to do is add the dry pudding mix powder to your cookie dough with the rest of your dry ingredients. Promise it really is that easy!

But otherwise, the cookie has your usual suspects: butter, brown sugar and white sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and of course, chocolate chips! I recommend splurging for a higher quality chocolate chip since chocolate is a main component. My fave brands to use are Ghirardelli or Guittard.

The Filling

The filling is a classic Reese’s peanut butter cup – the normal size one! Luckily you can get party packs of the standard sizes at the grocery store on the candy aisle. Just unwrap them and fill each cookie with them. The surprise of a sweet and salty peanut butter cup inside each soft and chewy cookie is PERFECTION.

These Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies are a MUST! I hope you love them!

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Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies

These Peanut Butter Cup-Stuffed Cookies are magical! Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies stuffed with a tasty hidden Reese's peanut butter cup inside each bite!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks OR 16 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 3.4 oz (1 small box) INSTANT dry vanilla pudding mix powder just the dry powdered mix; do not prepare the pudding
• 1¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 16-18 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract. Add in the baking soda, salt, all-purpose flour and dry instant vanilla pudding mix and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, portion out 2 separate rounded Tablespoons of cookie dough balls. Place a Reese's peanut butter cup in between the two dough balls and use your fingers to manipulate the cookie dough so it completely envelops the peanut butter cup and creates one giant cookie, covering the peanut butter cup completely. Place on the prepared baking sheets at least 3" apart. Repeat with remaining dough and peanut butter cups. You should have around 16-18 cookies.
• Bake for approximately 10-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking. Remove from the heat and allow the cookies to finish cooling on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I just know you’re going to love these sweet and salty cookies!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Peanut Butter Cup-Stuffed Cookies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

Welcome back to my unofficial candy week

As I said earlier, October is totally the candy month. September’s all about pumpkin and apple, November’s all about pie, and October, in my humble opinion, is all about candy and chocolate and scary good sugary treats. Would you agree?

I figured this week I’d remake some candy faves or do fun spins on candy classics in preparation for Halloween! Butterfingers were one of my favorites as a kid because I loved the texture. It’s so unique!

These truffles combine Nutter Butter cookies as their base with Butterfinger candy bars mixed in for a one-two-punch of peanut buttery goodness. And while they look intimidating (as a lot of chocolate-dipped truffles do), I promise that they’re actually quite simple!

Cookie Truffles

Cookie truffles are a simple and delicious treat to make for parties, get-togethers and for cookie or dessert trays because they can be easily customized to fit the occasion by way of flavorings or sprinkles and decorations on top of the finished truffles. Cookie truffles, essentially, are two ingredients: crushed cookies, and cream cheese. I know it sounds weird when it’s simplified like that, but the cream cheese just acts as a binder to hold the crushed cookies together and make them gooey, soft and perfectly melt-in-your-mouth delicious. While Oreo truffles are arguably the most popular, today we’re using Nutter Butter cookies. We’ll also add in some miniature Butterfinger “snack size” candy bars into the truffle mixture so you get little flecks of candy bar pieces in every bite.

Then you’ll coat the truffles in chocolate. I prefer using a chocolate candy coating which has a higher melting point, is more consistent and is less prone to seizing. You can find chocolate candy coating at almost every grocery store now by many names, including Candiquik, Target’s Good & Gather line, and Ghirardelli melting wafers, which are the best tasting ones.

Can you make these ahead of time?

Yes, of course! I recommend making them up to 1 day ahead of time and keeping them at room temperature. Conversely, you can also refrigerate them or freeze them.

Can these be frozen?

For long-term storage, yes, you can definitely freeze these. Just place them in an airtight container and freeze for several months. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Can I use chocolate chips to coat them?

No, I recommend using a chocolate candy coating specifically for this recipe as it melts better, is more consistent and is less prone to seizing.

Chewy, peanut buttery goodness with a sprinkle of candy heaven: you’re going to love these Nutter Butter Butterfinger Truffles!

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Nutter Butter Butterfinger Truffles

These Nutter Butter Butterfinger Truffles are heaven sent! Easy cookie truffles made with Nutter Butter cookies and crushed Butterfinger candy bars, then coated in rich milk chocolate and sprinkled with more candy. The perfect PB overload treat!

Course Candy, Dessert, No Bake Desserts

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 25 truffles

Ingredients

• 16 oz (1 package) Nutter Butter cookies
• 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
• 10 snack-size Butterfinger candy bars, divided
• 16 oz (1 package) chocolate candy coating like by CandiQuik

Instructions

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside. Meanwhile, to a large food processor, add in the Nutter Butter cookies and if they'll fit, 7 of the snack size Butterfinger candy bars (unwrapped) and pulse until mixture resembles crumbs. Otherwise, pulse the cookies until coarse, then add the candy bars and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Add in the cream cheese brick and pulse or use the dough setting if you have it until mixture is moistened and comes together in a dough.
• Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, portion out rounded Tablespoonfuls of the cookie truffles and place on the rimmed baking sheet. You should get about 25 truffles. Refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes or until firm. You can also freeze about 10-15 minutes. While the truffles chill, break up the remaining 3 snack-size Butterfingers into bite-size pieces.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate candy coating according to package directions, or until melted and smooth. Dip a truffle, one at a time, into the chocolate candy coating and use a fork to coat it completely. Lift the truffle out of the melted chocolate and allow excess to drip off of the fork. Return the dipped truffle to the baking sheet and immediately sprinkle the top with the crushed candy bar pieces. Repeat by dipping and sprinkling the remaining truffles. Allow chocolate shell to set before serving or storing.

If you love peanut butter, you’re going to go bonkers for these!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Nutter Butter Butterfinger Truffles first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

These Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups taste WAY better than store bought and are surprisingly simple to make with pantry ingredients you probably have on hand! Why not give them a try and surprise yourself?!

Happy October!

Tis the season for all things CANDY.

It seems fall is divided in sections. First in the pumpkin/apple section (September). Then it’s the candy section (October). Lastly, it’s the pie section (November). And then it’s all things Christmas. Don’t worry – I won’t mention that C-word again until a little later in the month (sorry!). Right now, my primary focus is on candy and some pie recipes so they’re up in plenty of time before Thanksgiving. You know how food bloggers work! We have to be prepared for you guys so the recipes are ready when you are!

But for right this second, we’re talking about PEANUT BUTTER CUPS.

I am going to get SO MUCH flak for this but, I really don’t care for peanut butter and chocolate together. I know, it’s absolutely horrible to say such fighting words as a dessert food blogger! But I can’t help it. However, these homemade ones hit different. There’s something about the homemade peanut butter filling that just takes these to the next level and beyond.

The Candy

The candy consists of two parts: the filling and the outer shell. The outer shell is made with chocolate candy coating which I find is the easiest chocolate to work with when making chocolate-dipped or chocolate coated treats. You can find it by many brands: CandiQuik, Log House Foods, even Ghirardelli makes chocolate melting “wafers” which will work fine. This chocolate is formulated to melt better, more consistently and is less prone to seizing than finicky chocolate chips which is why I recommend it.

The filling consists of peanut butter (creamy regular ol’ Jif or Skippy is great – skip the natural one for this recipe as its prone to separation), some confectioners’ sugar for sweetness and stability, butter as flavor and a binder, vanilla extract for flavor, and some brown sugar, which I think adds a lovely depth of flavor to the filling. I also like a pinch of salt to offset some of the sweetness added to the filling. You’ll beat this together and the mixture will become kind of thick and doughy. I like to then form it into small patties and drop the patties onto the chocolate in the baking cups for the filling. Super simple.

Can these be made ahead of time?

Yes, definitely! You can make these a day or two ahead of when you need them and keep them at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer.

Can these be frozen?

Of course! Place them in an airtight container and freeze for a few months. Thaw to room temperature or serve slightly cold.

Can I use natural peanut butter?

No, I do not recommend using natural peanut butter for this recipe as it is prone to separation and is quite oily. I recommend a classic peanut butter, such as JIF or Skippy brand.

You’re going to LOVE how easy and delicious these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are!!

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Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

These Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are seriously easy and amazing! They taste SO much better than store-bought and use pantry ingredients you probably have on hand!

Course Candy, No Bake Desserts

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cups

Ingredients

• 16 oz (1 package) chocolate candy coating such as Candiquik
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• Pinch salt

Instructions

• First, make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, light brown sugar, peanut butter, pure vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar, and salt and use a handheld electric mixer to cream the mixture together. The mixture will be thick and doughy, like a cookie dough. Set aside. Meanwhile, line 2 muffin tins with about 16 paper liners.
• Melt the chocolate candy coating according to package directions, or until melted and smooth. Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of the melted chocolate into the bottom of each paper liner and use the back of the spoon to kind of brush it slightly up the sides of the paper liner.
• Take a heaping Tablespoonful of the peanut butter filling and form it into a little disc. Place the disc into the bottom of the chocolate cup. Top the peanut butter disc with another Tablespoon of the melted chocolate and smooth it over the top of the disc in an even layer.
• Allow the peanut butter cups to set and firm up, about 30 minutes at room temperature, or expedite the process by placing the peanut butter cups in the fridge. Store any leftovers at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

The best peanut butter to use is a regular kind like Skippy or JIF. Do not use natural peanut butter, as it is prone to separating. 

You can find chocolate candy coating at most grocery stores, Target, Walmart, etc. by many brands like CandiQuik, Ghirardelli, Loghouse Foods, etc. These melt better than chocolate chips as they have a higher melting temperature and are less prone to seizing.

Ultra creamy, rich and peanut buttery with a delicious chocolate shell. Nothing will beat these!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

These Levain Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Cookies are seriously AWESOME. Although Levain Bakery does not make a peanut butter cookie, these are made Levain Bakery-style – ultra thick, a whopping 6-ounces each and SUPER peanut buttery!

Even if you’ve never been to the famed Levain Bakery in NYC, I am sure you’ve heard of it. They’re known for their huge 6-ounce each cookies in four flavors: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin. Lucky for you, I’ve made all those flavors into copycats, as well as my Levain-style version of a Funfetti cookie and a Red Velvet one! And now, I’ve made this peanut butter version!

Levain Bakery cookies are amazing when you’re visiting NYC, and while they do ship nationwide, it is very expensive last I checked. Why spend all that money when you can make a seriously authentic tasting bakery-style cookie at home in under an hour? No joke!

These cookies are seriously irresistible, surprisingly easy and taste like they came from a fancy bakery but are made in your own home kitchen. With a few easy tips and tricks, you can make these Levain Bakery-style cookies at home!

Here are a few key components to making Levain-style cookies, and those are:

• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is my number 1 favorite cookie ingredient for yielding soft and tender cookies every single time. I love the light texture it gives cookies!
• Cake flour: Cake flour is Levain’s secret weapon for their massive cookies that have a tender crumb and a lighter texture, despite being so huge in size. If all all-purpose flour was to be used, these cookies would be very dense, almost like a scone. But by using half all-purpose flour and half cake flour, they are surprisingly lighter and more tender.
• Brief chill-time: These cookies are chilled for a maximum of 15 minutes for optimal results. We’ll only bake one sheet of cookies at a time, so while the small batch of cookies bakes, just keep the rest of the cookie dough refrigerated.
• Extra mix-ins: Do not be alarmed by the quantity of mix-ins in this cookie recipe! In order to maintain the structure of the cookie, 3.5 cups of mix-ins is required. Not only do the mix-ins help support the structure of the cookie, but they also add flavor and help prevent too much spreading.

And for optimal baking results, follow these tips:

• Shape: I like to shape these cookie dough balls rough and loose. Normally, we’d use a cookie dough scoop and get tight, smooth, compact balls of cookie dough. But for this recipe, I like craggy, rougher texture and a looser pack which gives better texture. For accuracy, I like measuring out 6 ounces of dough precisely using a digital cooking scale.
• Size: These cookies are very large at a whopping 6 ounces apiece each, so I recommend only baking 4 per baking sheet and staggering them on the baking sheet so they have plenty of room for when they bake – at least 3″ from one another. This staggered pattern on the baking sheet helps prevent them from forming one giant cookie in the baking process and keeps baking consistent.
• Do not over-bake!:  Levain’s cookies are notoriously underbaked and gooey in the center and that’s our goal here as well, too! While everyone’s oven’s operate differently, generally your cookies will bake in the timeframe of 10-13 minutes. Mine baked at exactly 11:30. The cookies should have a light golden brown color on the outside and a dry, dull exterior but will be gooey and slightly underbaked in the center. I recommend baking 1 cookie dough ball in the center of a baking sheet first to gauge how quickly yours will bake as a test cookie before baking the rest of the batch. Remember, we’re only baking one sheet of cookies at a time in the center rack of the oven for consistency, and do keep in mind that the cookies will finish cooking up on the baking sheets once removed from the oven.
• One at a time: For best results, bake the 4 cookies per baking sheet, one baking sheet in the center rack of the oven at a time!

These cookies are the ULTIMATE Peanut Butter Cookie! Supremely thick, gooey, chewy and soft with tons of buttery and nutty peanut butter flavor, they’re stuffed with Reese’s Pieces and peanut butter chips that melt in your mouth! Absolutely amazing!

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Levain Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Cookies

These Levain Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Cookies are the ULTIMATE for serious PB lovers! Supremely thick and chewy with gooey centers and a soft texture, they're packed with peanut butter flavor and Reese's Pieces for the most amazing cookie ever!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes minutes

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Servings 9 cookies

Equipment

• Digital kitchen scale, for accuracy

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups peanut butter chips
• 1½ cups Reese's Pieces candies

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 410° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cubed butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat for another 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for another 30 seconds until mixture is creamy and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and peanut butter, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cake flour, and all-purpose flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the peanut butter chips and Reese's Pieces candies by hand until fully incorporated. Chill the dough uncovered in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Using a digital kitchen scale for accuracy, weigh out 6 ounces of cookie dough in a loose, rough textured ball. I like to make my cookie dough balls kind of tall as well. You do not want the dough balls to be smooth and compacted. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls, staggering on the baking sheet at least 3" apart from one another, and only placing 4 dough balls per baking sheet.
• Bake one baking sheet at a time in the center rack of the oven for 10-13 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown and the exterior is dry and dull looking. Centers will be slightly underdone and gooey; this is okay and the cookies will finish cooking some once removed from the oven. Let stand on the baking sheets for at least 30 minutes before serving; the cookies are very delicate and fragile once removed from the oven and need time to set before being moved. Keep remaining dough refrigerated while other cookies bake.

Notes

If you're craving a chocolate and peanut butter cookie, you can replace the Reese's Pieces candies with chocolate chips. I would use 2 cups of chocolate chips for the 1.5 cups of Reese's Pieces. 

This recipe was tested with King Arthur Cake Flour.

Chewy, peanut buttery, rich and gooey – you’re going to love these!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Levain Bakery-Style Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

Think you can only have regular chocolate and peanut butter? Think again! These White Chocolate Nutter Butter Magic Bars cannot be beat! The combo of sweet white chocolate and creamy peanut butter is irresistible!

So I am the worst dessert blogger in all the land because I dislike a lot of things most people enjoy: Oreos, pumpkin spice, carrot cake, and chocolate and peanut butter. But lest you think I’m resigning from my position, I think I’ve made up for it with these bars. I truly could not pass up on the combination of white chocolate and peanut butter! Maybe it’s because I prefer white chocolate, but I found it made these bars PERFECT.

I chose white chocolate specifically for these bars because I didn’t feel like it competed with the peanut butter too much. I think that’s my qualm with regular semi-sweet or dark chocolate and peanut butter – the chocolate competes with the PB too much and there’s just too much happening. White chocolate is a tad more mellow and I think it tastes SO irresistible in these bars!

Why I Love Magic Bars

Magic bars go by many names: Hello Dolly bars, or seven layer bars. Magic bars have a little more leeway as they don’t require all seven layers like the seven layer bars do. My magic bars have a cake mix shortcut base which I find is sturdier for all of the toppings I jampack on top. Traditional magic bars have a graham cracker crust, but with toppings like cookies and peanut butter cups, there’s no way a delicate graham cracker crust could support all those heavy toppings. The cake mix base is perfect for this job and gives a lovely soft and chewy texture.

White Chocolate Nutter Butter Magic Bars

As the name suggests, these bars have lots of white chocolate and peanut butter goodness! In addition to white chocolate chips and chopped Nutter Butter cookies (I used Nutter Butter bites, the smaller circular cookies you can see in the photos), I used peanut butter chips and Reese’s white chocolate peanut butter cups to really maximize that white chocolate PB goodness.

Sweet, salty, soft, chewy and oh so delicious, you’re going to fall in love with these White Chocolate Nutter Butter Magic Bars!

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White Chocolate Nutter Butter Magic Bars

These White Chocolate Nutter Butter Magic Bars are seriously amazing! Sweet and salty perfection with creamy peanut butter and sweet white chocolate in a soft and chewy bar!

Course Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 32 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 42 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• One box yellow cake mix do NOT prepare the cake mix!
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 10.5 oz bag ("Share" size) Reese's white chocolate PB cups, roughly chopped
• 2 cups roughly chopped Nutter Butter cookies I used Nutter Butter bites and halved them
• 14 oz (1 small can) sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Line a 9x13 light metal rectangular baking pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil liberally with cooking spray; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, egg and melted butter until a soft dough comes together. Press the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 12 minutes until barely set. Remove from oven, but keep oven on.
• Immediately top the crust with the white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped white chocolate Reese's peanut butter cups, and chopped Nutter Butter cookies evenly. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the bars. Return to the oven and continue to bake for 18-20 minutes or until center appears set and the edges are bubbly.
• Cool completely, about 2 hours, or until set, before cutting into bars.

I LOVE the combination of sweet white chocolate and creamy peanut butter, and I know you will, too!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post White Chocolate Nutter Butter Magic Bars first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

Calling all chocolate/peanut butter lovers! This Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Fudge is a total GAME CHANGER!!! Bite-size pieces of soft and creamy peanut butter fudge coated in a smooth chocolate shell.

You guys, I am SCREAMING!

I am SO, SO, SO happy with this recipe and could barely wait to share it with you!

I am in the home stretch of my holiday baking for my blog (this will be the last week until after Christmas!) but I had to share this one ASAP because it is just too good. I mean, chocolate-covered FUDGE?! How is this not a huge food trend already?!

Not only will this *elevate* your Christmas cookie trays, but everyone will be so WOWED at the idea of chocolate-covered fudge! When coming up with this recipe, I decided on peanut butter fudge because who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? It’s a natural pairing, so it had to be done. But this would work with a vanilla fudge, too!

It couldn’t be easier to make, but there is some time where it chills so this isn’t a super fast recipe – plan ahead! To start, you’ll make your fudge! It begins with the regular fudge ingredients: granulated sugar, marshmallow fluff, evaporated milk, and some butter. Boil it together for a few minutes, then stir in some peanut butter chips, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Once it is all cohesive and melted together, pour it into a lined and greased 9×9 square pan, smooth out the top, and pop that fudge in the fridge to set. The fudge is kinda runny at first and really sticky, so it needs a couple hours to chill out in the fridge so it sets properly.

Then, you’ll cut the fudge into squares and freeze them – this makes it so the fudge doesn’t melt into the warmed melted chocolate coating and holds its shape better. Dunk the frozen fudge pieces into the melted chocolate candy coating, allow the excess to drip off, and return them to a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. With any leftover chocolate, I drizzled over the tops to make them look extra festive and pretty. I also did a few with Christmas sprinkles – how cute, right?

The fudge itself reminds me of the center of a peanut butter cup – supremely creamy, soft, and peanut buttery – but the chocolate coating sends it over the edge.

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Fudge, where have you been all our lives?!

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Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Fudge

This Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Fudge is seriously AMAZING and so easy to make! Creamy, soft and peanut buttery fudge enrobed in a milk chocolate shell.

Course Candy, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 25 pieces (approx)

Ingredients

• 1½ cups granulated white sugar
• 7 oz (1 jar) marshmallow creme/fluff
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 12 oz (1 bag) peanut butter chips
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz (1 package) chocolate Candiquik or almond bark

Instructions

• Line a 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan with foil or parchment, then lightly grease the foil or parchment; set aside.
• In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, marshmallow fluff, evaporated milk and cubed butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter chips, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until combined and melted together.
• Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Let stand for about 10-20 minutes to cool down some, then place in the refrigerator to chill and set, about 2 hours. Once chilled and set, remove from the pan and cut into squares, trimming off any rough edges with a sharp knife. Since this fudge is sticky, I recommend wetting your knife with HOT water, then wiping the water off and using the hot knife to cut, repeating after each cut. I got about 25 pieces of fudge, doing 5 rows by 5 rows (and trimming the edges). Place the squares of fudge onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Melt your candy coating according to package directions, or until smooth. Use a fork to lower a piece of semi-frozen fudge into the candy coating and toss to coat. Allow excess chocolate coating to drip off of the fork, then carefully slide the coated fudge piece back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with coating the remaining fudge pieces. With any leftover chocolate, drizzle over the set chocolate fudge pieces, or top with sprinkles while coating is still wet.

Notes

I used Reese's brand peanut butter chips for this recipe, but any peanut butter chips should do. 

Fudge keeps in the fridge best for about 4 days, but can be stored covered at room temperature for about 2-3 days. 

Creamy, soft, peanut buttery and chocolaty fudge – you all are going to love this!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Fudge first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

These Muddy Buddies are the best I have tried! Super chocolaty and full of peanut butter flavor, they’re crunchy, sweet, creamy and SO addictive!

I’m back with yet another amazing candy/snack/irresistible concoction for you to shove mercilessly into your face.

I am confident that unless you were born today from underneath a rock you already know about muddy buddies. Also known as puppy chow for inexplicable reasons, it is a snack/dessert/candy-type treat that consists of Chex cereal coated in a peanut buttery chocolate and then dredged in confectioners’ sugar. It is SUPER delicious, and seriously easy to make – just a few ingredients and it comes together within minutes, really.

While the interwebs has PLENTY of muddy buddy iterations (seriously, you can find orange creamsicle ones to key lime pie ones, probably!), this version is for classic, stick-to-your-ribs, good old-fashioned Muddy Buddies. The classic version is the best, in my opinion! (But we’ll see what I think after I try some of the more unique flavor combos!)

Snack mixes are one of my favorite holiday-time treats because I love to munch on them while binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies or Real Housewives of Potomac. A good snack mix is just the perfect treat while watching episode after episode, don’t you think? And while my go-to is a spicy and savory Chex Mix like my Grammie Pat made, I need some sweet to balance it out, so this version comes in handy for when the chocolate craving strikes.

For this recipe, you’ll simply melt together some chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. For an added flavor boost, I like to whisk in some vanilla extract to the melted chocolate/peanut butter mixture, then pour it over a big bowl of Chex cereal. For this, I used rice Chex, but corn Chex works just as well! Toss the mixture to coat the cereal pieces evenly in the melted chocolate.

Next you’ll add some confectioners’ sugar to a large gallon-size resealable plastic bag and spoon the coated cereal mixture into the bag. Seal up the bag, shake to coat the cereal in the confectioners’ sugar for a few minutes, then open the bag and add in the last remaining bit of confectioners’ sugar to really coat the pieces. By doing this in stages, you can create those irresistible clusters of coated cereal that are so delicious.

Chocolaty, sweet, salty, crunchy, and soooo divine, these Best Ever Muddy Buddies are a must!

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Best Ever Muddy Buddies

These Muddy Buddies (also known as puppy chow!) are the BEST I have tried! Irresistible clusters of chocolate and peanut butter-coated crispy Chex cereal that are smothered in powdered sugar for the ultimate snack mix!

Course Dessert, No Bake Desserts, No-Bake Treats

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 9 cups

Ingredients

• 9 cups rice or corn Chex cereal
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar divided

Instructions

• Add the cereal to a very large mixing bowl. Then put 1½ cups confectioners' sugar into a large resealable gallon-size Ziploc bag. Set aside.
• In a medium microwaveable bowl, combine the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Microwave on HIGH power for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave again for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and if not totally smooth, microwave for another 15 seconds. Add in the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
• Pour the melted chocolate mixture evenly over the cereal in the bowl and toss to coat evenly as possible. Scoop the coated cereal into the Ziploc bag with the confectioners' sugar. Seal the bag and shake vigorously to coat the cereal with the confectioners' sugar. Open the bag and add in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar; seal and shake to coat once more.
• Allow cereal to set, about 15 minutes, before serving. Store any leftovers in a sealed bag or container for up to 1 week.

Notes

Since chocolate is one of the star ingredients, I recommend using a high quality chocolate chip such as Guittard or Ghirardelli. 

You’re going to love this addictive snack mix!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Best Ever Muddy Buddies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.