Peanut butter Nutella swirl cookies (GF)

Pinterest is dangerous.

Ever since I joined, I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of delicious looking baked goods that appear every time I log in.

Sometimes I pin or repin things and then forget about them, but some I just can’t get out of my head.

These peanut butter Nutella swirl cookies were one of the latter – as soon as I saw them I knew they would be baked soon, and they were.

As well as being pretty tasty, they’re also versatile – I made half the batch using wheat and gluten free flour and you couldn’t tell the difference between those and the ones made with normal flour, perfect if you know anyone with allergies or intolerances that normally would have to miss out.

(PS – If you too are a Pinterest love, you can follow me at www.pinterest.com/natblachford)

Peanut butter Nutella swirl cookies (recipe pinned from Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine)

Makes 35 cookies

• 125g butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 55g light brown sugar
• 200g peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 210g plain flour (GF or normal)
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 100g Nutella

Beat together the butter, both sugars and peanut butter until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again, until well combined. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and fold in until the mixture is just coming together, then gently fold in the nutella (the more you mix it, the less pronounced the swirls will be.)

Use a tablespoon measure to scoop rounded balls out of the mixture, and place spaced out on a baking sheet. Flatten each down with a fork, to create a criss-cross pattern on top. Bake at 180 degrees for about 9 minutes, or until just turning golden. Leave to cook on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut butter blondies

In theory, I should love blondies.

Basically the same as brownies (which I love), but with the melted chocolate swapped out for brown sugar or white chocolate. I even thought I might prefer blondies, as I prefer plain cookies with chocolate chips to the double chocolate variety.

Unfortunately, my first attempt at blondies was not a success. They were far, far too sweet, and the brown butter in them that everyone raves about actually just seemed to make them greasy.

Although my first experience was a bad one, I was willing to accept that it could have just been a bad recipe, or maybe down to my dodgy oven, so I decided to give them another go.

I chose this recipe from Rachel Allen because the pony had requested something with peanut butter. Not being a fan of peanut butter normally, I was fully expecting not to love these, but no – they were amazing!

They were literally so addictive, I couldn’t stop eating them. To the point that I put on two pounds in the past week and fully attribute it to these blondies.

If, unlike me, you can actually exercise portion control and self restraint, you should definitely make these – I am now a 100% blondie convert.

Peanut butter blondies (adapted from Rachel Allen’s recipe)

• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200g butter
• 300g crunchy peanut butter
• 350g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g white chocolate, chopped

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until well mixed, the add in the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold to combine. Stir in the chocolate, then pour into a 9×13 ” tin, lined with baking paper. Bake at 170 degrees for 25 minutes, then leave to cool before cutting into squares.

No-bake chocolate oat bars

I don’t know if it shows from reading this blog, but a lot of things I make involve  ’bars’, chocolate and/or oats.

The reason for this is the friendly pony’s need for sustenance at work, in the form of something sweet, easy to eat, and that won’t get destroyed by being carried around in a bag all day.

These bars are absolutely perfect for that, as in addition to having everything mentioned above, they are also unbelievably simple to make!

Essentially, they are flapjacks that don’t need baking, with a nutty chocolate mixture spread on top – laden with calories, just what the greedy friendly pony likes.

No bake chocolate oat bars (adapted from Gingerbread Bagels):

• 1/2 cup packed muscovado sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 75g dark chocolate
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup Nutella

Line an 8×8″ square tin with baking paper, no need to grease. Heat the butter and sugar together over a low heat until the butter has melted. Stir in the oats and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Spread the mixture into the tin and flatten down with a wooden spoon or bottom of a measuring cup.

Break up the chocolate and place in a bowl with the peanut butter and Nutella (the original recipe uses just peanut butter, but I didn’t have enough which is why I went for half and half – peanut butter on it’s own or Nutella on it’s own would both work fine!) Microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate has just melted – be careful not to let it burn! Pour onto the oaty base, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours before slicing into bars.

Peanut butter chocolate chip crumble oat bars

‘Peanut butter chocolate chip crumble oat bars’ is a bit of a mouthful to say, and these bars were definitely a bit of a mouthful to eat.

I made this as an alternative to the friendly pony’s usual flapjacks as a high calorie, sugar rush, energy boost.

The base is a cross between flapjack and shortbread, with a layer of fudgy peanut butter on top and finished with a chocolate chip crumble.

They are super rich, and you need a really sweet tooth to eat a whole one, but the pony loved them, and I enjoyed the odd nibble here and there. They’re a bit more time consuming and need more ingredients than flapjacks (not to mention the sky high calorie count) so I’m not sure I’ll make them that regularly, but they definitely make an awesome occasional treat.

Peanut butter chocolate chip crumble oat bars (adapted from 1001 cupcakes, cookies and other tempting treats):

• 225g butter
• 350g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 350g light brown sugar
• 175g oats
• 70g chopped peanuts
• 1 egg
• 200g milk chocolate chunks
• 100g dark chocolate chunks
• 400g tin condensed milk
• 70g crunchy peanut butter

Rub together the flour, baking powder and butter with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar, peanuts and oats. Transfer a quarter of the mix into a separate bowl, add in the chocolate chunks and set aside. Add the beaten egg to the remaining 3/4 of the mix then press into a 12×8″ tin. Bake at 180 for 15 minutes.

While the base is baking, mix together the condensed milk and peanut butter. When the base comes out the oven, spread the peanut butter mix over the top, then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, the leave to cool before cutting into bars. This made 10 friendly pony sized bars, but would make 20 very reasonable sized squares easily.