delvious

Christmas has always meant twinkling lights, evergreen scented air, red and green wrapped presents…and peanut butter balls.  Along with fudge and Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, my Grandma Sue has made these little balls of happiness for many Christmases.  I got the recipe from her last year and gave it a try to include as part of my Christmas cookie assortment.  I’m belated in posting this recipe, but rest assured that these are delicious any time of year.

Recipe

You may also recognize these peanut butter balls as buckeyes, but the addition of crushed rice cereal gives them a perfect bit of crunch.  My grandmother always uses Rice Krispies, but I took a gamble and substituted them with Rice Chex because I had them on hand (Christmas also means homemade Chex mix).  They are essentially the same thing when crushed, so the peanut butter balls tasted as good as I remember.





Rolling the balls is a bit tricky.  I had better success by squeezing the spoonful of filling in my hand to pack it densely before rolling into a ball shape.  Also, don’t roll the peanut butter balls too large as they are very rich.  Nonetheless, I guarantee you will inhale these!

Grandma Sue’s Peanut Butter Balls

Adapted from a family recipe

Prep time + Wait time = 45 minutes + 1 hour

Makes about 60 pieces

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup Rice Krispies, crushed

1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Cream together butter and peanut butter.  Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until smooth.  Mix in vanilla extract, then stir in the crushed Rice Krispies.

2.  Take small spoonfuls of the filling and roll the mixture in your hands to form small balls the size of a marble.  If the balls keep crumbling, try adding a little melted butter to the mixture.

3.  Put the balls in a container lined with parchment paper and put them in the freezer until frozen, at least 1 hour.

4.  Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler, a handful at a time.  Drop the balls, one at a time, in the chocolate and roll around until covered.  Transfer to a sheet of foil to harden.

5.  Store in an airtight container.  Keeps in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Also Pictured

I highly recommend these other cookie recipes, pictured alongside the peanut butter balls above:

• Peanut butter blossoms
• Snickerdoodles (try using colored sugar sprinkles for the holidays)
• Polvorones

3 Comments | In: Dessert | tags: chocolate, Peanut Butter, rice chex, rice krispies. | #

Yes, there are chocolate cookie crumbs on those flowers.


After I got home from the farmers’ market with my bounty, I vaguely remembered seeing a dessert recipe involving squash blossoms.  I found it buried in my saved recipes and questioned my decision to set aside some extra ricotta and a few of the smaller blossoms, wondering if the slight zucchini flavor would cooperate with honey and chocolate.





I’m glad I went ahead with it, however, since this was unlike any dessert I’ve ever made.  I’d recommend slightly overstuffing each flower, as the best part was the slightly caramelized ricotta that oozed out while baking.  Serve it with some fresh berries that have been macerated with a bit of sugar .

Baked Zucchini Blossoms with Honey Ricotta

Inspired by Waldy Malouf

Prep time + Bake time: 10 minutes + 15 minutes

Serves 3

Ingredients

3 tbsp freshly made ricotta

1 1/2 tbsp honey

Generous pinch of cinnamon

Tiny pinch of nutmeg

1 egg white, beaten

3 medium zucchini blossoms, rinsed with stamens removed

1/3 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

2.  In a small bowl, combine ricotta and honey.  Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.

3.  Add about half of the beaten egg white  to the ricotta mixture.  (Use immediately, or refrigerate until you are ready to stuff the blossoms.)

3.  Carefully spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each blossom.  Gently twist the ends closed and place side by side on the prepared baking sheet.

4.  Brush the remaining egg white over the stuffed blossoms, and sprinkle the chocolate cookie crumbs on top.

5.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Serve warm.

Breakfast Idea: Honey Ricotta Cornbread

I have a penchant for leftovers in any form, so I tupperwared the remaining spoonful of honey ricotta and put it in the fridge hoping I would find a good use for it later on.  The next morning I preheated the oven to 375F, grabbed a piece of leftover cornbread, slathered it with the ricotta mixture, baked it about 10 minutes until the top was tinted golden brown, and dolloped it with some homemade cherry jam.  It was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in awhile.  Even if squash blossoms for dessert lacks appeal, don’t hesitate to make a batch of the filling.

No Comments | In: Dessert | tags: honey, ricotta, zucchini blossoms. | #

Sitting in a Vietnamese pho restaurant, I gave HC the weirdest look when he asked the waiter to add a 3 color bean drink to our order.  I eyed it suspiciously when it arrived at the table; its mysterious red, green, yellow and white components stared right back at me.  I bravely took the straw for a tentative sip.  I think my eyes must have gone right out of my head – it was glorious.  I greedily hoarded the drink on my side of the table for the rest of lunch.


It was only an afterthought, but I did eventually wonder what I was drinking.  There were some red kidney or adzuki beans in there with sweetened white coconut milk, but the unidentifiable yellow mush and green gelatinous strings left me perplexed.  I did some research online to learn the yellow beans were mung beans and the green jelly was just that – green jelly, available canned.  Feeling experimental, I headed to the Asian market 99 Ranch to get my supplies and make it for myself.

Recipe

Having soaked both varieties of beans overnight, I boiled them with sugar to eliminate some of their inherent beany-ness.  The tiny yellow mung beans simmered into the paste I was hoping for, while the red kidney beans remained intact.  I gently heated the coconut milk to get some sugar dissolved in there for more sweetness.  The can of green jelly I selected was too soft (think runny Jello) and had an artificial banana-ish flavor to it, which differed from the almost-crunchy flavorless strings I remembered.  I cut it into strips anyway.  Wishing for a blender, I probably destroyed the blades on my food processor to get some crushed ice.


With the components ready, I carefully layered each ingredient into a tall clear glass; part of the appeal here is the presentation.  A straw and a spoon (for the bigger bites) were the final touch.


The product I achieved was a semi-success.  It was certainly drinkable and tasty enough, but was in no way the drink I obsessed over at the restaurant.  If you’ve never tried one of these drinks, I would recommend heading to a Vietnamese restaurant before you give this a try at home. Also – if anyone can direct me to a better recipe, I would love to know about it.

(My Mediocre Version of a) 3 Color Bean Drink

Serves about 6

Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 cup dried red kidney beans or adzuki beans

1 cup dried split/peeled yellow mung beans

2 cups coconut milk

1 1/2 cups sugar (or more to taste)

1 cup of green jelly strips

2 cups crushed ice

Directions

1.  In two separate bowls, cover red beans and yellow beans with an inch of water.  Soak overnight.

2.  Transfer each type of bean into its own small saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each, and add more water to cover beans by an inch if necessary.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover, and reduce heat to medium low.  Stirring occasionally, simmer each pot until soft (about an hour for the red beans and 45 minutes to an hour for the yellow beans).   The red beans should be whole, but the yellow beans will begin to break down.  Refrigerate.

3.  Meanwhile, add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar to the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Refrigerate.

4.  Once components are chilled, layer equal parts in a tall glass in this order (quantities to taste): yellow bean, red bean, green jelly.  Fill the rest of the cup to the brim with crushed ice, then pour coconut milk over the top.

5.  Stored separately, ingredients will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Making Ethnic Foods at Home

A lot of times, the dish you had at a great Thai/Ethiopian/Mexican/etc. restaurant seems inaccessible for home cooking.  If you seek out a Thai/Ethiopian/Mexican/etc. market, however, you’ll be surprised what some authentic ingredients can do for your dish.  A small investment in a specialty cooking item, such as a clay pot, could also go a long way.


I will admit, though, that do-able does not always mean easy.  I’ve really been wanting to try making dumplings or mochi from scratch, but something tells me I’m better off saving my time and getting some from a good restaurant.  The same thing goes for more traditional cooking too – my homemade rendition of Julia Child’s boeuf bourginoun was delicious, but I’d just as soon let a chef prepare it for me next time.

9 Comments | In: Dessert, Drink | tags: coconut milk, crushed ice, jelly, kidney beans, mung beans, straw. | #

I came across this idea for white chocolate covered grapes and decided to try it out for a delvious variation of the Valentine’s Day standard.  With melted chocolate on hand, however, I couldn’t resist getting a few strawberries in there too.

Recipe

Chocolate covered fruit (or anything – pretzels, potato chips…) is deceptively easy to put together with beautiful results.  Here’s the quick rundown on making it happen:

Chocolate Covered Grapes and Strawberries

1.  Wash fruit and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Melt chocolate of your choice (I used some semi-sweet, milk and white) in a double boiler or 30 seconds at a time in the microwave.

3. Dip fruit in the melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off.  If desired, roll in finely chopped nuts (I used macadamias).

4.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  Use a fork dipped in chocolate to drizzle decoratively over the top if wanted.  Refrigerate for an hour or until hardened.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

No Comments | In: Dessert, Fruit | tags: chocolate, grapes, macadamia nuts, strawberry. | #

A long time ago, some show on the Food Network informed me that apple pie is sometimes served under a slice of melted cheddar cheese.  It’s hard to beat melted cheddar cheese.  It gives that extra oomph to mac & cheese, cheeseburgers, gooey nachos, scrambled eggs.  I could keep going with this list, but I’ll stop here – note, however, that none of these are desserts.  I’ve since been curious to try this cheddar apple dessert combo to determine once and for all whether à la fromage is possibly as good as à la mode.

Recipe

Rather than bothering with pie crust, I found a recipe for an apple cobbler topped with buttermilk cheddar biscuits in lieu of more traditional sweet biscuit dough.  I picked up some Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples after referencing this handy dandy Real Simple apple chart;  both of these varieties can hold up their texture and flavor when baked.





The recipe was relatively simple to make, and it was obvious that the baked apples and the cheddar biscuits would be delicious separately.  As it turned out, they were delicious together as well; once my little ramekins came out of the oven, the cheddar had melted and browned for a delvious twist on salty-sweet with the sugary cinnamon apple filling.


Reluctant to give up ice cream on a fresh-out-of-the-oven cobbler, I dolloped a scoop of vanilla on my serving, took a bite…and did not care for it.  I think the ice cream masked the subtle flavor of the cheddar.  I eat basically anything à la mode (yes, I think pudding with ice cream is quite enjoyable), so foregoing ice cream on a dessert is rare for me.

Apple Cheddar Cobbler

Adapted from honey & jam

Prep time + Cook time = 30 minutes + 1 hour

Serves 10

Printable recipe

Fruit Filling Ingredients

1 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter (for dish)
1 cup packed medium brown sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 1/2 pounds prepped)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Biscuit Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 cups (4 oz) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/3 cups cold buttermilk, plus more if needed

Directions

1.  Position rack in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat to 375F.  Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish (or 10 ramekins) with the softened tablespoon of butter.

2.  Combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Add the apple slices and toss to evenly coat with a large spoon or your hands.  Gently stir in the lemon juice and allow the apples to sit for 15 minutes to release some juice.

3.  Mix the apple mixture well, and pour it into the prepared baking dish.  Cube the 1/4 cup of butter and scatter over the apple filling in the dish.  Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, make the biscuit dough.  Whisk the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the cheese to the dry ingredients, and toss to coat evenly.  Make a well in the center of the bowl, and add the buttermilk.  Using a rubber spatula or your hands, stir until just moistened.  The dough should be shaggy and moist; if it seems too dry, add buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time.

5.  Remove the baking dish from the oven and discard the foil.  In 1/4 cup portions, place the dough evenly atop the apple filling.  You will end up with about 9 biscuits for a 9 x 9 baking dish  (or 1 for each of 10 ramekins).  Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the biscuits.

6.  Return the uncovered cobbler to the oven.  Bake for about 40 minutes (30 minutes for ramekins), until the apples are tender and the biscuits are golden brown.  This tastes best the day it is made, but wrapped leftovers will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Comparing Baked Fruit Desserts

A cobbler is one of my favorite types of dessert, but I also love crisps and crumbles.  These baked fruit desserts are always tasty, but I had no idea how to classify the different types.  Here’s a helpful tutorial from The Kitchn:

• Crumble – Fruit baked with a streusel-like topping.   Streusel is usually a mixture of oatmeal, brown sugar, butter and spices such as cinnamon.
• Crisp - A crisp is similar to a crumble, but there are no oats in the topping.  This makes it more like a cookie or pie crust.
• Cobbler - Fruit baked with a biscuit topping.
• Grunt - Similar to a cobbler, but cooked entirely on the stove top.  After the fruit is stewed and broken down, the biscuit dough is added on top and the pot is covered to let the biscuits steam.
• Buckle - While baking, fruit sinks to the bottom as a cake batter rises around the it.
• Pandowdy - Fruit covered with a pie crust.  After coming out of the oven, the pie crust is broken into big pieces.

3 Comments | In: Dessert, Fruit | tags: Apples, biscuits, Cheddar cheese, cobbler, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith. | #

I was very skeptical the first time I encountered black sesame in an Asian dessert.  Sesame seeds belong on my bagels and possibly sprinkled on some orange chicken.  But black sesame filled glutinous rice balls floating in a warm, almond-scented soup?  For dessert?


My oh my, YES, for dessert.  After tasting the toasty semi-sweet flavor oozing out of those rice balls, I was hooked on this truly delvious substance that is somewhat reminiscent of peanut butter.  A few months later I went to get a crepe in San Francisco’s Japantown, only to learn that black sesame also comes in ice cream form.  Replicating the glutinous rice balls myself seemed too daunting, but I felt like the ice cream could be attempted at home.

Recipe

The Internet provided me with only a handful of black sesame ice cream recipes to choose from.  Some called for canned black sesame paste, others required toasting and grinding the seeds.  Unable to find the pre-made paste, I conceded that freshly toasted seeds would taste better anyway.  I decided to add extra seeds to my adaptation since I love the concentrated, intense flavor in the centers of those little rice balls.





Making ice cream at home will test your patience but is highly rewarding.  Here are some tips:

• Temper the eggs carefully with the warmed cream before very slowly adding the tempered eggs into the saucepan.  If you’re too hasty, you’ll get little bits of cooked egg.
• Strain the ice cream base no matter how careful you were. No one’s perfect, so chances are that some scrambled egg will show up regardless.
• Plan ahead so you can refrigerate the ice cream base overnight. The flavor will develop and a well-chilled base will result in more even freezing.  Don’t forget to cover the liquid’s surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from developing and tampering with your otherwise perfectly textured ice cream.
• Toast the seeds to bring out their depth of flavor.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Adapted from Tiny Urban Kitchen

Estimated time: 35 minutes, overnight prep required

Makes about 1.5 quarts

Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

1 pint (2 cups) half & half

3/4 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp black sesame seeds

Directions

1.  Combine cream, half & half  and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Stir often to prevent any scalding until mixture is warm, about 5 minutes.

2.  Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl.  Slowly add a ladle of the warm cream mixture to the egg to temper them.  Repeat with one or two more ladles of cream.

3.  Stirring continuously, slowly pour the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the rest of the cream.  Increase the heat to medium.  Continue stirring the mixture frequently until it has thickened and coats the back of the spoon (10-12 minutes).

4.  Pour the ice cream base into airtight containers and cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight.

5.  The next day, pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer instructions.  As the ice cream is churning, toast the black sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until very fragrant, stirring often to prevent  burning.

6.  Reserve two tablespoons of the toasted seeds (to add texture), and process the rest in a food processor or spice grinder until it forms a paste.

7.  Once the ice cream is nearly frozen, add the sesame paste and whole seeds.  Continue churning until evenly incorporated.

8.  The ice cream will be soft, so transfer into airtight containers and freeze until desired texture is reached.

A cooking mistake may not be the end of the world

I have a confession to make: I didn’t read the recipe very carefully and added 4 WHOLE eggs as opposed to 4 egg YOLKS.  Oops.  However, I did not realize this until I was typing up the recipe – I would have told you the ice cream came out perfectly.  There are some cases where a mistake may be not be salvageable, but keep in mind that being flexible when you’re cooking might actually lead to something that is even more delicious than the original recipe.  I will have to re-make this recipe with just yolks to see how it affects the texture and flavor.


Whether you use whole eggs or yolks, you MUST make this. With just five ingredients, it’s quite simple and deceivingly flavorful.

7 Comments | In: Dessert, Ice cream | tags: Asian dessert, black sesame, sesame seed. | #

I am a victim of seasonal cravings.  It was particularly bad in 2009:

• Last summer, I was only interested in peach cobbler and plum kuchens.
• Fall arrived, and I forgot about the summer stone fruits to focus on pumpkin loaves and apple cakes.
• This winter, the gingerbread cravings hit me hard.

Thoughts of gingerbread guinness cakes, gingerbread pancakes and adorable gingerbread men panini distracted me.  Finally, I came across a recipe for gingerbread butterscotch cookies.  I had never considered gingerbread paired with butterscotch, but I do have a theory about butterscotch morsels:  they make anything infinitely more delectable.

Recipe

These cookies uphold The Butterscotch Morsel Theory.  The gingerbread was almost too spicy, really; but luckily the butterscotch morsels step in to balance out the cookies with super intense sweetness.  This recipe may not be delvious in a peanut-butter-sauerkraut kind of way, but they are a unique (and delicious) cookie for wintertime.

Gingerbread Butterscotch Cookies

Adapted from Baked Perfection

Printable recipe

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 large egg

1/3 cup light molasses

1 (11 ounce) package Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in small bowl.  In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg and molasses until creamy.

4.  Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in morsels.

5.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

A few thoughts on cloves

I have been anti-cloves for awhile.  I have long blamed cloves for pumpkin pies that I didn’t like and have refused to buy a tiny jar of them in whole or ground form.  My assumed dislike of its flavor and its perpetual absence from my spice rack has encouraged me to omit this spice from any recipe I’ve made recently, including this one.


But, I’m planning to re-embrace cloves for 2010.  Did you know cloves are the dried flower of an evergreen tree native to India and Indonesia?  I didn’t.  Did you know it is a key spice in chai tea?  I didn’t, and I really like chai tea.  It’s time to give in, go to the grocery, and seek out a clove-y recipe in an attempt to accept this spice.  What do you think of them?

4 Comments | In: Cookies, Dessert | tags: butterscotch, gingerbread. | #

Ok, deep breath. Drum roll please.

At long last, I present you with the Delvious food blog. Sit back and let me tell you the story of the word delvious.

In standard fashion, I embarked on an overly ambitious soup-cooking project last summer. I spent about an hour chopping pounds of miscellaneous vegetables and put them into two large pots to simmer with a few pounds of split peas. In my quest for copious amounts of leftovers, I had overlooked the fact that dried split peas will grow as they cook…a lot.  Two pots had to overflow into a third.  Fifteen minutes later, three pots became four. Undaunted, I took advantage of the situation to end up with four differently seasoned split pea soups (and enough leftovers in the freezer to feed a small army).


Whatever does this have to do with delvious??? Well, thanks to my chat history, I can now show you the precise origin of delvious.

[Chit chat with my sister, August 7, 2008]

Melissa: but the soups were good?
me: they were! they ended up turning out well despite the mess, all in all i was very pleased
Melissa: haha yeah there was a lot
me: yes crazy, but delvious
oops delicious
Melissa: i like delvious : )
me: ooooh! we made a word
Melissa: it’s pretty legit

This word needed a definition before it was forgotten as a meaningless typo. Always wanting an excuse to bake gluttonous-sugary-buttery treats, the definition almost came to be “devilishly or sinfully delicious.” However, I conceded “deviously or unexpectedly delicious” is a more necessary and somewhat undefined adjective in the food world.

Delvious foods are already everywhere.

I’m not sure whether food trends have been changing in the past year or if I just take more notice with delvious on the tip of my tongue.  Either way, there is a heck of a lot of delvious food out there.  It can be hard to get dessert without some sea salt sprinkled on top.  Now people are using bacon in everything from cookies to fudge to ice cream. French macarons are a particularly versatile canvas for delvious experimentation.  And it hardly needs to be said that molecular gastronomy can epitomize delvious flavors and textures.


These things are always described as “interesting” or “unique” or “avant-garde.”  Now I’m adding delvious to that list.  Spread the word!

And now Delvious is an official food blog.

• I have no culinary training, and to be quite honest I’m not a great cook even though I enjoy it.
• My judgment skills may not be stellar when I try winging something (see above soup story).
• I have little patience for making things look pretty.
• I’m sort of a perfectionist but I’m kind of lazy; I like the reassurance of using recipes but often cut corners and make substitutions.
• I appreciate fancy complex foods, but I also find great enjoyment in simple traditional foods.
• I read way too many food blogs for my own good.
• I like to think delvious will be important for the food industry (someday).
• I’ve told everyone I know and hopefully they’ve told their friends.

So, now what?  I want to reach people I do not know. To accomplish this, the Delvious food blog is born.


Every food blog needs pictures to drool over; you’ve probably noticed mine.   Soup would have been a more meaningful recipe for Delvious’s first post, but quite frankly I have no idea what actually happened in any of those four pots (dealing with overflow required serious damage control).


But I’ve been keeping tabs on delvious recipes for the past year, and this one was relatively inspiring: Peanut Butter Chip Cake with sauerkraut. How could that be delicious?  Even I was not really convinced, so I decided to find out for the sake of Delvious.

Recipe

Peanut butter seems to go with everything: jelly, bananas, chocolate, caramel, marshmallow fluff, honey, celery, cabbage…pickles even?  (I swear people used to eat PB&Pickles sandwiches on the blacktop during elementary school lunchtime.) Who would have thought that we were developing our delvious taste buds when we were eating ants-on-a-log in pre-school?  If peanut butter really does goes with everything, then it should go with sauerkraut, right?


Having just moved into my new, albeit tiny, apartment, I pulled out my mom’s old KitchenAid mixer and began adding the ingredients.  The batter looked ok. It actually smelled quite delicious.  It went into the oven and came out smelling even better.  The frosting was edible by the spoonful (I wish I could say it too was delvious by definition, but that was essentially just sugar and peanut butter).


I had some friends over to taste test the cake; I told them it was delvious but refused to disclose the secret ingredient until they had tasted a bite.  Based on taste, no one was any wiser that sauerkraut was the delvious twist on an otherwise delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cake.  If you try this at home, just be sure to rinse very well.  This gets rid of the vinegary-sauerkrauty taste and adds moisture to the cake.

Peanut Butter Sauerkraut Cake

Adapted from Noble Pig

Printable recipe

Cake Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup extra-crunchy, super chunk peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sauerkraut, rinsed, well-drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for sprinkling on top
Salted, dry-roasted peanuts for topping

Frosting Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup regular peanut butter
2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons boiling water

Directions

1.  In the bowl of a stand mixer or another large bowl, add all the cake ingredients except the chocolate chips.  Beat until well blended.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

2.  Spread mixture in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

3. After the cake has cooled, combine all frosting ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well blended and easy to spread.  Frost the cake and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and peanuts.

3 Comments | In: Cake, Dessert | tags: Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter, Sauerkraut. | #