Category Archives: nut butter

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream

Peanut butter and Oreos are a match made in heaven. The salty-sweetness of peanut butter combined with dark chocolate wafers and creamy filling is straight-up amazing. Seriously, if you have never tried them together, I demand that you do so ASAP. And while there’s nothing quite like spreading peanut butter onto an Oreo, why not take this magical combination and make it into cupcakes?

Today, I’m bringing you just that–moist, fluffy cupcakes jam-packed with peanut butter and a buttercream frosting chock full of crushed Oreos. Oh yes, these are goooooooood. Like, I’ve-eaten-three-today-and-am-considering-another good. Almost too good to share. But I will, because having seventeen…make that fourteen…of these in my apartment is clearly a bad idea.

These cupcakes are full of peanut butter flavor. There’s 2/3 cup of the good stuff mixed right into the batter. Yes, it takes that much. Peanut butter is one of those ingredients that can easily disappear in baked goods. If you don’t use a lot, you might as well just make vanilla cupcakes because that’s exactly how the final product will taste. I love vanilla cake, but when I want peanut butter, I. want. peanut butter.

Not only does the peanut butter serve to flavor the cupcakes, it also keeps everything moist along with a little bit of softened butter, a lot of dark brown sugar, and a couple of eggs. Where many peanut butter cupcakes are dry and crumbly, these stay soft and springy. The rest of the ingredients are pretty standard fare: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk. There’s also 1/4 cup of cornstarch to lighten the batter and keep the texture nice and soft.

These cupcakes bake up to be gorgeous and golden with crackly tops. And oh, they smell ridiculously good. You’ll want to have two straight out of the oven, but you should wait because 1) you will burn your mouth, and 2) there’s Oreo Buttercream to be had!

This frosting is pretty much everything I want in life. It’s light, fluffy, super creamy, and packed with crushed Oreos! And it couldn’t be simpler. Beat softened butter and confectioner’s sugar together until light and fluffy. I always add a pinch of salt too, just to keep the frosting from being overly sweet. Next comes some vanilla, followed by nearly a cup of crushed Oreos. There are twelve of the little sandwich cookies in this frosting! YAAAAAS. Add in a few tablespoons of heavy cream, and beat until everything is super fluffy, delicious, and ready for cake. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with more Oreos. Because Oreos.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream are too good, you guys. Too good. The cake itself is moist, springy and packed with peanut butter, while the frosting is fluffy and full of that classic Oreo flavor. They’re perfect for birthdays, cookouts, or any occasion that demands cupcakes. Just make sure that you have people to share with. I’m still eyeing that fourth one.

Want more peanut butter and Oreos? Check out my homemade Oreo Peanut Butter!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream
makes about 16-17 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup creamy-style peanut butter*
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk*

Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (a scant 1 cup of crumbs)
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream*

For Garnish:
16-17 Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Make the cupcakes. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and peanut butter until combined and fluffy. Beat in dark brown and granulated sugars, followed by eggs and vanilla. Mix in buttermilk. Add dry ingredients in two installments, mixing until combined.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of the batter. Gently tap pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake cupcakes 21-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a couple of cupcakes comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Cool muffin pan completely before filling with any remaining batter.

Make the buttercream frosting. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar in two installments, followed by salt and vanilla. Mix in crushed Oreos until well-dispersed. Beat in cream until your desired consistency has been reached. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Garnish with additional Oreos, if desired.

Cupcakes will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes:

1. Do not use natural-style peanut butter.

2. If you do not have buttermilk, you may make your own. Pour one teaspoon of white or Apple cider vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, and pour in regular milk up to the 3/4 cup mark. Stir and let sit for five minutes before using. I do not recommend skim or fat-free milk.

3. Half & half or whole milk may be substituted in the frosting, although the final product will not be as rich and creamy as frosting made with heavy cream.

Peanut Butter Granola

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It must just be leftovers week here on E2 Bakes Brooklyn.

Yesterday, I posted a baked french toast recipe that came to be because a friend gave me two loaves of day-old artisan bread. Today, I’m bringing you my new favorite granola recipe, all because an out-of-town friend gave me most of a jar of peanut butter that she had as a snack in her hotel room, and another gave me a one-pound bag of honey-roasted peanuts after a party I catered with him. My friends just like to give me food, apparently. And I am happy to take anything they give me and try to make it into something delicious. Today, I succeeded.

This Peanut Butter Granola is ridiculously good. It’s almost like having peanut butter cookies for breakfast! Except that it’s high in protein and totally whole grain, so it’s actually good for you! And it gets better: this recipe takes 90 minutes from the time you turn on the oven to when you put the cooled granola in an airtight container. On top of all that, it’s simple as can be 😊

Just whisk together equal parts peanut butter, maple syrup, and olive oil, along with some vanilla. This base will keep everything crispy, sweet, and peanut buttery (of course). Next comes a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. While I would have loved to keep this recipe refined sugar-free, this small amount helps the finished product get extra crunchy. If you don’t want to use brown sugar, you may substitute coconut or Demerara sugars. Add in just a touch of cinnamon and some salt. Neither will have a prominent flavor here–they just allow the peanut butter to shine. Without them, our granola could be overly sweet and a little bland.

How sad is the idea of bland peanut butter anything?! 😭

Once the liquid ingredients are ready to go, it’s time to fold in the oats and honey-roasted peanuts. They are used here in an almost 50/50 ratio. There are slightly more oats, but rest assured that there are plenty of peanuts in every crunchy bite! If that amount of chopped nuts sounds like too much for your taste, feel free to replace some of them with an equal volume of oats.

After everything is mixed together, spread the granola on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake the granola for 40-45 minutes at 300F, stirring every fifteen minutes. By the time it’s done cooking, your house will smell unbelievable! Let the granola cool in the pan on a cooling rack before transferring it to an airtight container for up to three weeks.

I like to eat this granola with Greek yogurt and fruit, but it’s also great with milk, or just by itself as an afternoon snack. How good would a handful be with some chocolate chips?! Oooh, or peanut butter chips! However you choose to enjoy it, you’ll love this Peanut Butter Granola!

Looking for more granola? Check out my easy Maple Pecan Granola!

Peanut Butter Granola
makes about 4.5 cups

1/4 cup natural or creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar*, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats*
2 cups honey roasted peanuts*, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold the oats and chopped peanuts into the mixture.

Once everything is coated in the peanut butter mixture, spread it in an even layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes. Cool granola in the pan on a rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three weeks.

Notes:

1. Coconut or Demerara sugars may be substituted.
2. Use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola.
3. If this is too many peanuts for you, replace 1/2 cup of them with an equal volume of old-fashioned oats.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

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It seems like everyone hates Mondays, but I think Wednesdays are the real problem. On Monday and Tuesday, I just had a weekend, and on Thursday and Friday, I’m anticipating another. But on Wednesday, I’m just stuck in the middle. It’s torture. The idea that there are two more days until I can sleep in again is almost too much to bear 😭

Anybody else feel the same way?
Perhaps, this Wednesday, you could use a cookie. A really big, puffy cookie full of peanut butter and chocolate, and super chewy from oats and brown sugar. Yes. That might make Wednesday worth surviving.

These Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are super easy–perfect for a little weeknight baking session. All the ingredients are things you probably already have. The cookies turn out big and puffy, even though there’s no chill. And it doesn’t make a huge batch: only about fifteen cookies. That’s just enough to get you and your family through til Friday 😊

We start by creaming together softened butter and peanut butter. I recommend using creamy peanut butter. Where most oatmeal cookies spread from the butter melting in the oven, the peanut butter in this recipe keeps these cookies puffing up instead of out. This is because peanut butter doesn’t have a fat content as high as butter’s. But don’t use just any peanut butter. The natural variety is simply too thin and runny to make these cookies anything but flat, and possibly lacy. With the thicker peanut butter, these cookies puff right up. I use Jif in my baking, but use whatever you like, as long as it’s thick.

Once the butter and peanut butter are fluffy, cream in the sugars. These cookies require one part granulated sugar, and two parts dark brown sugar. This will give the cookies a bit of molasses flavor and, with the addition of an egg, will keep everything moist and chewy. A little vanilla rounds out the flavor.

Next come the dry ingredients, a simple combination of flour, baking soda, and salt. Then, the oats! These will make everything nice and chewy, which contrasts sooo well with all the puffiness from the peanut butter! And then there are the chocolate chips, which of course, are perfect with peanut butter. They may have a little bit of a hard time incorporating into the dough, but just press them in. They’ll stay.

The dough is scooped in two tablespoon increments, rolled, and baked for about ten minutes. They puff up to be huge. The outsides get golden and crispy, and the insides stay a little underbaked and ultra-peanut buttery. The oats make for a ton of chew and texture. And of course, there’s a ton of melty chocolate!

My favorite way to enjoy these Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies is with a cup of coffee or tea, or crumbled over vanilla ice cream. No matter how you enjoy them, they’re sure to remedy any case of the mid-week blues!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
makes about 15 medium-large cookies

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth, about one minute. Add sugars, and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, followed by vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt, followed by oats. Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough in two tablespoon increments. Roll into balls and set on prepared pan at least two inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until puffy and no longer raw looking. Let cool on pan for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies will keep covered at room temperature for up to one week.