Peanut Butter Streusel Coffee Bread

If you like peanut butter, you will love this recipe. It is quick and easy to make with ingredients that you likely have around the kitchen. This bread pairs well with coffee, as its name implies. If you enjoy this treat while it is still fresh from the oven, the peanut butter will be warm and gooey. This coffee bread is a good dessert or a midday snack.

When I made this quick bread, the peanut butter did not quite form into the coarse crumbs that you might expect for a streusel topping, instead, there were pockets of peanut butter. The bread was still delicious. 

Peanut Butter Streusel Coffee Bread 

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten

Peanut butter streusel topping

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mix resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and eggs until just moistened. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Prepare the streusel topping by stirring together the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder; with a pastry blender, but in the butter and peanut butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle streusel topping onto cake. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Marble Squares

These Marble Squares have a similar taste to chocolate chip cookies, but are a bit quicker to make because they are baked as a bar in a single pan. I highly recommend eating them fresh out of the oven when they are still quite gooey. 

Mom's recipe calls for using a 13x9 pan, but I used a 9x9 pan. I had a hard enough time spreading the dough into the 9x9 pan because it was quite sticky and stiff. But because I used a smaller pan, I might have had too much chocolate, so it was hard to marbleize the chocolate. And it is hard to complain about too much chocolate. When I made this recipe, I did not include the nuts, but I think almonds would be delicious in these squares.

Milk Chocolate Marble Squares 

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2 tsp. cooking oil
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine chocolate chips and oil in small pan over low heat. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is blended; set aside. Combine in a bowl the butter, both sugars, vanilla, and water; beat until creamy. Blend in the egg. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the nuts. Spread dough into a greased 9x9 pan. Spoon melted chocolate mixture over top; run a knife through the batter to marbleize. Bake at 375 for 14-16 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares. Enjoy!

Dessert Pancakes

I enjoy having a sweet treat to start off a new year. And starting 2021 with something sweet is a good way to say goodbye to the challenging year that was 2020. I made this recipe as breakfast for lunch on New Year's Day. The apple cinnamon pancakes with a tasty topping were a great way to start off a new year. 

This recipe makes a lot of pancakes. MDS and I ate many, but we still have leftovers for another meal. When I made this recipe, I made the mistake of not chopping the apples to be small enough and some pieces were too big. I recommend chopping the apples into very small pieces to avoid uneven pancakes. I recommend this recipe for a delicious breakfast any time of the day.

Dessert Pancakes 

• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup finely chopped apple

Filling:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine milk, eggs, and butter. Sift flour with sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; add to mixture. Stir to blend. Fold in the apples. Batter should be lumpy. Pour about 2-3 tablespoon batter per pancake on a lightly greased hot griddle. Bake until bubbles begin to break on the surface and the underside if brown; turn and brown the other side. For the filling, mix sour cream with sugar and cinnamon. Spoon filling between and on top of each serving. Enjoy! 

Christmas Tree Cookies

This recipe is intended to make cookies to hang on a Christmas tree--the recipe calls for putting a hole in each cookie for hanging the cookie. To me, it seems like a waste of good cookies to hang them on a tree, unless you plan to eat them. I skipped the tree decoration step and when straight to eating these delicious cookies. You can decorate a tree or just enjoy these cookies.

Like many cut-out cookie recipes, the dough needs to be refrigerated before rolling out and cutting the dough. Initially, the dough was tough to work with, then it became pliable. This recipe calls for a simple decoration of colored sugar, which is quite easy and fast. Or you could do fancier decorations and frostings.

Christmas Tree Cookies 

• 3 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 1 slightly beaten egg white
• decoration sugars

Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in flour until well-blended. Chill dough for 1-2 hours. Roll dough on a well-floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cutters. Use a pointed skewer to make a small hole in the top for hanging. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. To decorate, brush cookies with slightly beaten egg white. Decorate with assorted color sugar. Enjoy!

Ginger Bunnies

I have no idea why these cookies are called ginger bunnies instead of gingerbread cookies. This recipe is a classic gingerbread, so I think of these cookies around the holidays. Although this recipe is easy to make, it does take a little longer because the dough needs to be refrigerated and then rolled out and cut. These delicious cookies were worth the effort.

When I made these cookies, I used a classic gingerbread man shape, like Gingy from the Shrek movies. You can use any shape for the cookie. Per the recipe, I rolled these cookies thicker than most cut out cookies. I did not decorate these cookies, but gingerbread men are fun to decorate, especially if you have decorating skills. 

Ginger Bunnies 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. all spice

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in remaining ingredients. Cover; chill for 2 to 3 hours. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes; place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from sheet. Cool. Decorate as desired. Enjoy!

Almond Jewels

Every December, I make lots of cookies to share with friends and family. Due to this year's pandemic, I might not make as many cookies, but I will still enjoy the ones that I do make. Mom has a separate recipe box devoted just to cookies, so I can always find something to try out. These Almond Jewels are a hit. 

The recipe is a basic shortbread that gets dressed up with sliced almonds. Shortbread is a quick cookie to make because the entire batch is made in one pan as a sheet, then cut into the desired size after baking. When I made this batch, I cut some jumbo cookies and some bite-size cookies. No matter what size you cut the cookies, they will disappear fast because they are so delicious.

Almond Jewels 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat over to 300. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in egg. Add flour and mix well. Spread in a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with almonds; press almonds lightly into the dough. Bake at 300 for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Turkey with Cornmeal Dumplings

After Thanksgiving, you might have more leftover turkey than you know what to do with. Here is a terrific recipe for leftover turkey. Now, there are some people who see no reason to make something out of the leftover turkey when you can just enjoy the turkey as is. But then you might never try the tasty recipe. 

This recipe makes a thick stew that is a bit like Thanksgiving in a bowl--turkey, cornbread, and gravy. Next time that I make this recipe, I might add some chopped celery for more Thanksgiving flavor. The dumplings are made by dropping in spoonfuls of batter into the soup base. My first few attempts did not result in dumplings, but later attempts did result in good-sized dumplings.

Turkey with Cornmeal Dumplings 

• 3 cubes chicken bouillon dissolved in 2 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/3 cup flour blended with 1/2 cup cold water
• 3 cups cubed cooked turkey
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup flour

Over medium heat, stir dissolved bouillon and blended flour until thickened. Add turkey. Stir together well cornmeal, baking powder, salt, poultry seasoning, egg, milk, and flour. Drop by tablespoon into gently simmering sauce. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. Enjoy!