Lovely and hardworking ladies out there, how are you doing?

Spouses and moms, life has served us over the last few months a full plate of responsibilities and interesting roles that we are not necessarily ready for, or accustomed to! Therefore I wanted to reach out to you today to tell you THANK YOU and BRAVO! 

We have been swimming against the tide, tirelessly trying to accommodate the needs of our loved ones. And with finally a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, we deserve to pause for a moment, catch our breath, and celebrate ourselves.

With cautious optimism, I now decided to give myself grace and refrain from poking myself for all the things that I wasn’t able to accomplish while juggling several hats.

By the same token, I have allowed myself to slow down and contemplate all that has been done to weather the storm! And as you may know me, celebrations start in my kitchen first!

This week, I dared to bake some delicious sins which I shied away from, during the quarantine, to avoid deleterious energy spikes.

One of my absolute favorite baking endeavors this week was Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookies. A real bliss to say the least.  

The recipe is adapted from the French book: Le Grand Livre Marabout de La Patisserie Facile.  

It is a rich buttery cookie that comes plain in the original French recipe. My take on these was to half-dip them or drizzle with bitter dark chocolate to cut through the buttery, rich texture.

For some crunch, the cookies are sprinkled with some salted peanuts that stud the warm chocolate before it sets! You bite into those cookies and they just burst and then melt in a blink of an eye. 

These cookies are addictive! Keeping the kids’ fingers at bay until I am done my photo shoot was near impossible. 

These are fairly easy cookies to whip up, but also pretty tricky.

The texture of peanut butter plays a crucial role in the amount of flour used in these recipes. Peanut butter is not created equal across the globe. Some are creamier than others which mandates more flour to lend the cookies its body and texture.

Other than indulging in these cookies, this week’s resolutions include distancing myself from the weight scale and appalling news.

I believe that I deserve happiness, we all do and it is OK to reach out to the universe to ask for some.

No matter how remote happiness seems sometimes, giving ourselves grace is the first step on our journey there.

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PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Recipe adapted from Le Grand Livre Marabour de La Patisserie Facile.

Makes 60 cookies 

INGREDIENTS

• 250 grams butter, softened
• 55 grams superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 225 grams all-purpose flour, sifted (add one tablespoon at a time if the dough doesn’t come together)
• 70 grams peanut butter, smooth without chunks

For Decoration 

• 180 grams dark chocolate, melted

• ¼ cup peanuts, coarsely crushed

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Make the cookie dough: Add the softened butter, sugar, and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Run the mixer at medium speed until the butter mixture is fluffy and pale. Add the flour and incorporate with a spatula to avoid over mixing. I strongly advise against using the mixer to incorporate the flour. Add the peanut butter also with a spatula in a circular motion.
3. Chill the dough: Transfer the cookies to a lined parchment paper, form a log, and freeze it for a few hours. Slice the frozen cookies, and bake for 10 minutes. Let them cook completely on a wire rack.
4. Decorate the cookies: Half dip the cookies in melted chocolate and sprinkle the crushed nuts on the soft chocolate before the chocolate is set.