Sweet nothings for your sweet everything =) Happy Valentine's Day!!

It all started with a crush.  From the moment we met, I knew we would have a life-long commitment to each other.  Now, just add some chocolate in the mix, and out comes Peanut Butter Truffles! =)

Truffles have got to be one of the most rich, silky and delicious sweet nothing on the face of the planer!  Its smooth (often) chocolate-y center makes you dance with delight and amazement that something so small can make you feel so satisfied.  Now, because of their fancy wrappers, names, packaging and what have you, you may think that truffles are time consuming and difficult to make.  Well, I'm here to tell you otherwise and reveal the truth.  Truffles are as easy to make as a cake from box mix.  No joke!  Don't believe me?  Try it out for yourself and you'll see.  It just takes a few simple ingredients that you're bound to have on hand...chocolate, peanut butter and cream cheese.  And since it's Valentine's Day, why not send some of this decadence to that special someone in your life.

Alright, let's get started.Measure out your ingredients separately.  Then, melt your chocolate according to the directions on the package.  I only had crunchy peanut butter on hand, but I found that it added great texture to the truffle, ^^.  But if all you have is creamy, by all means use it!

Once your chocolate is melted and smooth, stir in your peanut butter.  After it's combined, go ahead and give it a taste (I know you want to!). If you feel it needs more peanut butter, add a little more.  It can't hurt anyone =)

After that becomes a perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate, mix in the softened cream cheese.  You'll begin to see that as you stir in the cream cheese your mixture will stiffen.  This is perfectly normal.

Your end result should look something like this.  At this point cover it and let it chill and harden in the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour.  In the mean time, get cleaned up and prep your station to roll out your little treats.  Here the possibilities are endless!  You can chop up whatever nuts that you have, roll them in some cocoa powder, colorful sprinkles or crushed up cookies will work too.  Get creative!

Before I continue on with the truffle making process, I wanted to throw in my take on the Oreo Cookie Truffle.  I'm sure many of you have received these as gifts, or even gifted them yourselves.  All it takes is processing together a package of cream cheese and an entire bag of Oreos.  Easy right?!  Well, it's the steps after that that turns me off.  I wanted to get away with skipping out on the process of melting chocolate to dip each truffle in.  So, here's what I came up with..

Take about 10 Oreos and chop them up into itty bitty pieces, making sure they're large enough so that when you bite into your truffle, you know what you're getting.

Then, you mix that in with your melted chocolate.  Once all of that is incorporated, stir in your softened cream cheese.  As with the peanut butter truffle, this mixture will begin to stiffen as you continue to stir.

 Once your Oreo mixture looks like this, cover it and set it in your fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour to set up and harden.

By the way, look at how cute these Valentine themed candy cups are!  I couldn't wait for the truffles to set so I could roll them in more goodness and place them into their own personal little heart studded vessel. 

I don't have pictures of when I rolled my Peanut Butter Truffles, but what you do is take your small scooper, scoop out your mixture, form it into balls and roll it in your topping of choice.

And here is what you get!  Several dozen perfectly amazing truffles!  I told you it was easy.  After you have all your truffles rolled out and topped, stick them back in your fridge until you're ready to impress your Valentine.  They'll be sure to be hooked after one bite!  And please, please, please save yourself a handful for later on.  They're just way to yummy to gift them all out, ;).  Think of it as a reward for a job well done.

Happy Valentine's Day!! ^^

A Peanut Butter Lover's Staple

Any peanut butter lover would admit that they have committed the spoon-to-peanut butter jar crime at some point in their peanut butter craving fiasco.  I'm definitely guilty of this desperate act to gain satisfaction once or twice...a week ;).  But there are times when I'll hold back and take the time to bake up a batch of peanut butter thumbprints.  These, without a doubt, have been made countless times by hundreds of bakers across the globe.  And why not?!  They are so simple to make and will leave smiles on your taste testers faces for days!

There are just a few easy steps to follow before you can dive in.  Step one, unwrap 24-36 Reese's peanut butter cups.  Step two make a peanut butter cookie recipe.  By all means do this step from scratch!  I'm just lazy and want these in my belly faster, so I use a small pouch of Betty Crocker's peanut butter cookie mix.  Now, just place about a tablespoon of batter into each spot in your mini muffin tin and bake according to the instructions in your recipe or pouch mix.

Once your cookies drops are finished, immediately push a peanut butter cup in the middle of each.  The dough will wrap itself up and around the sides of the cup, creating a delicious nest for your chocolate and peanut butter confection.
Allow these to cool before popping them out of the tins and into your mouth =).  Make sure to save some for your fellow peanut butter lovers!

Moose Ball Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cups  Peanut Butter (creamy or crunchy)

1/2 Cup  Organic Honey

3 Cups  Rolled Oats

1/2 to 1/3 Cup of any or all of the following:

Wheat Germ

Dried Cranberries

Chocolate Chips

Sliced Almonds

Pumpkin Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Flax Seeds

Pecan Pieces

Dried Unsweetened Coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix peanut butter and honey together till smooth.  Add in dry ingredients, and combine till everything is covered in peanut butter and honey.

2. Roll into 1 inch balls.  Place on cookie sheet in the freezer.

Store in an airtight container in the freezer.  Let moose balls defrost slightly before serving.  This recipe is so flexible that you can customize it with any type of nuts, seeds, etc.

Moose Balls =)

The first time I had this oh so yummy treat was the day of our last exam of training.  Our classmate made these for everyone as “brain food” since most of us were too busy studying to get a healthy meal in our stomachs (if anything).  I wondered how she was able to find the time out of studying to make something so delicious without feeling bad for leaving the books.  Turns out that there’s really nothing to it (and you can study while mixing and rolling, lol.)

What's in these golf ball sized goodies?  The main ingredient and my number one addiction (next to dark chocolate)...Peanut Butter!!  You don't even have to tell me the rest, I will definitely give it a try.  These balls of peanutty goodness may not look like much, but your taste buds will tell you otherwise once you pop one in your mouth.  That’s how it was for me when she passed it around.  I thought, “oh, just one”.  But one turned into 3…or was it 4?  I can’t remember, all I know is that they’re super addicting, and healthy for you too!  What can be better than a snack that tastes amazing and is good for you?

I can take no credit for this recipe, as I adapted it from her.  I may have made a couple changes based on what I had on hand, but the main reason for these being in my freezer by bulk is my amazing co-worker, ^^.  Thanks Beth!