Peanut Butter Glazed Popcorn

This peanut butter popcorn recipe is super tasty. It tastes a little like caramel corn, but with a peanut buttery twist! Perfect for you peanut butter lovers out there!!!

Ingredients:
8 cups popped popcorn
1/2 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
20 large marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Pour popcorn into a large bowl or onto a nonstick jelly roll pan.

In a glass bowl, combine the margarine/butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Cook at 1 minute intervals in the microwave, stirring between each time, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in the peanut butter until well blended. Pour the melted mixture over the popcorn, and stir quickly to coat the popcorn before the mixture cools.

Spread over two nonstick jelly roll pans (or if you don't have nonstick jelly roll pans, lay out a layer of foil in the bottom of the pan) and bake for 20 minutes. You can stir after 10 minutes to get more even coverage
Be careful not to boil mixture too much as peanut butter will burn. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over popcorn and stir accordingly. Spread evenly over pan.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

These cupcakes kick major patootie. If you are a peanut butter cup fan, you are going to die of deliciousness. For reals, folks! And stop drooling on your keyboard!

Ingredients:
Cupcake Batter (pick your favorite recipe)
Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:
Pick your favorite cupcake recipe (that goes with peanut butter cups, that is) and follow the directions to mix ingredients. I used the Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes recipe. Once the mix is ready, divide into lined cupcake pan as usual. Once cupcakes are divided, press a mini peanut butter cup into the top of the cupcake. As the mix heats in the oven, it will sink toward the bottom and melt/flatten to make a delicious layer of peanut butter cup. Reeses peanut butter cups will work, but if you have a Trader Joes by you, I highly recommend their peanut butter cups for this recipe. I always use the dark chocolate ones- the peanut butter is creamier and I think better for baking.

Try with:
Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes
Tasty L'il Yellow Cupcakes
Banana Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Delicious Chocolate Ganache
Peanut Butter Mousse (for frosting)
Chocolate Mousse (for frosting)

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

Holy Schmoly, this frosting is THE MOST DELICIOUS thing I've had in a long, long time! It has the perfect amount of peanut butter, and is perfectly creamy and fluffy. You'll need a whole batch of cupcakes for this date, because you won't be able to stop chomping these puppies down!

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c peanut butter
3-4 c powdered sugar
2-5 T milk
1/8 t salt
2 t vanilla

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, half of the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and 2 T milk. Mix well, adding more milk and powdered sugar as needed to make a fluffy, spreadable frosting.

Try with:
Tasty L'il Yellow Cupcakes
Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Mini Tarts

These little guys are so tasty and so fun, you and your date will have a blast chomping them down one by one! It's especially fun (and delicious!) if you go the extra mile and make a variety of fillings and toppings combinations!

Ingredients:
Fillo pastry shells
chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla mousse or whipped cream or a mix of the above
garnishes- get creative- try fruit like berries or kiwi, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter cup or chocolate

Directions:
Fill pastry cups with mousse or whipped cream. Garnish how you like- see photo above for delicious ideas! I've gotta say I was partial to the peanut butter/chocolate mousse with peanut butter cup on top and the chocolate with raspberry. Yummm. Top with a variety of garnishes to create more excitement on your date!

Peanut Butter Mousse

This mousse is super easy- for reals- and so, so yummy! Creamy, peanut buttery, and light! If you love peanut butter like me, then this is heaven!

Ingredients:
4 T creamy peanut butter (reduced fat is fine)
1 c heavy whipping cream, divided
2 T powdered (confectioner's) sugar
garnish (peanut butter cup slice, crumbled peanut butter cup, chocolate cube, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc.)

Directions:
In a bowl, put 4 T of peanut butter and heat until a little bit runny- about 30 seconds. Don't let it get hot, just a little warm so that it blends better.

Then, put 1 c heavy whipping cream and 2 T powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix until stiff peaks form. Once cream is whipped, scoop it into the peanut butter and fold carefully until well blended.

Finally, scoop it into four dishes and garnish! You can garnish however you like-use a leftover dollop of whipped cream, peanut butter cups, chocolate slices, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc. Get creative!

More ideas- use this as a filling for cupcakes, layer with chocolate pudding or mousse (as shown in the photo above), layer between peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies, in mini tarts, etc.

If you are using this for cupcake filling, you can do one of two things: the first option is to put it in a plastic bag or frosting bag and pipe it into the hole. (See cupcake recipe for instructions on how to prep them for filling.) The second option (which is what I tried) is to spread the mousse cream in a cube shaped ice cube tray OR use a cookie scoop to do small scoops on a cookie sheet OR use another spoon/measuring spoon and scoop little dollops onto a cookie sheet. Then freeze for 1 hour. Once they are frozen, you can place them in the cupcake hole, cover with the cupcake top, and frost.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Looking for something a little different for pizza night? This is it- it's unusual, easy to make, and super yummy! Think spring roll on a pizza. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough
1 c cooked chicken, sliced
3/4 c peanut satay sauce (I get Trader Joe's)
1/2 c carrots, shredded
2 T unsalted peanuts, chopped
4 green onions, cut lengthwise into 1 inch strips
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Combine the chicken and 1/2 the satay sauce and place in the fridge
Roll out pizza dough. Spread remaining satay sauce on top of the dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce and layer the marinated chicken on top of that. Complete by sprinkling with the shredded carrots, green onions, and peanuts. Place into the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melty and starts to brown.
Try not to eat the pizza until it has cooled enough that you won't singe the roof of your mouth off. That's the worst.