Ah that first taste always catches me unawares, sublimely savoury, subtly sweet, comfortingly clagging, it is surely the perfect food, effortlessly crossing the boundaries between starter, main-course and dessert. Surely Willy Wonka had heard of peanut butter when he was inventing that infamous, three-course, most fabulous, sensational gum in the whole wide world– why he overlooked peanut butter for blueberries I’ll never know.
OK I admit I am trying to lay blame at Peanut Butter’s door to explain away the past weekend – 3 friends and I gorged ourselves on nothing but peanut butter and choc chunk cookies for 48 hours, never wavering to want for anything else. So today I share this peanut butter themed rambling with you in hope of some kind of cathartic therapy. At any rate it was a relief that a quick research on google tells us that peanut butter is now officially good for you –well at the last count anyway – better get indulging quick before the scientist types change their minds!
And talking of scientists , as if we needed confirmation that our beloved butter was more special than the rest those white coated boffins have discovered it’s the perfect medium from which to make diamonds! DIAMONDS no less!! How fabulous!
Hmm much as I love it I still don’t think I’d sway my engagement ring for peanut butter but diamonds or no, it certainly rocked Elvis’ world – yep we’ve all heard of his favourite banana and peanut butter sarnie – have a look at this book– the recipe is in there along with all of the Kings other favourites.
Why not pay homage and have an Elvis Fest for all your friends – may need to have a cardiac nurse on hand however.
But to come back shame faced to the weekend immoderation – it was watching Bill Granger on TV last week that tipped me into this current abyss of obsession. (I say current because as im sure you’ll be familiar – the peanut butter obsession thing is a recurring theme – something sparks it off and you are destined to seek out all things peanut buttery, filling every crevise of your being with 1001 ways with Peanut Butter until the emptiness subsides and you can once more return to a stable level of usage). Try this book from Peanut Butter and Co in New York
If you havn’t crossed paths already, Bill Granger is that incessantly beaming, blonde chef type of slightly camp demeanour that has recently cropped up on British TV – you can catch him on Sunday mornings at the moment at about 11.30 on ‘Bills Food’. With his whiter than white smile and even whiter kitchen his book ‘Every Day’is full of totally fab and doable recipes including the cookie recipe that so inspired me to buy it. I am a total Bill Granger convert.
Anyway, his demo of the Peanut Butter and Choc chip cookies recipes must have awoken some primordial instinct within. Having managed to virtuously suppress this instinct for two whole weeks, on Saturday temptation struck suddenly in the jams and spreads aisle. The moment my hand gravitated towards that golden jar a frantic energy unleashed itself – “lets make peanut butter cookies!” I bellowed (in slow-mo probably) to fellow HouseGirl Rachel. She didn’t stand a chance, swept up in the urge; frantic, women possessed and without recipe for reference nor thought for the items we had actually come shopping for we filled our baskets – snatching randomly at the bakery shelves with all the ingredients we could possibly need. Like zombies we survived the long and bag laden walk back home, our minds focused on those cookies, only to realise upon consultation with a few internet recipes that our cookie making knowledge was pitifully lacking. No baking soda, no bicarb? – no problem – nothing could stand in our way.
Half an hour later, out of the oven –a little flat but still resembling the sunshine disc deities I had seen on Sunday morning Telly with Bill- they looked lovingly up at us willing and ready to meet their destiny. I will leave the depravity that followed to your imagination…miraculously all four people involved were able to return to their jobs and continue to lead normal lives. Recipe follows below.
Do you have a similar story to share to make me feel better? I’m sure everyone has tons more favourite PB recipes for us to get our fix– please share them with fellow HouseGirls!
Peanut buttery links
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Gourmet Peanut Butter – so good its X rated! http://www.pbloco.com/adult_pb.asp
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http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/ Visit Peanut Butter and Co – a whole shop dedicated to the glorious stuff! I soo want to go to New York right nowwww.
National PB Day – January 24th and March is national Peanut MONTH!!! – I guess National is referring to the USA but I don’t see why that shouldn’t apply globally.
Chewy Peanut Butter cookies Recipe (makes about 32)
After a few overdone and underdone batches ours came out perfectly done when put in the top shelf at 190 degrees for about 10 minutes but those ovens do vary so much as we all know. Also as I mentioned, most recipes recommend you using baking powder and so on but they seemed to come out fine with the combination of self raising and plain flour.
We just used a mug from the cupboard for all our measurements and I guess it would work the same with any averagely sized mug. The reason we had to resort to such slightly primitive methods was cos we were staying at a friends holiday flat – so no decent utensils or recipe books and things and I couldn’t remember a word Bill Granger had said either.
Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
2/3rds cup granulated sugar
150g Butter
1 cup Peanut Butter
3/4 cup plain flour
½ Cup self raising flour
2 eggs
big bar milk chocolate chopped
half a bag of Peanuts – Salted
Cream Sugar with Butter, mix in eggs, mix in peanut butter, add flour gradually and give it all a good mix. Add Choc chunks and peanuts. Leave in fridge to firm up for at least half an hour (I know the waiting is torture). Roll heaped teaspoonfuls in to balls and flatten slightly onto baking tray. Bake at 190 for 10 mins. Lock door, pull curtains.
HouseGirls 
