peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips

Yeah! It's National Peanut Butter Lovers Day. Now, who doesn't eat peanut butter straight from the jar? Not I!  So guilty of that!!  This reminds me of the time I came home from work and the nanny was watching the kiddies. They were 5 and 6 at the time, sitting on the couch watching TV with a Skippy peanut butter jar in between them and a few candy wrappers. They had that drunk or lethargic look on their face, ingesting spoonfuls of peanut butter. I was laughing inside while I had to set things straight... after all dinner was in the fridge. 

I especially love these cookies which is why I had to share. They are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. So enjoy this recipe, guys! It's a keeper.

peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 20 min | Total Time: 45 minutes | Makes 45 | Dairy Adapted from Martha Stewart
INGREDIENTS	INSTRUCTIONS
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup of chocolate chips	1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside. 2.  In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine. Mix in the chocolate chips. 3.  Pinch off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down each ball with a spoon or fork, flattening to a 1/2-inch thickness. 4.  Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

popcorn ice cream

I know its winter, the snow is still falling down, we are enjoying cozy family moments in front of the TV, maybe even snacking on a little ice cream or some nosh. Ice cream is the kind of treat we can all eat 365 days a year, 7 days a week. So when I crossed this dessert, I went for it!

Heston Blumenthal is a scientific culinary artist that has revolutionized the cooking industry. His UK restaurant, The Fat Duck, earned 3 Michelin Stars and was recognized #1 of the top 50 restaurants in the world in 2006.  A huge fan of his out-of-the-box techniques, and especially his mouthwatering desserts, his popcorn ice cream was one of his creations that got me thinking. After I crossed Yotam Ottolenghi's Popcorn Ice Cream in Nopi, I knew that this would be the next dessert to test out in my kitchen. The results were amazing! The crunch of the caramel popcorn complemented that creamy cool buttery popcorn flavor beautifully.  My kids and I finished the bin in less than an hour. Its the first time this winter I even explored my ice cream maker and I would do it again! Need I say more? TRY IT! You won't regret it!

Popcorn ice cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 25 min | Freezing Time 2-3 hours or overnight | Makes 1 quart  | Dairy  Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi
INGREDIENTS	INSTRUCTIONS
2 cups heavy cream 2.5 cups whole milk, divided 140 grams of popcorn kernels 4 tbsp of unsalted butter 5 egg yolks 1/2  cup  sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean TO SERVE Caramel popcorn or store-bought Cracker Jack Ground Pepper (optional) CARAMELIZED POPCORN 1/4 60 g cup of superfine sugar 1 1/2 tbsp corn syrup 1 1/2 cup of popcorn	Popcorn Ice Cream 1.  In a medium pot melt your butter on medium heat, pour your popcorn kernels inside and coat them thoroughly. Cover your pop and allow it to pop. This should take about 10 minutes total. 2.  Remove your popcorn from the pot, using the same pot, pour your cream, milk and vanilla bean or extract on low-medium heat. Stir your liquids for 5 minutes. Avoid boiling your custard. The point is to infuse that vanilla flavor. 3.  Take your hot liquid and pour it into your popcorn. Refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. 4.  Remove your mixture from the fridge and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a sauce pan. While the milk is being heated on medium heat, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. When milk is hot but not scalded, add a cup to the egg mixture and whisk vigorously. Repeat until you have no more milk/cream mixture.  5.  Reduce heat to low/medium-low. Cook your custard, whisking constantly, until the custard reaches 185°F on an instant-read thermometer and is thick enough to just coat the back of the spoon. Strain the cooked custard through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. 6.  Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until completely cool. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, churn for about 30 minutes. Freeze the custard for another hour to 2 hours.  7.   Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving. Serve with caramel popcorn and ground pepper to taste. Caramelized Popcorn 1.  In a medium nonstick pot, blend the superfine sugar and corn syrup for 6-7 minutes. Slowly swirling pan from time to time. Reduce heat to low-medium and add the popcorn. 2. Coat thoroughly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool on wax paper. Once cooled, break the popcorn caramel apart.

halva and ricotta stuffed figs

Create reasons to celebrate. Always... even if it's -20 outside, or you are stuck indoors due to the blizzard of the year. Today is Tu B'shevat, the birthday of the trees. This holiday is about celebrating the season of the earliest-blooming trees beginning a new fruit-bearing cycle in Israel.

We mark the day by driving up to the nearest forest and hugging lots of trees, just kidding... Essentially, this holiday is about getting together with family and eating symbolic fruits: figs, grapes, dates, pomegranates, and olives. It's also a festive opportunity to get creative with your dry-fruit cooking or baking. From date squares, fruit cakes, compotes to even Harosset Handpies, a personal creation.

Last Friday, I totally lucked-out when I crossed fresh figs at IGA. I knew the perfect recipe, BusyinBrookly.com's Halva and Ricotta Stuffed Figs. Halva is a flaky and dense tahini-based delicacy, not as common here in North America.

Did you know Halva is over 3000 years old? Its origin is debatable, some argue it's from India, The Balkans or even Turkey. There are hundreds of types of Halva, from marble, pistachio to plain vanilla and each culture has its own Halva. I love the ricotta-fig combo, that sweet tahini flavor rocks the palette. You can enjoy this fig treat for breakfast, snack, lunch... you get my drift.

Keep warm to all!

chewy chocolate chip cookies

I usually don't bake the same desserts twice... unless they are these cookies. This is one of my favorite chewy chocolate chip cookie recipes. I've been turning to this recipe time and time again for the past 10 years. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (for dairy-free substitute with Earth Balance)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) semisweet or white chocolate chips

Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed. Add the flour mixture; mix until just combined. 
3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop overflowing tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. If you make your cookies smaller bake them for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.