Sunshine - Peanut butter comfort: recipes for breakfasts, brownies, cakes, cookies, candies, and frozen treats featuring Americas favorite spread

Copyright 2013 by Averie Sunshine

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Cover photo credit Averie Sunshine

Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-362-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62636-290-1

Printed in China

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: A Doughy Start
Breads and Doughy Recipes for Breakfast and Brunch

Chapter 2: No Baking, No Problem
No-Bake Bites, Bars, and Snacks

Chapter 3: For the Love of Bars
Baked Bars, Blondies, and Cake

Chapter 4: Calling All Chocoholics
Brownies, Bread, Cake, Fudge, and Candy

Chapter 6: Its Getting Chilly
Frozen, Chilled, Cold, and Creamy Treats

Chapter 7: Pinch of Salt
Savory and Salty n Sweet Snacks

Chapter 8: Spreading the Love
Frostings, Dips, and Sauce

Chapter 9: DIY Style
Making Homemade Peanut Butter

Chapter 10: Quickies
Five Recipes in Under Five Minutes

Acknowledgments

Thank you to:

Y ou! The first person I want to thank is you. You, the person who loves peanut butter as much as I do, and because of your love for peanut butter, you bought this book and I sincerely thank you! I hope you make the recipes, love them as much as I do, and take comfort in them. Nothing would make me happier than to know this book is not just collecting dust and that youre really using it, baking from it, and sharing treats with your loved ones, friends, and family and brightening their days. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to write this book and want to thank everyone whos helped, supported, and believed in me. I wish I could bake you something!

Blog readers and the online food blogging community that I have come to know and adore since 2009. You encouraged me to write a book; your support, nudges, and telling me that you wanted a book, all helped give me the courage to embark on this journey. I have made so many fabulous friends through blogging and I am pleasantly shocked, amazed, and simply grateful. Being able to meet and know others who love baking, cooking, peanut butter, and staring at pretty food pictures as much as I do is just the best. Thank you for reading my blog, Averie Cooks (www.averiecooks.com , formerly Love Veggies and Yoga) and for your support.

My husband Scott, who took our 5-year-old daughter, Skylar, to the park so many weekends and became Mr. Mom to her while I stood in the kitchen, cooked and baked, took pictures of peanut butter food all day long, and then sat at my desk all night writing about itI could not have written this book without you. You are the best daddy a little girl could have and the best partner I could ever hope for. Thank you for being a fabulous taste-tester and for gaining 10 pounds while I wrote the book. I know sampling each and every one of these light and low-cal recipes was hard work, but someone had to do it.

, and all those sprinkles. I love you so much, honey!

The Skyhorse team. Thank you for believing in me, my idea, and for allowing me to write this book. It has been the best, most fun, most rewarding, and most awesome experience of my life and I look forward to a long and happy relationship.

My grandmothers and my parents. You cooked, baked, and exposed me to lots of butter, sugar, and cream when I was growing up. There was never a shortage of baked goods and treats. You exposed me to home-cooked and home-baked food; you helped me discern the mediocre from the amazing and gave me a lifelong foundation for knowing what is good and what tastes good. My upbringing, and the thousands of hours I watched you stand in the kitchen cooking, have come full circle with this book. Who would have thunk.

My sister, Claire. We licked beaters, ate so much cookie dough and brownie batter straight from mixing bowls, and decorated Christmas cookies togethersometimes with more sprinkles per one-square-inch of cookie than should be allowed in three dozen cookies! I could not have asked for a better sister to eat after school snacks with or to share in the joy of helping mom roll up thousands of her caramels in little wax paper squares with.

Introduction

W hen I decided I wanted to write a cookbook, no one could have been more surprised than me. I wondered what I could lend to a sea of books written by those who are classically trained and have all day to make a certain kind of filling for a certain kind of cake for a recipe title that I cant even pronounce. Im not that cook and never will be. I wondered if there was value in sharing the recipes that I love and that I make for my family.

Or in sharing recipes that all just so happen to contain peanut butter in them.

Yes, every recipe in this book contains peanut butter, but not every recipe is blast-of-peanut-butter-in-your-face level of intensity. In some recipes, the peanut butter is subtle, almost imperceptible, and the value of using it has to do with binding a dough or keeping a cake moist. In other recipes you had better be a total stick-your-spoon-in-the-jar-fanatic because peanut butter is the star, big and bold.

Why write a book about peanut butter? Well thats easybecause I love it and always have. From my love of PB&J sandwiches as a child to many dinners of peanut butter and crackers (and yes, I spent an entire college career making meals out of peanut butter and crackers), I have always been fond of this wonderful and versatile spread.

In addition to its unmistakable flavor and creaminess, I love the satisfying feeling I get from scraping the last little bits out of a jar, the nostalgic comfort I have when I smell it; even the way it sticks to the roof of my mouth, lingers on my breath, and makes my fingertips peanut butter-scented no matter how many times I wash my hands after Ive touched it. Yes, peanut butter and I have had a long and wonderful relationship and I adore it.