Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever!

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I have problems from time to time with high altitude baking since we live at almost 7000 feet here in Colorado Springs. Most of my cookies turn out fine, but every once in awhile, a cookie recipe will turn out a less than desired result... usually flat flat cookies. Such has been the case with my peanut butter cookies. However, not too long ago, I found this amazing peanut butter cookie recipe that works very well here in Colorado. Stock up on your peanut butter because this recipe calls for allot of peanut butter, but worth every bit. These cookies can be made with or without chocolate chips and they literally melt in your mouth... yum.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies(makes 4-5 dozen)
1 cup butter, softened2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar1 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs1 1/2 tablespoons milk1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt2 cups chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and peanut butter in large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and beat for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix briefly. While there are still spots of flour, add in the chips and mix until well combined. Let cookie dough set for a few minutes to firm up. Scoop tablespoon size balls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Criss-cross with fork dipped in water. Bake for 10-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes to firm before removing them carefully to the cooling rack. The cookies may look slightly underbaked, but will firm as they cool. 

I finally have all my ducks in a row!

Look at this... all the little duckies in a row on this fun baby shower cake...

The awesome customer that I did this cake for went to the Ducky Shop in Manitou (I didn't even know that one existed) and got these 8 little baby duckies to use on the cake, then sent me a picture of a "ducky" cake. She gave me my decorator's free license to design the cake I wanted, and this is what I came up with. 

I had lots of fun making mama ducky out of rice krispie treats...

and learning how to make gelatin bubbles...

Click here for a link to the tutorial for making gelatin bubbles.

and making pearlized fondant ball "bubbles"

My customer, Jeanene, called after the shower to let me know that the cake was a huge hit and that it tasted wonderful (fudge marble with chocolate mousse filling). One of the greatest joys of being a cake decorator is hearing positive feedback from your customers. Thanks Jeanene.

Opposites...chocolate and vanilla fondants...same design

 

Look at these two cakes... very similar, yet very different... like night and day. Chocolate fondant with vanilla buttercream dots on quilted pattern, and vanilla fondant, with chocolate dots on quilted pattern... interesting comparison.

Whipped cream icing... tastes great, but not a favorite decorating medium

Yes, whipped cream icing tastes great, especially for those who like a "lighter" taste, but sometimes it can be a real "bear" to decorate with... and I found out  last weekend that edible pearls and stabilized whipped cream are not a good combination. I had never used edible pearls with whipped cream icing before. I decorated the cake the night before since it was a Saturday morning wedding delivery. Everywhere where I placed a pearl, the stabilized whipped cream cracked slightly. Still don't know why that happened, but I will not use them again. I will stick to the dots. Whipped cream is also very unforgiving, and is hard to get on the cake smoothly. Needless to say, whenever possible I will stick with the buttercream, ganache, and fondant. Thank you. 

Cake was vanilla with lemon curd, and yellow with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, covered in whipped cream icing.

Arizona Wedding

Last week I went to my friend LaDelle's wedding in Glendale, AZ. She requested that I come and do her wedding cake, so... because I had very limited time, I prepared everything except the cake itself before hand, and packed it into 2 check-in bags, and off I went to the airport. I made sure everything was labelled ... icings, fillings, fondants, flour, crisco, etc. ... along with cake pans and business card in each bag. Yes, both bags were inspected, but at least everything arrived intact. I got to AZ about 8 PM on Tuesday night, baked the cake, went to bed around 1:30 AM, got up at 8 AM on Wednesday to start decorating, and finished the cake about 10 minutes before time to deliver the cake... with a little help from my new friend Sara, who wanted to observe me as I decorated. I had an enjoyable time at the wedding, visiting with old friends while cutting the cake and giving best wishes and congratulations to my dear friend. Thursday morning I got up a little after 4 AM, and off we went to the airport for my trip back home to CO. Thanks bunches to my friend Denise, for letting me take over her kitchen to decorate, and for cleaning up my decorating mess and cake pans that I left because I ran out of time. A quick trip, but glad I could be a part of LaDelle's special day.

The happy bride and groom... LaDelle and Phil

Cake was chocolate with fudge nut filling and chocolate buttercream, and yellow with cream cheese and raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream, all covered in chocolate fondant.

Satin ribbon with antique gold embellishment, quilted pattern with ivory dots, and fondant rope border

Peacock feathers included in fresh flower arrangement on cake top. Sahuaro Ranch Park (where the wedding was held), is known for its peacocks which roam freely throughout the park and roost on the roofs of the building at night.

Graduation cake for a chocolate lover...

This cake was chocolate with a chocolate mousse filling, and iced in chocolate ganache. I had made a cake similar to this one before, but not iced in the chocolate ganache. I used Minette Rushing's (Savannah Custom Cakes) ganache recipe for the first time, and it was absolutely fabulous. It was so easy to make, and to ice the cake with. It went on soooo smoothly. I will use it again and again. Here's the recipe:

1 lb. 8 oz. chocolate (I used the Ghirardelli's 60% double chocolate bittersweet chips)

3 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream

Put the chocolate chips in large bowl. Heat the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to boil. Pour over the chocolate chips, and let stand for a few minutes, then stir gently until the cream and chocolate are well incorporated and all of the chocolate has melted. You may need to use a wire whisk to gently stir the mixture at the end. Let mixture set overnight at room temperature and it will be ready to use.

Here is a link to Minette's You Tube video where she demonstrates making the ganache:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBZ3z4n7Fhc&feature=fvsr 

You can see how smoothly the ganache spread on...so easy to work with

For the diploma and flowers I used a mixture of 50/50 gumpaste and fondant and let dry over flower formers to get the curled effect. They are trimmed with a combination of gold glaze and gold highlighter dust.

The silhouette is done with flow-in buttercream. I first trace the design into the icing with a toothpick, then outline it with regular consistency buttercream. Then I thin out the buttercream with light corn syrup until it will flow into the design easily, using a #3 tip. 

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Hey friends,

If you're a follower of my blog and haven't had a chance to check out my new Facebook page, please go to https://www.facebook.com/cathyleavittcustomcreations and "like" it. Thanks to all of you who enjoy keeping up with my blog. I appreciate it!