(An actual photo of me after this weekend, wonky eyes included.)
We need to talk about Sally’s Baking Addiction. If you haven’t heard about her fabulous food blog, all you need to know is that it’s a treasure trove of recipes that will make your life a little better. Why? Because Sally McKenney is a genius, and everything, and I DO mean everything is delicious, and as far as I’ve tried, all the recipes leave nothing to be desired.
As a semi-professional recipe Googler, I have had my run-ins with seemingly glorious recipes that were presented alongside impressive photos of the decadent final product, only to be left with brittle homemade brownies that resembled and tasted like burnt cardboard dust held together with epoxy. See evidence below.
After an unfortunate spat with an ice patch that had it in for me, I spent my week looking for reasons to stay in the house and stay off my freshly busted knee, and obviously the most reasonable solution was to spend the hours on the hunt for the ultimate peanut butter cookie recipe. Let me tell you, the heavens have opened and peanut butter nirvana has been achieved.
If you’ve been living your life without a recipe for soft baked, super moist cookies that are stuffed to the gills with whatever goodies you love most, fret not. These cookies are the best ones I’ve ever made- without the signature hard topped, crumbly crunch that most peanut butter cookies have, but trust me, change is good. It is the melt-in-your-mouth, wake-up-at-1am- dreaming-about-them, need-to-make-a-trip-to-the-supermarket-to-purchase-ALL-the-peanut butter, kind of good. So good that my mom didn’t even get annoyed at me for using the semi sweet chocolate that was intended for a concoction of her own without asking–which is saying something.
Bite Sized Peanut Butter-Pretzel-M&M Cookies
Sally’s cookies had crushed pretzel and M&Ms inside, but I didn’t have either of those, so chopped up a bar of Ghiradelli’s semi-sweet chocolate, folded it into the dough and called it a day. I was not disappointed.
This was my end product and they lasted probably two whole days in my house before every single cookie had mysteriously vanished. The basic dough for these cookies can be made with or without anything stuffed inside, but where’s the fun in that? Give me chopped Snickers bars in my cookies, or give me death!
The best thing about Sally’s website is that she goes through the recipe process in a non-traditional step-by-step way, explaining why certain things are used in recipes to achieve a certain product, which I’ve found has helped me tweak other recipes that I’ve used in the past and not been 100% satisfied with. For example, using more brown sugar than white sugar helps baked goods retain moisture, and using a room temperature egg in your dough will help you achieve an even texture in every batch you make. She also gives you suggestions to alter her own recipes, which takes the guesswork out of getting creative in the baking arena, especially if your experience level is on par with mine- which is to say, everything I’ve learned came from my mother’s instruction and The Food Network. No formal training needed! Her recipes range from the simple side to the more complex, and her catalogue includes everything from breads to cakes and brownies, drinks (both alcoholic and alcohol-free) gluten free baked goods and things for those with dietary restrictions! It’s the best of everything, and I hope you spend your lunch break poring over every page.
Below are my favorites of Sally’s recipes that I’ve tried so far, and a few that I have planned for the next few weekends. Happy Baking!!
Reese’s Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
Blueberries N’Cream Danish Braid
Images via Sally’s Baking Addiction.
