Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Pie

Ice cream pie has been a favorite dessert of mine for as long as I can remember. It is simple to make, absolutely delicious and looks pretty too. There are so many options, crushed thin mint crust with mint chocolate chip ice cream or graham cracker crust with caramel praline ice cream and drizzled with a warm caramel sauce...I mean you really can't go wrong with any combination. But this right here might be my very favorite! And it doesn't hurt that New Zealand has the creamiest dreamiest ice cream I've ever had.

1 package Oreos
6 Tbs butter, melted
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Hot fudge ice cream topping
Whipped topping

Use a food processor to chop the Oreos into crumbs, or put in a large ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin. Reserve a few cookies to garnish each serving with. Mix melted butter with crushed Oreos then press firmly into a pie dish. Soften (but don't melt) ice cream in the microwave (or leave on counter while preparing crust), then scoop into crust and spread evenly around. Cover the pie with aluminum foil and freeze for 3-4 hours. When ready to serve, slice pie and put on plates. Drizzle each serving with hot fudge, a dallop of whipped topping and a single Oreo.

Brownie Mousse Parfait

I know I say this about every dessert I post, but this really is one of my all time favorites. Moist gooey brownie layered with a rich creamy chocolate mousse and topped with freshly whipped cream. It's just so decadent and just so delicious!

For brownies:
1 C butter, melted
½ C cocoa powder
2 C sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
2tsp baking powder
1 C chocolate chips (plus extra to garnish)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter, add cocoa, sugar, vanilla, eggs and beat all together with an electric beater until smooth.Add the flour, baking powder and chocolate chips. Stir together and pour into 9x12 glass baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes until the center is just set.

For the mousse:
1 large package chocolate pudding (or 2 small)
2 C milk
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on your level of sweetness)

Beat pudding and milk until thickened, refrigerate until set. Beat cream until soft peaks form, sprinkle in powdered sugar then beat until just blended. Fold a little less than half of the whipped cream into pudding then gently mix, reserving the rest to garnish on top.

To assemble:

Crumble brownies then layer brownies and mousse in either individual glass dessert cups, or a large baking dish. Top with remaining whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate chips.

 

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have my faithful go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that has never given me reason to stray away, but in an effort to try and eat a little healthier I thought I would give these a try. I know, I know, "healthy" and "cookie" don't really belong in the same sentence, but if I'm going to make cookies (which you know I will) I might as well add a little more nutrition to them. The oatmeal combined with the coconut adds such a delicious flavor and texture. These were a huge hit and made me glad that I decided to venture outside my familiar little chocolate chip cookie box. Before my kids were even done eating one they were already requesting that I make them again!

1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the egg, butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes. Add the oats, flour, coconut, baking soda and salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips, and stir until just combined. Using a 1/4-cup measure, form 12 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls and flatten slightly. Arrange on cookie sheet 2 inches apart then cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (if unchilled, cookies will bake thinner and flatter). Preheat oven to 350 and bake for about 11-13 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a cookie rack.

Source | Averie Cooks

 

Real Southern Peach Cobbler

I have developed a new found love for baking since we moved here, and although my family doesn't mind, my love handles do. I'm trying to really cut back on how much sugar I eat, I decided that I will go sugar free all week long then on Sundays when we have our family night I will treat myself to a slice of dessert. So if I only get one sugar a week, you better believe I'm going to be pretty particular about what I bake and make it worth every single last calorie. This is the first week and I knew exactly what dessert I was going to make. This Southern Peach Cobbler. I grew up in Georgia where they take their peaches very seriously. I mean, 71 streets in Atlanta are named "Peachtree". So this dessert always brings me home. But even if you're not from the South, this cobbler is sure to become a favorite in your home as well..

9-10 fresh ripe peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Topping:
2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
4 Tbs sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Peel, pit and slice peaches into thin wedges. In a large bowl, combine peaches, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a large baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl make the topping by combining the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Mix 4 Tbs sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle on cobbler. Bake until topping is golden and cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Source | Allrecipes.com

 

No Bake Cookies

These right here are my kryptonite. I can't help that they are so freaking good and so freaking easy. I can, however, help that I always happen to have the ingredients on hand for whenever the craving hits. And it happens to hit quite often. You don't even know how tempted I am to pause typing this right now to go whip up a batch. These aren't a novel concept, this recipe has been around for ages but it is definitely one I want for our family recipe book because I have a feeling when my daughter goes off to college she'll be making plenty of batches of these!

2 C sugar
½ C butter
½ C milk
3 Tbs cocoa powder
3 Cups oats
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then set the timer for 6 min and continue boiling, stirring regularly (if it isn't cooked long enough then they will be gooey, if it is cooked too long they will just crumble and fall apart. Six minutes is my magic number, but if they still seem a little gooey you can return the cookies, oats and all, back to the pan and cook for another minute or two). Remove from heat and mix in cocoa, oats and vanilla. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper and let cool.

 

Sugar Cookies with Whipped Buttercream Frosting

I'm a bit of a sugar cookie snob. They have to be perfectly buttery and flakey, not too dense, too chewy, too sweet or too crunchy. And then of course there's the frosting. The cookie and frosting have to compliment each other perfectly and this right here is a divine cookie matrimony. These right here are perfection and with sugar cookie season upon us I use every excuse possible to make them.

Cookies:

1 C real butter (room temperature, but not too soft)
2/3 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 ½ C flour
½ tsp salt

Cream together sugar and butter, then add vanilla and egg. Mix flour and salt then add to creamed mixture. Ball together and refrigerate for 30 min-1 hr (it may be a little crumbly, but after being handled the butter softens and makes it easier to work with). Roll out dough about ½ in. thick and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Frosting:

6 Tbs butter
2 C powdered sugar
6 Tbs heavy cream
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla

Whip butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and salt, continue beating on high speed as you add cream and vanilla. Add more powdered sugar or cream if necessary until desired consistency is reached. Add food coloring if desired, then mix well.

*source: Cookies: Chelsea Figgins, Frosting: My own trial and error

 

Best of 2014

Happy New Year! We rung in the new year on a beautiful secluded beach in Golden Bay here on the South Island of New Zealand. It was perfect in every way. We're headed off to explore a little of the North Island in a few days (thank goodness for scheduled posts :), but I just wanted to check in and tell you thank you for all of your support these past few months. I've really enjoyed starting up this blog again after such a long break. I am so excited to have all our family recipes in one place and I've loved the chance I've had to share our favorite dishes with you, because I believe all good things deserve to be shared. I know this is just a tiny little small time blog in a world that's over saturated with big time recipe blogs, but I've enjoyed sharing this little space with you. I've appreciated all of your kind words, thoughtful comments and positive feedback, it means a lot. Here's a little recap of the most popular recipes from the past year (well, technically like the past 4 months, but you get the idea), along with my own personal favorites (which is really hard to do because every recipe on here is my favorite, other wise I wouldn't be posting it). I wish you all a wonderful and delicious new year!

Main Dish

Most Popular: Slow Cooker Sour Cream Chicken

My Favorite: Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Soup

Most Popular: Lion House Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

My Favorite: Tomato Bisque Soup

Appetizer

Most Popular: Giada's Fried Ravioli

My Favorite: Hot Pizza Dip

Salad

Most Popular: Potluck Pasta Salad

My Favorite: Craisen Spinach Salad with Candied Almonds and Citrus Vinaigrette

Side Dish

Most Popular: Broiled Cheesy Garlic Bread

My Favorite: Cowboy Caviar

Breakfast

Most Popular: Kneader's Cinnamon Syrup

My Favorite: Glazed Cinnamon Scones

Dessert

Most Popular: Pizookie Bars

My Favorite: Chocolate Eclair Cake

Puff Pastry Donuts

We used to love making homemade donuts using Pillsbury Grand's biscuits. Add that to the list of things we can't get here and another mission to find something to replace it. I tried a few different recipes from scratch and I must be a donut delinquent because they were all too time consuming and never turned out the way the picture looked. When I came across this recipe it was like the heavens opened and angels began to sing. Not only do we have puff pastery, but it is super quick, super easy and super delicious. Little dream puffs on a plate is what these are.

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry. Cut circles out of puff pastry using two different sized circle cookie cutters, a larger circle for the outside and a smaller circle for the center. Fill a large pot with an inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Cook donuts and donut holes in hot vegetable oil, flipping when one side is golden. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, milk and vanilla to make glaze. While the donuts are still hot, dip them in the glaze.

*Source: Six Sister's Stuff

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

When my husband and I were poor newly wed college kids we had a job taking care of the sweetest twin disabled girls. It was such a rewarding experience in so many ways. Their family quickly became our family and so many times we would show up to take the girls out and their mom would have delicious homemade goodies waiting for us. These were my absolute favorite. Fifteen years later and they still are. I think of them every time I make them and am grateful for the wonderful people that I've had in my life. And when those wonderful people happen to be amazing bakers, it's just an added bonus :)

3/4 cup butter, softened
½ c sugar
1 c brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ c flour
2 c oatmeal
1 egg
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter

Frosting:
3 c powdered sugar
1 ½ Tb cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs milk

Preheat oven to 325. Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar and egg. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt then mix into butter mixture until smooth. Press dough onto greased 9x12 pan. Bake for 15-17 min, or until light brown and fluffy. Let cool. Then spread peanut butter evenly on top. For frosting, combine all ingredients then whisk in milk until desired consistency is reached then spread on top of the peanut butter.

*Source: Ann Gonzales

 

Warm Apple Crisp

Be still my heart. There is just something about warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream melting on top that just makes my heart flutter. And this right here is the best one I've had. I have a very exclusive recipe file and there's only room for one apple crisp recipe and for the last several years this one is it (I just wish I could remember where I originally got it from, sorry there's no source). This is the dessert I usually make when we have guests over for dinner because it makes a lot and is a definite crowd pleaser.

10 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, nutmeg and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream.

*Source: Unknown

Marshmallow Popcorn

I mentioned earlier that there are a few neighbor Christmas gifts that have really stood out over the years. The first is this Cheddar Ranch Cheese Spread and the next is this marshmallow popcorn. I never did get the recipe from our neighbor, but I found one that was pretty similar when I was feeling the craving for this sweet, ooey gooey marshmallow dream. So if you're still desperately trying to come up with a last minute neighbor gift this is your answer. It's delicious, quick, inexpensive and easy to make in large batches. Or if you want to make a big batch for yourself to inhale while watching Elf for the fifth time, by all means. I won't judge.  

1 bag mini marshmallows
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Pop popcorn and place in a bowl. Add the marshmallows, brown sugar and butter in a separate microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, or until it is melted and smooth, mixing every 30 seconds. Poor over the popcorn and mix well

*The marshmallows here come in a mix of pink and white, but you could always add food coloring for a fun pop of color

*Source: Oh Sweet Basil

Salted Caramel Apple Dip

Caramel and apples go together like peanut butter and jelly, like macaroni and cheese, like Will and Kate. They're just made for each other. I've never had much luck making caramel apples (I can never get the caramel to stay on!), but this dip, now this is something I can do. There is something about this sweet and salty homemade caramel sauce that is just divine. It's a perfect gift for teachers or neighbors or make a batch then store it in your fridge for up to a month (although I can guarantee it won't last that long) so that you can grab it out for a quick snack with apples, or to drizzle on ice cream or even french toast. Also perfect for these amazing gourmet apple slices. The options are endless!

1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ tsp salt

In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water and stir over low heat for 6-9 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil. Cover the saucepan and let the syrup boil for 2 minutes. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil the syrup while stirring regularly for 5-7 minutes until it turns a dark caramel color. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Gently stir until the butter is melted then whisk in the cream, vanilla and salt. Let cool to thicken then serve. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Reheat on low power in the microwave or in a saucepan, adding a tablespoon or two of water if the sauce is too thick.

*Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Peanut Butter Truffles

Forget the food pyramid, I think I could easily survive the entire holiday season on these truffles and this toffee alone. Which is probably why it's a good thing that Christmas only comes once a year.  But really, they taste like Reese's peanut butter cups and are pretty much fail proof, which is reason enough to come back to them year after year after year. The truffles have been made, Christmas season can now commence.

½ cup butter, room temp
¼ c light corn syrup
 2 c peanut butter
2 c powdered sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a large bowl combine butter, corn syrup, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Beat together until smooth and whipped, about 3-4 minutes. Roll into balls (about 1 rounded tablespoon) and refrigerate for about an hour. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips for 30 second intervals, stirring in between each one, until smooth and glossy (about 1 ½ minutes). Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Dip each ball in chocolate, use a spoon to lift it out then gently tap the spoon on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate. Use a butter knife to slide the truffle off the spoon and onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (if desired) and refrigerate until chocolate is hardened. (Any excess chocolate that pooled at the bottom can be snapped off)

*Source: unknown

 

{Guest Post} Molasses Sugar Cookies

I have loved having my sister contribute on here as a guest. She really is such an amazing cook and such an inspiration to me in so many ways. After a little coaxing and encouraging, I convinced her to start up a recipe blog of her own. I'm excited to take a sneak peak into her daily kitchen, it somehow makes me feel more connected to her on the other side of the world. So be sure to check out her site Six Little Chefs, I promise you won't be disappointed! Thank you, Janessa, for sharing your recipes with us, these cookies look amazing and I can't wait to try them!

I think a good cookie has three factors. The chewy inside factor, the crisp outside factor and the crackle factor. I don't know why the crackle factor is important, but that visual image makes the cookie taste better. It just does. This molasses sugar cookie nails all three factors perfectly! Pour up a glass of milk or a cup of hot chocolate and dunk away!

1 1/2 cups shortening
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt

 Melt the shortening. Add sugar, eggs, and molasses, beat well. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together and add to the liquid ingridents. Mix well and chill 3 hours or overnight. Form into walnut-size balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes. Store in an airtight container to keep from getting overly crisp. If they do lose their softness, an easy way to restore it is to place one slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies for a couple of hours or overnight and they will be soft again!

*Source: Allrecipes

Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Okay, you have to promise me one thing. You will make this pie at least once in your life. But I have to warn you, once you do it will consume your thoughts and leave you craving it for at least a week. It is so silky smooth and creamy and your natural reaction will be to close your eyes and savor every bite with a half smile on your face, just like they do in those cheesy commercials. I know it's too late for Thanksgiving, but I can guarantee you'll reach rock star status if this shows up on your Christmas dinner menu!

Crust:
2 cups crushed graham crackers (or malt biscuits if you're a kiwi cook)
⅓ C melted butter

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together then press into a 9 inch pie pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Filling:
2 C milk (2%)
1 C heavy cream
¾ cup white sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp vanilla
 2-3 bananas

When the crust is cooled, slice bananas in a single layer on the bottom. Then for the filling, pour the milk and cream into a microwave safe bowl and scald by microwaving it for 3 1/2 minutes, place a wooden spoon in the bowl to prevent boiling. In a large pot on medium heat, combine the scalded milk, sugar, flour and salt and whisk together over medium heat until well combined. Continue to whisk until the sauce starts to thicken up to create a pudding like texture then reduce heat to low. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and add in a tablespoon of pudding mixture and stir in order to temper the eggs and avoid any curdling. Add in a few more tablespoons, stir then add it into the pudding. Continue stirring over low heat for a few more minutes then remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla and mix until well combined. Pour the pudding over the sliced bananas then cover and chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Topping:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
¼-1/2 C powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
shaved chocolate

Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until well combined. Spread on top cooled pie and garnish with shaved chocolate, then slice and serve.

*Source: bsinthekitchen

Classic English Toffee

This is one of my all time favorite holiday treats. Years ago my sister and I would get together around the holidays and spend an entire day baking up a storm with little babies crawling around our feet. Thousands of miles separate us now, but I still make this every year and I still think of her every time I do. It is so simple to whip up yet looks fancy enough to pass out as gifts. And lets not even start with the buttery crunchy goodness covered in chocolate, because I may just have to pause and go make another batch. Especially considering that the batch I made today disappeared in approximately 5.2 minutes. I can't take all the blame, I was surrounded by happy faces stuffing their mouths too. Merry Christmas, and a very happy toffee to you too!

1 c real butter
1 c sugar
2 Tb water
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Line a 9x13" baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Mix butter, sugar and water and stir constantly over high heat until it starts to turn a caramel color, about 5-7 minutes from the time that it starts to boil. Pour into prepared baking dish. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top and spread with a spoon until melted and smooth. Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate until cool, then pull ends of aluminum foil up to remove toffee from the dish and break into pieces. And then try to resist eating the entire pan by yourself.

 

{soft and chewy} Gingerbread Men Cookies

Decorating gingerbread houses was just something you did on the holidays. The kids fought over the candy, the houses fell apart, the kids lost interest about halfway through, the kitchen looked like a tornado had hit and then we were left with half eaten gingerbread houses sitting on our counter top for a month. There are plenty of things I look forward to during the holidays, but decorating gingerbread houses just wasn't one of them. Last year I decided to shake things up. Instead of houses I decided that we should make gingerbread men cookies and it was the best decision ever. They are much less time consuming, the kids love being able to decorate their own and love even more that they can eat them. Unlike the gingerbread houses, these don't just look good, they actually taste amazing! This will definitely be a tradition we'll carry on and the kids are more than thrilled about that! A friend had mentioned that one of her neighbors would give these out as neighbor gifts, a cookie for each person in the family and then frosting and candies to go with it so that they can decorate their own. What an awesome idea!

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon,
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla then mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight (this is recommended, but I've also made them immediately and they've turned out great). Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes or until edges of cookies are just set. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack then cool completely before decorating.

*Source: Allrecipes.com

Pizookie Bars

I die. I want to kiss whoever invented the pizookie. It was the only reason I'd wait in line for over an hour at Oregano's. And it was worth every minute. I had been craving it so I took matters into my own hands. I kept seeing cookie bars pop up on pinterest so I used that idea to create this recipe using my favorite cookie dough, the filling from my favorite peanut butter truffle recipe and our homemade chocolate sauce, then added a pizookie twist. The results are out of this world. I made this twice in one week because we couldn't get enough. I don't even want to know how many calories I ate that week, but I don't regret a single one!

For the cookie:
3/4 C butter, room temp
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 C brown sugar
2 1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
1 ½ C chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
 ½ tsp salt
2 eggs
For the filling:
1/8 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
For the sauce: 
½ C cream
1 ½ C chocoloate chips

Preheat oven to 350. For the cookie dough, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar, vanilla and eggs until smooth. Sift flour, baking soda and salt then add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips then press half the dough into the bottom of a greased 8x9 inch baking dish. For the peanut butter filling, beat together corn syrup, peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth then spread across cookie dough. For the chocolate sauce, heat cream in sauce pan over med-high heat, but don’t let it boil. Turn off the heat then whisk in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour on top of peanut butter layer, reserving some to drizzle on top of each serving. Crumble remaining cookie dough on top until it is evenly covered then press lightly. Bake for 25-30 min or until center is just set. You don't want to overcook it, it's better when it's a little gooey. Allow to cool slightly then cut into squares and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of reserved chocolate sauce.