Second semester has officially started and as much as I love my classes and internship at iHeartMedia, I didn’t realize how much I missed working in the kitchen! It really hit me when people started asking me when I was going to come back because they missed my desserts. WOW. I love that I’ve been given an outlet that makes other people happy. It’s the most joyful thing in the world to see students file in to the caf for lunch and swarm around the bakery to see what the daily special is and then come back again and again for more. So thank YOU for being such a special part of that process.
I am back and baking and couldn’t be more happy. This Friday was Valentines Day Eve so I knew exactly what my special needed to include: Chocolate. Duh. Then I thought of the next most related thing: Ohio. One of the greatest things about Ohio is buckeyes. For those of you who don’t know what Buckeyes are, stop reading this blog, get on a plane to Ohio and try a buckeye, then we can talk. 😉
Then I thought, hmm instead of just making Buckeyes, I’ll make brownie cookies and then smash a buckeye on top of them! (This is where all the sorority girls begin to snap) So there you have the history of what I like to call the “Buckeye Smashers”. 
For all you peanut butter lovers this one is for you. Enjoy the recipe and have a Happy Valentines Day! I LOVE YOU ALL and I’m so happy to be back and baking. 🙂
Buckeye Smashers
Ingredients
- 1 box fudge brownie mix (19.5 ounce or family size)
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 blocks (about 4 ounces) chocolate Candiquik
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat the brownie mix, butter, cream cheese, and egg. The dough will be a little sticky. Scoop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, making about 24 cookies.
- In a separate bowl, mix the powdered sugar and the peanut butter until combined. Form the mixture into about 1 inch balls. I used a little butter or melon scooper because you can just squeeze them out! Make sure you have one ball for each cookie. Set aside.
- Bake for the cookie dough 12 minutes, DONT over cook or undercook.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a peanut butter ball into the center of each cookie. The peanut butter mixture will soften slightly, but that is okay. If it doesn’t, I flattened them with my hands a little and placed them on top of the cookies. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the 4 blocks of chocolate in a microwavable bowl for 45 seconds. Stir the chocolate and melt for additional 15 seconds or until the chocolate is completely melted. Spoon about ½ a tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each cookie so it covers the peanut butter ball. Let the chocolate set. Store in an airtight container. ENJOY!
Love always,
Nicole #dostuff
