Potato Leek Soup

A little more than a week ago the groundhog saw his shadow, predicting at least six more weeks of winter. A couple of days ago came the first snowmaggedon forecast of the season. With the potential for ten to twelve inches of snow I decided I should go into savory comfort food making mode. The kind of food to warm you up after spending hours shoveling the snow. At the top of the list was soup.

One of my friends shared she had made some Potato Leek Soup last week. As I thought about what soup to make, I kept coming back to Potato Leek Soup. It's simple to make, unapologetically hearty, and creamy. All good things.

A large bowl of velvety Potato Leek Soup paired with a salad would make a perfect lunch or light dinner. It's the kind of soup destined to leave you feeling full, feeling satisfied. Two really good things. 

Leeks have a way of taking the humble potato to a new level of deliciousness. Many recipes for Potato Leek Soup call for either the use of Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes. More specifically they advise against the use of waxy potatoes as they break down more slowly and can render a glue-like texture to the finished soup. 

In general, most Potato Leek Soup recipes there will be a slightly higher proportion of potatoes to leeks. However, some prefer to have equal amounts of each while others call for a higher ratio of leeks to potatoes. This recipe used two pounds of potatoes (Yukon Gold) and one and a half pounds of leeks. 

Some Potato Leek Soup purists use only leeks and potatoes. This less classic version adds celery, garlic, and shallots to the mix. 

Use only the white and light green part of the leeks. Throw the dark green leafy portion away. After cutting the leeks lengthwise, rinse in water to remove any of the sandy soil lurking between its layers. Slice the leeks crosswise into thin half-moons. 

To bring out the most flavor of the leeks, cook them slowly without letting them brown. Sauté them over a low heat in either vegetable oil or butter along with the chopped celery and shallots for approximately 10-15 minutes or until they are soft. Add in the garlic and sauté for 45-60 seconds, long enough to release it's fragrance.

Add the chicken stock, potatoes, bay leaf, and springs of thyme. Bring first to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are knife tender.

Many Potato Leek Soup recipes call for pureeing it in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender. The use of any of those tools will contribute to a finished soup's gluey texture. To prevent this, remove the potatoes and put them through a ricer. This extra step is definitely worth the time as it will give the finished soup a richer, more velvety texture.

After removing the potatoes, the bay leave and thyme sprigs, process the soup in batches using a food processor, blender or immersion blender (I used a food processor) until it reaches your desired state of creaminess. Transfer the soup puree to a clean pot and add in the riced potatoes. Whisk in the heavy cream, season with salt and pepper, and reheat. The addition of heavy cream enhances the soup's flavor and richness. If  you want a slightly less rich soup, add in milk or additional chicken stock instead. Note: This is a very thick soup, so if you want a thinner soup, add a little more chicken stock.

After ladling the soup into bowls, finish with a drizzle of a good quality olive oil and a garnish some chopped chives. Then sit back, savor its' deliciousness, and enjoy the moment.

If there was ever a soup to warm your soul, especially on a cold, snowy winter day, it would be this utterly satisfying Potato Leek Soup. We loved this soup the day it was made, but we loved it even more the second day as the flavors even further developed. So when either the weather turns cold or you have a craving for soup, put this Potato Leek Soup on the very top of your list. It's comfort food for the soul.

Recipe
Potato Leek Soup (Several adaptations to the Potato-Leek Soup recipe in the cookbook 'Bon Appetit Y'All' by Virginia Willis.)

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil or unsalted butter
2 stalks celery finely diced
3 leeks (approximately 1 1/2 pounds), white and pale green parts only, well washed, halved, and thinly sliced into half-moons
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 quart (32 ounces) homemade or store bought chicken stock (low-sodium or unsalted)
1 fresh bay leaf
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste (Note: I used black pepper, but if you don't want the specks of pepper to show in the finished soup, use white pepper.)
Optional: Good quality olive oil and/or chopped chives for finishing

Directions
1. In a medium-large sized cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat oil or melt butter. Add the celery, shallots, and leeks. Cook until soft,  stirring occasionally, but not browned. Approximately 10-15 minutes. 
2. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (45-60 seconds).
3. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until the potatoes are knife tender (15-20 minutes). 
4. Remove the bay leaf and thyme. Discard.
5. Remove the potatoes and place in a bowl. Put the potatoes through a ricer. Set aside.
6. In a food processor or blender, pour in the remaining soup mixture. Puree until smooth. Approximately 2 minutes. Return soup to a clean pot.
7. Return the riced potatoes to the pureed soup mixture. Whisk in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat soup over medium heat until it's temperature ready to serve. Note: If the soup is too thick for your liking, add a little more chicken stock.
8. Ladle soup into bowls. Finish with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and chopped chives.
9. Refrigerate any leftover soup. It will be good several days.

(1) Could use Russet instead of Yukon Gold Potatoes in this soup. (2) If the texture of the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more chicken stock until it reaches your desired texture. (3) Paired with a salad, you have a perfect lunch and/or light dinner. (4) If you don't have a ricer, process the soup mixture in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. The texture of a blender finished soup may have a slightly gluey consistency.

Gray winter morning at Morton Arboretum (February 2018)

Cinnamon Rolls

For years I have yearned to make homemade cinnamon rolls. Tender dough swirled in cinnamon, topped with a creamy, gooey, slightly tangy cream cheese icing makes them comfort food irresistible. Convincing myself they were cumbersome and complicated to make, I put them on the list of 'maybe someday when I am ready'. Over the past couple of months the universe seemed to be sending me reminders of the promise I had made. Photos of drool worthy cinnamon rolls were popping up in my Instagram feed and recipes for them were in at least three of the last cookbooks I had recently purchased. It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the 'signs' more than subtly suggesting time had come for me to stop using 'maybe' as an excuse for not keeping a promise. When looking in the mirror, even my alter ego was telling me to stop playing the 'maybe' game. Either put the cinnamon rolls on the 'will definitely make' or 'will definitely not make' list. But don't let them stay in recipe limbo or turn into a cinnamon roll tease. 

Someday finally came this week. And you know what I discovered? I was wrong about believing Cinnamon Rolls were cumbersome and complicated to make. Don't get me wrong, they aren't easy, but they aren't exactly rocket science difficult either. All it it took was making them to realize my thoughts and perceptions about them were flawed. Denying myself as well as my friends and family the pleasure of enjoying a sweet, warm out of the oven, sinfully delicious, homemade Cinnamon Roll seemed to be for naught. But I am not going to whine about all the years of going without cinnamon roll bliss. Delirium has a way of making you see things differently. Trust me when I say these cinnamon rolls will have your head spinning and heart racing. And that's just from taking in their intoxicating aroma while they are baking.

I can't even begin to tell you how many cinnamon roll recipes I have looked at over the years. Too many. Up until I recently discovered the sweet dough recipe shared by Sarah Kieffer in her cookbook "The Vanilla Bean Baking Book", did my dough-making fears lessen. I would be lying if I didn't say I have always been a little intimidated working with yeast based doughs. They are one of those things I feel are a little outside of my baking comfort zone. However, this dough made me feel differently. Not only does it come together relatively quickly, it can (and probably should) be refrigerated overnight. Which means you don't have to get up at one o'clock in the morning if you want to serve fresh, hot out of the oven Cinnamon Rolls for a late morning breakfast or brunch. But more on the essentially no-knead dough making process later.

I had a good feeling about these Cinnamon Rolls even before they went into the oven. 

From the ingredients used to the assembly process, there are a number of variations to all of the cinnamon roll dough recipes out there. This one uses instant dry yeast (not rapid rise), honey (instead of sugar), eggs, whole milk, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and kosher salt. 

The dough is literally made in less than fifteen minutes. Which includes the time you need to assemble all of your ingredients. Once made it rests for a total of two hours before being refrigerated overnight. Over the course of the two hours of rising time, the dough is gently pulled up and rolled over itself every thirty (30) minutes. And that's it! Note: The dough could be used right away (after the initial 2 hour rise) if necessary, however, it is much easier to work with after it has been refrigerated overnight.

Whenever I make a batter or a dough for the first time, I put it through the 'taste test'. I take a bite of the raw dough. If it doesn't taste good, I know the final product won't either. But if it tastes good, even great, I know it will be even better when baked. This dough passed the taste test with flying colors. 

On a lightly floured surface it rolled out beautifully. 

Another one of the variations in the Cinnamon Roll recipes I had found was the filling. Some called for melted butter, some for room temperature butter; the amount of cinnamon ranged from a couple of teaspoons to two full tablespoons; and some used additional spices (e.g., nutmeg, cardamom). I knew I wanted these Cinnamon Rolls to have a strong, bold cinnamon flavor. One tablespoon of cinnamon didn't seem like enough and two tablespoons almost seemed to be too much. But rather than compromise, I decided to take a leap of faith and use two full tablespoons of cinnamon along with a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. It would now be hard to settle for a cinnamon roll made with one tablespoon of cinnamon after tasting these.

Remember how I told you that you didn't to get up one in the morning to have them ready for a late morning breakfast or brunch? Well that's still true. But after removing the dough from the refrigerator, you are about 3 and a half hours away from serving them. But it's not a labor intensive 3 and a half hours.

After rolling out the dough, slathering on the cinnamon sugar filling, cutting into 12 even pieces, and placing on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, the rolls are lightly covered with plastic wrap for a second rise. This time it's only ninety minutes and you don't have to do anything.

In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, the cinnamon rolls bake for 27-32 minutes or until the rolls are golden in color. 

Once out of the oven, the cinnamon rolls rest for only five minutes before the icing is lathered on. 

Like the recipes for the dough and the filling, there were also a number of variations for the icing. Some called for using only cream cheese, some called for using both butter and cream cheese. I decided to go with the 'more is better' and went with the butter/cream cheese option. 

If there was one thing I would change about the icing it would be making more of it. Either increasing the recipe by half or maybe even doubling it. 

One bite of these Cinnamon Rolls and I was in heaven. The dough was moist and sweet, the cinnamon flavor was just right, and the icing complimented the roll perfectly. You need to make them. The return on the investment of your time will be worth the risk of taking on your dough making, cinnamon roll making fears.

"If we wait until we are ready, we will be waiting for the rest of our lives." If I had waited until I was ready to make these Cinnamon Rolls, more than likely I would have never made them. Worse yet, I would have never experienced the thrill of making of them. Sure, the taste of them was beyond amazing, exceeding all of my expectations. But the process of making Cinnamon Rolls, well, words can't fully explain what that felt like.

Recipe
Cinnamon Rolls (Blended and adapted Cinnamon Rolls recipes from the cookbooks "The Vanilla Bean Baking Book" and "Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts")
Makes 12 

Ingredients
Dough
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup whole milk, warm (110-110 degrees F)
1/4 cup honey
4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
10 Tablespoons (142 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1 inch pieces

Cinnamon Filling
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons, 113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (172 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Icing
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons, 113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (113 g) confectionary sugar, sifted

Directions
Dough
1. Grease a large bowl with butter.
2. In a large measuring cup. combine the honey, eggs, and milk. Stir just until blended. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, yeast and salt. Stir on low speed to combine.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed just to combine.
5. With the mixer on low, add the butter, one piece at a time.
6. When all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and beat the butter into the dough until all the little butter pieces have been incorporated (approximately one minute).
7. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Note: The dough will be slightly sticky. You will need a spatula to scrape the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm place and let rise for 30 minutes.
8. Place your fingers or a spatula underneath the dough and gently pull the dough up and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl, repeat and fold again. Continue 6-8 more times, until all the dough has been folded over itself. Re-cover the bowl with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes.
9. Repeat this series of folding 3 more times, for a rise time of 2 hours and a total of 4 foldings. 
10. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours.

Cinnamon Filling
1. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
2. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until creamy. Set aside.

Icing

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and well blended (approximately 2-3 minutes).
2. Add the confectionary sugar and kosher salt. Beat until smooth, fluffy, and creamy. Transfer to either a small bowl or pastry bag. Set aside. Note: Recommend making the icing while the cinnamon rolls are baking. 

Assembly
1. Line a 9"x12" baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with butter. Set aside.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl, shape into a ball, set on a lightly floured surface, lightly top with flour, cover with a light weight towel and let it come to room temperature. Approximately 60-90 minutes.
3. Roll the dough out to a 16"x12" rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. 
4. Starting at the long side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam gently to seal it and positing the dough seam side down.
5. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Transfer the pieces to the prepared pan. Note: Cut off the uneven edges of the rolled dough before cutting them into 12 pieces.
6. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap, set in a warm place and let the dough rise until doubled (approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Note: My rising time was 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
8. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cinnamon rolls for 27-32 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until the rolls are golden in color. Note: My baking time was 32 minutes.
9. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let sit for no more than 5 minutes. Note: If you like your cinnamon rolls to have more of a crispy crunch to them, wait at least 15 minutes before spreading on the icing. However, would recommend spreading it on while still warm to create the softest, gooey-est cinnamon rolls.
10. Using an offset spatula or knife, spread the icing over each of the cinnamon rolls.
11. Serve immediately. 

Notes: (1) If like your Cinnamon Rolls slathered with more frosting, double the icing recipe. You won't be sorry. (2) The dough and icing recipes were adapted from "The Vanilla Bean Baking Book" and the cinnamon filling recipe was adapted from "Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts". (3) I used a 128 g per cup ratio when measuring the all-purpose flour. The original recipe called for a 142 g per cup ratio. (4) Instant dry yeast comes in granular form. Do not substitute rapid rise yeast for it. (5) If by any chance you have any left, cover them tightly and reheat for about 10 seconds in the microwave. The icing will melt a bit, but they will be warm bites of pure gooey deliciousness.

Images from the Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT (November 2017)

Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie a la Mode

This week's rare blue super moon seems to be causing me to so all sorts of strange things. Which might explain why I am having a rare week of self disclosure. In my last post I shared how complete strangers have come to influence my book and movie choices. Although I intentionally, I left out the role my friends play in these decisions to avoid crossing into too much information (TMI) territory. So here goes my next admission, one possibly showing a little less restraint. After almost a year of going to yoga three, four, sometimes five days a week I am still finding it challenging; I am pretty sure I am only marginally better than I was when I started; and, I continue to find yoga's underlying 'seek to be your best self, not seek to be THE best' philosophy to be incongruent with my competitive self. For all of the stretching, balancing, and 'how could that be humanly possible' poses my body has experienced over the last twelve months, one would think (or at least I think) I should have the strength and flexibility of someone at least half my age. Or at least have mastered the graceful and effortless flow of a handful of poses. But that hasn't happened....yet. I still hold out the semi-impossible expectation that one day it will. Yoga requires a relative high degree of concentration. But when I am dripping wet and on the verge of feeling pushed beyond my physical limits, I find my mind suddenly unable to translate yoga language (malansana, tadasana, trikonsana, supta baddha konasana, chataranga dandasana, and even shavasana) into English. You might wonder how I managed to earn a doctorate degree and not be able to have mastered the language of yoga no matter what. I am wondering the same thing! We are reminded in almost every yoga class to make it 'our practice'. In other words, there are no expectations. The only expectations and intentions are the ones you set for yourself. After spending nineteen years of my life going to school this philosophy continues to feel incongruent with the expectation messages permanently hardwired into my brain. More often than I should admit, I find myself assigning a letter grade during and/or after yoga. And it would be one of those grades I would have cringed at seeing if they ever appeared on a report card. So why would someone like me continue to religiously make yoga an almost daily practice? Well I suppose it's because (a) I am a glutton for punishment, (b) I believe the benefits of yoga, like the benefits of relationships, are endless with ongoing, continuous hard work, (c) I feel my running has benefitted, (d) I treasure the post-yoga coffee time with friends, and, last but not least, (e) I am unwilling to give up my love-hate-love relationship with it. What is it in your life challenging your body, mind, and spirit you don't want to walk away from either?

I believe if you make time for exercise in your life, you should reward yourself. Right? Yes, I know, the benefits of exercise are supposed to be THE reward. But don't we all deserve a little something more to refuel our energy levels? Like maybe something made with chocolate and peanut butter? Aren't they on the list of super foods?

This Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie a la Mode might just be one of those perfect rewards.

After seeing a photo of a chocolate peanut butter skillet cookie on Instagram last week, I set off on yet another down the rabbit hole recipe search. This time there were only dozens, not hundreds of recipes out there. All with a variety of chocolate and peanut butter ingredient variations. Some were made with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, some with cocoa and peanut butter, and some with chocolate chips and peanut butter. But there wasn't one saying 'pick me, I am the best'. The cocoa and peanut butter combination had the greatest appeal. However, most of the recipes I found didn't specify whether to use unsweetened or Dutch-processed cocoa. After doing a little more research on when to use unsweetened cocoa and when to use Dutch-processed cocoa, I decided probably either would work in this skillet cookie recipe. Instead of making two versions of this skillet cookie, I trusted my chocolate loving instincts and made it using unsweetened cocoa. While I can't tell you if it would be as good as or better using Dutch-processed cocoa, I don't need to know. Not after tasting this one. Swirling creamy peanut butter into the chocolate instead of mixing peanut butter chips chips into the batter made for a visually appealing skillet cookie. It definitely exceeded my eye catching expectations. The sprinkling of sea salt on top pushed this version into contention for the 'pick me I am the best' category.

More than likely you have all of the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator for this skillet cookie.If you needed a reason to justify why a box of unsweetened cocoa, a pint of vanilla ice cream, and a cast iron skillet are absolute necessities, it would be this Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie. Being able to make this warm chocolatey, peanut buttery skillet cookie whenever you wanted to wow your family and/or friends, have an impromptu gathering, were storm homebound, or simply had a craving for it might be some of them. Or simply having a bite might be reason enough.

The butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar are beaten until light and fluffy. It generally takes three to five minutes of beating at medium-high speed to achieve the perfect state of fluffiness. After beating in the egg and vanilla, the dry ingredients are mixed in only until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be very thick. 

After scraping the batter into a buttered 8" or 9" cast iron skillet, use an offset spatula or large tablespoon spoon to smooth the top. Then drop on small dollops of peanut butter. Use a butter knife to lightly swirl the peanut butter into the cookie batter. Be careful not to over swirl as you want streaks of peanut butter to remain visible. The finishing touch is a light sprinkle of sea salt. It's now ready to go into a preheated 350 degree (F) oven. Baking time ranges from 15-18 minutes.

The Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie is done when the edges begin to firm up but the center remains soft. You definitely do not want to over bake this cookie or wait until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. It will continue to bake in the skillet after being removed from the oven. Letting it rest for five minutes gets your cookie to the best of both cookie worlds eating experience place. Crunchy edges and a warm, slightly gooey center. 

You could serve this blissfully delicious Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie without scoops of vanilla ice cream, but why would you? Hold back on sprinkling miniature peanut butter cups if you really have to. But leaving out the vanilla ice cream would be akin to serving pancakes without butter, syrup, or jam. You could do it, but the eating experience would not be the same.

This is one of those desserts where you can pass out spoons, have everyone eat it directly out of the pan, and ultimately let there be a battle of the spoons for the final morsel. However, if you are worried about those who like to slowly savor their desserts not getting their fair share, you can spoon out the cookie into serving bowls and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Either option works!

There are so many reasons why cast iron skillets have been around since the late 19th century. However, if I haven't yet convinced you this dessert alone is worth purchasing an 8" or 9" cast iron pan for, maybe this Dutch Baby with Creme Fraiche and Mixed Berries or this Caramel Apple Dutch Baby ala Mode or this Savory and Hearty Frittata or this Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie would. 

You can more than satisfy the sweet tooth of up to six people with this Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie a la Mode. Although you would make four of your chocolate and peanut butter loving friends even happier if you didn't invite two more people to the table. 

If you are looking for an easy to make, slightly decadent, insanely delicious, destined to satisfy any chocolate and peanut butter lover dessert, make this Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie a la Mode. You might end up having a love-hate-love relationship with it but refuse to give it up. You can probably guess why.

Recipe
Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie a la Mode (inspired by multiple sources)
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
8 Tablespoons (114 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (128 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (23 g) unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, room temperature
3-4 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
Sea Salt for finishing
Good quality vanilla ice for serving
Optional: Miniature peanut butter cups for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Butter an 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In a medium-large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed using a hand mixer until light and fluffy (approximately 3-5 minutes).
4. Add egg and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixer. Beat to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the batter. Beat until blended and no streaks of flour remain.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to smooth and spread evenly.
7. Drop dollops of the creamy peanut butter on top of the batter. Use a butter knife to swirl it into the cookie batter. Lightly sprinkle the top of the cookie with sea salt
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the edges begin for firm up but is still soft in the center. Be careful to not over bake. 
9. Remove from oven and let the cookie rest for 5 minutes (the cookie will continue to bake during this time).
10. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle with miniature peanut butter cups, if using. Serve immediately Note: The Sea Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie is best served warm but is equally delicious served at room temperature.

Notes: (1) I used almost four tablespoons of creamy JIF when I made this skillet cookie. (2) If I was making this dessert on the east coast I would serve it with the vanilla ice cream made by Bliss. But since I am here in the midwest, I used Ben and Jerry's vanilla.

Little Compton, Rhode Island (November 2017)