Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes for 2 #RecipesforTwo

What’s better than chocolate lava cake? Chocolate lava cake with warm, melty peanut butter sauce in the middle. Seriously you guys – this is what dreams are made of.

We fell in love with lava cakes after a cruise a few years ago and they’ve since become my go-to special occasion dessert. And this one is freaking amazing. If you’re a chocolate-peanut butter fiend like me, you will love this! That melty peanut butter is really something special.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it makes just two little cakes – perfect for Valentine’s Day, an anniversary or any other occasion where you want something special for a smaller crowd. The recipe can, of course, be scaled up to make more – but sometimes it’s nice to have something already sized for two!

 

Peanut Butter Lava Cakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes
(adapted from The Cookie Rookie)
Serves 2

2 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
6 oz. German Baking Chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp. powdered sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg + 1 egg yolk
Pinch salt

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray two ramekins with non-stick spray. Combine 1 1/2 tsp. flour with the cocoa power and coat the inside of the greased ramekins with it – shake off any excess.  Place prepared ramikins on a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine 4 Tbsp. butter and the chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for a few minutes to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth.

Using a stand mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and salt on medium-high for about three minutes, until the mixture is think and pale yellow. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate until no longer streaky. Fold in the flour and mix until smooth.

Use 2/3 of the batter to fill the ramekins, then place half of the peanut butter mixture on top of each ramekin. Cover the peanut butter with the remaining batter.

Bake for 14-16 minutes – the top should be set but the cake should still have a little jiggle. Let sit for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes

Need more ideas for Valentine dishes for two? Here are some great ideas!

Savory

Sweet

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Sheet Pan Pancakes

Sheet pan pancakes are my new favorite thing.

My three year old is completely obsessed with pancakes and requests them nearly every other day. We’ve been obliging him – but the thing that drives me mad is the timing of them.

He is, of course, starving so he’ll get the first pancakes out of the pan. By the time I’m done cooking up the batter, he’s polished off his plate and is itching to go play.  The genius of sheet pan pancakes is that everyone’s pancakes are done at the same time so we can all actually sit down and eat together. It’s kind of awesome.

And since it’s National Peanut Butter Day, I thought I’d share this peanut butter-y version (with compliments to PB’s bff, chocolate).  Need some more peanut butter inspiration to help you celebrate today? I’m linking up with some other bloggers to bring you lots of fun options!

Peanut Butter Day Recipes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Sheet Pan Pancake

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Sheet Pan Pancakes
(adapted from Recipe Girl)
Serves 10-12

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a half-sheet baking sheet with baking parchment, using enough that it hangs over the edges slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla until it is well combined and the peanut butter is all incorporated. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out to fill the pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until puffy and cooked through.

Remove from the pan using the sides of the parchment to lift. Cut into squares and serve with syrup, if desired.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Sheet Pan Pancakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies #Choctoberfest

Note: I received complimentary products for this post. All opinions are my own.

One thing I love about #Choctoberfest is getting to know some new brands – like Davis Chocolates I showed off the amazing Cocktail Sticks on facebook last night, but they also sent these awesome (organic!) peanut butter baking chips  – and I knew they’d become cookies.

These cookies are so, so fabulous. They’re rich and chocolaty without being overly sweet – and then you bite into the pockets of chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips. It’s just seriously yum. I brought these to a meeting and as we were packing up at the end everyone was grabbing “just one more” – always the sign of a good cookie!

ChocolatePBCookie2

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
(a Kate’s Recipe Box original)
Makes about 3 dozen 2″ cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips (I used Davis Chocolate Organic Peanut Butter Baking Chips)
1 cup chocolate chunks

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until just combined. Fold in peanut butter chips and chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet at bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and then let cool for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can see today’s other #Choctoberfest recipes here:

Kids in the Kitchen: Sweet Potato Banana Muffins

Today, I’m kicking off a series of kid-friendly recipes – ones they’ll be able to help make and like to eat. I generally get a lot of questions about how I incorporate Jake into the cooking process. There’s nothing really earth-shattering about my approach: I just let him jump in wherever he can. Yes, it’s sometimes a mess. Yes, we have plenty of over-mixed muffins. But, he’s learning – and that’s important.

These mini muffins are a great place to start if you want to get your kids involved in the kitchen. They’re super simple and come together quickly. These definitely ebb on the healthier side of muffins – if your little one has a big sweet tooth, try mixing in 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.

Kids can:

  • Mash the sweet potato & banana
  • Help measure ingredients
  • Mix
  • Help spoon the batter into muffin wells

Adults will need to:

  • Crack eggs
  • Put the muffins into the oven and take them out

SweetPotatoBananaMuffins

Sweet Potato Banana Muffins
(from The Lean Green Bean)
Makes 1 dozen mini muffins

1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Divide evenly between muffin wells.

Bake for 18 minutes.

 

Peanut Butter Apple Baked Oatmeal

I love apple season! We did a family trip to the orchard for some apple picking a few weeks ago and since then I’ve been making apple everything – applesauce, buttermilk custard apple pie, and this oatmeal were the first few kitchen projects post-trip.

This oatmeal was great – and just screams fall to me!

BakedPBAppleOatmeal

 

Peanut Butter Apple Baked Oatmeal
(from Two Peas and Their Pod)
Serves 6

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 apples, diced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, applesauce and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the oats and stir to combine.

Add in the peanut butter and mix until well combined. Fold in apples.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until set and golden. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

This pie, you guys, this pie.

I whipped this up for my husband’s birthday and I’m pretty sure it was more well-received than any cake I’ve made him. It’s hard to argue with creamy peanut butter, chocolate and an Oreo crust. If you’re a chocolate-peanut butter lover like me, you need to make this ASAP. It’s really just that good.

PeanutButterChocolatePie

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
(from Kevin & Amanda)
Makes 1 pie

1 package Oreos
1 cup butter, divided
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter, divided
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Crush the Oreos in a food processor or with a rolling pin. Stir together with 1/2 cup melted butter. Press into a pie pan or spring form pan. Freeze for 10 minutes or until set.

While the crust is in the freezer, beat together the remaining butter, 1 1/2 cups peanut butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar, until smooth and creamy. Spoon into the crust and gently smooth. Place back in the freezer.

In a heat-proof bowl, add the chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter.

In a saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Let stand for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Pour over the peanut butter layer and smooth out. Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour before serving.

 

S’mores Fudge

I’ve been in full-on declutter mode lately. My closet got a thorough purge a few weeks ago. Jake’s clothes got a big reorganization with all of his now-too-small things packed up into space bags into the basement. And this week, I’ve been working on the refrigerator and pantry. There are a lot of things I just need to use up (or accept that I won’t and throw them out).

I realized I had two, half-full containers of chocolate icing the other day. Which automatically meant I needed to try another version of the Reese’s fudge I posted last week. And in the pantry, I found some white chocolate peanut butter and leftover ingredients from the S’more Pizza. S’mores Fudge was the obvious choice. It came out delicious – Mark and I both agreed we liked this version better!

SmoresFudge

S’mores Fudge
(adapted from Reese’s Fudge)
Makes 1 pan

1 container chocolate icing
1 1/2 cups white chocolate peanut butter spread
Mini marshmallows
Crushed graham crackers

Line a small loaf pan with parchment.

Scoop the icing and spread into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and whisk until thoroughly combined. (Microwave in 15-second increments if it’s not melted enough.)

Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle mini marshmallows and crushed graham crackers over the top and press in slightly. Refrigerate for several hours before slicing and serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.