Hai, it's Beau! I made some sweet peanut buttery things!

We spent the weekend going to different farmers markets looking for local strawberries because we want to eat local or whatever and I needed strawberries for this dessert. HOWEVER, instead of finding strawberries, we were subjected to 100 degree heat, gross French Quarter smells,and a man who sold us a literal rotten peach. But! We got sunflowers! So everything was worth it cause now our kitchen table is cute as F.

We couldn't find local strawberries anywhere (wtf, nola?) so I had to settle on California strawberries from the grocery store. Lesson learned, quit trying to eat local.*

*Oh my god definitely not true please support your local businesses and food purveyors!

When I was like 8 years old and on the verge of having Type 2 diabetes, I had a special place in my heart for peanut butter cookies from the local shopping mall (shout out to Lakeside Mall! Your cookies literally almost killed me. Literally.) Even though you couldn't pay me to eat a mall cookie at this point in my life*, sometimes I still think about how peanutbuttery and salty sweet and chewy and gooey they were.

*Everything has a price tag.

This cookie brittle recipe takes that same chewy peanut butter cookie I grew up gorging on, and bakes them with peanuts, honey, and brown sugar, becoming this perfect chewy crunchy salty sweet peanutbuttery bed upon which you can pile whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate sauce, fruit, your depression, or your entire body.

I chose to top it with whiskey-roasted strawberries and coconut-milk whipped cream because I was feeling a little fruity. Also, I've been super into using coconut milk in desserts instead of dairy lately because it's makes me feel like I'm a healthy person. Except in my coffee. Lots of half n half in my coffee.

Oh oh oh! We also had the pleasure of getting #turnt and eating Israeli food with Molly and Graham! So much pizza dough pita and tequila. Much happiness. Have a good weekend, y'all!

Notes on this recipe:

Basically you're just making super simple peanut butter cookies and then crushing them up with some other stuff and then baking it all. It's v simple and you can really get creative with it by adding alternative ingredients.
I've included the recipe for the whiskey-roasted strawberries and coconut cream, but feel free to ignore it and use whatever the hell you feel like. Just don't use cool whip plz it freaks me out.

Peanut Butter Cookie Brittle Cups with Roasted Strawberries and Whipped Coconut Cream

makes 8 (small) cups

1 cup peanut butter (not natural, use Jif or Skippy)
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar + 4 T + 4 T
1 large egg
3 T honey
3 T brown sugar
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2 pints strawberries, sliced thin
1/4 cup whiskey
2 5.4 oz cans coconut cream, chilled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, egg, 1 cup white sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Scoop small balls of the batter onto the baking sheet and press each ball down slightly with a fork. Bake for 7 - 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees and in a medium bowl combine the sliced strawberries, 4 T sugar, and 1/4 cup of whiskey. Pour the mixture into a baking pan or casserole dish (you want to use something with a lip so that the whiskey doesn't pour over into your oven) and place on the top rack to roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a heat safe container and store in the refrigerator until chilled, about 2 hours. You can store them wrapped in the fridge for up to a week, and actually, the longer it sits the more flavorful it gets!
Heat oven to 400 degrees for the next step (making the actual brittle).
Once the cookies have cooled, crush them up (reserving a few for garnish) into small bite-sized pieces and toss them with the honey, brown sugar, and roasted peanuts. Spread the mixture evenly over a baking sheet or in a skillet and place in the heated oven for about 8 minutes, making sure it doesn't begin to burn. Remove from the oven and scrape into a heat-safe bowl, set aside until cooled.
For the coconut whipped cream, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip together the coconut cream and 4 tablespoons of white sugar until slightly fluffy, about 5 minutes. It won't get quite as fluffy as regular whipped cream, but will still have some body to it. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
To assemble, simply press the cooled peanut butter brittle into a small serving dish, followed by a large dollop of coconut whipped cream, and some roasted strawberries. Garnish with part of a peanut butter cookie and serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Cookie Brittle Cups + Whiskey Roasted Strawberries (GF)