… Except my face, from boredom, from being inside, because currently it’s -5 degrees outside (with wind chill! The ! is there because the weatherpeople always seem to be so damned cheery about it).
Just kidding. I think my face is melting because I just received a crown, and heavy is the head that… ugh. Ok, it was the dental procedure kind of crown. Part one, actually (yes! There’s a PART TWO!). I now have a temporary crown, which is this strange, cemented plastic block that’s been stuck up into my molar. This mass is inserted by what can only be described as an upsettingly, painfully loud miniature airplane engine that zooms in and around the inside of one’s mouth for about as long as it takes to fly from here to Bermuda. Oh Bermuda. Would that I had spent my hard-earned nickels on a trip to Bermuda, instead of on this extremely expensive procedure. Sigh.
So what have you been doing to pass the time in this mind-altering cold? I’ve been binge-re-watching The Wonder Years. In fact, I’ve watched so many episodes that something finally occurred to me the other day…
Yes, that’s a five year old me on the left, also known as Brown Female Kevin Arnold. How I did not put this together earlier, I will never know. I suppose there are worse beloved television characters one could be compared to but…
I’ll let you finish laughing at me. Done yet? Come on. Ok, moving on. I know that it’s Friday, the 13th of February, and that that probably means some of you are expecting something either very spooky or very romantic. However, given that I am currently nursing a bit of a headache (see: airplane in mouth) and am also so over V-day stuff (the chocolate selections this year are kind of meh, no?), we’re going to go with something sweet, silly and cute, because I, for one, need some cheering up after this week.
Melting Snowmen (makes 20 cookies)
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
For the cookie
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
3 tablespoons of milk
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
For the glaze
3/4 cup of white chocolate chips
10 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Brown and orange sprinkles
To start, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Place peanut butter cups in the freezer (I’ll explain). In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on high, until fully mixed. Add in sugars, baking powder and baking soda, until combined, taking care to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add in egg, milk and vanilla until incorporated, and then add in flour until batter forms.
Shape dough into twenty equally-sized balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 9 to 11 minutes (took me ten), just until the edges of the cookie are set and firm. Set aside to cool.
For the glaze, melt white chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl (I used the microwave- 1 minute at a time, stirring after each go until fully melted). Place cookies on a cool surface, then use a rubber spatula or butter knife to spread melted chocolate on cookies. Remove peanut butter cups from freezer and, with a small knife, cut each cup in half and place on cookie, wherever you’d like the top to be. Add sprinkles for eyes and nose, if desired. I had to use more white chocolate tinted with food coloring, because I just couldn’t bear going back out in the cold, and also because I kind of just wanted to eat these damned things already. Would definitely recommend springing for orange sprinkles.
Mine look pretty jacked up, I know. They kind of look like melted snowbirds, which is sad, but also kind of artsy and beautiful, no? No, I get it. It’s just sad.
More importantly, how did they taste? Oh, they were totally delicious. The cookie was so soft, chewy and peanut-buttery, and not too sweet. I purposely cut the sugar in the cookie because I knew the glaze would be packed with sweetness, and it worked out just perfectly. Highly recommended as a fun, cold-weather treat.
Sad Shibow 