Category Archives: Life

Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t really love peppermint. There, I said it. I’ll pass on peppermint mochas, I’ll never order mint chip ice cream, and we all know that Samoas rule over Thin Mints. But when the folks at Peanut Butter & Co. asked us to come up with our favorite #candycanehacks using candy canes and peanut butter, I decided to take the plunge and created flourless chocolate peppermint cookies (P.S.- check the bottom of this post for a fun little giveaway!).

Peppermint and peanut butter? I know, the combo sounded weird to me too, but when you pair peppermint with Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, it’s actually quite the delicious combo.

Dark Chocolate Dreams happens to be one of my favorite Peanut Butter & Co. flavors, so I knew I wanted to keep these cookies as simple as possible without messing with the integrity of the flavor in Dark Chocolate Dreams (I take my pb pretty seriously). Just an egg, some cocoa powder, crushed candy canes and peanut butter and you are pretty much set to go!

I based this recipe off my flourless honey peanut butter cookies from last year with just a few additional tweaks for maximum chocolate goodness. The best part about this recipe is that the cookies cook super fast, so you’ll have a delicious chocolate peppermint treat in no time!

While peppermint still may not be #1 on my list, I’ll definitely be making these cookies again.

Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (makes a dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

1 cup Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup crushed candy cane pieces

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper so your cookies don’t stick!

Unwrap your candy canes and place in a plastic bag. Cover the bag with a towel and use a hammer or mallet to crush them (not the most graceful way I know, but it gets the job done). Pour your candy cane pieces into a bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add your peanut butter, sea salt, egg, cocoa powder, baking soda and vanilla and mix well. The mixture will be quite sticky so make sure it is all well blended.

Gently fold your candy cane pieces into your cookie batter and continue to mix.

Place spoonfuls of batter onto your cooking sheet and flatten into a cookie shape (or keep as a cookie ball if you want!).

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly brown. The inside of the cookie will be deliciously gooey from the peanut butter.

Serve with milk or just on their own. Pro tip: these cookies taste great frozen as well!

Thanks for Peanut Butter & Co. for sending me the pb + the candy canes! I’m so excited to have a new cookie recipe for the holidays!

Peanut Butter & Co. wants to share the holiday spirit by offering a discount to Sweet Potato Bites readers! Simply enter code YUMSQUADLOVE at checkout for 25% off! (offer good through the month of December)

AND of course it wouldn’t be a Peanut Butter & Co. post without a little giveaway fun! One lucky winner will receive a jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams and Old Fashioned Crunchy (my personal favorites), which is perfect for all of your holiday baking! Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Giveaway open to U.S. residents only and closes on 12/17/14 at midnight.

Surf City Run 5K Recap

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It’s been a long time since I wrote a race recap hasn’t it? In fact, until the 4th of July, I hadn’t raced since December. Between wedding planning, getting married and going on a honeymoon, there just wasn’t time to commit to any races. But in between all the madness the Englishman and I have still been running on a consistent basis, so we decided to revisit the Huntington Beach Surf City Run to see if we could beat our times from 2012. Here is the Surf City Run 5K Recap.

I have a complicated history with the Surf City Run. I first ran it in 2011 and crashed and burned two miles in and ended up taking multiple walking breaks throughout. In 2012 the Englishman and I ran it together, but he had only just started running regularly so we took it easy and finished in a respectable 29:30. I skipped out on the race in 2013 and was finally ready to revisit it in 2014.

Thanks to crossfit and consistent running, I’ve noticed that my running paces have been getting faster and faster, and began to believe that I could smash my old 5K PR of 28:02. After completing a training run in Maui in 24:00 and a mile time trial in crossfit in 6:54, I began to realize that a fast 5K just might be in the cards.

I went into the Surf City Run with no expectations but to come in sub-25. I had been doing longer runs consistently with an 8:00 minute mile average, so I figured a sub-25 was possible.

The night before the race I did everything you weren’t supposed to do – had wine, ate different food, and stayed up way too late enjoying the company of my husband and friends. When I woke up in the morning I felt tired but not too bad, so I decided to give the race my all. We even managed to look bright and cheery for a pre-race picture (note the sweet photobomb).

We got to the race a little before the start and had time to stretch and use the bathroom. Soon enough we were lining up and the National Anthem started playing. The Englishman and I agreed we would stick together at the start, but since he knew I was gunning for a PR, he told me to just go ahead if I was feeling strong.

The horn blared, I started my garmin and we were off. The first mile was pretty congested and I spent a lot of time weaving in and out of people (I need to learn to run the tangents better), but finally I got into a groove and was on my way. After the first mile my watch beeped with a 7:49 pace and I knew a PR just might be in the cards for the day. And judging by my face in all these race pictures, I was definitely giving it my all.

As we moved into the second mile, my legs were feeling strong and I started to slowly pass people one by one. I’d spot my “rabbit” and work towards them until I could pass them comfortably. My watch beeped again. 7:01. What? I couldn’t believe I was running that fast.

The third mile was by far the hardest – the race ends on a small incline so I knew I had to leave a little in the tank to get up the hill at the end. My lungs were burning by this point and I felt like I might throw up but I kept pushing on. Finally, I rounded the curve and saw the finishing mat. I sprinted as best as I could across the line and crossed it in 22:45, a new PR by over 6 minutes.

The Englishman wasn’t too far behind, crossing in 24:57 which was also a new PR for him. Both of us were red faced and gasping for air but feeling incredibly proud of our progress in two short years. Racing 5Ks are no joke!

After years of running around a 9:30 pace for races I was finally able to break through that elusive 28 minute barrier and really give it my all. I attribute this to the following:

Smarter Training – I stopped running as many miles per week and when I did run, I made those miles count

Crossfit – Crossfit for sure has made me a faster runner. Strength training really pays off and I think it’s crucial to becoming a stronger runner.

Speedwork – The Englishman and I really started to focus on speed. Sprints during crossfit, running 400s on the track and fast tempo runs. I plan on incorporating a lot of speedwork into my half marathon training plan.

This race was the perfect confidence booster I needed as I prepare to dive into half marathon training again. Big Sur Half on Monterey Bay I’m coming for you. Sub-2 or bust! (I get heart palpitations just thinking about it).

Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

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As a food writer I get the opportunity to taste a lot of amazing dishes. But over the past few months, I haven’t really been “wowed” by food. I loved our wedding dinner from Grappolo and enjoyed the steak at Vitaly, but aside from that, everything else was just ok. Then I traveled to Maui and had my first bite of kalua pork and it was a game changer. I hadn’t eaten anything quite that good in quite some time. My taste buds were so excited in fact, that I immediately had to make slow cooker kalua pork upon returning home from the islands.

One of the great things about that pork was it not only made for two fabulous meals, but it also rekindled my love for cooking and recipe development. I felt inspired after biting into that perfectly salted and tender meat, and suddenly I wanted to cook all of the things again. And I know it may sound weird to wax poetic about pork, but eating that kalua pork reminded me why I write about food all the time.

When I decided to make the slow cooker kalua pork I wanted to prepare it the same way the Hawaiians do – just seasoned with red Hawaiian sea salt. I even bought a new slow cooker from unclutterer for this recipe.

No sauces, marinades, spices. Just Hawaiian sea salt. I wanted to respect the simplicity of the dish and really let the pork shine, rather than cover it in condiments.

This is the world’s easiest recipe and yields a bunch of delicious, tasty pork. I made this for a World Cup party and sent all of our guests home with leftovers.

If you are looking for a last-minute 4th of July recipe, I highly recommend this Slow Cooker Kalua Pork!

Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

Ingredients:

1 5lb pork butt

1- 1 1/2 tbsp Hawaiian Sea Salt

Directions:

If you are planning to enjoy your pork the same day you prepare it, set your slow cooker setting to HIGH for 7 hrs. Place pork and sea salt in the slow cooker and let it cook until the meat is juicy and tender.

This dish can also be prepared the night before, just switch your slow cooker setting to LOW and set for 12-13 hours.

Remove your pork from the slow cooker and then shred your meat. The meat should fall apart easily from the bone and be nice and tender.

We’ve used this pork in a variety of meals including a savory pie and a stir fry dish – both yielding wonderful results. Since there are no additional spices or sauces added to the meat it can be used in a wide variety of dishes which is awesome. It also freezes very well.