All Recipes

This recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn is so good! It has Oreos, peanut butter, and Reese's Pieces. Quick and easy treat!

Ultimate Peanut Butter Popcorn Recipe

Crunchy, creamy, sweet and peanut butter popcorn. Ready in under 30 minutes, and you won’t be able to put it down!

This recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn is so good! It has Oreos, peanut butter, and Reese's Pieces. Quick and easy treat!

I’ve obviously been in the mood for snacking lately. I don’t know if it’s me trying to prepare lots of Super Bowl recipes, or if it’s just the fact that I’ve been dieting for 19 days a billion years.

(How are your New Year’s eating resolutions going? Still going strong?)

Either way, munchies have been on the brain, because the past two weeks of recipes have included 2 snack mixes and 2 dips, plus today’s popcorn and yet another dip recipe tomorrow. ????

This recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn is so good! It has Oreos, peanut butter, and Reese's Pieces. Quick and easy treat!

Today’s popcorn is one of my favorites from the book, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Popcorn (on page 75)! This is one of my most used go-to recipes for a quick and easy popcorn treat. It can be packaged for giving away or for entertaining guests.

This Ultimate Peanut Butter Popcorn recipe is a slight variation on the chocolate chip version in my book. Beyond creamy peanut butter and white chocolate, this version is also stuffed with lots of Oreos. (Is there a more heavenly combination than Oreos and PB?), Reese’s Pieces, and a chocolate-y drizzle.

This recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn is so good! It has Oreos, peanut butter, and Reese's Pieces. Quick and easy treat!

As I always do when making any sort of chocolate-coated confection that will be eaten with hands, I used Ghirardelli Candy Melts (NOT white chocolate chips). I’ve sang the praises of this much loved ingredient over and over again. But in case you’ve missed my soap box spiel on candy melts, here’s the gist:

Yes, I know we all love REAL chocolate chips the best. But candy melts will work SO MUCH BETTER in candy making and coating, because they are made specifically to melt well. They melt smoothly and quickly without seizing, they coat better than normal chocolate, they cool and harden quickly, and the hardened coating won’t melt all over your hands when handling.

Just use the melts please (available at Target, Walmart, Michaels, and other stores).

Rant over. ????

This recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn is so good! It has Oreos, peanut butter, and Reese's Pieces. Quick and easy treat!

And you might also remember me saying this before, but it bears repeating: I LOVE this Boom Chicka Pop (found at Target) for my popcorn munch mixes!

It’s sweet and crunchy, with a sugary shell that protects the kernels from any sort of moisture from the chocolate. And it’s just overall perfection.

Of course, you can always use microwave popcorn or air popped (which has always been my preferred method in the past, I melted through TWO poppers when I was writing the book!). Your choice. But if you can get your hands on some bagged kettle corn, you’ll save a little time plus add some sweet crunch to every delectable bite.

This recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn is so good! It has Oreos, peanut butter, and Reese's Pieces. Quick and easy treat!

So… wanna see how easy it is to make this??? (Say yes! Say yes!)

I made another video for you!!! I’m brand new to the video-making thing, so I don’t have many under my belt yet. But I’d say this one is already a big improvement from the first, and I’ve been SO excited to share it with you.

I hope you like it!

What did you think? My brother and I have been working so hard on making more videos for you. I can’t wait for you guys to see them.

For now, I hope you fall in love with the Peanut Butter Popcorn as much as I have. It’s perfect for a quick, last minute treat and completely addictive. For a fun variation, try adding M&Ms, PB cups, Nutter Butter cookies, or miniature marshmallows! Just to name a few ????.

This is a recipe from my local bakery and it is SO good! Peanut butter smeared on top of chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with M&Ms. EASY too :)

Bakery Style Peanut Butter Swirl Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

These easy, three-ingredient bakery-style Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookies will knock your socks off! Crispy edges, soft centers, and heavy on the peanut butter please.

This is a recipe from my local bakery and it is SO good! Peanut butter smeared on top of chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with M&Ms. EASY too :)

Truth: I was thisclose to not posting this recipe. But my my deep and abiding love for these peanut buttery cookies trumped my hesitation, and here we are ????.

Let’s go ahead and take care of the elephant in the room: these cookies are not pretty. They’re not sexy. You’ll find no shiny, melting pools of chocolate here. They aren’t thick and fluffy. You intentionally overbake, and they are irregularly shaped. And guess what else?

These cookies are not even made from scratch.

I know. ????

Still with me?

Good. Because these cookies are going to knock your socks off. I promise.

This is a recipe from my local bakery and it is SO good! Peanut butter smeared on top of chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with M&Ms. EASY too :)

How This All Started

My mom and I visit a nearby deli for lunch pretty often. And by “pretty often,” I mean 4 or 5 days a week. It’s a problem, really. We’re addicted to the sweet potato fries (omg). But I could really close my eyes and point to just about anything on the menu and know I’ll like it. It’s that kind of place. I could eat their chicken salad all day long and be so happy.

In addition to their sandwiches of all sorts, this deli has a fully stocked case of baked goods at the check out. And on top of the case, they haphazardly strew these saran-wrapped GINORMOUS peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

These cookies are thin and crispy around the edges. And they have this thick, luscious swirl of peanut butter that winds all the way through the cookie. They top theirs with Reese’s Pieces (which I actually prefer), but I used M&MS in this post so I could use Valentine’s colored candy (priorities people!).

cookies with M&Ms

And Then…

When I was pregnant (and for a while after), I picked up one of these cookies every visit. I’d wait until I got in my car to break off a piece, thinking I could just eat a little bit and save the rest for later.

After one bite, I just can’t control myself. They are SO GOOD!

I spent weeks trying to work out the logistics of how I could replicate the cookie at home. How do you get that thick peanut butter swirl and layer on top? I toyed with a few ideas, none of which were very promising, before finally asking the cashier at the deli about who made their cookies (they have an outside vendor for most of the baked goods).

Now, I was prepared to hunt down this baker and beg for her peanut butter swirling secrets. As it turned out, no begging required. According to the cashier, the cookies are made in house and that the recipe is as simple as this:

“We just smush three chocolate chip cookies together, spread peanut butter on top, and stick some Reese’s Pieces on top of that.”

cookies on a white plate

She was right– it was that easy. It only took me one try to make an exact duplicate at home (so dangerous). I used frozen cookie dough, since I was pretty confident they weren’t making dough from scratch there at the deli. And then I spread on the peanut butter and candy, just like she said, and VOILA! My favorite cookie made right in my kitchen.

Easy peasy.

So there you have it– it’s not elegant, and it’s certainly no culinary feat whatsoever. But, frozen cookie dough and all, it’s one seriously good cookie.

Top 15 in 2015

Swanky Top 15 Recipes in 2015

Top 15 Recipes in 2015

I want to write this post every year, but the end of the year and the beginning of the new one always comes and goes so fast that I never get around to putting it together. And even though I’m running a little late (would have loved to have actually posted this in 2015 ????), it’s going up anyway!

Never mind that it’s only taken me 5+ years of blogging to finally do a “best of” post. Woot woot!

2015 was really a fun year for the blog. I did a lot of experimenting with the camera and food styling, tried out a few new lenses, and worked really hard on improving the quality of the content on Something Swanky from recipes to writing to photography. I had opportunities to develop recipes with some of my favorite brands yet (I’m looking at you M&Ms!) and learned even more about the business side of blogging than I ever have before.

Even better than all that stuff, this year I accomplished BALANCE between my blog life and the rest of my life. I handed off more responsibilities to my social media manager and spent more time focusing on me, my family, and our newest little addition. I spent almost two entire months entirely devoted to me, the baby, and being present at home while barely cracking the laptop open at all. It was so needed this year and has brought me such peace.

But before we jump into 2016, let’s take one more stroll down memory lane. Here are YOUR favorite recipes from Something Swanky in 2015:

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scotchies

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe

Ultra-chewy simple oatmeal cookie recipe loaded with chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Quick and easy cookies!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scotchies

Those that know me well know that I am ALL ABOUT a good chocolate chip cookie. And I’m frequently asked which is my favorite recipe.

It’s like having to choose a favorite child! I really can’t do it. There are several that I love for different reasons. The same cookie doesn’t always work for every mood, season, and occasion. Just like a good pair of shoes, you have to find a cookie that goes just right with what’s going on in your life.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scotchies

For example… I love these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies a lot right now, because I can make them dairy free if I use DF chocolate chips. These are probably my favorite standard, basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. But that recipe calls for shortening. If I’m in the mood for an all butter recipe, I’ll make this one.

More often than not this year, I’ve been in the mood for a good, hearty oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. This one is my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. The 1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts in that one make it SUPER chunky and amazing for a texture lover like me. But I don’t always have walnuts on hand, and I don’t always feel like putting in the work that recipe takes. So my go-to basic oatmeal chocolate chip recipe is this one. And it’s best made with M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces 🙂

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scotchies

This recipe is a variation of that last one. It’s simple, straight forward, and holds up to a wide variety of mix-ins.

At first, I thought I was going to make these into Oatmeal Scotchies. I’m obsessed with butterscotch, and it feels like such a cozy, Fall flavor. But then I realized that I just couldn’t leave out the chocolate.

So in went the chocolate chips 🙂

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scotchies

I hope you love this recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies! And if you want to change it up a little bit, here are some other fun mix-ins you could use instead of chocolate chips that would pair really well with butterscotch:

  • Reese’s Pieces or M&Ms
  • Peanut Butter Chips (mmmm, PB + Butterscotch = bliss)
  • Pretzels (or chocolate covered pretzels!)
  • Butterscotch pudding mix
  • Walnuts
  • Caramel filled chocolate candy (like Rolos or Ghirardelli squares)

Be creative! And be sure to tag me @somethingswanky on Instagram if you make these. Let me know what you added in 🙂

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies Recipe

Rich and fudgy, these Nutella Brownies trump all other brownies! And the best part is that you only need three ingredients for this quick and easy recipe. You’ll never be tempted by a box mix again!

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

If you’ve been in the food blog world at all today, then you know that many of us are paying  a chocolate tribute to a very loved member of our community who unexpectedly passed away last week, Joan Hayes– or as you may better know her: Chocolate, Chocolate, and More.

Joan and I met via an online blog conference a few years ago, had a few phone chats, and many, many Facebook conversations. Joan was a social media guru and was always willing to have a helpful chat with anyone about improving their Facebook page or Google Plus reach.

She had the sweetest Southern accent you’ve ever heard, such a big heart, and a major love of all things chocolate.

I think she would have LOVED these Nutella Brownies.

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

What’s in a Nutella Brownie?

Is there anything better in the world than homemade, fudgy, chocolate brownies? Hm. Maybe brownies made with Nutella with a tall glass of cold milk on the side. Yes?

Well, it just so happens that’s exactly what we have here. A brownie in it’s fudgiest form, made up almost entirely of NUTELLA. This is my favorite brownie recipe as of late. And the best part? You don’t even need a mixer, it’s that easy. Nutella, eggs, and a little flour. Mix it all up together in a small bowl, bake, and voila! Best brownies ever.

If you really want to get a little crazy and add even MORE CHOCOLATE, you could mix up a batch of this Nutella frosting to spread on top (excuse the poor photography in that post, it’s super old).

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Really though… these brownies don’t even need the frosting. They are rich and fudgy and decadent all on their own.

Exactly the way Joan would have liked them ❤️.