February 2010 Recipe Selection: It's Time For Something Sweet (and a little salty)

For Christmas, I received the cookbook Salty Sweets by Christie Matheson (thanks Mom!).

For February, in the spirit of Valentine's Day and the doldrums of winter, I have selected two recipes:  Decadent Hot Cocoa and Peanut Butter Cookies.

Decadent Hot Cocoa
Makes 1 serving

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 drop pure vanilla extract
Fleur de sel

1) Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat
2) In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, and sea salt.  Stir two teaspoons of the hot milk into the cocoa mixture to make a smooth paste.
3) Transfer the cocoa paste to the saucepan with the remaining milk and let simmer for two minutes over very low heat, making sure it doesn't boil.  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
4) Pour into a mug and sprinkle with a few flakes of fleur de sel.  Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Described as "closer to a macaroon than a cookie"
Makes about 24 cookies

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (regular, not natural)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons finely chopped salted peanuts

1) Preheat oven to 350 F
2) In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and sea salt
3) In a medium sized bowl, stir together the peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the flour mixture until well combined.  Stir in the beaten egg until well incorporated, and then stir in the peanuts.
4) Roll the balls into 1 inch balls and place them 3 inches apart on parchment-lined backing sheets.  Flatten the balls slightly with a fork, making a grid pattern (note, once cooked they won't retain the pattern as much as other recipes do).
5) Bake for about 12 minutes, until set and just slightly browned.  (Over baking these will lead to very crisp edges, which aren't bad, but I like them when they are a little softer).  Let cool on the baking sheets for about  1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.