Peanut Butter Slice Candy Food

SLICE AND BAKE PEANUT BUTTER SANDIES

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Combine the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar in another medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and blend until just combined. Shape the dough into a log: Place it onto a piece of plastic wrap about 18 inches long. Use your hands to pat the dough into a log about 7 inches long and 2 inches around. Roll the plastic wrap around the dough. Twist both ends of the wrap, like a candy, and tighten both sides until the dough log is compact and tightly wrapped (this might cause the dough to shrink down to a 6-inch log instead of a 7-inch log, but that is okay). Tuck the twisted ends under the dough and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange 2 racks in the middle of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and use a sharp knife to slice the dough into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets, about 12 cookies per baking sheet. Press a halved peanut into the center of each cookie. If the dough is still very cold, it might crack slightly around the peanut. Simply use your finger to lightly push the dough back together.
• Bake the cookies until the edges are very lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Halfway through cooking, rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom.
• Cool the cookies slightly on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

PEANUT BUTTER CANDY

Steps:

• Combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, nuts and butter in a medium mixing bowl.
• Mixing well, shape into 1/2-inch balls and roll in coconut.
• Chill.

SALTED CARAMEL & PEANUT BUTTER BILLIONAIRE'S SLICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm rectangular cake tin with baking parchment - the best way to do this is with 2 long strips of parchment. Put the ingredients for the base in a food processor and blitz until it starts to clump together - don't worry if the peanuts are still a little chunky, they will add a lovely texture. Tip onto your work surface and knead briefly to bring together as a dough. Press the dough into the base of your tin in an even layer. Bake for 25 mins until golden, then set aside to cool.
• To make the peanut butter layer, melt the butter and peanut butter in a small pan and mix until smooth. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, then pour in the hot butter mixture and stir to combine. While the mixture is still warm, pour over the base and smooth out with a spatula. Chill for 2 hrs until set.
• To make the caramel layer, put the caramel and salt in a pan, bring up to the boil and simmer vigorously for 2-3 mins, whisking continuously, until the colour darkens a shade or two and the caramel thickens slightly. Leave the caramel to cool for 20 mins (see tips, below). Once cooled, pour it over the peanut butter layer and return to the fridge for a further 2 hrs.
• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Meanwhile, put the toffees and the milk in a small saucepan and gently heat. They will clump together and struggle to melt at first, but keep heating and eventually they will turn into a runny toffee sauce.
• Remove the tin from the fridge and pour the chocolate over the salted caramel layer, tipping the tin to spread the chocolate over the surface. Use a spoon to quickly drizzle the caramel over the chocolate in a thin loopy pattern (or see tip, below). If the toffee starts to get too thick, add a splash more milk or cream and pop it back on the heat until runny. Sprinkle over the sea salt flakes and put the tin back in the fridge to chill for 2 hrs before slicing.