Some weekends I don’t want to cook a thing.

I want to go out to eat for every meal, forget I have a blog, and never pick my camera up.

Maybe it’s guilt, or maybe it’s sensibility. Maybe it’s something in between. I’ll inevitably find something to make, for myself or a friend, and at the end I’ll be happy I have something delicious that’s homemade, that I can call my own, and that cost a quarter as much as if I got it somewhere else.

I baked these brownies reluctantly, took photos of them frantically, and shared them happily. Sometimes the best push to cook something comes not from doing it for yourself, but from doing it for others. Do yourself a favor and bake some brownies for someone else.

Oat flour is more crumbly than regular flour and even other gluten-free flours. When baking with it, make sure to grease your pans liberally and add a dusting of powdered sugar on top before frosting to keep the top intact.

Bailey’s Frosted Brownies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

For the brownies:

• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4oz bittersweet baking chocolate
• 1/3 cup Irish cream

For the frosting:

• 6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the oat flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, melt together the chocolate and butter.
4. While the chocolate is melting, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and Irish cream.
5. Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking until fully incorporated. Don’t go too fast so that the raw eggs don’t cook upon contact.
6. Add the chocolate mixture in with the dry ingredients and mix completely.
7. Pour the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before frosting.
9. To make the buttercream, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and Irish cream heavily until it’s entirely mixed. Add a touch more buttercream if it’s too dry at first.

As fun as it is to try new recipes and explore new flavors, some recipes you inevitably come back to season after season, year after year.

Last week I made these buckeyes for a holiday party, only to realize I did the same exact thing last year. Desserts like this are just too easy not to choose and always please a crowd. They’re also naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan by using margarine instead of butter.

These didn’t come out nearly as pretty as store-bought candies, but I always like it when you can tell something’s homemade.

A recipe like this may not seem too versatile, but you can use any kind of peanut butter or other nut butter to make it unique. Chocolate peanut butter would be a perfect substitution for any chocolate lover.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 20 buckeyes):

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, softened
• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips OR 10oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Method:

1. In a large bowl mix together the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt until it forms a dough that sticks to itself. If for some reason your dough is too thin, slowly add more powdered sugar until it’s workable.
2. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a non-stick surface.
3. Put the peanut butter balls in the freezer to set.
4. While the peanut butter balls are hardening, melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler.
5. One by one dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate to coat their outside and put them back on the non-stick surface.
6. Refrigerate the peanut butter balls until the chocolate has set. Keep cold until ready to serve.

Everyone says it’s better to give than to receive. And I think that’s true; but getting gifts feels pretty awesome, too, right?

I saw a couple coworkers earlier this month enjoying Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter, so I tweeted them since they’re a company I love and have blogged for in the past. Not only did they tweet back but they were nice enough to give the office a bunch of jars to sample.

Since then, my coworkers have all been trying new flavors by the spoonful and finding new favorites that none of us want to share. I took a jar of Mighty Maple from our stash but plan on giving back by bringing these brownies into the office to share with everyone.

I made these with Mighty Maple peanut butter. You can make it using any flavor or brand of peanut butter(though Dark Chocolate Dreams certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice).

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 16 servings):

For the brownies:

• 4oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour OR all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 2 eggs

For the swirl:

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons milk or cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In the microwave or over the stove, melt the chocolate, butter, peanut butter, and milk together into a smooth sauce.
2. Gently add in the sugar, flour, and cocoa powder and begin beating.
3. While beating, add in the eggs and beat well until the batter is smooth and silky.
4. Pour the batter into a 9-inch cake pan or similarly sized baking pan.
5. In a small bowl, melt the peanut butter and butter.
6. Beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
7. Pour the peanut butter sauce across the top of the brownies and swirl in using a fork or knife.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the batter has set.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting.

And if you’re also a peanut butter fanatic, There’s still time to vote on the National Peanut Board’s app and be entered to win a peanut butter prize pack.