Slow Cooker Love

With two under two, it can be difficult to find the time to make dinner (especially around the 4pm witching hour), so the slow cooker became my best friend. After having four very unsuccessful meals in the row, my slow cooker has failed me. I stumpled across this blog http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ and have since tried a few of the recipes.

We had this one today:

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/04/slow-cooker-peanut-butter-cup-cake.html

I made a few very small variations and all in all I would call it a success.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker coated well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and baking powder. In the microwave, melt peanut butter for about 30 seconds, and then add to the mix along with milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir really well to combine.Spread this mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker.In a separate bowl, mix together cocoa powder, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 cup boiling water. Pour evenly over the peanut butter batter in your cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the top has set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake sit uncovered in an unplugged crockpot for about 20 minutes, then serve warm in dessert bowls.

When scooping out these "cup cakes" I thought they were going to be really really sweet, but they turned out to be just the perfect amount of sweetness, enough to feel satisfied, but not overdone in regards to sugar intake.

In the hoopla of todays events (a gathering of my brother, sisters, nieces and nephews) I forgot to take a picture, but give it a try, and you can see what it looks like for yourself.