An inordinate amount of ass smacking took place Saturday night. My hand, in fact, is still sore. Poor LiLu…it was her birthday and she took a lot of abuse.

I figure it all evens out though. She doesn’t remember this–perhaps too much cider?–but earlier in the night she came bounding up to me as I iced a cake. I had used a 8″ chef knife, trying to create a smooth sheen with the liquid velvet icing. LiLu took one look at the knife, dripping in frosting, and attempted to lick it, sharp side first, two times. I am glad I was there to save her from herself, but she had those ass smacks coming after that foolishness.

It was a pity to have to do it, though. LiLu is truly a sparkling little light in every single one of my days. Sometimes I want to send the internet a dozen roses for introducing us. The other day, she referred to us as “secret shame” friends. I would say that is a pretty accurate assessment. If I were to say, “Hey, LiLu, sometimes I watch “Beaches” for two days straight, never changing my underwear, all while surviving on Elio’s pizza, Chubby Hubby and Arbor Mist”, she’d be like “I did that last week…you better invite me next time”. She is a wonderful, hysterical judgment-free zone…with a highly slappable ass.

For such a friend, I had to make a very special birthday treat. (As if saving her tongue from a tragic severing wasn’t enough.) She loves her peanut butter, so I found this recipe for chocolate brownie cookies and made some tweaks. Yes, you read that right. Chocolate Brownie Cookies. I added some peanut butter chips (chocolate chips were an option in the original recipe) and topped them with Reece’s Pieces candy. True to billing, they were chewy and soft like a brownie, but had the crispness on the outer layer like a cookie. These disappeared pretty damn fast and I cannot say I blame the crowd; this is one great cookie.

Nothing is too good for my girl. Happy birthday, you hooker.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped or in chips)

3 Tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 box or 2 packets Reece’s Pieces

In the microwave, gently melt together the chocolate and butter. To avoid heating the chocolate too much and possibly burning it, the best method is to heat till the butter is melted and the chocolate has partially melted, then remove from the heat. Stir till all the chocolate melts.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs till they’re thoroughly combined. You don’t need a mixer, just do it in a medium sized bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate the batter like dough for 1 hour, to make it easier to handle.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, three if you have them.

Drop the cookie dough by the tablespoonfuls (about the size of a small ping pong ball) onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2″ between the dough balls, as they’ll spread as they bake.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, until their tops are shiny and cracked. They won’t crack until the very end, so keep a close eye on them; when they’re cracked all the way across the top surface, they’re done. Remove the cookies from the oven, and top each with a few Reece’s Pieces. Wait 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.