Everyone knows that peanut butter and carrots are always a great pairing… so why not update the classic carrot layer cake by adding sweet Mighty Maple peanut butter to the traditional cream cheese frosting?
The end result is both delicious and impressive – three towering layers of moist, spicy carrot cake with plump golden raisins, all enclosed in swirls of tangy, maply frosting. The only downside is that you’ll be tempted to eat it all on your own, which is probably not a very good idea!
While layer cakes might seem a little intimidating, they’re actually much easier than you’d think. This one in particular is a great one for beginners – the sturdy layers of cake stack beautifully, and I’ve added a decorative garnish of chopped honey roasted peanuts that do wonders for disguising even the most imperfect of frosting jobs.

Everyone knows that Elvis loved his Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches. We’ve taken that classic and turned it into a decadent French toast sandwich! A peanut butter sandwich is dipped in batter and then cooked until crisp. The peanut butter and jelly become a wonderful and gooey mixture that will make anyone swoon.

When you think about Canadian cuisine what comes to mind? You could be chomping down on Tart de Sucre in Quebec, Nanaimo Bars in British Columbia or Butter Tarts in Ontario. Or do you think of something more seasonal like cranberries, spot prawns or furled fiddleheads? No matter the season true Canadian cuisine can be found every time we visit our local farmers markets, farm stands or local grocers and depends heavily on our ethnic roots from province to province.

Living in British Columbia we thrive on “West Coast Cuisine” which is essentially just utilizing the very finest local gastronomic delights fresh from the ocean, the oven or the field… just as they do in every province and territory across the country. If you asked a Canadian in Halifax, Nova Scotia or Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to define what they eat on a daily basis you would have two different answers. Ask your neighbor what they had for dinner last night and see what the ethnic influences are. Like everyone else we use what’s in our backyard and cook with what’s around us.

This burger utilizes what I found available this time of year…firm, full-flavored sockeye salmon from the West Coast slowly baked with a maple syrup and Maple flavored peanut butter glaze. Top it off with a seasonal slaw and what could be more Canadian than that!

Peanut butter and squash might not seem like the most obvious flavor pairing, but it works beautifully in this golden-orange soup – especially when it’s Mighty Maple peanut butter, which adds a hint of sweet maple syrup that enhances the natural sweetness of roasted butternut squash.

My first instinct was use curry paste as the spicing in this soup, but I decided to travel a little further along the Silk Road to settle on a traditional Moroccan blend instead. Known as ras el hanout, this aromatic mix of warm spices combines with a dash of Spanish-style smoked paprika to give this otherwise humble soup a distinctly exotic twist.

The end result is a slightly sweet, slightly smoky, slightly spicy and entirely satisfying soup to warm you up on a crisp fall day.

Chicken and waffles seems to be all the rage right now, and while I have yet to have it at a restaurant, I decided it was time to make my own version at home. These chicken bites are breaded and baked, nestled on a golden buttermilk waffle, and drizzled with a maple peanut butter and honey glaze. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner – it doesn’t matter when you make these. Just do it!

Ahhh… banana bread, the staple of every household that has bananas gone slightly too far. It seems like a last resort baked good, but banana bread is actually quite the treat in our household, as we rarely have bananas around. The combination of bananas and peanut butter is a natural one (thanks Elvis!) but the addition of a few spices and some chocolate chips really ups the game. Of course, using Mighty Maple also adds that touch of earthy maple syrup flavor which goes so well with the banana bread. Soon you’ll be buying bananas and impatiently waiting for them to sweeten up for this updated classic baked good.

Banana bread is a quick batter bread, meaning you throw all the ingredients into a pan, stick it in the oven and let it bake to a golden brown loaf. The addition of Mighty Maple peanut butter, spices and chocolate chips elevates this quick bread recipe into something magical that will have you clamoring for more. I used whole wheat flour and bread flour to give the bread a little more substance, but feel free to substitute an equal amount of all purpose flour in it’s place, just be aware the bread will come out more cakey and less bready.

This coming Easter holiday season, if you’re looking for recipes that seem extra special but don’t take hours to prepare, you’ll love this recipe. Lamb chops seem like a fancy special-occasion dinner entree, but in reality they take under 10 minutes to prepare, and if you do the math, may cost less than take-out! These chops are quickly seared in a hot pan, then topped with a curried peanut sauce. Try French-cut chops, which still have their long, handle-like bone, if you want to make lamb “popsicles” to serve at parties (serve the peanut sauce alongside for dipping); if they’re destined for dinner, serve chops with rice or potatoes and a side of something green – sauteed spinach or kale, broccoli, asparagus or green beans.

My recipe for Mighty Maple Peanut Butter Yogurt Scones was inspired by an unforgettable cranberry yogurt scone that I tasted a few years back at a bed and breakfast in Vermont. This time my scones incorporate one of my absolute favorite ingredients: peanut butter! The combination of whole wheat flour, maple syrup, French vanilla yogurt, and maple peanut butter creates a slightly sweet yet hearty scone that will start your day off on the right foot!

One of my all-time favorite sandwiches is the “gobbler.” This sandwich can consist of any permutation of Thanksgiving leftovers, but my ultimate combination absolutely must include turkey, homemade whole berry cranberry sauce, and mashed sweet potatoes. To be perfectly honest, I don’t reserve the gobbler only for the day after Thanksgiving… I enjoy it throughout the year using either sliced deli turkey or poached chicken breast meat. Although my interpretation of the gobbler is real close to sandwich perfection, the unique, but absolutely delicious addition of maple peanut butter seals the deal because — let’s face it — doesn’t peanut butter make everything better?

Sweet potatoes are a great way to upgrade potato salad, both flavor-wise and to give it a nutritional boost. Whether you’re making traditional potato salad or giving this version a try, roasting the potatoes first caramelizes them slightly, intensifying their flavor without allowing any nutrients to be lost to cooking water. The addition of kale further increases fiber, vitamins and minerals, and a peanut dressing ties it all together. The addition of Parmesan cheese is optional, but interesting, adding a new slightly salty dimension to the dish.

This dish will make a terrific side to any Thanksgiving menu!