Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Peanut butter cream pie *

Even as I type this in, I am striving for control to stop myself from running into the kitchen and making one!  Simple and luscious! 

Ingredients

Filling

1 ½ cup heavy cream

1 8oz package cream cheese at room temperature

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup smooth all-natural peanut butter (Adams!)

Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

Whipped topping

1 ½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

Optional topping additions

½ cup coarsely chopped peanut butter cups

½ cup coarsely chopped pretzels

2 oz dark chocolate melted

Instructions

Make the crust (okay, you can buy one at the store if you want!)  by mixing the melted butter with the crumbs and sugar.  Press the mixture into you pie pan with a flat bowl or cup.

Bake at 350 for six minutes.  Set aside and let cool.

Beat cream in electric mixture till it holds soft peaks, about 4 – 5 minutes.

Transfer to a medium bowl.

In the same mixer without bothering to clean the mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese till smooth and pliable, about three minutes. 

To mixer, add sugar, salt and vanilla and beat well.

Add peanut butter and mix to incorporate –it should be smooth.

Remove mixer bowl and incorporate a third of cream by folding it into the peanut butter mix.  Repeat twice more.  It should be fluffy!  Add this mixture into cooled graham cracker crust.

For topping

In a clean mixer bowl, add cream and powdered sugar.  Mix with whisk attachment till soft peaks form about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add to the top of the pie.

Cover with plastic wrap and Refrigerate for at least four hours.

Just before serving top with your favorite combination of options or have nothing at all.

·       From Homemade Decadence by Joy Wilson 

Graham Cracker Crust

Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

1 cup Graham Cracker crumbs

1 TBSP Sugar

Pinch of salt

5 TBSP unsalted butter, melted and cooled.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350

Dump all ingredients into a bowl and mix together.

Dump the mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and use your fingers and the bottom of a bowl to press the mixture up the walls of the pie plate.  Strive for uniformity!  J

Bake crust for 12 to 15 minutes.  Remove and let cool before filling it with your choice of goodness!

Ginger Pecan Scones

Ginger Pecan Scones

Scones require a “biscuit hand” which is to say that you must handle them as little as possible and work with very cold ingredients

.

Oven to 450 degrees

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

3 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP baking powder

½ tsp salt

5 TBSP unsalted FROZEN butter

½ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup chopped candied ginger

1 cup cream

1 TBSP sugar for tops

Instructions

Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to mixing bowl. 

Stir dry ingredients together. 

Grate FROZEN butter into mixing bowl with flour.

Add nuts and ginger to bowl and mix it all up.

Make sure that the butter shavings are all separated and covered in the flour mixture.

Make a well in bowl and add cream.

Using a large mixing fork, move flour into cream until all the flour mixture is wet.  NOT TOO MUCH!

Dump mixture onto cold floured surface.  I use my granite counter top.

Push together dough until it forms a solid flat mass about an inch high.

Fold dough into thirds three times.  Visually divide dough mass into three parts.  Fold the left side to the center and then take the right third and fold it onto the top.   Flatten dough again and repeat twice more.

Form the last fold into an oblong rectangle.  Start at the center of the mass and mark out three inch spaces along the dough.  Using the lines cut a diagonal from one straight line to the next and then the straight lines.  You’ll end up with triangles of dough to put on parchment paper.

Brush the tops with an egg wash and then take a TBSP of sugar and sprinkle over the top of the scones.

Bake for 12 to fifteen minutes in the middle of your oven.  Don’t overcook them!

They are so good hot with some tea and jam….

Variation:

Leave out the pecans and ginger and get a cup of frozen blueberries and incorporate a third of them into the middle of the folds for each of the three sequences of folds. 

Ginger White Chocolate Cookies

Ginger White Chocolate Cookies

I first tried something like this in Leavenworth, WA and began to try and duplicate this cookie.  How much ginger is a personal taste thing so add or subtract as you wish.  I have gone with the middle of the road in this recipe.  Also, experiment with the nuts.  I am using pecans because it is what I have in the cupboard but I would have used Macadamia nuts if I could have chosen any nut.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground ginger

1 cup soft butter (two sticks)

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

3 cups oats

1 12 ounce white chocolate chips

1 cup pecans

½ cup diced candied ginger

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl (Flour, soda, salt and ground ginger)

In a mixer, blend

Sugars and butter till fluffy

Then add eggs and vanilla

When fully incorporated add

Remaining ingredients (oats, white chocolate, pecans, and candied ginger)

Don’t overmix!

Use a small scooper to put 12 rounded cookies on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and cook for 8 – 9 minutes.  Don’t overcook!

Take out and put on rack to cool.

Repeat as needed.

Strawberry Mascarpone Layer Cake

 

INGREDIENTS
Preheat Oven to 325F Degrees

FOR THE CAKE
1 box of white cake mix, sifted
1 c. cake flour, sifted
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. whole milk
1 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 egg whites

FOR THE FILLING
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 cartons of strawberries (or 1 large carton)

FOR THE FROSTING
12 oz. of mascarpone cheese (1 1/2 containers)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 c. heavy whipping cream

Optional: Graham Cracker Crumbs
 

DIRECTIONS

For the Cake:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, whisk together cake mix, flour and sugar. Then add in milk, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Scrape down sides and mix again until well incorporated. Finally add in egg whites.

Grease 2-8 inch round pans. Divide batter equally among 2 pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top of the cakes are slightly golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to slightly cool. Then turn them out and let cool completely.

If cake is not completely flat, use either a cake leveler or knife, to make cake completely even.

For the Filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip heavy whipping cream, on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside in refrigerator.

Using half a carton- hull strawberries and slice lengthwise. Set aside.

Then, place one carton of strawberries in the bowl of  a food processor and pulse until the sauce appears to be like a "chunky applesauce." Using a strainer, push the strawberry puree through- to get rid of excess water. Fold strained strawberry puree (i.e., puree minus the water) into the whipped cream. The whipped topping will become a pink color when puree is well incorporated. Then fold in sliced strawberries.

Keep in refrigerator until assembling cake. Reserve 1/2 carton of strawberries for decorating.

For the Frosting:
In a medium bowl, whisk together mascarpone cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar with a spatula until well blended and smooth. Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip heavy whipping cream, on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in whipped cream into the cheese mixture.

Assembling the Cake:
Place one 8-inch round cake on serving plate (on a cake turn table, preferred). Then using a large (1M) circle tip, pipe a border around the top (edge) of the cake (i.e., creating a wall). Make another border on top of the already piped border. You want a tall border to prevent the filling from spilling out. Within this border, place a large, heaping scoop of strawberry filling (you may not use all of the filling). Using  a spatula, spread the strawberry filling over the top of the cake.

Gently place the second 8-inch round cake directly on top of filling, slightly pressing down and making sure the second layer of cake is perfectly aligned with the second. Cover cake with mascarpone frosting. Decorate as desired using the remaining frosting and strawberries.

Optional: After frosting the cake, but before decorating-- I chose to cover the side of the cake with graham cracker crumbs. I accomplished this by having a handful of graham cracker crumbs and pushing them against the side of the cake, very gently.

 

Original Source: http://fortheloveofdessert.blogspot.com/2013/08/strawberry-mascarpone-layer-cake.html

Cake slightly adapted from Just a Pinch

Mascarpone frosting slightly adapted from Baked Bree