Kitchen Adventures 19.2

Every day I get delicious recipes sent to my inbox. I usually print out the ones I want to try and add them to my collection. Occasionally, if something looks REALLY good, I will tell my student employees about it to gauge their reaction and see if it is something they would want for a birthday party or other event.

I printed off this recipe back in March. I told one of my students about it and said I would make it sometime. The months drifted by and still I did not make this. Finally, it came time for our December birthday/Christmas/going away party and this seemed like just the right dish for such a large occasion. It was also my birthday and this student's birthday month, so I thought it would be fitting.

This recipe is so delicious it's ridiculous. I unfortunately only got a couple pieces as I left for the rest of the week, but I have a feeling they did not last very long. They are very rich, so tiny pieces are plenty.

This recipe came from Sweet Pea's Kitchen.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Ingredients:

For the brownies:
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
For the peanut butter filling:
1/2 c. butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
2/3 tsp. milk
For the ganache topping:
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter (half a stick)
2 T heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 metal pan (I used Pyrex and it was fine). Put a long piece of parchment paper in to bottom of the pan, draping the ends. (I did hot do this and they came out fine.). Butter the parchment.
2. In a medium (I used a large) saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and add the sugar; stir to combine. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Mix in the cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add the flour and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour this into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack.
3. While the brownies are cooling, make the peanut butter filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. Add more milk if necessary to make it spreadable. Spread in an even layer over the brownies. Place in the refrigerator until filling is set, about 30 minutes.
4. While the filling is setting, make the ganache. Melt and combine the ingredients in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl. Pour the ganache over the top and spread it gently. Return to the fridge to set.

Unfortunately I failed to take a picture of this. Picture brownies with peanut butter fudge and chocolate ganache on top. It's delicious!

Kitchen Adventures 17.3

Deliciously decadent desserts are some of my favorite things to make. I usually make these for work birthday parties, but I think I need to start making them for myself. Most of the time I only get one or two pieces of what I make before it's all gone! For once, though, this didn't happen. For some reason everyone forgot about this dessert in the fridge and eventually I had to take it home and eat it all myself. Let me tell you, I was happy to make that sacrifice. :) I even shared this recipe with my mom so she could make them for my brother's senior percussion recital and they were a hit there. I'm feeling the need to make them again once all the Christmas goodies are gone.

This dessert does take a little time to make, but it's not overwhelming. You basically end up making two different kinds of fudge and then making a crumbly layer at the bottom. Deliciousness. You do just need little pieces because it is quite rich. My mom ended up sticking pieces together with a toothpick in order to hold them together as the bottom layer does tend to crumble off. It generally holds together, though.

This recipe came from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch

Ingredients:

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 sticks plus 1 T. unsalted butter
One 16 oz. jar creamy peanut butter
2 c. crispy rice cereal
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. confectioners' (powdered) sugar

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or waxed paper. In a medium saucepan, melt half of the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter over the heat. I chopped the chocolate as needed in order to ensure it was just half of it. Remove from the heat once melted and stir in 1 cup peanut butter and 2 cups rice cereal. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Wash out the saucepan.
2. In the saucepan, combine the remaining 2 sticks butter and the salt; melt over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining peanut butter and the confecitoners' sugar. Spread half of the peanut butter mixture over the cereal layer. Top that with the remaining 1 cup cereal.
3. In a small bowl, microwave the remaining chocolate at medium power until melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread evenly over the cereal-topped peanut butter layer and refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes.

I again do not have a picture, but imagine a layer of chocolate-peanut butter fudge on top of a layer of peanut butter fudge on top of a layer of chocolate crisp rice and you have deliciousness.

Kitchen Adventures 14.3

Every week I get together with a handful of friends at a local establishment to relax, catch up and discuss a variety of topics (usually sports-centered). We typically celebrate things like holidays, big sporting events and other big days together. One event we almost always convene for is the MLB All-Star game. We have several faithful baseball fans in the group (and some others who are not so faithful) so this always provides a perfect excuse to get together.

This year, we celebrated the all star game a little differently. Normally we gather at a friend's house and have snacky food and beverages. This year, we decided to have a pie celebration for the event. We had a wide variety of pies, from blueberry to brownie with granola to apple to chocolate peanut butter. Needless to say we were quite full by the end of the evening!

This pie recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 14th edition on page 445.  You can find this in many libraries and bookstores as well as online.

This recipe is quite rich, so keep that in mind when slicing for serving. A tiny piece usually does the trick for most people.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

1 chocolate wafer crust (you can make this or buy one. I bought one to save time.)
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar
3/4 c. miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Prepare a chocolate wafer crust if you choose to make one. Chill a medium mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator.
2. To make the filling: in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Add the 1 cup powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, beating until combined.
3. In the chilled mixing bowl beat the whipping cream and the 2 tablespoons powdered sugar with the chilled beaters of an electric mixer until small peaks form. Gently fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Fold remaining whipping cream and  miniature chocolate chips into the peanut butter mixture. Spoon into the chocolate wafer crust. Cover and chill about 2 hours or until set.

I unfortunately do not have a picture for this pie. It is extremely delicious, though!