Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie

My mom adores cream pies. Chocolate cream pies and coconut cream pies are her top two (and my dad asks for a banana cream pie every father's day and birthday)... I guess I have cream pie parents. For mother's day this year, I made her favorite chocolate cream pie, so for her birthday, I wanted to switch it up slightly. For as long as I can remember, my mom's favorite has been peanut butter chocolate anything, and I take after her in that regard. So what better birthday treat than a peanut butter chocolate cream pie?!

I enjoyed this pie because the flavors are separate (not too much chocolate, nor too much peanut butter) and it's pretty when you slice it since it has two layers. And it's quite easy! Another rave for epicurious!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie
1 9-inch Oreo or graham cracker crust
4 large egg yolks
2/3 c. sugar
3 1/2 T. cornstarch
3 c. half and half
1 T. unsalted butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. (6 ounces) semisweet morsels
1 c. (6 ounces) peanut butter morsels
1 c. chilled whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar

Place yolks in medium bowl. Combine sugar and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in half and half. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute. Whisk half of mixture into yolks to prevent curdling. Return yolk mixture to saucepan. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Place chocolate chips in medium bowl. Add 1 cup hot custard and stir until chocolate chips melt and mixture is smooth. Add peanut butter chips to remaining custard in saucepan and stir until peanut butter chips melt and mixture is smooth.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly into prepared crust. Gently spoon peanut butter mixture over chocolate, spreading to edge of crust. Place plastic wrap atop pie to prevent skin from forming. Cool pie on rack 1 hour. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

For the topping, just prior to serving: Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently spread topping on top of pie. Sprinkle with grated semisweet chocolate, if desired.

Happy birthday, mom!

Sugar Cookie Cut-outs with Royal Icing

As we get into fall, the next few recipes will probably be "not chocolate"... but still delicious, so forgive me. The first are my cut-out sugar cookies with royal icing. And when I say "mine," I of course mean Martha's. :) However, the recipe my mom uses is not Martha's and yet it was nearly identical, so I assume that this is the ultimate sugar cookie recipe. Moms and Martha agree!

For those of you who have not been to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you should go at least once. OBX isn't anything like Delaware or Maryland beaches. There isn't a trashy boardwalk; there's history (pirates, Civil War, and WWII), wild horses, fabulous lighthouses, and after Labor Day, desolate beaches.

The four main lighthouses are Currituck, Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke. Each has a very distinct look to it, so I decided that for our annual trip to Hatteras Island that I'd make unique lighthouse sugar cookies. The best icing for details is royal icing. It dries very hard and you can put it into a piping bag to outline the cookie, then you thin out the icing with water or milk so that you can "fill" the cookie. The thin icing will only spread as much as the thicker icing's border. Yes, only I would do this. But I think I did a pretty good job, no?


Currituck (brick)


Bodie (horizontal stripes; Scout & Boomer make great models!)


Hatteras ("America's Lighthouse"... apparently purple dye bleeds...)


Ocracoke (short and fat) :)

My husband would like to point out that the yellow M&M "lights" were his idea. :) Also, please note that these weren't necessarily the best ones, but the ones that didn't break on the trip. :(

Sugar Cookies
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into 2 pieces; flatten each into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Let 1 disk of dough (or a partial disk, as they warm up too quickly sometimes) stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, no more than 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes. Transfer to baking sheets (I HIGHLY recommend the Silpat...) as you work. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake until edges turn barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; let cool completely.

Mock Royal Icing...
2 c. powdered sugar
3 T warm water
food coloring of choice

1. OUTLINE. Put sugar and water into a stand mixer (recommended) with a paddle attachment. Beat at a relatively high speed until it resembles a smooth (sickeningly sweet) white icing—be patient! It'll take a little bit. Since I generally recommend white icing as an outline, save your food coloring for step two.

Pour some of the icing (keeping enough icing to fill each cookie later) into a piping bag with a very small tip—a #2 or #3. Carefully outline each cookie and each detail you wish to make. Think ahead as to how you'd like to separate the colors in step two and create a border there. Let dry thoroughly.

2. FILL. Add 1 teaspoon of water at a time to the icing remaining in the bowl—you may only need that 1 teaspoon, so be patient. Mix again on high speed until the water is incorporated and the icing runs off the tip of a spoon. The goal of this type of frosting is to be runny enough that it'll fill up until the outline from step one. Use your judgment.

If using colors, pour desired amount of frosting into several ramekins and create fun colors using food coloring (the box generally gives good ideas of color concoctions to reach desired results). One color at a time, pour colored icing into a clean piping bag with a slightly smaller tip than in step one. Starting at the white outline, trace the outline then fill the cookie with color in a sweeping motion. It won't be perfect if this is your first time, but using the tip to help move some of the frosting around will help it better cover the entire cookie surface. And unless you love cavities, try not to use TOO much icing. Just use the tip while not squeezing down on the bag to help move blobs of frosting to areas with less. If using sprinkles or any other decorations, do so now. Let dry very thoroughly, up to 24 hours if packaging.

Pour yourself a drink because this is hard work! (the cleaning up is especially bad)

I should mention that this is mock royal icing because traditional royal icing uses either egg whites or meringue powder as an egg substitute. I was doing this last minute and didn't want to bother. And I knew this would work equally well. :)

I did sailboats and sea turtles too!

Drunken Chocolate Toffee Trifle

So I'm super far behind on updating the blog, but you may think this one's worth the wait. This sweet treat is perfect for any time of year (although I made it in August for our house party, whoops).

I'm always intrigued by Paula Deen's desserts (although nowhere near my obsession with Giada) because they're usually pretty creative. I would have never thought to bake a cake from a box but then pour alcohol on top of it while it cooled!

If you're strapped for time, just buy some hot fudge and cool whip at the store. I won't tell. ;)

Drunken Chocolate Toffee Trifle
1 box chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines recommended)
1/2 c. Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
2 c. fudge sauce, recipe follows (or one 16-ounce jar fudge topping)
3 Heath or Skor bars, roughly chopped into pieces (I used more)
1 1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped and sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar

Prepare the cake according to the package directions for a 13x9-inch pan. Cool thoroughly. Prick the entire top of the cake with a fork. Pour Kahlua over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours. Slice the cake into 1-inch cubes.

Line the bottom of a large glass bowl with a single layer of cake cubes. Pour 1/4 of the warm fudge sauce over the cake, top with 1/4 of the candy bar bits, then 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat layering two more times ending with fudge sauce and candy bits. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(Assemble the trifle shortly before serving or it will get soggy.)

Hot Fudge Sauce
4-oz. bar German chocolate
1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 T (1 stick) butter
3 c. powdered sugar
1 2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 1/4 t. vanilla extract

To make the sauce: Melt the chocolate with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

Scout (in the background) asks that you party guests please drop some, thank you.

Bake Sale: "Gold Bar" (i.e., Caramel, Roasted Almond) Brownies

I made these brownies as part two of my bake sale goodies, and they sold equally as fast. Tip: label your brownies as homemade and use the buzz words caramel and roasted almonds, and they'll be gone in a flash!

I have just been so pleased with all of Fran's recipes so far, and this was possibly the most delicious brownie I've ever had. Something about watching the caramel bubble as it cooked in the oven stirred me deeply! If you're not an almond fan, by all means, omit them, but they really add a nice crunch and depth, especially roasted. But the brownie base itself is just awesome plain too.

Apparently, the Gold Bar is one of Fran's best-selling chocolate bars. She started making these brownies in her shop with the leftover Gold Bar scraps, but this recipe is for the home baker without an endless supply of Gold Bars. :)

Gold Bar Brownies
1 c. store-bought caramel sauce
8 oz. (1 2/3 c.) whole almonds
1 lb. semisweet chocolate
1.5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 stick + 2 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. + 2 T. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. sugar
1.5 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. instant espresso powder (I omitted)
3 large eggs
1 3/4 c. cake flour, sifted then measured

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13" sheet pan. Place whole almonds on a separate baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool then roughly chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

Finely chop 12 ounces (not all!) of the semisweet chocolate and all of the unsweetened chocolate (1.5 ounces) for melting. In a separate pile, chop the remaining 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks, to serve as chocolate chips.

Melt the finely chopped semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a double boiler or a good pot over low heat. Remove when nearly melted and continue stirring until smooth.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and the two sugars until light and very fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla and the espresso powder (if using espresso powder; if not, just go to the next step).

Add vanilla/espresso mixture to butter mixture and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions and scraping the bowl several times. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat to combine.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and FOLD in the sifted cake flour by hand until no traces of white remain (it might take a little while). Fold in the 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chunks and toasted almonds (I actually skipped the almonds at this point and placed them on top of the brownie batter once it was in the pan instead). The batter will be very thick. Evenly spread the batter in the prepared 13x9" pan.

Spoon the caramel sauce in tablespoon-sized dollops over the top. Using a table knife drawn through the batter, swirl the caramel into the batter to marbelize. (Toss on the almonds now if you haven't already!)

Bake for 45 minutes. When tested with a toothpick in the brownie portion (not the caramel!), it will have moist crumbs when done. Let cool in the pan one hour (important!) and cut into squares.

Welcome to molten caramel heaven!

Bake Sale: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

I can't imagine a more divine combination than peanut butter and chocolate. In fact, I still have the taste of a Nutrageous bar on my lips right now. Mmmmmmmm.

So when my office had a bake sale to raise money for a reading program for inner-city kids, I knew that homemade peanut butter cups would be a big hit and would raise a lot of money. However, I had no idea just how popular they'd be: the bake sale sellers, not the customers, bought my treats up before the sale even started. I packaged them in bags of two, and the last bag had to be split among two people so they wouldn't fight each other for it!

Anyway, I owe this recipe to goodthingscatered, but geez, I can't believe I never thought of this myself! You don't have to temper the chocolate, but I was paranoid that my beautiful pb cups would melt on Metro. I'm melllllllltiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
semisweet chocolate chips
creamy peanut butter
(just buy a bag of one and a jar of the other and that'll be enough!)

Set out paper candy cups. Slowly melt a handful or two of chocolate chips in a double boiler or a good nonstick pot.

[The following step is NOT required, but it worked really well for me. As Fran says, "If you're one of those folks who thinks life is too short to stuff cherry tomatoes, you may not have the patience for tempering chocolate."

Tempering is the process of melting, cooling, then melting chocolate again in order to realign the crystals in the cocoa butter. Ever made truffles and wonder why they don't look professional and glossy? You haven't tempered the chocolate. Tempered chocolate gives a nice *snap* when broken and is really glossy. For this and other recipes, use a clip-on candy thermometer to ensure you do this properly.

As you slowly melt the chocolate on your stovetop, stir until the thermometer reaches 115 degrees, but no higher than 120. Remove from heat and stir until the mixture cools to between 82 and 84 degrees. Yes, it takes time. Lots of time. Once the chocolate is at the appropriate temperature, return to heat and stir until it reaches 88 to 90 degrees—no more. This may only take 10 seconds! (If it goes above 90, start the process over...)

88 to 90 degrees is the perfect temperature for dipping, which is why I suggest you work one handful of chocolate chips at a time—you need to work quickly!]

So, tempering madness aside, scoop a small blob of melted chocolate into a paper candy cup. Then a small blob of peanut butter. Then top with another blob of melted chocolate. Make a cute swirl on the top :) and refrigerate to set.

(notice varying stages of the setting process)

DEVOUR!

Tea Party: Chocolate Chip Shortbread

I recently threw a tea party for some of my *gasp* Internet friends. Throw yourself a wedding, find theknot.com, and you'll quickly know what I mean.

Although my inspiration was British, my obsession is chocolate. Here's the menu:

Cream scones
Blueberry streusel scones
Lemon curd
Mock Devonshire cream
Pumpkin chocolate chip bread
Dark chocolate digestive biscuits (only McVities will do)
Cadbury Flakes
Egg salad tea sandwiches
Cucumber tea sandwiches
Goat cheese and watercress tea sandwiches

and

Chocolate Chip Shortbread
1 stick butter, diced (save the wrapper)
3/4 c. flour
3/8 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch loose-bottom fluted tart pan (mine was 10.25 inches and turned out just fine, but watch it during cooking) with the remaining butter from the butter wrapper. Sift the flour and cornstarch into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, then add the butter and rub it in (or "cut" it in with a fork, two knives, or dough blender) until the mixture starts to bind together.

Turn into the prepared tart pan and press evenly over the base. Prick the surface with a fork. Sprinkle the chocolate morsels and press lightly into the surface.

Bake at 325 for 35–40 minutes, or until cooked but not brown. Cut into portions. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

YUMMM.

Mom's Chocolate Inside-Out Birthday Bundt Cake!!!

First, I'd like to share a birthday in the life of inkpadchocolate.

7:15 a.m. Discover peanut butter cup wrapped in birthday wrapping paper from hubby. Devour peanut butter cup on way out the door.
8:30 a.m. Get to work, begrudgingly.
11:30 a.m. Get surprise Chocolate Truffle Cake from coworkers from Bread & Chocolate.

1:30 p.m. Break for lunch at Dickey's Frozen Custard for rich chocolate custard. (melted too fast to take a picture, sorry!)
3:30 p.m. Decide to get the heck out of there and hoof it to Georgetown Cupcake for a lava fudge cupcake. Walking 12 blocks = I deserved it!

5:30 p.m. Meet hubby for dinner at Faccia Luna in Arlington. After fettuccine alla bolognese dinner, devour their Chocolate Noir, one of my very favorites.

7:30 p.m. Meet up with parents and in-laws for Mom's Chocolate Inside-Out Birthday Bundt Cake and Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

12:00 p.m. Go to sleep knowing that your arteries (and hips) can recover tomorrow. It only happens once a year. :)

Mom's Chocolate Inside-Out Birthday Bundt Cake
1 package (4-serving size) JELL-O instant chocolate pudding mix
1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix (mom prefers it over Devil's Food)
12 oz. bag chocolate morsels
1 3/4 c. milk
2 eggs

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Combine pudding mix, cake mix, chocolate morsels, milk, and eggs in a bowl with a spatula. Mix by hand until well blended, about two minutes. Pour into greased Bundt pan.*

Bake at 350 for 50–55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed with finger. Cool 15 minutes in pan; remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.

Serve with ice cream. This baby's rich!

* Tips for greasing a chocolate cake: since the last thing you want to see on a chocolate cake is white flour, after greasing the pan with a leftover butter wrapper (preferred), simply dust the pan with cocoa powder instead of flour. Be sure to bang the cocoa around the pan so it adheres to most of the butter and dump out the excess.

Happy birthday to me...

Southern Chocolate Chess Pie

I'm not sure how or why, but I somehow managed to go 25 years without ever hearing about or tasting chess pie. And now it's everywhere! My first experience was in North Carolina in March. My hubby's uncle brought us a chocolate chess pie from a local bakery. Afraid that it would be bad, since he had never heard of it either, he also bought a marbled pound cake. Guess which wasn't eaten. :) The chocolate chess pie was like a gooey brownie. No! A silk pie. No! A pecan pie minus the pecans! In any case, it was outstanding, and the obsession has begun. It's very, very sweet, but not rich, if that makes sense.

Several months later, a friend graduated from grad school and his parents threw a party at their home in Richmond—with a chocolate chess pie. In fact, the joke of the evening was "Can you get me a slice with a pawn in it? What the heck is a chess pie?!" Turns out, a chess pie is just a custard pie, although its origin is up for debate.

So when my church threw a "Puttin' on the grits" retirement party for our sweet Southern belle pianist, I knew exactly what to make. Best of all, it only takes five minutes to assemble.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com.

Chocolate Chess Pie
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 c. melted butter (1/2 stick)
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar and cocoa together. Beat the eggs then add the cocoa mixture. Beat in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Pour mixture into a 9-inch unbaked pie shell (I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts) and bake for 45 minutes or until set. (I recommend covering the pie's edges with foil or a pie guard after the first 20 minutes, or when edges attain a good brown color... so they don't burn.) Let cool before slicing.

Heavenly.

Classic Chocolate Cream Pie

So it's the end of June and I'm just now writing about Mother's Day, but don't judge me. :)

Back in April, a friend and I took an Italian cooking class at Sur La Table. I recreated the menu for my mom, but I knew that the light lemon cake we made in class just wouldn't do for her! Like mother like daughter, she craves a chocolate cream pie on special occasions. This is one of my favorite recipes, from my Good Housekeeping cook book, and I make it almost every year.

Classic Chocolate Cream Pie
One premade Oreo or graham cracker crust
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
3 3/4 c. milk
5 egg yolks
3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened Baker's chocolate, melted
2 T. butter, cut into pieces
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. heavy or whipping cream

In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt; with a wire whisk, stir in milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened and boils; boil one minute. In a small bowl, with a wire whisk, lightly beat egg yolks. Beat 1/2 c. hot milk mixture into beaten egg yolks. Slowly pour egg mixture back into milk mixture, stirring rapidly to prevent curdling. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick or until temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in melted chocolate, butter pieces, and vanilla until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Pour hot chocolate filling into crust; press plastic wrap onto surface. Refrigerate until filling is set, about 4 hours.

To serve, in small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form; spoon over chocolate filling.

Chocolate Chip Cut-out Cookies

My sincerest apologies for the blogging delay... our new furry addition has kept us from doing anything not centered around him. :)

But, in that vein, I wanted to thank my in-laws for helping out with the dog so much, letting him play at their house during the day for the first few weeks, checking up on him, etc. What better way than with dog bone shaped cookies!

The recipe came from the back of a bag of Toll House morsels, but the cutting technique is all my own. ;)

Chocolate Chip Cut-out Cookies
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c. (12 oz. bag) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.

Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan (or shallow cookie sheet). Spread cookie mixture onto prepared pan, with the intent of getting the dough as close to the edges as possible. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown (mine took less time, so watch it). Cool in pan on wire rack.

When cool, use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes, then transfer each to a cooling rack or cookie tin. Be sure to space each cut close to the previous cut so you get more cookies than scraps. :)

Dad wasn't sure if they were for humans or not!