Pretzel-crusted Peanut Butter Pie

My husband loved the sweet-and-salty combo.  I've been making peanut butter pie for years, but this is the first time I gave it a pretzel crust.  It really did take the dessert to a whole new level.  It's not too salty.  It's not too sweet.  But it is oh so delicious.

Here's what you'll need:
3/4 c finely crushed pretzels
1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
3 TBSP sugar
5 1/3 TBSP melted butter
1/2 c peanut butter
3 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk
1 8-oz tub whipped topping, thawed
1 c mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the pretzel and graham crumbs, sugar and butter in a large bowl.

Mix until it looks like sand, then pour into a 9-inch pie pan.

I use a glass to press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.

Bake at 425 for 8-10, until lightly golden.

Set on a rack and let cool completely.

Combine cream cheese and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat until combined and fluffy.

Beat in the powdered sugar.  Add in the milk.  Fold in the whipped topping, mixing well.  Spread in the cooled pie crust.

Use a knife to coarsely chop the peanut butter cups.

Spread evenly over the top of the pie, gently pushing them into the filling.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.  Serves 8.

Enjoy!

Peach Puffs

Peaches are in season right now.  There are so many varieties to choose from, each with different colors and levels of sweetness.  All of them delicious.  I've been buying them at the farm stands regularly.  That means we're eating a lot of peaches, so I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  These pastries are perfect. They're just the right size to hold in your hand, with a not-too-sweet filling and flaky crust.

Here's what you'll need:

4 TBSP sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb peaches, diced
3 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP milk
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine 3 TBSP of the sugar and the vanilla in a bowl.

Add the peaches, and toss to coat them.

Stir in the flour and set aside.

Combine the remaining 1 TBSP sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Pour the milk into a third small dish.

On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry until it's 15x10" rectangle.

Cut the pastry into 6 squares.

Put one piece of pastry on the parchment paper.  Use a pastry brush (or your finger) to moisten the edges of the pastry.

Put about 1/2 c of the peach mixture in the center of dough piece.

Pull up the opposite corners together.

Then pull up each side, pinching the seams together as you do.

Finish by twisting the ends together at the top.

Repeat with the remaining pastry squares.

Brush the tops of the pastry with any remaining milk, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temp.  Note:  they are best on the first day.

Enjoy!

Mexican-spiced Brownies

I like combining flavors.  Sweet & salty.  Fruit & herbs.  Chocolate & chile. They're subtle flavors that seem to make each other "pop".

I was looking for a treat to send my son who's away at college.  He likes hot things, so I whipped up these chipotle-laced brownies.  They're densely chocolate with just enough of an after-burn to now something else is going on.

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 12-oz pkg Special Dark chocolate chips
1 c milk chocolate chips
2/3 c vegetable shortening
2 c sugar
4 large eggs
1 TBSP chipotle puree*

To make the chipotle puree you will need 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Put the peppers and sauce into a blender and puree until smooth. What isn't used in this recipe can be stored in a covered container in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9x13" pan or a brownie pan.  Set aside.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large glass bowl, combine the special dark chocolate chips and the shortening.

Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Beat the chocolate mixture into the sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and blend well.  Add the vanilla and chiptole puree.  Mix well.  Stir in the flour mixture, just until blended. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips.  Spread the brownie mixture in the prepared pan (for the brownie pan I used a large cookie scoop).

Bake at 350 30-35 minutes (14 min for the brownie pan), or until toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack, completely, before cutting.  Makes 2 doz.

Enjoy!

Churro Cheesecake Bars

If you've met me, you know of my HUGE love for Mexican food.  However, I'm not such a huge fan of Mexican desserts.  Tres leches cake is just so... moist.  Flan is like eating egg jello.  Churros are delicious, but I'm not a big fan of frying food.  So the other night, when a friend invited us over for a Mexican-themed meal and asked me to bring dessert, the challenge was on to find a great recipe.  I saw this one floating around face book, and decided to give it a try.  It's super simple and oh so delicious!

Here's what you'll need:
2 cans of crescent rolls (if you can find the sheets GET THEM.  It'll make your life simpler.)
2 8-oz cream cheese, at room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg,  at room temp
1 c sugar, divided
2 TBSP cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the cinnamon with 1/2 c of the sugar.  Mix well and set aside.

Beat the cream cheese, remaining 1/2 c sugar, vanilla and egg until well blended.  Set aside.

Grease a 9x13" pan.  You can use spray, but I found using shortening worked better to keep the pastry from sticking.

Sprinkle 1/4 c of the cinnamon-sugar mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan.  Shake from side-to-side to evenly coat the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan.  Set aside.

Roll one can of crescent rolls to 9x13 inches, on parchment paper. (This is where the sheets of crescent roll dough will make prep easier.)

Place it on top of the sugar in the pan.  I found it was easier to transfer when I roll the dough, loosely, inside the parchment paper, but it was still hard to get it off the parchment in one piece.

Spread the cream cheese mixture, carefully, over the pastry.  Spread to within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Roll the remaining can of crescent roll into a 9x13" piece.  Carefully lay over the cheese mixture, pushing the edges together.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until the center is set.  Cool to room temp on a wire rack, then refrigerate until cold.

This is extremely rich, so I cut it into 20 squares.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Butter Cream

I love butter cream!  It's light, fluffy and not too sweet.  But once in a while, a chocolate butter cream is a nice change.  It's no harder to make, but the the increase in flavor is worth the extra step.

Here's what you'll need:
2/3 c dark chocolate chunks
12 TBSP butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 TBSP milk

Put chocolate chunks in a small bowl.

Microwave at 30-second intervals, until melted.  Stir until smooth.  Let cool slightly.

With a mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

Gradually add the sugar, mixing well.  Add just enough milk to loosen the mixture and make it spreadable. Then, beat on high for 5 minutes.

This will frost a 9-inch layer cake.

Enjoy!