National Peanut Butter Day and National Pie Day

Image from www.bakersroyale.com

January 23 was National Pie Day...personally shouldn't it be March 14? You know, 3.14....Guess my geekness is showing, oh well. January 24 was National Peanut Butter Day. What better way to celebrate both of those by making a Peanut Butter Pie!

This recipe I found while looking for something that was easy and quick and would meet with my husband's approval. If you love peanut butter and chocolate together, you will like this recipe. Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie.

Ingredients: 24 oreos*, 4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted, 2.5 c whipped cream*, 3/4 c Peanut Butter, creamy*, 1/2 c Powdered Sugar, 1/2 c crushed Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Instructions: (1) Prepare a 9" springpan by spraying with cooking spray. If you don't have a springpan, you can use a regular 9" pan just line with foil and have some of the foil hanging over the sides so you can remove the pie easily. You can also use smaller springpans for individual pies. (2) Preheat oven to 350F. (3) Add Oreos to processor and pulse until finely crumbled. Add melted butter to crumbs and mix and then press into the pan*. Bake for 7-10. (4) In a pan over low heat, combine peanut butter and powdered sugar and stir until combined and peanut butter is melted. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. (5) Fold peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream then fold in the crushed peanut butter cups. (6) Pour into pan and freeze for 3 hours. Serve with drizzled caramel and chocolate sauce and top with more crushed peanut butter cups. Enjoy!


*I use Newman's chocolate creme sandwich cookies instead of Oreos.
*If you don't want to do whip cream from scratch, you can use Cool Whip.
*I use Jiff's Natural Peanut Butter or if I have some available, organic peanut butter.
*If you have extra crumbs you can push them along the sides of the pan. You will need to do this if you are using smaller springpans for individual pies.

Caramel Applesauce Cobbler

Another apple dish I love to make is a cobbler or a crisp. Just taking a bite into the warm apples bursting with cinnamon makes my mouth go happy. Topping off a crisp or a cobbler with some homemade Vanilla Bean ice cream or a Pecan Bourbon Ice Cream, makes my mouth go into a food coma.

Here's a recipe for a Caramel Applesauce Cobbler. It's a version of a pie I use to have at my grandma's. Enjoy.

Ingredients: 1/2 c butter, 12 large Granny Smiths*, 2 c sugar, 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice, pie crust*, Vanilla Ice Cream*,  1 c pecans, 1/4 c bourbon

Instructions: (1) Toast pecans then chop. Stir softened ice cream, pecans, and bourbon together. Freeze for 4 hours. (2)Preheat oven to 425F. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add apples, sugar and lemon juice. Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until apples are a caramel-color. Spoon into a greased 2qrt baking dish. (3) Cut pie crust into 1/2" strips and arrange strips in a lattice design over filling. Place remaining strips on a baking sheet. (4) Bake strips at 425 for 8-10 minutes or until golden.  Bake cobbler for 20-25 or until crust is golden. Server warm with pastry strips and ice cream if desired.


*I substituted Spencer apples for this recipe but usually make it with Granny Smiths.
*I make my own pie crust but you can save time and purchase a refrigerated pie crust from a local grocery store.
*I usually make my own vanilla ice cream but if I'm running behind or totally forget, I'll use Brigham's Vanilla Bean.

Spiced Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

 Apple Picking is one of my favorite this to do in the fall. If I can't have warm sunny weather every day, then a cool crisp day picking apples from a local family farm is where I want to be. Sometimes I get luck and have some warm apple cider donuts while picking apples. I'm not big on warm apple cider for a drink. Last season friends of our went with us to pick apples. At first we were all set on the types of apples we wanted to pick but as soon as we were introduced to the SPENCER, we gave up our other options and just filled with bag with Spencers. If you haven't tried a Spencer apple, you are missing out. They are delicious, sweet, crunchy...kind of puts a Honeycrisp apple to shame; in my opinion.

Here's a recipe for an apple bread pudding. I usually make this with Granny Smith apples but will be trying it out in a few weeks with Spencer apples once I get back from apple picking with friends. Enjoy.

Ingredients:  1 Granny Smith Apple, .5 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 a loaf of Italian bread, cooking spray, 3 eggs, 1.5 c milk*, 1 c apple cider, 1/4 c packed brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, .25 tsp nutmeg, .25 c pecans, .75 c sugar, 1 tsp corn syrup, .5 c evaporated milk, 1.5 tsp butter, 1/3 c water

Instructions:  (1) Peel and chop the apple and saute it and .25 tsp of cinnamon in a lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until tender. Cut bread into bite-size pieces and add bread and mixture to a 11x7" baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. (2) Whisk eggs, milk, cider, brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and remaining cinnamon. Pour over bread mixture and cover and chill for 1 hour. (3) While pudding is chilling, preheat oven to 350F and bake chopped pecans on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle sugar in an even layer in a small saucepan and stir together syrup and water, and pour over sugar in saucepan. Cook, WITHOUT stirring, over med-high heat for 12-14 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is golden. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in milk. Stir in butter and pecans. (4) Preheat oven to 350F, if not already warm from toasting pecans, and bake mixture for 45 minutes or until top is crisp and golden brown. Serve warm with sauce.

*I usually use whole milk but you can use 2% if you want.

Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Bread Pudding

Image from Southern Living.

There are few bread puddings that I like and this is one of them. I got this recipe awhile ago from Southern Living Magazine. It was a hit when I made it one Thanksgiving. I love the caramel pecan sauce. It reminds me of eating pralines. Having individual ramekins, makes this dish more personal but you can cook it in one large dish* if you don't have them.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:  4 large eggs, 2 cans (15 oz) of pumpkin*, 1.5 c milk, 1 c half-and-half, 1 c sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, .5 tsp sea salt, .5 nutmeg, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 1 loaf of French bread, 1 c pecans, 1 c packed light brown sugar, .5 c butter, 1 TBSP corn syrup

Instructions: (1) Whisk eggs, pumpkin, milk, half-and-half, sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, .5 tsp vanilla in a large bowl. (2) Cut bread into 1" pieces (about 10 c) and add bread pieces to mixture. Stir to coat thoroughly. Cover with Saran-Wrap and chill for 8-24 hours. (3) Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon mixture into individual 6-oz ramekins that have been lightly buttered*. Place ramekins on a foiled lined baking sheet. Bake for 50 min. and shield with foil after 30 min. (4) While pudding is baking, make sauce by adding pecans to a medium skillet and heat over med-low heat, stirring often for 3-5 minutes. Add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla and pecans. (5) Drizzle sauce on ramekins and bake for 5 minutes more or until sauce is heated through and begins to boil.

*I usually make my own puree from freshly grown sugar pumpkins from a local organic farmer.
*If you are using ramekins, you will need about 12. I use PAM to spray the ramekins.
*If you are baking as one dish, spoon chilled mixture into a 13x9 baking dish that has been lightly buttered. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Add sauce and bake for another 5 minutes.